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Your comments are always welcome. Please use the form below to add your thoughts or questions to this page. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

A
Andy
Monday 9 July 2012 11:40PM
Hi, can anyone tell me if i will be able to receive english tv channels whilst on holiday in the coastal area Cherbourg. I have a new tv so don't need a set box etc etc. We are having problems with out sat dish on the van and hoping we may not need it anyway.
L
Lesley Ainsley
Tuesday 10 July 2012 7:27PM
Why, as soon as it rains do I lose signal? It is the most frustrating thing. All this money and technology, and a bit of rain shuts everything down!!!!!
M
Mazbar
Tuesday 10 July 2012 7:53PM
Lesley Ainsley: the most likey cause is broken cable ir the cap on your aerial is cracked and letting water in check your aerial plug if is damp or rusty there is your answer if so have it seen to straight away. Hope this helps
M
Mark Fletcher
Tuesday 10 July 2012 8:39PM Halifax
Lesley Ainsley.As Mazbar stated that could be the likely cause of your predicament.
But i did notice you did not leave a full postcode or nearby location as such,this is to ascertain the reception possibilities in your locality.You could be receiving transmissions from a main transmitter or major/minor relay mast which broadcasts on higher frequencies (namely group C/D ones) which at your end (the aerial connections) is more prone to losing signal when it rains,etc.

R
R Mason
Wednesday 11 July 2012 1:11PM
why do i get no signal when it rains
K
KMJ,Derby
Wednesday 11 July 2012 1:42PM
R Mason: Could you give more information? Is this satellite reception or Freeview? If Freeview, in what area are you trying to receive the service? - a postcode is useful for doing a check on predicted reception in the locality. Also what kind of equipment are you using.
M
Maggie
Wednesday 11 July 2012 9:05PM
Can anyone advise plz? Ever since the switchover i am unable to get any digital chanels on my digital tv (no freeview chanels)I can only get freesat via my satellite..Do i need a new aerial? I got a good picture before the switchover..whats happened?
my post code is RM175AB
K
KMJ,Derby
Wednesday 11 July 2012 9:37PM
Maggie: An aerial which gave good reception from Crystal Palace (or Bluebell Hill, for that matter) should give good reception on Freeview. Could you give more details about the TV, such as make and model to check if it is suitable for reception of post switchover digital signals.
C
Chris - Somerset
Thursday 12 July 2012 2:38PM
If I cancel my sky contract and start using Freesat will I be able to use my Sky + recording facility
D
Dinker Sachdev
Thursday 12 July 2012 3:19PM Burgess Hill
every time it rains heavy i lose signal or
get distorted picture.it also happens when
very windy.
my area is in west suusex, post code RH15 9PS
please help!!!
M
Maeve Harrison-Barbet
Thursday 12 July 2012 4:30PM
Breaks is signal all the way through Wimbledon!The following message appeared on screen 2nd July '12 - error code C301 - U70 - L1970 On the 3rd and 4th July Error Code C501 - U69 - L1970 and C501 - U70 - L1970 respectively. I tried the usual disconnecting from the power etc. Nothing worked and it did not respond to the remote control. I gave up. Next time I turned it on, a few hours later everything worked perfectly. Today the 12th July nothing at all again. Can you help?
M
Maeve Harrison-Barbet
Thursday 12 July 2012 4:40PM
I see Dinker Sachdev has the same problem as I. How come in this day and age TV (Sky) is so dependent on the weather. It never happened with the old steam TVs. Sometimes there is neither wind nor rain but sunshine and I have the same service or should I say lack of service. I had to watch the Women's Finals through the medium of Irish on Saor View which is the Irish equivalent of Free View.
J
jb38
Thursday 12 July 2012 5:44PM
Chris - Somerset: No, as Sky will disable the recording / playback side of the box at the same time as cancelling your access to view Sky dedicated channels, in other words the box will just operate like any other standard non- subscription types do as Sky permanently retains control of the access code necessary to operate the recorder.
M
MARLENE ALLEN
Thursday 12 July 2012 8:50PM
are we having a rebate off my account every day my sky goes off cannot watch volcano live doas rain affect it all the time not very pleASED
B
bernie
Friday 13 July 2012 10:53AM
i have got a new 40 inch samsung freeview full 1080 hd , how can i connect my sky box and view both sky and freeview
A
anne mcdonald
Saturday 14 July 2012 1:59AM
getting no signal msg on certain channels and bad sgnal on others.most channels ok so not a dish problem or is it ? no signal channels include 151,195,209,241,252,255,262,263,266,284 & more. reception problems on 651,655,659,660,664,668,671,and a few more. Can YOU please explain why ? or tell me if i can do anything fro my end please.thankyou
J
jb38
Saturday 14 July 2012 11:30AM
anne mcdonald: Taking it that you are referring to a Sky box then press "services" 4-6 and check what the signal strength / quality bars are indicated as being as both should be equivalent to about 70% or so, if they (or just the quality) is indicating considerably lower than this then the dish is slightly out of alignment, most likely in the horizontal "left to right" plane and possibly caused by it have moved in the wind, or maybe even been struck by something like a ball or even a bird.
J
jb38
Saturday 14 July 2012 11:42AM
bernie: Although the answer would normally be by using a standard scart lead between both devices is it the case that your new TV does not have a scart socket? and if this applies then is your Sky box a normal type or is it a Sky+ HD type? because if so then use an HDMI lead between both devices with the HDMI connected into the TV's No1 HDMI socket as that usually has an auto-switch sensor.

