All posts by jb38
Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Ria: If you are you feeding the Sky boxes RF2 output into a wall socket that is definitely known (?) to link to a wall socket in another room and find that although the magic eye works at the box end it doesnt when connected into the wall socket in the second room, then that suggests that the wall sockets are not straight through types and / or are fitted with isolating capacitors for the purpose of blocking anything other than RF signals from passing through, these types of sockets commonly fitted (but not exclusively) in apartment blocks or other communal systems, should this be applicable in your particular case?
But though, have you actually verified that the sockets in question are connected to each other? you can test this by connecting the Sky boxes RF1 out (not 2) into one socket and see if its picked up on the TV connected into the second rooms socket whilst it has been set on "analogue" Ch68, that is if the Sky boxes modulator has been set on Ch68.
Maybe though you could clarify on another point, when you say that you set the source to HDMI are you referring to the TV in the room where the Sky box is located, and is the box in question a Sky+HD type?
By the way, if the magic eye is again found not to light up when connected directly into the Sky boxes RF2 then you should reset it again, as this means the RF2's 9 volts DC output used to operate the magic eye is either being shorted out by the wall sockets or the cable between same is not a direct link.
Further advice dependant on reply.
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Vectra: Are you sure that you are not misinterpreting whats being indicated? insomuch that the tuners memory is "preprogrammed" with channel numbers from 21 - 69 and with the frequencies that correspond to these preprogrammed channel numbers, 794.000Mhz only indicating that it corresponds to Ch61 and not that any signal is being received on it.
If the WinTV tuner has manual tuning enter and scan BBC1's Ch49 (698Mhz) and see what results you get.
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Vectra: Just as an after thought, could you indicate the model number of the tuner you are using? the reason for this request being that there are numerous models in this range and so part of that already said may not be fully applicable to the model you are using, albeit that nothing is being transmitted on 794.000 Mhz.
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Martin Cooper: On reading all you have said regarding your problem I would like if you could clarify on a point, and being when you say - after having viewed the BBC via the Hitachi you switched back to the TV - are you meaning by pressing the TV/AV button on the TV's remote control, or letting it switch back automatically by placing the Hitachi into standby? because should it be the latter and your Hitachi PVR is one of the later types (within 2 years, e.g: HDR325) have you disabled the lower power "on" facility?
If though the latter does not apply then try a signal test "on the Hitachi" just to get an idea of your reception, the reason I ask is that the signal from Whitehawk Hill is indicated as being blocked from about 0.6 mls out from you, this applying to a lesser degree from Brighton Central but from only 0.2 mls, the signal check on the Hitachi being achieved by pressing: menu - set up - installation - manual tune and entering 60 into the box, but do NOT press search as you are only interested in the level seen stated, that is either : moderate / good / very good etc and so maybe you could give an update on that seen as I feel that your problem is simply being caused by the signal received sitting at a critical level.
By the way, when you go into the manual tune screen the number seen in the box is the mux transmitter channel number of the programme being viewed when you pressed menu, and so when you checked Ch60 change that to Ch57 (ITV3) and note what's stated on it, finally the same again but Ch48 (Film 4), as these type of tests builds up a picture of your overall reception.
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Alan Baud: Thats inclined to indicate that your LNB is defective by failing when hot, but though when it is working carry out a signal check and make sure that both quality and strength are seen to be level pegging around 55% or so minimum level, because if the quality is down then that can indicate that the dish is slightly out of alignment.
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linda: ITV1+1 is on channel 131, if you do not see it listed on the channel guide then disconnect your box from the mains supply and leave it for 30 seconds or so before reconnecting it again, then once it starts to respond to the remote control allow it to go through the usual "searching for listings" procedure then check if 131 has returned.
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Ria: I think that we are talking at cross purposes, because the living room in an apartment within a communal block is only fitted with one (later installations two) feeds from the dish system (albeit it not being from the actual dish) and if any rooms within the apartment are fitted with sockets then they are either for non satellite Freeview reception (as you cannot share a dish connection) "or" is just a convenient link back to the living rooms wall plate, sometimes being marked "return".
