All posts by Dave Lindsay
Below are all of Dave Lindsay's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Heath Blair: If both TVs are fed from the same aerial then how does the feed cable from the aerial split two ways?
If it's a powered amplifier (booster) then this must be the first thing to suspect. Even if the power light is on, it doesn't mean that the device is functioning normally.
If it's accessible, disconnect the lead coming in from the aerial and connect it directly to one of the leads going out to one of the rooms. Then go to the TV and see if it works.
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emmawright: I suggest you do nothing as over the last few days at least there have been reports of lost and poor reception over a large portion of the country, from Sussex and Kent in the south up as far as Yorkshire. This has been caused by atmospherics causing signals to travel much further than normal. This resulted in people finding that they couldn't receive from their local transmitter because of interference from a distant one.
If you are using a communal aerial system then any filter should be fitted into it at the aerial end. In many cases filters are fitted anyway.
The question, if a communal aerial system is being used, is one of is the issue with your own equipment (including leads) or is it with the signal coming from the wall socket? If it's the latter then this is beyond your control and is down to the aerial system for which the party responsible should be informed so as to take action. If it's the aerial system, you don't need to decide what the problem is. It isn't your problem, you simply report it as faulty.
It is worth enquiring with neighbours to see if they have an issue. These should be neighbours using the same communal system and using it for Freeview and not satellite such as Freesat or Sky.
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Heath Blair: If what you believe to be a booster is in fact connected to the wall socket in one of the rooms then it might be that it is not a booster but a power supply for a booster which is on the roof, or perhaps in the loft. In such circumstances you haven't disconnected the booster, but just removed its power supply.
If the device has a manufacturer's name and model number on it may allow identification of its purpose.
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Chas.: It's unlikely as the plan for the new HD multiplexes has been drawn up. It isn't likely to change until 2019 at the earliest.
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Heath Blair: The advice remains as it was before - that the first thing to suspect is the booster.
A mains powered booster should not be covered with insulation because it will prevent the heat from escaping and is a fire risk. Perhaps it has overheated due to the insulation.
If the boosters in each room were installed to boost the digital signal before switchover, then they can probably be removed now that switchover has happened.
Most aerials on your street are west-facing, to Crystal Palace. There are one or two north-facing aerials, to Rouncefall/Sudbury. Is your neighbour using the same transmitter as you?
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K Sutton: As it is a relay transmitter it gets it signal by receiving it off the air from Heathfield, just as any viewer using Heathfield does.
Quite a view Heathfield users and those of other transmitters in other areas reported issues over the last few days. Atmospherics have caused distant transmissions to carry further than normal, and this has affected a huge swathe of the country.
I therefore suggest that the issue was that the signal being received by the relay was being interfered with which is why all users of it experienced loss of picture.
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james sullivan: As you have working channels up in the 800s then this means that your TV is picking up signals from more than one transmitter, which isn't surprising where you are.
You are probably picking up signals from Belmont and possibly Bilsdale.
You may be able to wipe what's stored and manually tune the five standard definition channels from Emley Moor and one HD if it's so.
Or have the aerial unplugged for the first 30% of the scan. You may, potentially, find that you still have some channels wrong because unfortunately some of those of Bilsdale and Belmont are interleaved within the range used by Emley.
Once done, check that they are all tuned correctly for Emley. Do this by bringing up the signal strength screen on the following services:
PSB1 - BBC One - C47
PSB2 - ITV - C44
PSB3 - BBC One HD - C41
COM4 - ITV3 - C51
COM5 - Pick - C52
COM6 - 4Music - C48
Belmont's six are 22, 28, 28(HD), 30, 53, 60
Bilsdale's are 26, 29, 23(HD), 43, 46, 40
The objective of having the aerial out for the first 30% is to miss out channels in the 20s. As you can see, some unwanted ones are higher up, so look out for them being incorrectly stored.
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A McWilliam: As it's a communal aerial system that's being used, the question is: is the problem with the aerial system or is it with your equipment, including wiring?
If it's the aerial system then the fault should be reported to the party responsible.
To prove, as much as possible, that it isn't a fault with your equipment, try a different lead from the wall socket to the receiver. If you have a TV and a Freeview box (recorder) or two TVs, connect one to the aerial socket without the other. Then swap and see if the problem is still there.
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David Parker: There are areas of overlap where signals from more than one transmitter are quite strong. In this case Belmont and Emley are in roughly the opposite direction so it's quite a common issue, as I know myself because I'm near to James. The back of an aerial is quite sensitive.
The other thing is that Belmont's channels are lower down and so are picked up before Emley's in the scan. Bilsdale's bearing is roughly 90 degrees from Belmont and Emley, but whilst it is true that the side of the aerial is least sensitive, it isn't impossible to be receiving it, particularly if there is an amplifier involved.
The terrain in Lincolnshire is flat. The area to the east of Thorne and to the west of the River Trent is the Isle of Axholme. That land was reclaimed in the 17th Century by Cornelius Vermuyden and, as part of that project, the Don was re-routed to flow into the Ouse at Goole.
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Saturday 14 December 2013 6:50PM
Richard: COM7 from Sutton Coldfield has launched. I wouldn't expect that it would have been delayed in order to start at the same time as other transmitters.
You say you can receive from Belmont, and if you're receiving the new HD mux from Belmont then "if" you could also get the new HD mux from Sutton Coldfield then you would find that none would be available because they're both on C33!
If the information as to when the transmitters are to come on air isn't published, how might it be known? How long is a piece of string?