All posts by jb38
Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Kris Stewart: If you use a dish exclusive to yourself then your problem has to caused by either the box itself or the LNB. However as you have apparently tried another box and with exactly the same results then the problem is then narrowed down to the cable or the block, but as the inputs on the block are totally separate from each other about the only thing that could affect them all is if water had managed to creep into it, and considering you can replace a quad block for around £10.00 from a number e-bay sources it might be worth considering this.
Its really the polarity angle that makes me suspect that this could be applying, as the polarity switching on the block is achieved by the box sending bi-voltage levels up to it, and what you have mentioned suggests that one of the two is being partially shorted.
Of course water in the cable could also do that, and if you have managed to get stations known to be on separate polarities working then it could be just one of the two cables at fault, and as aforementioned water having crept in being the culprit, but basically these two reasons mentioned are about the only things that can cause your type of problem.
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Lucy: Simply because of it being a PSB only Freeview transmitter, as any additional channels provided would be purely for commercial reasons and not public service broadcasting obligations connected to the licence fee, but the commercial interests that would have been involved having considered that the coverage area was not large enough to provide adequate financial returns to justify the high costs involved with providing any additional services.
In other words just like most private enterprises, if its not going to pay then its not done.
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Tim: Yes, you are quite correct regarding the atmospheric conditions (high pressure) that is presently applying, and which is responsible for disrupting television reception across large areas in the UK, although apparently this high pressure "inversion" effect problem mainly affecting South of the border as there are at present anyway, very little complaints about reception difficulties being made from the Scottish regions.
I also agree that come April the 18th when Crystal Palace is fully switched over to high powered operation that most complaints of reception difficulties from that station will virtually vanish, that said though, I do fully expect that there is going to be quite a number of new complaints springing up due to signal overloading problems causing instability in TV and boxes tuners, the symptoms of being "exactly" the same as that of a weak signal, although a lot easier to cure by the addition of an attenuator in line with the receiving equipments aerial sockets.
Thank you also for your most complimentary comments regarding the site.
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AKi: Although reception from Crystal Palace can be a bit iffy for some people, but by the fact of you being only located at 5 miles away from the station you have always to consider the possibility that your signal is strong to the extent that its overloading your TV's tuner, a very simple test for this being to try a standard non-amplified set top aerial into the set, as if overloading is the problem then a picture of sorts will be obtained. (after a re-tune whilst using the set top aerial)
Of course you also have to consider the other reason that could be responsible for your difficulties, that of being caused the wave of high pressure across the country and something which is causing problems for numerous people in many areas, no real cure being possible except to wait until the situation reverts to normal.
But though, when dealing with reception problems such as yours it always best to enquire locally if anyone else is having the same problems as yourself, as if they are then dont alter anything.
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Dave: The best option for anyone to take should they be able to accommodate a dish, is to go for Freesat, as not only does the Freeview light issue never crop up but reception is virtually guaranteed to be glitch free for 99.9% of the time year in year out, and anytime its not only being for about 5 minutes or so max during a very heavy thundery type downpour.
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Eddie: Yes, as a fault in the audio output IC can cause the problem you have reported, and it does suggest that its the TV at fault by what you have said that you tried.
Another thing that can sometimes cause that problem on "some" TV's such as yours is when they are fitted with a headphone socket, as when the 3.5mm jack plug used on headphones is plugged into the socket it breaks the speaker connection, but sometimes when its pulled out again it doesn't make properly and causing exactly the type of problem you are complaining of.
Should your set have a headphone socket, then if you have anything fitted with a jack plug of the type mentioned, give it a few high speed push in's and out's as that can partially clean the speaker make / break contacts, although a minute squirt of WD40 or similar into the socket before carrying out the procedure mentioned gives superior results.
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jack: If you have to have the Fox T2 on as well then the TV you are watching is being fed from the T2 and not from the actual TV, the way to verify being to remove the aerial from the T2 and the picture should vanish.
What model of TV are you using? as if its a modern TV then you will have an input selector button on its remote, and if you have then select DVB if your set is a Freeview type, on some sets this is achieved via a menu on the screen that comes on after pressing the button marked TV on the remote.
I also assume that the aerial used on the TV is being fed from the aerial output socket on your T2? and that the normal roof (or wherever from) aerial is connected into the T2's aerial socket?
Anyway if you provide the model number of your TV I can check on its operation.
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jack: Just a correction to what I mentioned regarding the aerial connections, without touching anything else whilst you are viewing the TV switch the Fox T2 into standby (not off completely) and as soon as the picture vanishes take the aerial out of the T2 and plug it directly into the TV's aerials input socket and check the results.
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timonthenet: Well I don't know what the signal from Waltham is like in the Nottingham area where I assume that you are located, but someone else asked roughly the same question as yourself yesterday, me having reported that all was perfectly normal when checked from the outskirts of Peterborough, except that is for the PSB muxes being fractionally down to that of their normal levels received.
On the basis of your request I carried out another check about an hour ago in the Peterborough area and another on return to Stamford a few minutes ago, finding the signal levels at both locations to be virtually the same as yesterday with SDN (Ch29) being received at a slightly higher level than the PSB muxes, so signals being received to the South East of the station do not really indicate anything amiss.
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Tuesday 27 March 2012 6:37PM
Mike: Thanks for the update and pleased to hear all is OK now, I suppose I should have refreshed my page before sending my latest reply to you but I had typed this out a little while ago but due to circumstances at the time was unable to send it.
I only mention this as you are bound to be puzzled why I sent this after you had already notified me that the problem was solved.