Three Towns Forum
Members' Lounge => Help Centre => Topic started by: Hugo on September 10, 2010, 11:52:07 am
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Prior to the change over to digital TV I did the test on the analogue TV which showed that my aerial was ok to receive the digital channels.
Last week in the papers I read a letter from a lady in S Wales who was experiencing problems with her TV. Sometimes her screen went black,the sound went, the picture broke up and sometimes "froze"
Mine is doing exactly the same, does anyone else experience problems similar to mine?
I don't subscribe to Sky or have a satellite dish but I may have to if there is no other way of getting a good reception on the TV
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I've heard of a few people having similar problems, particularly if the weather is bad. It's simply down to the box not getting enough information through to display the picture and sound correctly. Digital terrestial tv doesn't seem as reliable as analogue, by a long chalk. :huh1:
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This problem is related to the size of your dish, in the case of satellite, but I'm not sure how you can rectify it with the old rooftop aerial. The best place for information is Satcure
http://www.satcure.co.uk/ (http://www.satcure.co.uk/)
who deal with all matters dealing with digital signals.
The other place that's extremely useful is the Dgital forum
http://www.digital-forums.com (http://www.digital-forums.com)
FWIW, I would tend towards satellite myself.
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We had this problem recently and we needed a new aerial with booster and that has rectified the situation!!
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I suppose a better aerial plus a booster would have the same effect as getting a bigger dish. With digital you do need the best possible antennae, of whatever sort, since digital reception is dependent on enough information reaching your set, something which can be tricky when the weather's bad.
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We had a similar problem after the switch over. Got a man in from Philcol Aerials. To give him credit he didn't try to sell me an new airial, he just changed some of the wiring removing any unneeded links in the cable and ensured the TV got the direct signal. He then returned the TV and it has been fine since.
He only charged us a small callout fee, and we have a standard aerial.
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We too had someone who organised the aerial, our set is fine, apart from the odd glitch when the weather is bad.
Now the other 5 sets-- used by other people-- are a different matter. If only people would follow instructions and not press every button in sight !
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Philco Aerials sound like they worth a Recommend - do you have the contact details, Jason?
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It's worth mentioning that you also need good quality cabling, without any kinks or really sharp bends in.
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Thanks for posting those comments and links regarding digital TV. I'll follow them up and hopefully in the future I might get a decent reception.
Before the introduction of digital TV I could receive 9 channels with perfect reception but that changed immediately when digital TV came in.
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If you can go to freesat, I suspect that's the best route. And installing a sat dish isn't a massively difficult undertaking.
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Philco Aerials sound like they worth a Recommend - do you have the contact details, Jason?
PHILCOL AERIALS
3 MAES Y GOG
LL18 4QA RHYL, CLWYD
Phone: 01492 871654
Fax: 01745 336148
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I've tried phoning 01492 871654 and 01745 871654 but number not recognised. ???
Tried directory enquiries but they couldn't help either.
The TV went off last night with a message "The Freesat Channel map is empty" so I must get someone to look at it asap so I'll try yellow pages and keep my fingers crossed. :rage:
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Hugo - Try the lads (Keith or Tony) at Orme Television, Madoc Street.
01492 875352
Brilliant
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On the old forum, there was someone from Llandudno who was recommended to me but I cant be sure of their name, they were very good, it might have been ASV Aerials from Bryniau Road (551455).
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The Freeview reception at our home in Penrhyn Bay has excellent reception and I have an aerial in the loft! I receive both English and Welsh BBC, ITV etc, however next door but one had problems with BBC1 *&( so he had Freesat digital installed which works well. Seems to be pot luck where you live ::)
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Thanks Yorkie for your recommendation. I phoned Tony yesterday and both he and Keith called today and everything has been sorted out. ;D
They are brilliant as you said they would be and are a couple of nice guys too.
The price they charged was very reasonable and I would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone.
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I'm glad you have had it all resolved Hugo.
