All posts by jb38
Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Steve P: An aspect of Colin's box which doesnt apply in the majority of Freeview receivers is that his tuner still has the ability to operate in the 2K mode by having a tuner fitted with a dual programmed chip, whereas 99.9% of tuners fitted in standard Freeview TV's / boxes can only operate in 8K mode.
And so what you say could well be applicable if the selection circuitry is not responding to the 8K setting thereby leaving the tuner on 2K, unfortunately a situation that I cannot see changing "if" the problem was found to be the same after the box had been disconnected from the mains, followed by being reconnected again after having left a gap of about 1 minute before doing so.
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Douglas John Keen: If you are located anywhere near to Colney post office (Co-op) then the Hemel Hempstead transmitter is located @ 6 miles on a bearing of 272 degrees, the aerial group being either E or wideband and with it being mounted vertically, elements up and down.
By the way group E being identified by it having a brown plastic end blanking plug on the horizontal arm that holds the elements.
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paul bond: Ref: KMJ,Derby's explanation.
The simple answer is transmission costs. To equip most of the relay sites with transmitters for the COM muxes would have roughly doubled the cost of providing the service but only served a further 8% of the population, consequently the COM mux owners declined to add the service to additional masts when they were invited to do so.
A similar situation exists on radio, with Classic FM not being transmitted from smaller relay sites.
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dms05: Although the indications for both muxes may appear to be the same it really depends on what's actually seen as they might be hovering around the cut off threshold for your TV or boxes tuner, although its the signal "quality" that is by far the more important of the two indications seen and should always be higher than the strength, albeit that some devices only give a combined indication.
The only way of accurately judging things is to go into your TV or boxes tuning menu / manual tune and enter Ch48 into the box but NOT followed by pressing search or scan, because the signal level should appear after entering 48, note what it is then change Ch48 for 52 once again noting the indications seen and giving an update on results.
By the way what you have mentioned indicates that you are receiving from the Moel-Y-Parc transmitter,
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Sally Clayton: In addition to that already said by Dave Lindsay, in cases such as you have described its always advisable (and without exception) to make a few checks with others around your locality (or mothers anyway) for the purpose of finding out if the problem is solely confined to your mothers installation or if others are also being affected, because if its found out that they are then there is obviously no point in making needless checks within your mothers household.
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DO DO : No one can possibly offer any advice without a location having been given, this in the form of a post code or one from nearby such as a shop / post office, it would also be of assistance to know where your aerial is installed, e.g: roof, loft, communal or within the same room.
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DIANE MATTHEWS: Well although you reside in an extremely hilly area the Ffestiniog transmitter located 4 miles away on a bearing of 157 degrees is indicated as providing good reception where you are located, and indeed on a scout around your area I did actually see a number of properties with television aerials, two of slightly forward of your location and to the extreme right of it next to the roadway.
The only thing I will say though is that the local station referred to only provides PSB channels, no ITV3, Pick TV, Sky news etc, etc and with this situation never changing, and so if you want a full service then Freesat is the only way that you will achieve it.
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Small Dog: Yes, maybe you could give an update on the outcome of your retuning exercise on the 29th and when further advice can then be given should it prove to be necessary, basically because Ch62 dropping to Ch50 is not necessarily a plus point "if" you have a group C/D aerial fitted as the channel will then be received at near to the bottom end of the aerials lower operating range of Ch's 48 - 68, efficiency generally always starting to drop off a few channels before each end of an aerials operating range but more so where the lower end is concerned.
By the way, a C/D group aerial is identified by a green blanking plug on the end of the horizontal bar that holds all the elements.
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Mike: The signal indications seen on a Humax box is generally more accurate than on any other device, most either being sluggish or alternatively over the top by giving grossly inflated indications, and what you have reported suggests that the signal to your Dad's place of residence is suffering from problems cause by the signal passing over trees at some point along the way.
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Wednesday 1 May 2013 8:44PM
Small Dog: As far as the retune on the 29th is concerned when Oxfords SDN mux (ITV3 etc) changes from Ch62 down to Ch50, that should be a relatively straightforward standard retune, although with this preferably being carried out as a "first time installation" on whatever you are using should that be an option in the set up menu.
But though as far as intermittent reception problems now and again are concerned, before seeking any outside assistance it would be advisable to enquire if any other residents in your area are also experiencing similar problems to yourself, and with my reason for saying this being, that although atmospheric conditions can cause this type of problem there is also another more common reason closer to home that can be responsible for reception problems, and I explain.
I decided to carry out a signal path check from your location heading towards the Oxford transmitter, this revealing that you don't have to travel very far along the signal path before coming across one of the main things responsible for causing the type of problem that you complain of, namely trees, as the signal from the transmitter was seen to sweep across a number of tree lined areas before reaching your location, trees being responsible for partial signal blocking as well as signal scattering, these always having a greater effect on a signal when they are located nearer to the receiving end of the signal.
Needless to say that in situations where trees are responsible the weather will always play a large part in just how much the signal is affected, windy days usually resulting in erratic signal quality being seen when viewed on the receivers signal check screen, and with the situation usually being worse dependant on other weather conditions, rain etc, and although this state of affairs is not really 100% curable as such, however a "slight" improvement in signal stability can sometimes be found in situations where a high gain aerial has been fitted, and being by removing same and fitting a lower gain and wider angle pick up type (Log Periods types ideal) used in conjunction with a booster, lower gain aerials always having a wider pick up angle hence capture more of a deviating signal.
I am of course not talking about a night and day difference, just an improvement!