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All posts by jb38

Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.


Jeff Glynn: Yes, passive types might be OK in areas where as you have said, a sufficiently high signal strength exists to be able to use them successfully, but unfortunately that doesn't apply to most areas that suffers from reception problems, plus!! you are using a combination of equipment fitted with top class tuners, as Panasonic and Humax tuners are about the best around, as the types fitted in most other brands are simply not up to their standard in sensitivity nor stability.

Humax of course being about the most accurate for its signal strength readings, whereas Panasonic is inclined to err slightly on the exaggerated side of reality.

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Suzy: Carry out a factory reset on your TV or box to blank out everything already stored, if you do not see a factory reset option take your aerial out and carry out an auto-tune without it, as this will also blank out the channels stored, then once completed go into your TV or boxes "manual" tuning menu and enter Ch24 followed by pressing "search" or "scan" storing the programmes found if not done automatically.

Once you have completed this action do exactly the same with each of the following channels : 24 - 21(only if HD TV or box) - 51 - 52 - 48.

You "may" be able to bypass having to carry out this procedure if after having carried out an auto-tune you had seen a "select area" option popping up when you would have selected "Cambs & Beds" which "is" Sandy, but it depends on the device you are using and Sandy (20 miles / 36 degrees) is indicated as the station giving the best signal.

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KMJ,Derby: No problem whatsoever KMJ, as if my memory serves me well I think that I might actually have made that same mistake twice myself involving you having already replied to some ones query, basically caused by me typing out a reply and then going into another screen to double check something, then returning to the previous and posting the reply without checking if the screen had been refreshed in the time away from it.

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Dave Lindsay: The answer re: Log 40's is yes, or even DM Logs, although I still have to say that irrespective of what would be nulled out by constructing this type of system, that if the signal that "is" required is being received at totally erratic levels in the first place then I cant see this arrangement making much of a difference, as this type of set up is really intended to be used in an area where signals on the same frequency but received from two sources at reasonably constant levels are clashing with each other, and although there is nothing really wrong with what you suggest I really feel that after a lot of effort it would end up a disappointment for the reasons given.

Of course the other point is that this system requires "absolute" precision as far as alignment is concerned, and this is another thing that cannot be guaranteed where signals are erratic, as they are bound to be suffering from fluctuations in the angle received which would take the precision element away.





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Nick: Re: your 09.06am query. Yes, that's exactly it, as in some areas where stations have one or more multiplexes operating with negative offsets on their frequencies there is always a number of older boxes that will perform adversely to this type of situation when coupled to receiving an 8k signal even although they may well have performed OK when used on pre-switchover 2k signals, and even although many of these boxes have been software updated to supposedly overcome this problem its a total hit and miss situation as they can still struggle dependant on the level of the signal being received, this showing up much worse when they are on the weaker side and likewise more difficult to capture in the first place.

That said, the Icecrypt is your only device that is removed from the ranges associated with suffering from these type of problems (as well as others) and with that being why I advised using it for reception tests, which of course you have confirmed that you do!


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Nick: By the way, the reply I have just posted was pre-typed during a lunch break earlier on but for various reasons could not send it.

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Suzy: This is because you have not used the correct procedure. What to do is press "menu" then select "installation" enter password (0000) then run down the list and select and press on "default setting".

Once this has completed go into the menu again and select installation, select and press on "manual" search where you will see a channel number shown on the right hand side, use the > (right hand) arrow on the large centre button and a list will come on under the channel number already shown, run up or down the list until you see Ch27 and press on it when it will immediately enter the box, then press on "search" and waiting until its picked up all the programmes, which with that box might not be particularly fast, once found though finish by pressing "save" or "store".

You then repeat the process by going back to "installation" and then using exactly same procedure as before but this time entering the second on the list Ch24 and so on.

Carry on until all five have been entered, scanned, and saved.

The number again being: CH27 - Ch24 - Ch51 - Ch52 - Ch48 all referring to Sandy.


(Ch48 al) 

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Stuart: No problem, as at least you found what was causing your difficulty.

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Ian gardner: Its quite impossible for anyone to assist without knowledge of your location which could be anywhere in the UK, a post code or one from nearby would be suffice as this would enable access to the reception predictor plus info on the transmitter that you will most likely be receiving from.

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Nick: In reply to your experiments with home made aerials, if No2 aerial received all but Ch60 from Sudbury, then whilst the box was still sitting on Sudbury muxes you turned the aerial around 90 degrees towards Tacolneston and by carrying out that action you then picked up Ch60 thereby making a full compliment of Sudbury channels, then it can only be for one of two reasons.

(1) that Sudbury's signal is being strongly reflected towards you from some large distant object and that is why you are receiving that station when the aerial isn't pointing towards it, or (2) that the directors on the aerial are acting like restrictors and are partially blocking the signal from reaching the active element, "but" with the element of restriction referred to being cleared when the aerial is turned sideways thereby allowing the signal direct access to the active element, the whole point about directors being that they "have" to be precisely aligned "exactly" facing the direction of the signal or they "will" act as partial blockers, this being why I never advocate high gain aerials being used in any situation unless its not too far off line of sight, and also why a Log aerial (any Log but short ones best) coupled with an amplifier of about 12 / 15db or so can receive far more consistent (and reliable) signals over a large piece of metal work.

What I suggest you do though is to leave your No1 aerial set up in operation and do not alter anything, just leaving it running like that to see how long the reception of all muxes holds out for before conditions cause changes to take place.



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