menuMENU    UK Free TV logo Archive (2002-)

 

 

Click to see updates

All posts by MikeB

Below are all of MikeB's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.


robert moore: I checked that postcode (if you put your postcode into the site, it will automatically bring up all sort of useful information, rather than having to trawl for it),

and your 55km from Sutton Coldfield. Coverage Checker - Detailed View

Thats OK - its the same distance I am from mine. But you need to check a couple of things.

1) Is the PVR tuned to the same transmitter as the TV?

If it not, then the signal might be too poor to use. So make sure its tuned to Sutton Coldfield.

2) Whats signal strength like on both?

Your PVR and TV have slightly different tuners - and so might react differently to the same signal strength. Your system might be just on the threshold of failing, but the TV is OK, whereas the PVR isn't as sensitive, and wont pick up stuff at all.

Or (and this might be more likely if its a Humax), the tuner is slightly more sensitive than the TV, and thats why your getting breakup. If the signal strength is 80% plus, search for the page 'too much of a good thing'.

And check cables and connections - it might be as simple as that.

link to this comment
GB flag
M
Hannington (Hampshire, England) transmitter
Saturday 24 March 2018 6:34PM

Keith Farrington: As we said before, and you've admitted, its almost certainly single source interference.

You know the times its occuring, so then you need to find out where the problem is coming from.

If you search this site, particularly on the single source page, you will find some advice about using a portable radio to track down the source.

At the same time, check the system for loose connections, etc, and perhaps update the fly lead to one with better sheilding - yout getting no signal, and that sounds like a problem with the system generally - the interference might be just tipping it.

link to this comment
GB flag
M
Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter
Sunday 25 March 2018 7:37PM

Mike Lees: Check if your actually tuned to Winter Hill.

link to this comment
GB flag

Catherine Lea: Check with your neighbours - if they are fine, then its your system, and then its the usual advice - check your cables and connections.

link to this comment
GB flag

RichardH: Actually, people can generally tell the difference between SD and HD pretty easily, once they get used to it. The biggest barrier (apart from people who insist they can't tell the difference when I show them instore, because they have made up their minds, no matter what their eyes tell them) is simply that they forget to watch an HD version.

However, once they get used to watching in HD, SD suddenly looks pretty fuzzy. On the other hand, I am often amazed at what people put up with when they dont need to, because of habit or inertia, or sheer cussedness.

link to this comment
GB flag

Stephen Curtis : Your channels havn't gone - either you've tuned into the wrong transmitter, or your aerial cannot pick up those particular frequencies. If its the latter, then you might get that replaced free of charge.

link to this comment
GB flag

DD: Check if you can tune to a better transmitter, but the reality is that Light transmitters are not worth most commercial broadcasters time - too much money for too few viewers.

If you want more channels and you cant get a better transmitter, then try Freesat.

link to this comment
GB flag
M
All free TV channels in the UK
Tuesday 27 March 2018 2:50PM

MikeP: If your changing from Sky Q back to normal Sky or Freesat, the LNB's will not work.

Sky Q uses slightly different LNB's - I had to Google why a customer couldn't use their Freesat equiped TV with their former Sky Q dish, and it turned out to be incompatible. Another customer, who was a Sky engineer confirmed it later.

So once a Sky dish is up, you have two choices to make it work with Freesat - change the LNB's back, or just put up another dish.

link to this comment
GB flag

Rob Rose: Check the signal strengths of the TV's and the PVR. It might be that the other TV's have:
a) tuned to the right transmitter, hence no problems, whereas the Samsung has not.

b) If they all have low signal strength (but are on the right transmitters), or only one does, then its a safe bet that there is a problem at some point in your system. If they are all low, then its a common problem and look for the the point where the signal is common to all feeds - the reason why the other feeds might look OK is simply that the tuner might be slightly more sensitive and therefore is just hanging on.

If its just one, then its that feed. The Humax might have a more sensitive tuner than the TV, hence the reception is fine (and yes, PVR's can 'boost' the signal on pass-through sometimes'. Check the cables/connection on that TV - could be no more than a loose connection on the pass through.

link to this comment
GB flag

Michael Willis: Steve's right - without a postcode, we have no idea what signal you should expect.

But if you live in an area with just a Light transmitter, you can't get any more from an aerial. The area just isn't worth transmitting too with most commercial channels - the cost of the 1000 or so Light transmitters is the same as doing perhaps 20 main ones, for only 8% of the population.

The Panasonic EX700 is a very decent set, but its not equiped with Freesat, unlike its more expensive cousin, the EX750. However, you can buy a Freesat receiver or PVR easily, put up a dish and off you go. Humax is the choice for PVR, and will be about 200 pounds, with the reciever being half that. Freesat will allow you to get far more channels, albeit not C4 HD at present.

link to this comment
GB flag