Sorry my contact didn't materialise, but I also noted that a similar business from Llanwrst has also disappeared. May be the Digital Switch Over has given some businesses a good retirement fund.
I'll change my contacts to include Orme Television
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I called in Orme Television to help out a member of my family with an aerial related problem yesterday and they were very good. Recommended!
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I'm glad that you were pleased too with Orme Television Dave. To be honest I had forgotten all about them but when Yorkie mentioned their name I remember my parents always using them years ago.
From now on if I ever need any help with the TV etc I'll always use them. It's very handy to know a firm that you can rely on. :)
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I have used them myself for 22 years and apart from being very nice people, they know their job, are always polite and helpful and do not charge the Earth for whatever they do.
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It all depends on where you live what the weathers like and what time of day it is. If you are receiving your TV from Granada’s Winter Hill Transmitter, when we have HIGH pressure you will have problems getting a good signal between 5 o’clock and 8 o’clock in the evening. Digital UK said I should tune in to the Conwy Repeater Transmitter which is on top of a hill at the back of Conwy. Trouble with that is the Vardre at Deganwy stops anyone up this end of town from getting a signal. A good quality high gain boosted digital aerial and new coaxial cabling will help to some extent. If it doesn’t B & Q are selling an install yourself Satellite system with freeview box for £75 ££$
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If it doesn’t B & Q are selling an install yourself Satellite system with freeview box for £75
That should read 'If it doesn’t B & Q are selling an install yourself Satellite system with freesat box for £75,
If you do go down the Freesat route, BTW, you'll need to get someone to do the final alignment for you. Needs a special meter - which is a tad pricey.
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I think B & Q were selling the said meters for £14 if my memory serves me correctly. They were on the end of the isle that the satellite kits were on. D)
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They're not accurate enough. They'll get the rough position, but you need a high quality meter to finish the job , and they're about £300. Get a chap round to finish off, On the other hand , will only cost about £25 or so and it's worth it.
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Hugo - Try the lads (Keith or Tony) at Orme Television, Madoc Street.
01492 875352
Brilliant
Are these guys still there?
I need a new TV Aerial fiiting?
Thanks
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They did have the front shop but stopped selling TV's a few years ago. They now work from the back of the premises and the phone should get them. Great guys!
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I had them round earlier this week, a great job at a great price $good$
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The picture on the TV in the conservatory at the back of our house is breaking up quite often and I find it really annoying. What is strange though is that I have 3 TV's downstairs all connected to the same airial and I have just checked them all now and the TV in the front of the house has the Welsh Channels, the middle one has Granada and the one in the rear of the property (sunlounge) has the Yorkshire programmes! ???
I'm going to phone Orme Television tomorrow and they'll sort it out for me.
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Hugo
We've been having intermittent problems with digital reception in the last couple of days. It could be a wider area problem rather than just your house.
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Hugo, have you tried adjusting the horizontal hold?
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We've also had Freeview problems the last few days and the Tom Tom sat nav is having trouble locating gps satellites since Sunday afternoon, perhaps it's all to do with the recent increase in solar activity?
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We've also had Freeview problems the last few days and the Tom Tom sat nav is having trouble locating gps satellites since Sunday afternoon, perhaps it's all to do with the recent increase in solar activity?
ME, do you mean the sunshine? If so, today's weather should solve all your problems!
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:laugh: no, the recent large increase in solar magnetic fields which a couple of weeks ago they said it could disrupt communication systems on Earth.
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We've also had Freeview problems the last few days and the Tom Tom sat nav is having trouble locating gps satellites since Sunday afternoon, perhaps it's all to do with the recent increase in solar activity?
ME, do you mean the sunshine? If so, today's weather should solve all your problems!
TomTom sat-nav devices hit by GPS 'leap year bug'
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I think we've all been conned in this area...I remember when it was said satelitte tv etc would put an end to tv interference, not that I remember any interference in the first place anyway. However since the switch over we've had nothing but problems with tv channels pixelating (not sure if that's even a word but you know what I mean) every five minutes.
