All posts by jb38
Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Ian Carrick: Mast head amplifiers, or indeed any amplifier does have its uses, but though the way to determine whether it would or not in an installation is by carrying out a signal check (and noting the results of) whilst on each of the following programme guide numbers: 1. 3. 101 (if HD used) 10. 11. 15 these representing all six muxes used by a main transmitter.
If on checking the quality is seen to intermittently dive to near zero now and again then an amplifier no matter of what type, will help the situation, but though if the quality is generally high of around 80%+ but intermittently drops to around 40% or so then an amplifier will in most cases improve the situation.
Another factor that plays a role is the type of aerial being used? yagi types with a reflector on one end always being worse as they rely on being focussed onto a signal.
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Ian Carrick: Correction / addition,
Re: no matter of what type etc, should be will "NOT" help the situation.
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David Young: If you are meaning the disconnecting the box from the mains then reconnecting it again whilst holding in the back up button "on the box" until the three leds come on, then it can take up to 30 minutes.
However as far as channels are concerned, every time a box is powered up it automatically udates the channels list by the fact that it doesnt store them in the first place when unpowered.
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Stephen Darch: LNB's can all be of different construction, but the clamp is usually positioned to the front of the neck just behind the flared section of the pick up surface facing into the dish bowl.
As far as Skew is concerned, its not super critical and if viewing directly onto the LNB from the rear it should be set about the One o'clock position.
But as far as the signal having returned is concerned, the quality and strength could NOT have been running parallel to each other before hand for the signal to suddenly return as a result of your neighbours pruning mission, because many of the free to view programmes on Sky are from exactly the same transponder as when received on Freesat, its just that they are given different EPG numbers.
This of course said on the assumption that you were using the "same" dish feeds on your Freesat TV as were being used on the Sky box and not from different ports on a quad LNB? because if that was the case then a partial obstruction of the dish can result in a slight downgrading of the signal on another port.
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sylvia: Double check that you have both scart connectors fully inserted into the sockets on the TV and box, if you do and yet there is still no picture then pull out each scart plug in turn out and look directly onto its pins to make sure that you haven't accidentally bent one flat (or pushed it back into its holder) when you were inserting it.
If though you are using an HDMI connector then check that they are fully inserted into the socket, as some can be quite tight giving the impression it fully inserted when its not.
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Richard miller: Its simply not possible to have a signal thats too strong in the UK if using a standard sized dish, but what was the reason for Sky having said that to you in the first place?
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Richard miller: When I had mentioned Sky I did of course mean Bush, however my reason for asking why "Bush" had said that to you was simply because that it sounded exactly like one of those type of statements that would be made by a customer advisor who wasn't quite clued up on satellite issues by mixing up terrestrial based Freeview with Freesat, because in the case of the former an overly strong signal "can" occasionally cause problems dependant on circumstances.
But though satellite signals are in the main remarkable stable except during a heavy thundery downpour or alternatively if snow has built up on the dish bowl, and so if anyone is experiencing problems of a glitching or picture freezing nature they should always carry out a signal check and observe the indications seen over a minimum of a minute or so, because if both the signal strength and quality are seen to be reasonably stable at around 55%+ or so (quality can be higher than strength) then if any problems are experienced with viewing or recording it has to be caused by a problem within the box, Bush of course not exactly being without their problems!
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Rachel: What you have mentioned could suggest that water has entered the "F" connector that screws into the dishes LNB, as this can cause the signal to be intermittent or kill it completely.
Its also possible that your dish has moved slightly as that would result in exactly the same symptoms, although I suspect the "F" connector, the question being, do you know anyone who could unscrew the connector from the dishes LNB and check it for water?
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Rachel: Just as an after thought on that said and based on the fact that your box can be a quite a few years old by now and as such could possibly be suffering from a known power supply defect, this being of a nature that affects the tuner by depriving it of its correct operating voltage and which can also result in either no, or intermittent reception.
Therefore before taking any action as far as the dishes "F" connector is concerned it would be prudent to if at all possible try and test your box on someone else's dish, or alternatively their box on yours as this would instantly reveal the source of the problem.
However if someone elses box failed on your dish then the reason for will be connected to that said in my original reply.
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Sunday 28 July 2013 4:06PM
Len: Thanks for the update! this indicating that your reception is even worse than I had imagined as you are only receiving one single mux transmitter out of the six in operation at Crystal Palace, this being its HD transmitter as all of the programme numbers you mentioned are on the same transmitter channel, namely Ch30 (545.8 Mhz).
However, although the quality readings are reasonably OK the strength isn't, as its sitting at a level that is liable to result in picture glitching / freezing etc if it dropped any further, and which I feel is happening albeit in a high speed intermittent fashion and with this being the reason for picture freeze now and again.
Although I feel that the signal being fed into your apartment is unacceptably poor, it would though be extremely beneficial to know just how another TV (different brand) would fare when tested out on your aerial connection, this purely to eliminate any possibility that the problem might due to a defect in your sets tuner, as Philips tuners
have been known to cause problems.
I am unaware if you have as yet tried this, but with reference to Page 27 on your manual under "reception quality", and in particular (half way down) signal checking by "entering a specific digital frequency yourself", you should try that out by entering Crystal Palaces PSB1 on 490.0Mhz (Ch23)or ITV1 514.0 Mhz (Ch26).
Whilst you were at it it wouldn't go amiss to try Sandy's PSB1 522Mhz (Ch27) or ITV1 498.0Mhz (Ch24).