All posts by jb38
Below are all of jb38's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Briantist: Re: jordan, Yes! as I see that the Post Code has seemingly settled down, jordan having caused me an element of confusion by changing his "named" location of Wombourne (in original 27th posting) over to Cannock with a WS1 post code in the later posting on the 28th, then on the 29th (@ 10.11pm) returning again to the first named location of Wombourne with an operational post code of WV5.
Quite a distance (and reception possibilities) being involved between the two locations! of course unless there are two jordan's? although somehow I doubt it!
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Derek: Interference of the nature you mention can obviously be caused by a multitude of devices where an electrical circuit makes and breaks, but going by the timings you report it would strongly suggest gardening equipment as being the prime suspect, particularly hedge trimmers, as what you have said almost exactly fits the pattern to that of when I am using my own hedge cutter.
Interference from this type of device can radiate directly from the actual motor, but the length of mains cable that is used on portable devices such as this can act like a transmission aerial for interference, as although suppressors are always incorporated within the device, in reality their effectiveness is very limited.
I would suggest that the next time this starts to stand outside and listen carefully for the classic whine of some device being used in the locality.
Of course if this happens in the pitch black of the night, then it obviously isn't connected to anything involved with gardening, then other possibilities have to be thought about like power tools.
There is another device that can cause exactly the same type of interference, that being a sewing machine, but its doubtful that this would be used over such a long period of time.
I have to say that curing this type of problem is not an easy task, and indeed in most cases impossible, especially for a person residing in an area of bad reception, as although unaware of your analogue strength the trade predictions for the digital signal possibilities cannot by any means be classed as good, Rowridge MuxA (Ch30) being the only channel not showing as variable, and Poole not coming into the equation until March 2012 onwards.
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Roy Mitchell: I would like to strongly second what Briantist has recommended for long term reliability, that is looking along the lines of Freesat, as even although Oxford is not a "light" transmitter, it might as well be as far as your reception possibilities of it are concerned.
This because the trade predictor indicates that at present only one Mux (Ch48) is in the green,(good) three being classed as variable and two poor, the 14th of September showing a burst of two in the green. (Ch53 - Ch34)
However even after September, only the main three Mux channels are shown as receivable, with the fourth Mux A/SDN only showing as possible between April & June next year, as until then it being in the category of "poor".
Predictors (even trade ones) can have large margins of errors, and you may well be in a good spot for reception, but in situations such as yours indicates nothing can be guaranteed with Freeview in the same way as it can be 99.9% of the time with Freesat.
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David: On looking at everything you have mentioned over your various postings, could I just ask for a point to be clarified.
To me it appears as though all your problems started purely because you followed the request that you seen on your screen? as once you done that Belmont BBC1 etc on Ch22 transmitting on high power placed itself in the EPG1 position where you were previously receiving your local Idle transmitters BBC1 on Ch45.
The other factor that came into the equation was your picture quality, that is brightness / contrast / colour etc, as the settings you "must" have previously made would automatically be lost when you carried out a factory reset, as that's one of the snags involved in "all" sets when carrying out that type of operation.
If you manually tune each Mux channel then you should regain the service you had before, the Idle transmitters channels being 45 - 53 - 34 - 56 - 30 - 42, or alternatively you could try carrying out a trick some use by taking the aerial out "before" starting a rescan, then once scanning as soon as you see the progress bar pass Ch22 immediately plug the aerial back in again so that the other higher channels can be stored.
All said based purely on your comment re Mux Ch 45, as that suggests you were tuned to the Idle transmitter.
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Helen: Apart from trying out what Briantist has suggested on the link he provided, however if you find than none of what's mentioned seems to apply, then you have to consider that there is always the possibility that the signal you are receiving on that particular Mux channel is on the verges of being too strong, as you are only 4 miles away from a 10Kw transmitter using a roof mounted aerial.
It has to be appreciated that no two sets respond exactly the same to an over strong signal, and the symptoms you mention "are" in line with what can happen with this type of problem, as that's the thing about digital reception, too strong a signal can give exactly the same symptoms as one that is too weak.
The only way of verifying the cause of the problem is by either trying out another device,(TV or Box) or placing a simple attenuator in line with the aerial socket, these obtainable from most TV shops, but if you have anything like an old VCR or similar try placing that in line with the TV's input by using its (the VCR's) aerial in / RF out sockets, as that will in most cases reduce the signal strength enough for a test, if it doesn't switch its power supply off "whilst still watching the picture", as you might then see it suddenly get better before vanishing, this indicating the signal is too strong.
