All posts by Dave Lindsay
Below are all of Dave Lindsay's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
Richard: In situations such as this, retuning is likely to cause more problems and doesn't solve anything. Unless it is known that the TV is tuned to the wrong frequency, then the tuning is OK.
I think that it's likely that the level of the signals to the TV have dropped, maybe due to atmospheric conditions (for example). Now you aren't going to know when they are back because your TV isn't tuned.
I suggest that you attempt to manually tune in any missing channels. Having got some tuned, then don't do another auto-tune scan because it will wipe them. Once you have some, you need to keep manually tuning to the channels (frequencies) of the missing ones.
For manual tuning, the channels used by Divis are:
Mux 1 - BBC One, BBC Two etc - Ch29
Mux 2 - UTV, C4 etc - Ch33
Mux A - ITV3, QVC etc - Ch23
Mux B - BBC Four, BBC Parliament etc - Ch26
Mux C - Pick TV, Dave etc - Ch48
Mux D - Yesterday, Film4 etc - Ch34
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Carl Hudson: Have you tried moving it around the room? Maybe on top of the wardrobe? You will probably need an extension for it, but it might improve the signal.
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hel: Sounds like there is some electrical interference, perhaps a timed appliance somewhere. Do you have storage radiators that run at night (on Economy 7)? See here:
Single frequency interference | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
I would get a battery powered AM radio as it may be audible on there and move around to see if I can find what direction it is coming from.
It might be worth switching between the different wavebands on the radio (one with Short Wave, Medium Wave, Long Wave and FM gives you the most choice) to see which it is clearest on.
As it happens at a particular time, you might have the radio on tune to a frequency that you know that the noise appears on. If the noise starts at the same moment as your TV signal goes, then you know you are listening to the cause.
Once you have the noise on your radio, if you can, switch off all electrical appliances in your house at the time of the interference. Preferably this would be by switching off the main incoming supply at the distribution board/fuse box. That way there can be no little things you have forgotten about.
Go outside with the radio. See what direction it gets stronger in and where it is weaker so as to try and work out where it's coming from.
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Bob Bright: Never, or not least whilst these broadcasters are allowed to operate transmitter sites only on a commercial basis.
See here for more information:
Will there ever be more services on the Freeview Light transmitters? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
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Peter Matazinskas: Perhaps the signal level going into your tuner is too high and "blinding" it, which would suggest that the high gain aerial is now OTT.
Try an attenuator. See here for information:
Freeview signals: too much of a good thing is bad for you | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
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jane: There is no simple answer to the question. Whether any aerial works depends on its location. If there is no signal in the air around it to be picked up, then it won't pick anything up.
A roof-top aerial is generally preferred. Set-top aerials can work, although generally speaking, don't expect it to work without the picture ever breaking up.
If you post your location (preferrably post code), we might be able to give you an idea of chances of success. The higher up you are, the more likely it is to work. Similarly, if the aerial is on the side of the building facing the transmitter.
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Stu: If it is a variable amplifier, then I would adjust it and see what you get. It could be that the amplifier is amplifying the signal plus noise picked up in the cable from the aerial. As the Philips set is but a short cable's length from it, it will be getting pretty much all of what the amp is putting out. Yet the other receivers will be getting less due to the losses in the 30 metre cables.
If it's not a variable amplifier, then try (as a test) connecting the Philips directly to the aerial (without amplifier and without splitting it for feeds to the other two devices). Is it better? Does the signal strength/quality meters show improvement?
Note that signal strength is of much less importance than quality. A strength could be 50% (for example) with 100% quality and so long it is solid, then there is no degradation in picture quality (because it's the quality that does matter). What I'm saying is that the objective is not to get the strength to go as high as you can get it. Indeed, too much signal can be bad, as explained here:
Freeview signals: too much of a good thing is bad for you | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
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David Mansell: You are correct, I meant "too high a signal" and rather than "too higher signal". It means that the signal going into the TV is too high for what it can cope with.
If you look into at a very bright light for which the resulting effect is that you cannot see for a while, then that is because the amount of light entering your eyes is too high a brightness than it is designed for.
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simon: Further to jb38's comment about the signal being too strong, see here:
Freeview signals: too much of a good thing is bad for you | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice
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Friday 30 December 2011 11:09AM
John: It might be the differing sensitivities of the different receiver boxes. I wouldn't be surprised if the signal breaks up sometimes prior to switchover.
It demonstrates (as clear as any such demonstration can be) that you will likely get Freeview no problems after switchover.