If though its not a HD box then come back with the model number of the Samsung TV to enable its spec to be checked out.
D
David Dean
Saturday 14 July 2012 1:27PM
If i take my sky hd box on holiday to a camp site still in the UK will i be able to get sky through a free sat dish,
J
jb38
Saturday 14 July 2012 2:20PM
David Dean: Yes, as there are no technical differences between dishes / LNB's used for Freesat or Sky reception.
S
Sean Reynolds
Saturday 14 July 2012 2:28PM
I live in the South of France near Nice and was working in the UK last week when there were very bad winds here. My dish was blown off location. I have swung the dish back to position (Elevation 35 degrees and bearing 210 degrees)and cannot find a signal on my Sky Box. I have tried unplugging the box, turning the 22Khz off and on, on the LNB and also rebooting the software. All to no avail I have also tried a different LNB and an old Sky box that I have. All to no avail and now I am at my wit's end.

Any help or advice gratefukky received.

Regards

Sean Reynolds
J
jb38
Saturday 14 July 2012 11:43PM
David Dean: Are you sure that 210 degrees is correct? as a check based on the info given indicates it should be around the 150 degrees or so in the Nice / Cannes area, elevation is just about correct though.
N
Nick g
Sunday 15 July 2012 3:09PM
I have a problem with my hd channels but no others. In fact all other channels are at 100%. Previously all channels were fine why would this fault suddenly develope?

Thanks in advance
J
jb38
Sunday 15 July 2012 5:01PM
Nick g: Its quite impossible to offer any advice when your location isn't known, as the reception predictor used for reference purposes cannot be accessed without a post code being entered, or at least one from nearby such as a shop / pub etc.

Speaking in general terms, HD being problematic when SD appears to be OK can in many cases be caused by an excessively high level of signal being received and which will always affect HD reception before SD, but this cannot be verified one way or the other without a location being provided.

My only reason for saying this is, that "if" the 100% that you mention is referring to strength then an overloading problem could well be applying.
S
Susan Mulvenna
Sunday 15 July 2012 10:10PM Belfast
I have an outside aerial and I rescanned my free view , but signal strengh is only 29 so I only have few channels, is there anything I can do to boost signal.
J
jb38
Sunday 15 July 2012 11:54PM
Susan Mulvenna: As the Divis transmitter is indicated as being located at just over 1 mile away then the signal level you are receiving from it could be that strong that its partially blocking your tuner, and something which can result in low signal strength readings being seen due to instability in the tuner corrupting data, and so if you have a set top aerial around plug that in and try another rescan, if though you don't have access to a set top aerial then even a short piece of wire (about 18" min) plugged into the inner part of the aerial socket will suffice for a test.

