All posts by Dave Lindsay
Below are all of Dave Lindsay's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Andy Duncan: It is likely to be OK after switchover in three weeks' time.
As your daughter can get all the other multiplexes (groups of programme channels), then perhaps the one she is missing is just not quite strong enough at her location. The increase in transmission power at switchover on 18th April should see to this.
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Mrs Aspin: Which channels are you or have you had issues with?
It may be helpful if I point out that Kendal Fell transmitter is a Public Service one only (carries BBC, ITV1, ITV2, Channel 4, E4, More 4, Channel 5, HD and a few others).
If you are receiving Commercial channels such as ITV3, Pick TV, Yesterday, Dave, Film 4 and many others, then you are not picking them up from Kendal Fell. If your aerial faces Kendal Fell and you pick up these channels, then poor reception of these channels may ensue.
The solution is to have an aerial fitted for another transmitter which carries these services, *if* you are in a location where such signals can be picked up reliably.
See also the postings from "Transmitter engineering" above and before yours. It is from the BBC and says "Wrong Region" from 23:37 to 03:13. I wonder if this was your cause. Has the problem corrected itself?
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Mike Dimmick: I hadn't noticed that it was paler.
Perhaps dashes would be clearer with a little explanation as to what it means.
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steve: There are two main reasons that different or missing channels may occur with different pieces of equipment connected to the same aerial:
a. Different receivers have differing sensitivities: Put simply, some may "hear" weak (borderline) signals whilst others may not.
b. Having completed the automatic tuning scan, different receivers have different methods of deciding which channels to store: Some just go with the first ones they find, others are a bit smarter and go with the stronger ones and others allow the user to choose the "Region" which is effectively asking the user to select the transmitter to use.
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If a. is the reason that some channels aren't being picked up, then there is probably little you can do (barring perhaps changing the aerial, which may work sufficiently after switchover [three months' time] and thus may be deemed a waste of money). It could be, of course, that you have a bit of both.
However, if the issue is exclusively b., then there may be a solution. I wonder if your Samsung and your Sagemcom have tuned exclusively to the Rouncefall transmitter. I think this because it does not provide the full range of Freeview channels. It would be useful to know which channels you are missing.
Some newer receivers allow the user to select the "Network" or "Region" from a list. This is essentially a list of transmitters, each being identified by the principal area which they serve.
I wonder what Region Blue Bell Hill identifies itself as. Looking at the map, perhaps it could be "West Kent". Similarly, Rouncefall (which operates along with Sudbury) could perhaps be "Essex & Suffolk". If you are presented with such a choice, then you need to select the one which sounds most applicable to Blue Bell Hill and not which fits where you are. Such options could either be presented to you during tuning, or you may have to go through the menu to find it (or they may not be present at all).
This is by far the most straightforward thing to try which is why I suggest it to you first. However, depending on the design of the Samsung and Sagemcom, it is not forced to be available to you.
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If these options are not available to you, then I can suggest other things to try.
In particular, it would be useful to know which of these services you have and which you don't on each device (the Samsung and the Sagemcom):
- BBC One
- ITV1
- BBC Four
- ITV3
- Pick TV
- Yesterday
Don't be concerned about missing other services as they are transmitted in groups (known as multiplexes or simply "muxes"). So, for example, if you are missing BBC One, then you will also be missing BBC Two, BBC News and some others as they are all in the same group. Those I have listed above all come from different groups.
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David Hall: In addition to what jb38 has said, you may (depending on your setup) already have a modulator that you could use. If you have a video recorder which contains a modulator, you could (theoretically) feed the signal from the Tivo to the video using a scart lead and then select the scart input on the video and then feed that to the TV in the kitchen using the video's modulator.
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steve: Never assume that a receiver has tuned to the transmitter to which the aerial faces.
The short answer is that I would be looking to work out what transmitter(s) the Toshiba has tuned to for each of the signals (multiplexes). I would then see what the Sagemcom and Samsung have tuned in and whether they are the same. I would them try the manual tuning option on those devices to see if I can add the missing multiplexes.
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I was surprised to learn that you are receiving from Blue Bell Hill at your location. Sudbury would seem to be the most likely in your part of the world.
The situation with Sudbury is that the Commercial channels are on low power until 27th June. In particular, ArqB group (Yesterday, Film4 etc) is severly restricted in your direction and is proving impossible to pick up as reports on this website have shown.
If you are on Sudbury (north west), then either the Toshiba is more sensitive to Sudbury's weaker signals, or it has opted to go with Sudbury for the signals it can receive and tuned to another transmitter for those it can't pick up from Sudbury.
If you are on Blue Bell (south west), then it is on pre-switchover power which is much lower than its current analogue. It is also the case that due to the shortage of spare frequencies, the frequencies that are used are those which are reused by other transmitters in some areas. So it may be that it is unusable not because its signals aren't receivable, but because they are interfered with by another transmitter. Some receivers are more tolerable of this than others.
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steve: No problem. I hope you get it sorted. You know where we are if you need any more help.
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Char: Are you using one aerial for a number of rooms and if so, how is the feed distributed/split? Is there an amplifier to split the signal?
I'm not quite sure how likely it will be that you may be suffering from too high a signal level at your location, but it has certainly crossed my mind:
Freeview signals: too much of a good thing is bad for you | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
That said, the aerial man as a pro (I'm not), would surely have considered it as a possibility if he thought it might be.
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Soxs: Indoor aerials, by their nature, are hit and miss. The best location for an aerial is on the roof due to as few a obstructions as possible and conversely, the lower you go, generally the more obstructions you get. I say this so you don't expect too much. Whilst design of aerial is important, so too is its location and you will have to try it in various places to see which is best. You may also have to try different transmitters to see which is best.
Personally, I have one of these that I use where there is no fixed aerial:
Set Top Aerial Labgear | eBay
You will probably prefer to receive Meridian TV and your best bet is probably Blue Bell Hill, but this may only be available to you after switchover on 27th June. As it is west from your location, bear in mind that reception will probably be best on that side of the house as on the opposite side, the signal must go through more walls.
You have analogue from Blue Bell until digital switchover and you might connect up your analogue TV and move the aerial to find the best spot. Remember where that is and that may be the best spot for digital reception after switchover.
In the mean time, Rouncefall (Anglia) transmitter which is to your north may be your best bet. This only carries Public Service channels (BBC, ITV1, ITV2, Channel 4, E4, More 4, Channel 5, HD and a few others).
Whilst you are in a rural area with few houses, there are a few trees that could reduce your chances which you may have to be mindful of.
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Wednesday 28 March 2012 11:44PM
Albert Whitehouse: This issue is usually caused by the device finding more channels that its memory can hold. Fear not though, because its usually caused by signals from other transmitters taking up the memory.
When the automatic tuning scan runs through it searches signals from low frequency to high frequency. My guess is that the transmitter that you are served by uses high frequencies and that you are in an area where another transmitter or transmitters overlap on lower frequencies. Consequently, the scan stores those and fills up the memory.
If you let me know where you are, preferably in the form of post code or nearby post code, then I can work out which signals your transmitter uses and which may be causing the problem. Depending on what it is that you need to avoid and what it is that you need to pick up one possible workaround might be to run the automatic tuning scan with the aerial unplugged for part.
Do you know what transmitter you are supposed to be receiving from or what direction your aerial is pointing in? And what is your location?