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For the last six years, I have answered many thousands of personal emails that you have sent to UK Free TV.

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Tony Riz
Wednesday 8 May 2013 10:18PM
Neil Bell: Thanks for the reply. The box itself seems to be working okay (in the sense that it does change to the appropriate tuned in channels when asked), it's just that every channel as the 'No Signal' message, which is what made me think it's probably a problem with the dish.

I live just past Hackney Marshes so probably 30 minutes or so away from Ilford. If you have a long ladder that can reach up to the third floor of a block of flats (guesstimation being that it's probably about 30-40ft up) which is where the dish is currently placed in order to get good reception, and we can agree on a reasonable fee, then I'm sure we can wait until sometime on Saturday. Why don't you send me an email (tonyriz@fsmail.net) and we can discuss this further? My poor mother has spent the past 2 days missing her usual programmes so I'd like to be able to sort it out for her asap if possible, but without using a 'cowboy'!! Thanks again for the replies
Steve P
Thursday 9 May 2013 10:56AM
Tony have you yet proved that it is the dish not the box?
Tony Riz
Thursday 9 May 2013 11:43AM
Steve P: Not definitively yet as I don't have another box or dish to try as an alternative and the dish is situated in a position that isn't easy to reach without a triple ladder. I do suspect it's something to do with the dish though. Could a Sky Box be used to help at least establish if the problem is the receiver as opposed to the dish? If not, is there any other way to ascertain that?
Diane C
Thursday 9 May 2013 3:20PM
Hi , I have been with Sky tv for many years and had my Broadband and phone lines transferred to them 2 years ago . I have asked them if they could upgrade me to sky plus but I was told it would cost me £60 as my original box is so outdated . Would I be able to change my provider ? I have a satellite dish but very poor aerial reception ?
MikeP
Thursday 9 May 2013 5:22PM
Changing Broadband provider is not difficult, look at what is on offer and select your preferred supplier, then ask Sky for a MAC code (Migration Authorisation Code) and give that to your new chosen provider.
A similar process applies to moving your phone provider and your chosen broadband service may also offer a phone option as well.
As for TV, you don't say where you live so it's very difficult to recommend anything.
If your current TV does not have Freeview 'built in' then you'd need a 'set top' box and they are more than £60 for a reasonable one that records as well, so you may be better off paying the upgrade price if you want all the Sky services.
Neil Bell
Thursday 9 May 2013 5:35PM
Tony Riz I don't think a Sky box would help because it would be tuned to transponders on Astra 2 etc at 28 degrees East. The Italian Programmes are on Hotbird at 13 degrees East so you need another expat Italian (or Pole or Bulgarian which are on Hotbird too). Their dishes would be pointing in the right direction.
Neil Bell
Thursday 9 May 2013 5:49PM
Diane C You did say you have very poor aerial reception so Freeview is probably not an option for you. If you want to continue receiving satellite transmissions but not via Sky you would need a Freesat set top box. This would also cost a lot more than £60 for one that records as well but you wouldn't then need to keep paying Sky subscriptions so would be cheaper in the longer term unless you want to subscribe to some pay to view programmes.
Neil Bell
Thursday 9 May 2013 6:20PM
Tony Riz Forget the Bulgarian reference (Senior moment - they broadcast on Astra 3A at 23.5 degrees East) but Polish channels certainly broadcast on Hotbird if you can't wait till Saturday when I'm home!
Tony Riz
Thursday 9 May 2013 7:26PM
Neil: As it happens I decided - for the sake of my dear old mum, who has been stuck watching English programmes she doesn't really enjoy or understand for the past 3 days - to get it resolved once and for all and called an engineer out this afternoon. The receiver box was okay and the problem apparently stemmed from over-growing trees on blocking the path of the signal - something that has happened before and is common around this area. That means having to move the dish from it's already high position to the even more elevated roof of the block of flats where she lives. Has ended up costing me way more than I expected but I've been told that once moved, we won't have that particular problem again. Anyway, many thanks to both your good self and Steve P for your time and advice. Much appreciated.
Neil Bell
Thursday 9 May 2013 8:50PM
Tony Riz I'm glad you got it sorted.

Neil
Steve P
Friday 10 May 2013 7:23PM
Me too.

Now about that famous mamma's cooking.....

