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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.


Dave Lindsay: You are of course quite correct! as the indications indeed are that no reception is possible at this location from any transmitter including the signal from Ridge Hill which is also indicated as being blocked by the terrain, and so I have to put the cause of the error down to a post code typing glitch.

That said though, I do intend to check back later on today (after having had some sleep as on night time maintenance work this week) to see exactly what I was looking at, as wherever it was only indicated the Llandrindod transmitter on the predictor, although on a scout about the area the only aerial I found on a property facing towards the Llandrindod TX was in a place to the left of Hundred House shown in Google as Llansantffraed-in-Ewel, as one solitary aerial could be seen mounted on the property behind the phone box.

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kay: In theory they could if the phone line was connected as the box communicates with Sky at various times, although mostly during night time hours.

However, you do not require to have the phone line connected to receive any channels whether free or not, and so leave it unconnected.

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J
Feedback | Feedback
Tuesday 21 May 2013 8:03PM

maureen: Advice on queries of this nature can only be given when the person requesting assistance has indicated their location, this preferably being in the form of a post code or one from nearby such as a shop / post office etc.

It would also be of assistance if info on the aerial system being used was supplied, e.g: whether its loft or roof mounted or possibly a communal system such as used in apartment blocks.

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Matt: Apart from checking the cables out maybe you could clarify on a point with regards to what you had mentioned in your 8.21PM posting, and I refer to when you had said that your success was short lived and that the channels had all vanished again, was this after you had made any changes or did it just suddenly happen? because provided that you have NOT tried to retune that particular TV after this event then the channels you had managed to store in the tuners memory should still be there, therefore there is no reason why they should have vanished again except by something external to your apartment having been responsible.

That of course is assuming that the channels found after the rescan were actually stored? if not done automatically on your TV as some sets do not automatically store them, and if not then they will be lost again when the set is switched off.

You should try the test again by pressing the "A" button and trying out the master bedroom TV rescanning as necessary, because if the channels return again then I would like you to carry out a test whilst viewing something on the TV, and that is to unscrew each of the two "out" "F" connectors "in turn" on the splitter box and note if one of (if any) kills reception on the master bedroom TV.

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Chinta: Try disconnecting the box from the power supply for a period of at least 30 minutes or so to allow it cool down before reconnecting again, then once it responds to the remote control allow it to go through the searching for listings procedure and see if the channels have returned. You should not really require to check the LNB (this being on the dish arm where the coax is connected into) as the action of disconnecting the box should automatically reset it, however if you wish to check it use the undermentioned procedure. LNB checking procedure: 1:- Press Sky followed by: "Services - 4" (opens with picture settings highlighted) 2:- Press: "0 - 1 - select" (opens with LNB set up highlighted) press on this. 3:- A list of the various settings will appear, and although they may already match up with that indicated below still press on the red "reset all settings" button (at bottom left hand side under the menu list) 4:- Scroll down to "Save New Settings" and then press select. 5:- Press select to confirm that the settings have been reset. The correct settings for the LNB being / Low frequency - 9.75 High Frequency - 10.60 The LNB power supply should always be set to on. The 22KHz Command should always be set to on. By the way, Panasonic boxes of that era are notorious for power supply failure and with what you have reported being one of the symptoms of the problem, but if you still get a no signal warning (error 29) then press: "services - 4 - 6" and see if anything is indicated on the signal strength / quality bar. Further info dependant on findings.

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J
Diagnostics - old version
Wednesday 22 May 2013 7:57AM

Tads: If the TV in question has a manual tune facility then Tacolneston's ITV uses mux Ch59, although what you have mentioned indicates that the signal level received is on the low side and could benefit by being lifted with the aid of a booster, that is "if" you are not already using one because North Walsham is generally known "not" to be one of the best areas for reception.

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J
Diagnostics - old version
Wednesday 22 May 2013 9:07AM

Tads: With regards to the signal level being received, if when you go into the TV in questions tuning menu / manual tune and enter Ch59 do NOT instantly follow this by pressing search or scan, but make a note of the signal level being received before pressing same as most Freeview devices will show is, because if the subsequent scan does not find any channels then the level seen indicated is under that required for the TV to resolve a picture.

You can then carry out a level comparison check with a channel that is being received by carrying out the aforementioned procedure but on this occasion entering Ch55 (BBC1), noting its level then backing out of the tuning menu as you were only carrying out a signal test NOT a scan, the difference in levels between these two tests revealing the reception level cut off point of your TV (or boxes) tuner.

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michael : Although Sony menu systems leave a lot to be desired (to put it nicely!) "some" models have a switchable "auto service update" which is accessed via the technical set up menu, you should check if yours has and if it does then disable it.

If you cannot find the aforementioned then this can be checked out if you supply the model number of the set in question.

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Caroline: If prior to the event mentioned you were receiving Winter Hill then there was an element of pot luck involved, because you are not indicated as being able to receive transmissions from that station due to being located so close to the hill that separates you from the transmitters signal path.

Nothing will be resolved in the official sense as there is nothing to resolve, because unless through the sheer coincidence of a fault having developed in your aerial system then your problem is most likely caused by the signal path from the transmitter having altered though the normal seasonal changes that take place with most non-direct signal paths, yours very much in this category.

Aerials used in your type of situation should NOT be of the multi-element high gain types, the simpler the better being the key word, and so the question is what type of aerial are you using?

"If anyone else around you receives from Winter Hill are they similarly affected? the reason for saying "if" is that practically all aerials seen are vertically mounted and face towards the Darwen transmitter.




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Matt: Yes, that does up to a point help clarify the situation insomuch that it suggests that the communal aerials input feed cable is connected into the splitters "IN" socket, passing through the splitter and then leaving on its right hand "OUT" socket which in turn is then linked into the top left hand socket on the switch box, the middle connection on same apparently going to the master bedrooms aerial socket and why nothing was received in the master bedroom until you pressed the "A" button which completed the circuit, of course in saying that this circuit would likewise work in the reverse, but I doubt if it is.

However connections being made this way makes me suspect that someone has made alterations to the original system and that is what is causing the confusion, but to enable me to complete the picture I would like you to temporarily remove the wall plate enough to be able to see how many coax leads leads are connected into the rear of the plate, and maybe you could also advise as to whether or not you see "SAT" being mentioned next to a socket on the front of the plate.

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