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RayFriday 26 November 2010 1:45PM
The aerial man hasn't been able to improve reception. We have all the best kit and new feeders. The aerial is in the best location but he admits that the signal is not great, even though we live on top of a hill!
I'm thinking of installing FreeSat,have you any further thoughts?
ThanksRayTuesday 30 November 2010 9:51AM
Andover This weekend the signal has come back on the unwatchable channels.
Re: Wolfbane, I haven't found a way of decoding the .ps files. If someone knows how, the postcode is SP11 9QD.DAVERICE@Tuesday 30 November 2010 12:44PM
When changeover comes 2012 will i be abaile to get hd through my roof top 52 did.aerialDAVERICE@: Yes. Everyone can do that after switchover. steveTuesday 30 November 2010 6:37PM
... UK digital TV reception predictor
Ray - dunno about decoding .ps files - try click the above.
In summary it says you have a choice of two transmitters, but will probably need an amplifier for either of them.
DTT transmitters within "local" range of postcode SP11 9QD
Transmitter 1 (PSB 1):
BBC A 2 (PSB 2):
D 3 & 4 A (COM 1):
SDN B (PSB 3):
BBC B C (COM 2):
Arqiva A D (COM 3):
Arqiva B Gp Pol OS grid ref. Field
dBµV/m Distance
miles Bearing
degrees Antenna
(suggestion)
UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W
Hannington 50 10k 43 10k 40 10k 46 10k 44 10k 41 10k B H SU527568 44 * 17 77 Amplified extra hi-gain
Rowridge 34 20k 32 20k 30 20k 28 20k 37 20k 33 20k A H SZ447865 37 * 42 164 Amplified extra hi-gain
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RayWednesday 1 December 2010 12:09PM
Thanks Steve, Briantist gave me the answers in attachments to my Tuesday post (see links on the RHS).JWednesday 5 January 2011 4:47PM
I have just been to my local Maplin and they advised me not to buy a set top aeriel as they said it would not work on Freeview in our area. Our area is not listed as low strength signal (Sidcup). This is for a second TV which now has inbuilt freeview. The one attached to the roof aerial uses a freeview box. Not keen to wire up every tv to the roof! No point in linking all TV's as you might as well go back to sitting in the same room because you can only watch what is selected on the main tv.steveThursday 6 January 2011 5:46PM
J
Maplin may well be correct, but we can get a usable signal in one room (which has a big window in the right place) with an indoor ae and a cheap amp. - which none of the predictors say we would be able to.
Also, has your region switched over yet. Digital strength will rise when analogues goes off.Mike DimmickFriday 7 January 2011 6:39PM
Reading Steve: the problem is that the received signal level naturally varies over time, due to the changing weather conditions.
Because the indoor aerial is much lower in height it's blocked more by neighbouring buildings, and picks up more reflections from them, as well as reflections within the building. It tends also to have poorer gain, front/back ratio and cross-polar rejection compared to a roof aerial, meaning it picks up less of the signal you do want and more of the interference you don't want.
Amplifiers can never correct for picking up unwanted signals, they amplify unwanted signals just as much as wanted ones, and they add extra noise and distortion of their own. An amplifier might help if the signal level from the aerial is actually weaker than the minimum the TV or box needs, but generally they're harmful.
As I said, the signal level from any transmitter - and this includes unwanted signals - varies over time. The prediction is done on the basis that you will get problem-free reception 99% of the time. That's still over three-and-a-half days - 87 hours - per year. You might get good reception with an indoor aerial some of the time, but you'll get a lot of interruptions too.
Because most TVs and set-top boxes don't show the signal AND the noise level, only a raw signal strength, it's really not possible for the average user to work out the best site for an aerial.will mortonTuesday 25 January 2011 7:55PM
I live in the Darvel - 2% area.
I have two JVC LT32DE9BJ 32" Hd Ready Lcd Tv with Integrated Freeview. Recently both have stopped recording tv programmes when they are in standby mode. They will record if tv is actually switched on. This has only been happening over the last 3 or 4 months.
I have a Sagem box wired through one of these tv's and it records everything !!!
On checking my TV signal; strength 67% & quality 100%.
Anyone any ideas what is happening - TV's have no fault one has been for repair and sent back - no fault.will morton: You wouldn't normally expect to do that, a Freeview+ box has it's own tuners so you don't need to have the TV on. K taskerSaturday 29 January 2011 3:11PM
I have just purchased a new Samsung tv but it will not auto tune because it says weak or no signal on the screen, however we have two existing tv;s that run perfectly well, one without an amplifier & one with. Does a new tv require a stronger signal? we have tried all of the different configurations without success, any ideas or suggestions or explanations would be greatly appreciated.
K taskerSaturday 29 January 2011 3:13PM
Beckenham alan draperFriday 11 February 2011 11:46AM
We are moving to Cyprus and I know that they broadcast terrestrial analogue local channels and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
We are taking our UK TV with us, recently replaced, which unlike its predecessor does not appear to be able to tune to analogue channels (not needed in UK now I appreciate)My question is, will the digital tuning facility be able to tune into analogue signals in Cyprus?