Should this action result in more channels being received then you will require to fit an attenuator in line with your TV or boxes aerial socket.

The only problem that you might have is that you are predicted as also being able to receive signals from both the Black Mountain relay transmitters as well as Divis, and depending on your box it might pick up one of these two relays rather than Divis, anyway try whats been suggested and give an update on results.
I
Ian
Monday 16 July 2012 10:35AM
how do attach my cables between a Humax Foxsat, HD Television and my HDMI dvd recorder/player so I can record using the Foxsat channels I have a HD television, a Humax Foxsat HDR and a Sony HDMI dvd
J
jean stevenson
Monday 16 July 2012 9:05PM
Can I record my freeview tv programmes on an old sky digibox?
M
Mark Fletcher
Monday 16 July 2012 9:18PM Halifax
Jean Stevenson.No is the answer !
G
graham martin
Wednesday 18 July 2012 12:50PM
Hi,have just installed a Sharp TU-T2 HD reciever.Brilliant HD reception but am getting annoying "service list change"message on screen every few minutes.Sharp say its a message being broadcast from the transmitter and cannot be removed from screen or inhibited. Anyone else having this problem or can recommend a fix please.
M
Maggie
Wednesday 18 July 2012 8:36PM
Maggie:
TO KMJ Derby
THE MAKE OF MY TV IS TECHNIKA 37" DIGITAL LCD TV..ONLY 1 YEAR OLD
J
John
Wednesday 18 July 2012 9:24PM
jb38
I was very interested to read your answer to Bernie on
Saturday 14 July 2012 11:42AM re TV's No1 HDMI socket usually has an auto-switch sensor because it seems to explain what happens to me.
When watching Freeview on the TV it will suddenly switch over to Freesat even though the box is swiched off.
It is of no great concern as I simply switch back to TV but could you say if this is normal or might I have a problem with the HDMI 1 socket on the tv.
John
J
jb38
Thursday 19 July 2012 12:17AM
John: I don't really think that its so much the case of a problem having developed on your No1 HDMI input but more the case of the design circuitry used by these devices having the unintended effect of sending a pulse though pin 19 when the box is triggered by being programmed by the manufacturer to carry out tasks on a regular basis, the main one being the updating of the EPG programme info, although obviously this pulse on activation wil only affect receiving equipment fitted with a pin 19 sensor on one of its HDMI inputs.

But though when you say "even although the box is switched off", are you meaning completely off altogether or simply when the box is sitting in standby?, because if its the former then it should have no effect whatsoever on the TV, and should it do then this can then indicate the existence of some form of problem, but if you let me have the model number of the box I can then check out some details regarding the boxes circuitry as they are all different.

Of course if your TV has more than one HDMI input then you could just use the No2 input as that wont have any sensor on it, the only inconvenience about using No2 being that you have to select that input when you wish to view Freesat, this being done via the TV's input selector on the remote control and with the various input options seen by repeatedly pressing the input button.

Even I suffer from my Humax Freesat HDR switching the TV over to its input for about 5 seconds or so when its automatically activated from standby about 15 minutes or so before the start of a pre-programmed recording.
J
John
Thursday 19 July 2012 8:57AM
jb38 - thanks.
The freesat box is in standby and there is noise from it when tv switches to it.
Its was not a problem really but as I had'nt heard of the auto swithch sensor before I was just making sure.
My freeview recorder is connected to HDMI2.
Thanks again.
John
Y
Yvonne Baggott
Thursday 19 July 2012 2:56PM
My Samsung BD-HDD Combo suddenly starts recording for 0 or 5 0r 10 minutes or switches from channel to channel eg. 178 instead of BBC 1. Is this a fault in the signal frequency or the equipment?
J
jb38
Thursday 19 July 2012 5:09PM
John: I do fully appreciate that this isn't really an issue and that you were only making an enquiry about HDMI auto-switching and not actually complaining about anything as such, but though should you wish to find out which one of your TV's HDMI sockets has an auto-switch sensor (if not mentioned in your user manual) then when your TV is first switched on from being completely off (mains switched off) is to leave your Freesat box and Freeview recorder in their standby state so that you are viewing normal TV, then whilst viewing the normal TV take the Freesat box out of standby to see if it takes over the TV, if not switch it back into standby again and do exactly the same test with the Freeview recorder, as obviously the device that switches the TV over to its input is connected to the HDMI input with the auto-switch sensor.