Though I suppose there must be some Italian mammas who are awful cooks?
ian from notts
Saturday 11 May 2013 8:33AM Nottingham
Tony Riz- How close are the trees ?
I would be a little worried if trees are able to disrupt a dish over 30ft up the side of a block of flats ?
d
Saturday 11 May 2013 12:31PM
is there no receiption in the tottenham area, last nite 10pm sky went off. Had 36 now 29, is it still connected or is there a fault. As this has happened a few times throu fixtures in the area causing it to go off everyday 11am til 5pm, was fixed but what is the problem now. They should give advance warning that sky will be off from... to ... Any help I know your one of the best. Thanks
C Taylor
Saturday 11 May 2013 12:54PM Kilwinning
I contacted your engineer today 11/5/13 to say I had no signal just to let you know It is now working fine I think it was the weather very wet and windy C Taylor Post Code ka13 6jj Account no 621259455981
Peter Cooke
Saturday 11 May 2013 4:25PM Leicester
Dear Brian,
You are using the wrong spelling of the word 'metres' on your new Freeview Advanced reception section. You are using 'meters' which is a device to measure something, or the arrangement of the number of words in poetry. Also 'Kilometer' has been used on the horizontal axis of your graphs, it should be 'Kilometre' to represent distance.
Yours sincerely,

Peter Cooke.
MikeP
Saturday 11 May 2013 5:25PM
d
I am assuming that you receive Sky using a dish and not via any cable or broadband service. Satellite signals are 'broadcast' from the satellite in orbit above the Equator and arranged to provide reception across the whole country, so it is not specific to one area and is unlike terrestrial TV that is broadcast from a transmitter on the ground. So I do not understand you question. Please give more details of location and equipment.
Steve P
Saturday 11 May 2013 5:43PM
C Taylor I don't know who you think you are leaving a message for but it's in the wrong place. This website has nothing to do with broadcasting except to discuss it. No services, engineers, etc.
Steve P
Saturday 11 May 2013 5:46PM
Dear Peter

You can't even spell your own surname in the standard modern usage, so why berate Brian for the US (kilo)meter ?

And as Brian is so thick skinned that he has never corrected the gratingly awful affect/effect error I doubt hee will care.
d
Saturday 11 May 2013 7:39PM
Hey Mike P, don't think yoour to clever, obviously where did yoou think satelite come from. It wasn't a geography question...
Steve P
Saturday 11 May 2013 8:13PM
d

So why do you think Tottenham sky special?
D Matthews
Sunday 12 May 2013 8:30AM Bampton
D Matthews: OK now got my freeview sorted. Has cost me though. Complete new coaxial cable, aerial, time, lots of grief from her indoors. This is the 2nd lot of buying the so call upgrade stuff. Nothing is free veiw about as i see.
linda
Sunday 12 May 2013 9:06AM
we keep losing the signal on input 1 but input 2 appears good. we re-set each time and it works for a while. is this a problem with the LMB? can we replace the LMB with one purchased from Amazon? HTI Quad LMB?
jb38
Sunday 12 May 2013 10:54AM
linda: Although there is always a possibility that it could be the LNB but in most cases its not, however to help determine whether it is or not try swapping the two inputs over on your box, if the fault changes from LNB1 over to LNB2's signal check indicator then its either the cable / connector at fault or its indeed the LNB port, if however it remains on LNB1 then unfortunately that indicates a defect on LNB1's tuner, most unlikely though!

Leaving the two box inputs swapped over you can verify if its the LNB or not by simply swapping the two connections over "on the block", because if it is the block at fault then the fault will show up again on your boxes LNB1 input, if though it doesn't then unscrew each connector in turn from the coax and check for any signs of water having gained access, drying out with a tissue as necessary, then after having ensured that all strands of the braiding have been pulled back over the cables outer cover and screw the connectors back onto the coax then onto the LNB.

Further advice re: blocks etc dependant on findings.
francis
Sunday 12 May 2013 11:03PM
Can I use my Freeview box to pick up Saorview channels in North West Ireland? (Donegal)

The nearest transmitter from Saorview is quite close on aranmore island i think. But to get any signal from East is very unlikely past Errigal Mountain.
Dave Lindsay
Sunday 12 May 2013 11:37PM
francis: Maybe or maybe not.

Freeview HD receivers definitely work with Saorview. Some Freeview standard definition receivers will show Saorview pictures.