We will almost certainly use Sky when there, the but the local channels are sometimes worth watchingsteveFriday 11 February 2011 12:23PM
Wrexham alan - absolutely not!
And I don't think you can get boxes to do analogue tuning.
Sounds like a swap with someone with a decent analogue TV would be best.
Do check that Cyprus TV is entirely compatible with UK. There can be variations in things like sound separation.alan draper: Cyprus uses PAL-B (for VHF) and PAL G (for UHF).
The UK uses PAL-I.
A UK set will not have any sound if you use it for analogue reception in Cyprus, unless it the ability to change "region". will mortonTuesday 15 February 2011 9:53PM
Kilmarnock I live in the Darvel - 2% area.
I have two JVC LT32DE9BJ 32" Hd Ready Lcd Tv with Integrated Freeview. Recently both have stopped recording tv programmes when they are in standby mode. They will record if tv is actually switched on. This has only been happening over the last 3 or 4 months.
I have a Sagem box wired through one of these tv's and it records everything !!!
On checking my TV signal; strength 72% (as i installed a new aerial since last post)& quality 100%.
Anyone any ideas what is happening - TV's have no fault one has been for repair and sent back - no fault.
Most programs just do not record off the EPG.will mortonTuesday 22 February 2011 8:58PM
Kilmarnock Hi i have a JVC LT32DE9BJ 32` E-series HD Ready LCD TelevisionWith 160gb (built in HD). Infact i have 2 separate units - both do not record if switched off.will morton: So... you are saying that they don't record when the power is not connected? gerrySunday 27 February 2011 12:42PM
have had to take dowm aerial on replaceing cpopostpannot get programs 10 to 33post co sa49 9rb (sa499rb).gerry: Sorry, that doesn't seem to be a recognised postcode. Is your aerial on the roof? WILLIAM MORTONTuesday 1 March 2011 9:03PM
Briantist when i say tv not powered up i mean it is switched on at the wall but not actually displaying a picture.
WILLIAM MORTON: It is not usually possible to "record from a TV set", if you have a digital recorder, the tuner is in the recording device, not the TV. will mortonTuesday 8 March 2011 10:17PM
Kilmarnock Hi, would you please google the following JVC model as it shows the two tv's i have.
I feel we are getting nowhere with my question and on my own i have established they generally do not record BBC 1 from the EPG if the whole unit is not switched on.
Hi i have a JVC LT32DE9BJ 32` E-series HD Ready LCD TelevisionWith 160gb SAMUELFriday 1 April 2011 9:11AM
A digital UK jvc lcd has no sound in Kenya only pictures after auto tuning.in Kenya we use analogue reception.SAMUEL: Kenya uses PAL B/G, the UK uses PAL I, so unless you can change the format you will get no sound.
Peter MusauMonday 4 April 2011 8:52PM
Dear Briantist,
Here's a question for you mate:
on the question of a TV in Kenya ( Analogue Reception) using PAL B/G and having no sound, how does one change the format so that you get sound.
Thank you.Mike DimmickTuesday 5 April 2011 2:38PM
Peter Musau: Look for an option in the TV's tuning menu to select PAL B/G.
Various different standards for picture information (e.g. number of lines, frame rate, colour encoding) and the location of the sound carrier(s) have been used around the world. See 
World Analogue Television Standards and Waveforms for full details.
Basically, a TV built for UK/Ireland System I expects to find the mono sound carrier at 5.9996 MHz above the vision carrier. For B/G it's transmitted at 5.5 MHz, so the TV can't find it. NICAM stereo wouldn't not be found either because again it's at different frequencies (I don't know if Kenyan channels use NICAM). The UK has never used middle-side stereo as has been used in Germany (it's the same technique as FM stereo radio uses).
Also, if the TV was only built for the UK, it may only support the UHF band and won't find transmissions in the older VHF Band I and Band III, which I believe Kenya still uses at present. We now don't use Band I and use Band III for DAB radio. (RG47SH) steveTuesday 5 April 2011 7:35PM
Wrexham I won a TV in a night club competition in Singapore, which I subsequently brought back to the UK. Sound separation needed adjusting, which Toshiba were willing to do either free or for very little, so long as I took the TV to the one place in the whole of the UK where they did it - on Acre Lane at the Clapham/Brixton border.
Every bit of 2 miles from my home in Herne Hill!