I realise of course that it doesn't really matter either way as you can just manually select the input that you want to view, but I found what you had said interesting insomuch that when one of the boxes is updating whatever its triggering the TV to switch over to it, something which could likely be switched off via the menu on the box concerned by having a look in its user manual and deselecting "auto updates" in any menu that gives you a choice, these usually auto-channel updates as well as automatic software updates.
D
Diana Addison
Friday 20 July 2012 12:19PM
My sky+HD box isn't getting a satellite signal and it number 29. What should I do to get the signal back.
J
jb38
Friday 20 July 2012 6:06PM
Diana Addison: 29 is just a code number that sometimes appears associated with the box not being able to pick up the default transponder and is something which can be caused by a variety of reasons as well as the actual box being faulty, however its more usually caused with the dish having been moved slightly out of alignment or alternatively water having crept into the "F" connector plug on the dishes LNB, as this will short circuit the signal.

You can check on the signal strength being received (if any) by pressing "services" 4 - 6 and look to see if anything is being indicated on the strength / quality bars, if nothing is seen then the problem can be caused by one of the aforementioned reasons plus the lesser possibility of the LNB requiring to be reset, if though strength / quality indications are seen but at a level under the equivalent of 50% (as percentage as such is not shown) then this indicates that the dish has moved "very" slightly out of alignment, this type of problem sometimes cured by giving the dish (sides of) a slight nudge to the left or right.

You can also check the settings on the LNB using this procedure /

1:- Press Sky followed by Services.
2:- Highlight "System Setup" (4) and press select.
3:- Press "0 then 1 then select" and the installers screen should then be seen.
4:- Press select again to access the LNB setup screen.
5:- Press the "Red" button to re-set the LNB's default settings.
6:- Using the up/down arrows, highlight "Save New Settings" and press select.
7:- Press select to confirm that the settings have been reset.

The LNB's correct settings are /

Low frequency - 9.75
High Frequency - 10.60
The LNB power supply should always be set to on.
The 22KHz Command should always be set to on.

J
John
Friday 20 July 2012 9:05PM
jb38
Thanks for your further info.
I am happy now I know what is going on with my system.
When the tv switches to Freesat I push TV on the remote and I am back to tv.
John
J
jb38
Friday 20 July 2012 11:24PM
John: Yes, as an HDMI's sockets pin 19 in effect acts in exactly the same way as does a scart sockets pin 8, as its this pin number that's responsible for a TV switching over to its scart socket input as soon as any external device connected into the TV via a scart lead is taken out of standby, the only difference with HDMI being that its not necessarily the case that this auto-switching sensor facility fitted in one of a TV's HDMI inputs is available in every device in the same way as pin 8 is on the AV1 inputs in all TV's.

Anyway pleased to have been able to clarify the workings of the system a little for you.
D
Diana
Saturday 21 July 2012 6:11PM
I just came back from holiday last week and noticed a problem with my freeview plus box. It seemed to have recorded fine while I was gone, but now it keeps asking me to do a first time installation every time I switch it on. It adds all the channels fine and I can see my previous recordings, but the program guide is gone completely blank. It just says no information available and I can't see what's on and I can't record anything.
I've tried switching the box off and unplugging it etc, nothing seems to work. If I switch it off, it will switch itself on overnight and again ask to do a first time channel scan. I really don't know what to do. I've only had the box for a year and I can't afford to buy another one
J
jb38
Saturday 21 July 2012 7:44PM
Diana: If your box is set to make automatic channel updates then its possible that by doing so the channels captured has exceeded the tuners memory capacity, and although you should really carry out a factory reset on the box which does NOT affect anything you have recorded (sometimes called default settings) try taking the aerial out and carrying out a rescan without it as this should blank out the tuners channel memory, then once its completed reconnect the aerial and carry out a normal rescan.