This facility is usually used to feed a Sky boxes RF1 or 2 "analogue" signal from the living room through to a TV (or TV's) located in other rooms, needless to say any TV used in another room has to be of the dual standard type i.e: "analogue / DVB digital" capable, as indeed most are except for some of the very latest types that are DVB only, and so when setting everything up the TV in the second location has to be set on "analogue" then auto tuned whilst its on that mode to pick up the signal from Sky boxes RF1 / 2 analogue output sockets, as otherwise the signal will be ignored.
In other words, it has to be determined if the TV socket in the second room is purely a link to / from the living room "or" that it was intended for Freeview (non satellite) reception, the easy way to check if the latter applies being to connect a "pre-tuned" Freeview capable TV into the socket and see if any Freeview channels are picked up, because if not then its a link to the living room.
I personally think that when the engineer had said that you can get Sky in a second location he was meaning via a boxes RF1 / 2, another thing to remember being, that nothing you alter on the main rooms TV can change anything external to the TV.
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Martin Cooper : What you have said could indicate that the problem is possibly being caused by the Hitachi's loop though circuitry, that is "if" when its found that the BBC has vanished it can be restored again by simply transferring the aerial from the Hitachi straight into the TV's aerial socket, or alternatively by just pulling the input and output connectors from the Hitachi and linking them together.
The signal level check you made on the Hitachi interprets into the box receiving a very high level of signal as otherwise I would have said that your problem could be caused by the opposite being applicable, because should the "very good" level of signal (Hitachi's description) be taking up just over 80% on the indicator bar then that can correspond to excess of 100% on many other devices (an area of instability) and "if" by any chance 4G is also playing a role (doubtful but cannot be excluded) then the combined effect "might" be overloading the loop though circuitry, therefore a slight reduction on the signal being fed into the Hitachi could possibly effect a cure.
My reason for saying this being, that although these two sockets are generally classed as being loop through, speaking in the strictly technical sense its not quite as simple as that as there is a buffer transistor between them, this being why when any of these type of devices are disconnected from the power supply the loop though signal vanishes.
But though the reason I requested that you carry out the signal check on the Hitachi is because that the input circuitry on Vestel chassis devices as are used by Hitachi and numerous other brands is highly sensitive to variations in signal levels, as indeed is the buffer transistor stage that separates the input and output, and if you are viewing the BBC via the Hitachi's internal tuner its input is being feed from before the buffer transistor, whereas when you press the TV's source button the signal received by the TV is via the transistor stage, and so should any problems exist in this area that will affect TV reception.
Judging by the relatively close proximity of housing in your surrounding area its doubtful if you would receive anything, but it would be interesting to know if anything was received by using a set top aerial or even just a length of wire (about 5 feet or so) connected into the Hitachi, although a proper attenuator (about 3-6db) is better by far.
All said on the assumption that the jumper leads between the devices are in good condition and that you are not using any form of booster? because if you are then try by-passing it.
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anonimouse: Try swapping the two boxes over and then carrying out the set up procedure on the problem box, as this will soon prove if the box itself is actually faulty or that the problem is down to a defect in the feed from the dish, although should it be the latter then the box that was previously working OK will not now be, i.e: the problem will be transferred.
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Monday 3 June 2013 12:30AM
MICK SYKES: Meant also to say, that should as I expect you are using a powered splitter then for test purposes temporarily remove 3 or 4 of the other devices aerial connections as this might lift (slightly anyway) the signal level being received by the Grundig, which by the way should really be given a "first time installation" scan before each retuning attempt, box allowing!
Of course should the box have a "manual tuning" facility then go into this menu and enter mux Ch49 (Walthams BBC) into the box, but though hesitate before pressing search or scan as the signal level of the channel entered is usually displayed after having entered the mux channel number, if it is then make a note of the levels seen followed by pressing search / scan.