Even morre irrelevent, I helped set up Toshiba's first ever UK site ~1973Ian BurnsThursday 14 April 2011 7:33AM
Hi - I have an ARCHOS TV SNAP-ON. This is a keen bit of kit and software that allows me to pick-up and tune into DIGITAL TV. In Stafford, I can get and record approx 66 channels of DIGITAL TV, but in CREWE and DERBY, I get nothing. Will this change when the DIGITAL Switchover is complete ? Will the DIGITAL Signal be ALOT stronger to all areas when the analogue is finally turned off ?Ian Burns: Yes, the digital signals will be stronger everywhere and provide the same level of coverage as analogue did. Jerry BrettFriday 29 April 2011 8:05PM
I have a Humax 9300T and I originally enjoyed pretty good reception on most of the channels I wanted to watch. Last year the reception of C5 and all the C4 and ITV channels went down the toilet before recovering late last year. In the last couple of weeks the reception has gone down the toilet again. I live in North Suffolk and I am using a standard aerial with no boosters. TV is an old Panasonic widescreen CRT model from 1998. Any insight you can give me would be appreciated.SteveFriday 29 April 2011 11:52PM
Wrexham Plug your postcode in at top right and see what you find.
What experience to others locally have?
The TV matters not so long as it works.
Did you check your box on the list of oines not up to llatest standards? IIRC several Humax are listed.Jerry BrettSunday 1 May 2011 5:39PM
Sudbury Where do I check whether my box meets current standards? It's less than 2 years old so I'll be pretty hacked if it doesn't.
Manually tuned it yesterday. 5 channels are 100% quality. The 6th was all over the place. That's the one carrying C4, C5, More4 etc.
Other users have similar problems but use SKY to get round it.
Any way I can compensate for this without forking over a SKY subscription?
SteveSunday 1 May 2011 8:03PM
Wrexham PS there is a list of bad boxes on here somewhere if you hunt around - though as yourse works some doubt if that's it - more of a yes/no issue!Jerry BrettSunday 8 May 2011 4:39PM
Sudbury Thanks guys. I did wonder if my problems had something to do with switch over fiddling and diddling. I checked my box on your link Brian and the 9200 is listed but the 9300 isn't. So I guess I may have to put up and shut up for now. At least the programmes I'm missing will probably be repeated after switch over and C5 repeats much of its content on 5USA and 5* a few days later and I can get both of those clear as crystal. Heigh ho...Mike DimmickSunday 8 May 2011 11:24PM
The 9200 definitely works after switchover and I don't see any reason why the revised and updated 9300 shouldn't. Your transmitter hasn't switched yet.
You're very close to a major transmitter - it's possible that you have too much signal. You say you don't have a booster - try adding an attenuator. You should aim for a maximum of 50% signal strength on these Humax boxes - the calibration is way off. Note that Sudbury post-DSO signal levels will be much louder than now.
Mux 2 transmits on two different frequencies, C56 and C68, which are transmitted in different directions. Try the other one. Your box might have tuned in C56 when you're in the C68 area, if it chooses the first version it finds. Look for another version around channel 800 in the guide - if that's better, see if you can swap them over.
C68 is right up at the top end of the frequency range. If you didn't have a Group E aerial fitted, it might not work very well - an original analogue aerial would be Group B and has very little or even negative gain at C68. You would need a Group E aerial to get all the services reliably after switchover as well.
Finally, if damp gets into cables, it increases the loss at higher frequencies much more than at lower ones. That could be causing a problem for Mux 2 but not the others.SteveMonday 9 May 2011 3:26PM
Wrexham Jerry - I know nothing about these things but wonder if a box 9300 might be a variant of 9200, so also bad. Think worth checking!RobThursday 12 May 2011 8:22PM
Hi, i recently built an extension and put a new digital samsung lcd in there. I ran a cable from my analogue booster in the attic to the t.v. This booster feeds all my digital t.v's in the house and all work fine. When i came to tune the new telly i found that it would not pick up any digital channels but picked up perfectly the analogue channel that feeds sky into the other t.v's. I checked the t.v is working by connecting it to a seperate room and it picked up all the digital channels and analogue sky channel. I'm confused, anyone out there going to brighten my day.SteveThursday 12 May 2011 9:40PM
Wrexham Rob - odd!
Have you tried one of the other TVs in the conservatory?
And tried disconnecting the sky feed?
If still nothing, suspect summat wrong with wiring or splitter.
Try switching the connections out of the booster and see if the problem moves.
Jerry BrettSunday 22 May 2011 8:04PM
Sudbury Mike & Steve - thanks for your comments. Haven't been on the old PC lately to check this site so didn't see your responses. Aerial and cable were replaced a couple of years ago when old aerial rotted away so I am assuming that damp isn't an issue. When I tried manually tuning the PVR it showed no signal strength on most of the channels it wasn't already using. The ones that did show signal strength wouldn't identify any channels. I don't get my signal from Sudbury despite the fact that the mast is only 5 or 6 miles away. Are you saying that the Sudbury transmitter is interfering with my reception? If so, would an attenuator help anyway? Sorry to be vague, the technicalities of TV reception are uncharted territory for me.SteveSunday 22 May 2011 9:12PM
Wrexham Jerry - Where DO you get your signal from?Jerry BrettThursday 26 May 2011 6:11PM
Sudbury Steve. Apparently the signal comes from Talconeston, a place I'd never heard of until I visited this website. The old analogue signal came from Sandy Heath.
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Freeview modes | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice ) that causes the effect. 
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