If though this doesnt correct the situation then a factory reset should.
J
Jill Symonds
Sunday 22 July 2012 11:56AM
Up until a week ago, i was able to recieve channel 12 Yesterday. But after doing an automatic channel scearch[by mistake] I can no longer get it. Whats happened please.
M
Martin McCloskey
Sunday 22 July 2012 2:44PM
Re missing BBC Channels on one TV but not on a second TV - both connected to the same aerial (Sunday 08 July) - it was caused by a faulty co-axial socket on the wall connecting the TV to the aerial.

It amazes me that it could be so specific to one group of channels - I think the signal strength for that group is the lowest of all the groups we pick up so it was the one most vulnerable to a faulty connection at the socket.
M
Mark Fletcher
Sunday 22 July 2012 8:39PM Halifax
Jill Symonds.Unless you leave a full postcode preferably,or a nearby location as such,we cannot be of any valuable assistance to you.
M
mark heaney
Wednesday 25 July 2012 3:58PM
hi there we have just moved from the cotswolds to harrogate i no longer subscribe to sky the box is still receiving bbc1 south west and itv south west is there any way of resetting this to receive yorkshire channels i dont need the weather or news anymore from south west
V
Valerie
Wednesday 25 July 2012 5:42PM
I'm getting a UE40 EH 5000 40" widescreen full HD 108p LED with Freeview. I already have a Freesat box, a DVD player and a VHS player which I want to plug into the new Samsung TV. Could you please advise me what sort of leads scart and otherwise I need to to plug in these three boxes. Also, I might want to have the TV wall-mounted on the chimney breast so could you also advise me what leads etc. whenever I have it wall-mounted? Thank you very much.
P
philip j Thomas
Wednesday 25 July 2012 7:22PM
My TV has built in Freeview tuner. Iam in Seaford Sussex and expect to use the new Newhaven transmitter. However, BBC1 shows BBC1 South not BBc 1 SE which I used to get on analogue.
My location has the same line of sight for Newhaven and Brighton Whitehawk, which makes me wonder if Autotune has connected my station 1 to Whitehawk, which shows BBC 1 South.
Advise me, please.
Dave Lindsay
Wednesday 25 July 2012 7:36PM
philip j Thomas: Run the automatic tuning scan and unplug the aerial when it gets to 61% (or past UHF channel 50 if it gives channel numbers during the scan).

Receivers usually give the UHF channel number that they are tuned to and this will allow you to identify which transmitter you are receiving.

Newhaven BBC One is on C50 and ITV1 is C43. HD services are on C40.

Whitehawk's BBC One is on C60 and ITV1 is on C53. HD services are on C51.
Dave Lindsay
Wednesday 25 July 2012 8:26PM
philip j Thomas: The UHF channel number that is tuned is usually given on the signal strength screen.

Newhaven doesn't carry the Commercial (COM) multiplexes, but as your TV has tuned to Whitehawk now, it may be possible to manually tune to it for the Commercials and Newhaven for Public Service (PSB) channels.

Whitehawk's COMs:

- COM4 | ITV3 etc | C57
- COM5 | Pick TV etc | C56
- COM6 | Yesterday etc | C48

Due to the point I advised you to unplug the aerial, you may have COM6 but not COM4 and COM5, and these will need manually tuning.
J
Janet Armstrong
Friday 27 July 2012 9:28PM
What's the point in resetting my sky+hd box when it says it isn't getting a signal when the thing is recording another channel quite happily and it's only about 2 channels it's got a problem with
J
jason dee
Friday 27 July 2012 10:47PM
i've done a software upgrade on my standard sky box & now have no sound & the picture on all channels has a greenish tint.very grateful for any help



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