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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.


RC: As the other TV's in your system are unaffected, then you should test the aerial outlet point used by your recorder / Sony TV using one of those, if though the TV's used on your other system are of different brands to each other then its best to try both to allow for variations in tuner sensitivities.

It would also assist if your location was known, this being to access info on the transmitter covering your area.

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RC: Indications are that Crystal Palace is the most likely transmitter dependant on where you are located within the RH11 postal code area, as in some places Reigate might provide a better signal.

However if your aerial is mounted horizontally then it will be Crystal Palace as signals from the Reigate TX are vertically polarised, the latters ArqB Mux being on C27 whereas C28 from Crystal Palace.



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M Roberts : Have you as yet checked with a neighbour to find out if they are also suffering from this problem? because if they aren't then you should make sure that your TV is receiving ITV from the Winter Hill transmitter on Mux C59 and not an ITV Mux from one of the other stations that's indicated (in theory) as being possible to receive in your area, all of using lower channel numbers which the TV is liable to latch onto during an auto-tune which starts at C21.

If though your neighbour is also being affected in a similar way to yourself then unfortunately the problem is out with your control, and with the reasons for possibly being atmospheric condition related as no engineering work is taking place at the transmitter.

Just out of curiosity, when your ITV vanishes during daytime can you still view ITV3(10) on Mux channel 58? this question being asked for the purpose of excluding the possibility of the problem being caused by a 4G transmission.

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RC: Many thanks for your update, pleased to see that the problem has seemingly been rectified, although another couple of days will soon reveal if your problem was simply down to a glitch having occurred in your box, or maybe not as the case may be! because if indeed it was the box then the channels should not have vanished on your Sony TV if ITV4 was being received via the TV's tuner.

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J
Freeview modes | Installing
Sunday 6 July 2014 9:53AM

Jackson G: The problem referred to could point to a software glitch having occurred in the TV therefore you should try carrying out a "first time installation" on the set, this also being known as a "default setting" / "manufacturers reset" or similar sounding name, as problems of an odd nature such as described are frequently rectified by using this procedure.

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J
Full technical details of Freeview
Sunday 6 July 2014 4:24PM

Tracey walker: Even although its always possible that a fault could have developed on your aerial system such as a bad connection in the coax cables termination box, but though by you being located at just under 7 miles away from the Sandy transmitter and with according to the terrain checker, a clear line of sight from same, then your problem "might" be caused by the signal level being a little on the high side (too strong), "if" that is the 5 TV's referred to are being fed from a powered splitter.

Should you be using a powered splitter? and you have access to same, then the next time the signal vanishes remove the aerial down lead from the input to the splitter and couple it directly into one of the TV's (bypassing the splitter) and see if the signal returns.

An alternative test could be carried out using a set top aerial coupled into your TV, because at the distance you are located from the transmitter reception of sorts might be possible using one of those type of aerials purely to check for evidence of a signal even although it had vanished via the main aerial.

Of course a somewhat simpler method would simply be to check with a neighbour the next time the signal vanishes, as that would at least confirm (or not) if the problem was confined to your installation.

Further advice dependant on content of reply.

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Sarah mc donnell: The problem you are experiencing is most likely to be caused by either the misalignment of the dish, a defect in the cabling from the dish, or indeed a problem with the LNB that's mounted on the end of the dish arm.

However, could you please clarify on the following points.

(1) Is the multi room box referred to in addition to another Sky box?

(2) If though the multi room box was fitted as a replacement for another Sky box, then were you receiving Sky perfectly OK on the old box?

(3) When you say that the signal strength showed nil, are you meaning when you carried out a signal strength check on the Sky box? i.e: by pressing "services" - 4 - 6.

(4) Was this installed as a D.I.Y job?

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J
Freeview modes | Installing
Tuesday 8 July 2014 12:31AM

Jackson G: Thanks for the update, however in view of the fact that the situation has remained the same even after having carried out the reset on the TV then this somewhat complicates the issue, therefore I would like to know the outcome of the following test.

Remove the aerial input from the TV followed by selecting any of the problem channels mentioned, (E4 / More4 / Film4) which of course will not result in a picture!, the reason for the test being to find out if the TV still cuts out then restarts when any of the channels mentioned are selected, or only does so when the actual signal being received?

By the way, all of those problem channels are transmitted on the same multiplex, namely PSB2 (C54 - 738.0Mhz) "including" the channel you report as being OK, channel 4. On the other hand E4+1 is broadcast on COM5 (C59 - 778.0Mhz), does selecting this latter channel also affect your TV in a similar fashion to the others containing 4?, and is the 3% signal strength you report referring to this channel?

As far as signal strength is concerned, it would be of assistance to have knowledge the location you reside in within the Newcastle area, as there are quite a few reception dead spots to the North of the Pontop Pike transmitter.

Finally, could you please indicate the model number of Samsung in question.


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brian perry : In addition to that said by Dave Lindsay, this problem is known about by the BBC and whom have issued advice on a way around it to enable a viewer to "choose" which of the two HD muxes they wish to store in the receivers tuner, "choose" being mentioned as both cannot be stored at the same time until the TV or box manufacturer comes up with an "over air" software fix for the problem, as its not one caused by the BBC.

However although you can view the instructions by opening the undermentioned link, this procedure will only work if CBBC HD / BBC1HD / BBC2 HD etc are seen in the LCN / EPG listing, albeit that they cannot be viewed if selected, should they be seen in the listing then C40 would be the mux channel to enter ref:8 in the instructions.

If on the other hand they aren't seen in the listings then your best policy would be to remove the aerial followed by carrying out an auto-scan to blank out everything stored in the tuner, then on completion reconnect the aerial and carry out a "manual" tune on each of the muxes used by the station "excluding" COM7 (C33)

As you have made your posting under the Sutton Coldfield heading then the mux channels required would be as follows / 41 (BBC) - 46 (ITV) - 40 (HD) - 42 (ITV3 etc) - 45 (Pick TV etc) - 39 (4Music etc) - 51(local)

By the way, the advice given is to enable LCN / EPG 73 and also 101 - 105 to be viewed and not the COM 7 HD service.


Freeview Loss of BBC HD channels - BBC - FAQs - Home

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J
Upgrading from Sky to Freesat | Freesat
Tuesday 8 July 2014 6:47PM

Amanda: Touching any modern box with one hand whilst the other (or any part of your body) is in contact with anything else of a metallic nature will nearly always result in one feeling a slight electrical tingle due to the design of the power supplies used in such devices. This type of thing can be experienced when removing a tight fitting coax plug from a TV or box whilst the outer of the coax socket is being held by the other hand, the reason for the tingle being caused by a potential difference in voltage developing as soon as the coax plug parts from the socket.

As far as your dish is concerned, if your dish had been struck by lightning then you would certainly have known all about it should you have been resident in the house at the time, however if you are meaning that your box lights up as normal but you are getting a "no signal" warning? then the LNB mounted on the end of the dish arm might have been damaged by a high level of static rain.

On the subject of a Freesat box, there is no difference between the two as far as the dish is concerned, but though its impossible to say whether or not your dish (or LNB) is still OK or not except by using another box (Sky or Freesat) to verify the operation of the dish.

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