All posts by Dave Lindsay
Below are all of Dave Lindsay's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
David: So long as you have 100% quality, then the picture is as good as it can be.
So long as there is a strong enough signal to produce a stable/reliable picture (100% quality), then that is sufficient.
In any case, switchover is only three months away and the strength of the signal will be increased then.
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DianeS: Try manually tuning to Ch22. If it doesn't work, then try taking the new TV to the aerial connection downstairs and try manually tuning Ch22.
Once you have successfully added ITV1, C4 etc, then don't rescan until switchover, even if you take the TV upstairs and find that it doesn't work. This is because the issue is clealry not the tuning that is wrong, but it would appear to be insufficient signal.
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Stuart Tanner: Yes, the signal will be stronger in April.
Switchover happens in two stages:
1. On 4th April BBC Two analogue will be switched off and BBC standard definition digital services will go on their full (post-switchover) power.
2. Two weeks later on 18th April the other analogue channels are switched off and the rest of the digital channels go on full power.
The strength of the signal isn't that important. So long as it is strong enough to produce a stable picture, then that is sufficient.
To try and get ITV1, C4 etc, go to manual tuning in the menu and tune to Ch22.
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Shane Brown: I think that the best thing is to bear with it for three months more. Not ideal I know.
The thing with the digital HD signal from Crystal Palace is that it is lower power than the other (standard definition) digital channels. The reason for this is because of lack of spare frequencies. Sandy Heath uses the same frequency for one of its multiplexes and this is currently on low power until Crystal Palace switches.
Crystal Palace was one of four transmitters in the country chosen to carry HD before their switchover. So you're lucky to get any HD before switchover at all.
The only thing you could try at no cost is to manually tune to Ch21 which is Sandy Heath's HD multiplex. If it works, it's a bodge because the aerial is pointing in the wrong direction, but it might produce a more stable result. You might need to delete the four HD channels in the 50s (how exactly you do it will depend on the design of your receiver).
As for what it could be, it could be 101 things. Trees can affect TV reception and therefore reception can change as they move or when the leaves grow or fall off. Maybe the tree was acting as a screen to block the signal from Sandy Heath; who knows! At the end of the day it has happened.
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colin smith: The TV and box will probably work together. You will need to connect them with a scart lead. Connect the aerial to the set-top box only as there is no point in having it in the TV as well.
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E.HOLMES: Which channels does it affect?
Have you confirmed that your receiver is tuned to Ch55 for BBC and Ch59 for ITV1/C4 and not 28 and 23 which is Aldeburgh or perhaps 44 and 41 which is Sudbury?
This information will likely be given on the signal strength/quality screen and applies to the programme channel being viewed.
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Adele Dodgson: A receiver "forgetting" stored channels when it is switched off is usually a sign of it not having enough memory. If you post the make and model number we may be able to seek out its specifications.
The interesting thing here is that these are not only all on one mux, but on the mux that is on the highest channel number (and therefore highest frequency) from Tacolneston (the HD mux excepted).
It may be that it is picking up another transmitter (namely the Norwich relay) and storing its muxes which are taking up memory. If this is the case, then the answer is to get it not to do this. You can find out if it is doing this by looking to see if there are any programme channels 800 upwards.
If these are from Norwich, then unfortunately the frequencies it uses are mixed in with those that Tacolneston uses. In some case, it is possible to have the aerial lead unplugged for part of the scan so as to stop the receiver picking up the wrong transmitter. How you might proceed depends largely on the operation of your box. If it allows manual tuning, then I would clear the memory by running it through with the aerial unplugged, and then manually tune in the five multiplexes from Tacolneston.
Re the other TV. What is the "fuzzy noise" you refer to?
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Adele Dodgson: I should say that with it being the highest frequency, it will be the last one that the box gets to when it is scanning during the automatic tuning process.
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Becca: Without knowing your exact location, it's very difficult to be exact. However, it's fair to say that in your general area, reception of Emley Moor will be difficult if not impossible in the bottom of Wharfedale.
For this reason it has it own transmitter signal thingy what der yer ma call it. It's ont' 'ill above Otley.
If your aerial is vertical (elements up and down), then it is probably on the Wharfedale transmitter and is definately not on Emley Moor. Unfortunately Wharfedale is a "Freeview Light" transmitter which means that it only broadcasts the Public Service Broadcaster (PSB) services which are BBC, ITV1, ITV2, C4, E4, More4, C5, HD channels and a few others.
Should your aerial be directed at Wharfedale and you have other channels tuned in like ITV3, Pick TV, Yesterday and Dave, then these aren't coming from Wharfedale, which is probably why reception is touch and go.
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Thursday 5 January 2012 11:27AM
Ellesmere Port
P. Brown: There have been reports that the Midhurst Freeview transmitter was on low power on Tuesday and then it went off due to a power failure.
It is possible that the services are or were on low power and that that signal is not sufficient at your location.
You need to try manually tuning to Ch65 as that is the channel used for the missing services. Depending on the design of your receiver it might show you a signal strength when you go through to the manual tuning screen and go to Ch65. It might show that there is a weak signal there but that it isn't sufficient to produce a picture.
In future, you should refrain from running the automatic retuning scan in such circumstances. Only at the two stages of switchover (when frequencies/services will change) will you have to carry out the retune procedure. Checking the signal strength might have shown that there was a signal there, but that it was too weak to work.
Now you must retune in order to get the channels back and you can only do that once the signal returns to how it was before. You don't know that that has happened until you successfully retune. Had you not retuned then you would have needed to simply keep selecting one of the affected programme channels (i.e. number 3 for ITV1).