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David: OK! now that's been said I take it that you were using Emley Moor and not Idle, and that the Ch45 you mentioned was only in relation to what you seen after the scan, and "not" that Ch45 (BBC1 from Idle) was what you had actually wanted, the only reason for me thinking it was is because the Idle transmitter is indicated as being only 1 mile away from your BD2 post code.
This in effect meaning that the channels Keith @ KB Aerials(08.59PM yesterday) gave you are what you must have been already using before you carried out the re-scan.
To be quite honest about it, you don't really have a problem anymore than anyone else would do who can receive signals from more than one source, as all TV's / boxes start scanning from channel 21 upwards storing the EPG channels from any Mux transmitter channel it happens to lock on to as it goes along, and the only reason it stored Ch45 (BBC1 Idle) instead of the one you wanted (Ch52 BBC1 Emley) was because the Idle signal was being received at a high enough level to cause the TV to lock onto it, if it wasnt it would just have passed it.
Needless to say that because it had already stored the EPG channels from Mux Ch45, when it did arrive at Ch52 it had already allocated EPG1 to Mux Ch45's BBC1 and so shoved Emleys BBC1 into the 800 store, something that happens in all sets.
As you will now have to manually scan to avoid Belmont jumping in again, it goes without saying that you should refrain from carrying out any more auto-tunes.
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Helen: Meant also to say, that another good test would be if you could try your box / TV using a set top aerial, should you be able to borrow one that is! (testing only on the Mux 1 problem)Helen
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I Hinks: To obtain any form of accuracy you really require to provide a post code, as using a test post code of SK1 1QF (Stockport Post Office, Gt Underbank) there is a number of local (very!) transmitters being shown as possible for reception, although Winter Hill (21mls) indicates glowing reception, its BBC Mux channel being 62.
That said though, your daughters TV/box could be picking channels up from a combination of the under mentioned, if she does a signal check (in the tuning menu) whilst on BBC1 that will show what Mux channel its on, then cross check on the stations indicated.
The others being / (all mentioned BBC1 Mux)
Portwood...............Ch28 (1mile)
Stockport..............Ch24 (2 miles)
Haughton Green.........Ch46 (3miles)
Romiley ...............Ch44 (4mls)
Saddleworth............Ch45 (11 miles)
It would also be of assistance to know what type of aerial is being used, loft / roof / or even set top.
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David: The problem of Belmont taking up the EPG 1 position whenever any auto re-scan is carried out will never change where you are located, (and many other places!) as after switchover Emley Moors lowest Mux channel is 41 (BBC HD service) so Belmont will always take the lead and get in there first, the only qualification to that being, if by any change atmospheric conditions prevailing at the time any re-scan was being carried out allowed some distant transmitter on Ch21 to beat Belmont, then you would have two to contend with. (not that this is likely though!)
Its nothing unusual, as once most areas start operating on high power its guaranteed that multitudes of people will experience similar problems to yourself in various areas of the country, and there isn't that much that can be done to alleviate the problem except by manual tuning becoming the order of the day. Likewise people resisting the temptation to carry out a re-scan as soon as their signal might glitch on them, an action that seems to be widespread and achieves nothing except cause them further problems by losing what they had stored.
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Tuesday 2 August 2011 8:09AM
Lee Oxley: Thanks for the update regarding the tree location, which is a bit close and as such very likely to be affecting the signal.
As you mention that a new aerial has been bought for "one" of the TV's without it making any difference, I have to say that it could just be that the overall signal level you are receiving is not terribly far above the threshold level of reception, and if the Mux 2 level is slightly lower than Mux 1, and this is coupled to the TV used being less sensitive than the other(s?) then this could possibly be the cause of the problem.
Of course this is easily proven or otherwise by checking the signal level / quality received whilst on BBC1 compared to that on ITV1, Pontop Pikes BBC1 Mux Ch45 - ITV1 Mux Ch55 and giving an update on what's found.
Although if what's been said can be discounted, then depending on the aerial system being used its quite possible that the problem could only be solved by moving the aerial to another part of the building, it being fully appreciated that this is only feasible if being loft or gutter mounted.