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It is a word and it's the correct word. Digital tv is certainly not as great as we were promised. &shake&
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But digital TV is actually a con in itself. By making the mode of transmission digital it allows the originators to squeeze many more streams into a single packet and thereby free up the radio frequency spectrum so it can be flogged off by the Government for 4G 'phone services.
Inherently, however, because of the way digital TV works, far less information is transmitted, leaving the television and the digital decoders themselves to compensate. It's particularly bad with radio, where you're not supposed to notice the information gaps. However, because we no longer see TV 'live', since the software takes a finite time to decode the information and because the system has to buffer some of the stream before displaying it, the slightest decline in signal quality can lead to pixellation, freezing or even 'no transmission' messages.
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Anyone touring Western Scotland between now and the end of April.
Military operation "Joint Warrior" will be taking place and GPS and Mobile signals will be subject to interferance at certain times.
Not very clever if you are relying on it for navigation etc.
At least we have been warned about it in advance this time. Previously they have not bothered.
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My TV reception has been breaking up again and mainly on ITV. It has gone off at the most crucial parts of things we have been watching and it's really annoying. Auto tuning doesn't help as we get Granada, Yorkskire and ITV Wales on various TV's in the house.
:rage: :rage:
A quick phone call to Tony and Keith of Ormetelevision at midday today and they turn up later in the afternoon and the problem is solved and they tuned my Humax in as well. $good$
Two great guys who have done an excellent job and their rates are very reasonable too. Thanks very much again for recommending them Yorkie and I would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone else.
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This recent spell of hot weather has caused problems once again with my TV reception. I tend to watch less TV in the Summer but when I do the reception has either broken up or gone altogether and it seems to happen at a crucial part in the programme which makes it more annoying. :rage:
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Same here Hugo. My OH lost Holby City on Tuesday night. I was out with the dog, but he said it went away completely for about 10 mins.
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We haven't noticed any problems here, on BT Vision, working fine!
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This recent spell of hot weather has caused problems once again with my TV reception. I tend to watch less TV in the Summer but when I do the reception has either broken up or gone altogether and it seems to happen at a crucial part in the programme which makes it more annoying.
You might need to upgrade your aerial. High pressure can play havoc with TV and Radio, It's also affecting mobile phone signals.
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ME, isn't BT Vision through your phone line and not your aerial?
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As I understand it, it is Freeview, with a wifi connection for Iplayer etc. the TV is also a smart HD 3D with it's own wifi connection. The BT Vision box is a very good digital recorder, it can record two programmes at once as you watch another! So far it has all worked very well!
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Hi ME, we have a digi box with a recording facility.
We normally use the tv remote for viewing and if we want to watch a recording we revert to the digi box.
When the signal is weak we just use the digi box because it seems to lose a bit of signal strength even though the aerial is allegedly "looped through".
The problem as I see it is that the old analogue signals had peaks and therefore you got all of the signal and now with digital it is square wave and so the tops are lopped off and that seems to inhibit it somewhat.
Well that's my theory anyway, I am open to persausion.
If you're on the Orme have a look for HMS Dauntless she appears to be checking shipping in the ferry lane twixt Dublin & Holyhead.
Tosh
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That's all a bit over my head Tosh but why does it have to happen at the most important part? I've got 5 TV's and 2 Humax recorders so what I'm going to do is record the channels on both the Humax's and see how that works and if id doesn't I'll need a rethink as it's doing my head in.
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That's all a bit over my head Tosh but why does it have to happen at the most important part? I've got 5 TV's and 2 Humax recorders so what I'm going to do is record the channels on both the Humax's and see how that works and if id doesn't I'll need a rethink as it's doing my head in.
Don't know where you are Hugo but i'm in Penrhyn Bay. I also run a Humax and not having any problems, so doubt it is the equipment. ££$
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From Simplify Digital:
http://www.simplifydigital.co.uk/guides/how-to-fix-digital-tv-reception-problems/ (http://www.simplifydigital.co.uk/guides/how-to-fix-digital-tv-reception-problems/)
Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT)reception problems
The digital TV picture on my TV keeps breaking up and the sound is poor.