Saorview pictures are encoded using the MPEG4 standard whereas Freeview standard definition pictures use the earlier MPEG2 format. For this reason, many Freeview SD receivers don't have the capability to resolve MPEG4 pictures. In such a case the signal will be received, albeit with no picture.
Omhie
Wednesday 15 May 2013 10:21AM
hi Have an old Sky box (Amstrad drx280) no phone connected I dropped the Sky subscription. Just recently having constant problem with 2 or 3 specific channels (rest OK) giving no sat signal or broken picture output. Problem gets solved with a reboot. I do not leave box in standby but switch off power. Is this fault fixable? Thanks in advance for any feedback.
jb38
Thursday 16 May 2013 6:53PM
Omhie: The fault mentioned is purely coincidental, as the problem is caused by the voltage being fed to the tuner dropping off as the box heats up, this being due to the electrolytic capacitors used in the power supply having dried out though heat.

To be quite honest about it, its not really worth repairing this type of fault unless the person doing so is an electronics enthusiast, because the labour costs would exceed the value of the box.
John McKenzie
Friday 17 May 2013 9:20PM
I live afew hundred yards from the perth transmitter. uring the last few weeks there has been people working on the mast. Now I get a disturbed signal and a faily regular and loud 'clunk' coming through my TV. Whatever they've been doing, it ain't helped my signal. Living so close to the transmitter I've never had trouble getting a signal before. The digital antenna I have is fairly new and works well.
jb38
Friday 17 May 2013 9:46PM
John McKenzie: Nothing is indicated on the engineering notice board as far as any work having been taking place at the relay, and as yet no other complaints have been made.

If you are located close to the mast then you should try a test with one of these old set top aerials connecting into your TV, or alternatively try a short length (about 4 feet or so) of bell type wire or similar pushed into the middle of your TV's aerial, the reason for this type of test being to see if reception improves with a slightly weaker signal.
ian from notts
Saturday 18 May 2013 9:21AM Nottingham
Omhie, jb38- I'd guess that means a trip to Ebay for a new Skybox (single or double feed?) or a Freesat box ?
jb38
Saturday 18 May 2013 11:50AM
Omhie / Re:- ian from notts: Well yes, provided that anything purchased was not bought under the "no returns" or "sold as seen" label, because power supply problems in Sky boxes nearly always involve a temperature dependant time factor before the fault shows up, this in practice meaning a few hours or less in some installations whereas days in others depending on where a person might have installed the box, obviously the problem appearing much sooner if the box is installed within the confines of a Hi-Fi cabinet or similar.

By the way, there isn't really any advantage in anyone purchasing a twin LNB input Sky+ box unless they are intending to take out a Sky contract at some point in time, as a Sky+ box only works like a standard box without a contract being in force.
Clint
Saturday 18 May 2013 7:43PM Redditch
Just a quick suggestion.

It would be nice if you could download/print a complete table list of Freeview channels being broadcast by a certain transmitter. It would be useful when retuning to check you've got every channel that you should be able to get.

Thanks
Briantist
Saturday 18 May 2013 7:58PM
Clint: I'm unclear why you can't. Just go to the transmitter page and press print in your web browser of choice...
ian from notts
Sunday 19 May 2013 8:26AM Nottingham
Omhie,jb38- yes mate, only put the feed as its not stated which it is?
twin feed boxes are easier to get hold of tho?
jb38
Sunday 19 May 2013 10:41AM
ian from notts / Omhie: My only reason for stating that there was no advantage with purchasing a twin feed Sky+ box if not intending to take out another subscription was that its hard drive would (at times) be running away for no useful purpose but causing the box to consume about 25% or so extra power over that of a standard Sky box, an aspect that would bother some people with any device thats powered up 24/7.

I purposely did not mention anything about the dish, or feed from, because that aspect did not come into the equation, but though if it then I would strongly advise that a twin feed be fitted as this would enable any twin tuner PVR to be used whether it be for Freesat or Sky+ purposes.
Clint
Sunday 19 May 2013 9:50PM
Hi Briantist,

You can do that but it's not really in an easy to read manner (e.g. their not in channel number order), not to mention using a lot of ink printing out the whole web page when you only want the channel list.

It would be good if it was done in a table format. That way you could order them (e.g. channel number, channel name, multiplex/frequency) in whichever way you wanted then you could print it off.
maureen
Tuesday 21 May 2013 6:39PM
I have lost reception on both BBC and now itv channels .was fine until a couple of days ago.sky TV in the other room is fine on all channels.i have tried retuning but still no good
jb38
Tuesday 21 May 2013 8:03PM
maureen: Advice on queries of this nature can only be given when the person requesting assistance has indicated their location, this preferably being in the form of a post code or one from nearby such as a shop / post office etc.

It would also be of assistance if info on the aerial system being used was supplied, e.g: whether its loft or roof mounted or possibly a communal system such as used in apartment blocks.
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