Digital TV reception in the area

[Merddin Emrys]

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!

[Tosh]

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

[Hugo]

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.

[Yorkie]

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.   ££$

[Ian]

From Simplify Digital:

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.

[Tosh]

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:

[Tosh]

That's not fair Ian, you posted whilst I was composing but ergo I knew you could do it.

[Ian]

I'm guessing your signal is from Winter Hill, H.  If so, this site is useful:

http://www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=SD660144

Winter Hill is channel 50.  A Band C aerial might help.

[Hugo]

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.   

[Ian]

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?

[Ian]

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

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.
   

[Tosh]

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.

[Ian]

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

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.

[Tosh]

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.

[Ian]

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.