Why is this happening?
When it comes to DTT, this issue is the main fiend and is most often caused by a poor signal due to bad weather.
What should I do?
Switch off the digital box / TV at the mains first and check the aerial and scart leads are securely plugged into the back of your digital TV or set top box.
Do the picture/sound problems happen when a light switch or other electrical equipment is turned on? If so, electrical interference might be the cause. Try to switch the equipment you are not using at that moment off and see if that makes a difference.
Your TV aerial may not be pointing directly at the TV transmitter and might need re-aligning. Consult a CAI (Confederation of Aerial Industries) approved aerial installer.
Does your neighbour with a different TV aerial have the same problem? If so, then the only thing you can do is wait until the signal gets restored. If your neighbour is munching on popcorn while enjoying crystal clean DTT - it might be time for you to invest in a new aerial. But to confirm whether or not this is the case, it might be worth consulting with a CAI approved installer.
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Haven't you guys heard of Murphy's Law?
" If it can go wrong, it WILL go wrong and at the most inopportune moment".
Simple isn't it and absolutely nothing to do with waveforms or electronics.
It is also less politely known a S*ds Law.
Shall we ask Ian to provide us with one of his wonderful explanations, after all we haven't had one from him for a while, aerial upgrade is not a sufficient answer Ian, not from your good self anyway.
Going back just 4 years, a friend of mine up at Llysfaen was still losing her satellite picture if it rained.
Isn't technology wonderful, can you remember when you listened to the top twenty on Radio Luxemburg how it used to fade away and that was always at a critical moment. :rage:
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That's not fair Ian, you posted whilst I was composing but ergo I knew you could do it.
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I'm guessing your signal is from Winter Hill, H. If so, this site is useful:
http://www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=SD660144 (http://www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=SD660144)
Winter Hill is channel 50. A Band C aerial might help.
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Thanks everyone for all your tips and advice. I receive 3 ITV channels here Wales, Granada and Yorkshire depending upon which room I am in. ???
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Yes; Upper CB is on a fringe area for all three transmitters. There are two possible orientations for the aerial fins: horizontal is the usual one for Main transmitters and Vertical is the one normally used for relay transmitters. The longer the aerial the more directional it becomes, so it rejects unwanted signals but also has to be aimed more carefully at the transmitter.
The other issue at the moment is this 4G thing with Mobile 'phones.
4G at 800MHz (at800) Freeview reception issues
Tests now show that SOME households that use masthead amplifiers AND are in poor signal areas AND that are very close to a 4G phone mast MAY have their Freeview service disturbed: C59: D3+4
You do have mobile masts close to you, Hugo, and you are in a fringe area for Winter Hill so the only question is do you also use a masthead amp?
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Going back just 4 years, a friend of mine up at Llysfaen was still losing her satellite picture if it rained.
Very common with the original mesh Sky dishes. Couple of things folks didn't really understand with sky: you don't have to mount your dish high, as long as it has an unobstructed view of the satellite at 28E. All our dishes are mounted only 6 feet off the ground. Secondly, however, Wales and Scotland had special exemptions regarding dish size, and from Conwy to the Western limits we're allowed to install 80cm dishes without special permission.
Hugo: Of the six transmitters that feed Upper CB, five need Amplified Extra High gain aerials, and only one - Penmaen Rhos - can get by on a standard Log Periodic aerial. Now, the good news is that the best aerial - the V10-36L (4G) "L" - is under £20.00 and if you can fit it yourself, it might cure most of your problems.
The best site in the UK about digital TV reception is this:
http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/best_aerial.htm (http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/best_aerial.htm)
The bloke who runs it lives in Greece, but was an electrical engineer in Northwich, so he knows the area well and his business even better.
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Brilliant Ian, I only have one small criticism and that is, they are not fins but elements, sorry.
I have only come across one vertically polarised transmitter and that is Fenpark in Stoke on Trent, all the rest in my experience are horizontal although there must be a few here and there.
The vertical one are usually class A but if you could find a B you could fit it accordingly.
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I only have one small criticism and that is, they are not fins but elements, sorry
Not according to the UK site for digital TV:
http://www.ukfree.tv/helpme.php?faqid=25314 (http://www.ukfree.tv/helpme.php?faqid=25314)
Not sure why they changed to FIns, either; I've always used elements before.
I have only come across one vertically polarised transmitter and that is Fenpark in Stoke on Trent, all the rest in my experience are horizontal although there must be a few here and there.
There are a fair number of them in the Llanrwst area, where relay transmitters are necessary to get over hills and round corners:-) The 'best' all-round aerial is generally considered to be the The Vision "Focus" V10-040 log-periodic. No reflector but amazing results, apparently. This is from a Crewe-based installer:
"I'm self employed and work from home in Crewe doing electrical wiring and repairing electronic equipment - mostly TV sets. I use a large garden shed as my workshop and a 12 foot pole supports my minidish and TV aerial. Until recently I was using a Unix 52 aerial to give me a signal for testing TVs and Freeview receivers. Because we are surrounded by tall buildings the signal is terrible and analogue pictures were full of "ghosts" caused by the reflections. I added a masthead amplifier but that didn't help and I was convinced that the aerial system was as good as I could achieve.
Then I read about Satcure's Vision "Focus" V10-040 log-periodic aerial and, although I was sceptical, decided to give it a go. The results are nothing short of amazing! Analogue pictures are now crystal clear and Freeview pictures no longer suffer intermittent pixelation."
He's just one of many who've been sold on that aerial whcih may well solve Hugo's problems.
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Hi Ian, a long time ago when they built Unity House in Hanley (now demolished) if the crane driver parked his jib in the wrong place, which was dependant on the prevailing winds, the whole of Biddulph lost their tv signals.
Kidsgrove, in the Bathpool area in the 70s could only get a signal if we stood the apprentice halfway across the roof ridge holding the aerial firmly in both hands, unfortunately we couldn't leave him there because his mum complained to the boss.
Further up the road i Clough Hall in the same era, the picture was brilliant in the winter then come the spring along with the leaves they lost it.
On one we fitted the lid off a Hoover twin tub as an extra reflector, we weren't completely stupid because we drilled holes in it to reduce the wind resistance. D)
Those were the days before they invented elf n safety.
Just try to get me on a roof now, NO WAY.
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Although it was about 20 years ago now, I can still remember an aerial fitting guy putting a ladder up against the four storey buildings opposite the Principality in Mostyn St. One of the guys, holding a Yagi, climbed the ladder and went up the extremely steeply sloping roof. After that, I couldn't bear to watch.
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Although it was about 20 years ago now, I can still remember an aerial fitting guy putting a ladder up against the four storey buildings opposite the Principality in Mostyn St. One of the guys, holding a Yagi, climbed the ladder and went up the extremely steeply sloping roof. After that, I couldn't bear to watch.
Amazing how some people have a head for heights like that; I'm fine up that high in a cherry picker or similar but never on a ladder.
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Bring back the old 425 line system when you could get pretty decent reception with a wire coathanger suspended in a corner of the room! :D
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Someone in our area appeared out on the roof one day this week. Not for long-- the seagulls had a real go at him.
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I fitted a dish a few years ago for the chef at Bodlendebb Castle when it was still a hotel and I worked for Sky. Took me about 3 hours because it had to be fitted to the wall right at the back of the garden, then run a full roll of cable and sink it to his living quarters and then tune all his telly in. Thought I was on for at least my dinner with him being a chef. No, he gave me a mug with a picture of the hotel on it as a tip! His mug as well, still had coffee stains on it! Every time me and Paula are in Llandudno now I remind her of my installation at Bodlondeb! Still got the mug as well!