All posts by Chris.SE
Below are all of Chris.SE's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.
louise brown:
I would firstly check all your coax plug connections behind the TV and make sure everything is plugged in ok. Make your your aerial or flyleads are not running close to any HDMI leads for your recorder or other devices as HDMI can sometimes induce interference into aerial leads.
Also check that your aerial is still intact and pointing in the right direction.
Apart from saying that this "Press here sign" keeps popping up, what else does it say - if it's about no signal or retuning, it may be best not to retune at present due to Current Weather conditions - Tropospheric Ducting - causing interference from more distant transmitters in Europe or the UK. This can be very variable and is usually short term at any instant but conditions have been persisting for several days, different parts of the UK are being affected at different time. Not all multiplexes will be affected at the same time or at all.
Both Freeview and the BBC have issued warnings about short term interference to reception.
If you are able to record these channels OK, it suggests the problem is aerial connections that don't affect the recorder, check the leads between the recorder and the TV.
If the problems persist, post back with more information and a bit more detail about the installation, how things are connected up, whether there is a splitter/amp with separate aerial feed to the recorder and TV, and so on.
If you've retuned your TV very recently, it may be worth checking in your TV's tuning section that you are tuned to the correct UHF channels for Sutton Coldfield.
All the multiplexes are C43, C46, C40+, C42, C45, C39+, C36/C48 that's in the order BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6 and Local L-BRM.
The UHF channel for the Local multiplex depends on location.
See Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview for which channels are carried on which multiplex.
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Mr dixon :
I can't find any faults listed for any of the transmitters you may receive, I expect your signals have returned now, it could have been current weather conditions causing temporary interference.
If you still have no signal we are going to need a bit more information.
I hope you didn't try retuning when you had no signal. That's NEVER advised as if often just clears the correct tuning you had and you end up having to retune again when signals are back to normal (which you may have to try several times as you don't know when that would be!).
If you still have no signal, do your neighbours have no signal as well?
Check all your coax plugs and connections behind your TV etc.
Which regional programmes do you normally get, Meridian or London?
Is your aerial still pointing in the correct direction - if you normally get Meridian it should be point about 14 degrees E of sue S (that's between SSE and due S) and it's rods (or squashed Xs) should be horizontal. Is the coax downlead secure and not flapping in the wind?
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chris White:
Never a good idea to put your email address on a public forum.
You'd probably be best contacting Arqiva if that was a serious question!
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Tony:
Can't find any faults listed and it's not currently listed for Planned Engineering!
As you appear to be aware, these sort of issues have occurred before, they never seem to get listed as faults etc. Poster @js used to post regularly about such things but not seen any posts for over a year.
It's Digital UK (part of Freeview) who are responsible for the EPG, but I suspect it could be a case of banging one's head against a wall trying to complain to Freeview, as all their "help" seems to be able to do is tell you to/how to retune!!
If it's continuous, it's obviously an error in the EPG which may get "corrected" as the EPG updates. If it appeared one day and then went, it could have been weather conditions, there's been some variable Tropospheric Ducting around for a while which has occasionally caused short term interference.
If it remains a persistent, I'd try and find an email address for Digital UK and moan at them about it!
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Mike H:
UHF channel C47 is the PSB3/BBCB HD multiplex. Your sets need to have an HD/T2 tuner to receive it.. Do your sets have T2 tuners - have you ever had the HD channels eg.on EPG LCNs 101-105 ?
Now unfortunately there's some factors which together don't help with good reception in your postcode although reception is quite variable across the postcode. Even though there is a Relay transmitter in Woodbridge with only the 3 PSB multiplexes even reception of that can be variable depending on where you are, predicted reception from Sudbury - the nearest main transmitter is also "variable" but probably the "best bet" for all 6 multiplexes. So a good quality aerial installation will be essential for the best chance of good reception.
Sudbury has been listed for Planned Engineering the last couple of weeks with "Pixelation or flickering on some or all channels" which if reception is poor could mean no signal (Do NOT retune).
The other factor is Current Weather conditions - Tropospheric Ducting - causing interference from more distant transmitters in Europe or the UK. This can be very variable and is usually short term at any instant but conditions have been persisting for several days, different parts of the UK are being affected at different time (East Anglia can be quite vulnerable). Not all multiplexes will be affected at the same time or at all.
Both Freeview and the BBC have issued warnings about short term interference to reception.
Check that your aerial is still pointing in the correct direction which should be ~250 degrees (that's almost WSW) with the rods (or squashed Xs) horizontal. Make sure the downlead isn't flapping in the wind and just check your coax connections behind the TV etc.
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david crowdell:
As mentioned in my reply to Mike H, you have the combination of Planned Engineering and the Current Weather Conditions. Even though your aren't too far from the transmitter, from what you've described the interference from Tropospheric Ducting sounds like the most likely problem.
However, worth checking your aerial is still pointing correctly, for you it should be bearing 96 degrees (6 degrees S of due E) with the rods (or squashed Xs) horizontal. Also check your downlead and coax connections.
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Brenda:
Without some further details, we can only provide some general advice.
The Transmitter has been listed for Planned Engineering for a few weeks with "Screen may go black on all or certain channels". However this is usually "short term" at any given instance. The transmitter is working and no faults are currently reported! Do NOT retune if you were previously correctly tuned and have no signal as this will usually just clear all correct tuning.
Without a full postcode we can't advise your predicted reception which may also be affected by Current Weather conditions - Tropospheric Ducting - causing interference from more distant transmitters in Europe or the UK. This can be very variable and is usually short term at any instant but conditions have been persisting for several days, different parts of the UK are being affected at different time. Not all multiplexes will be affected at the same time or at all.
Both Freeview and the BBC have issued warnings about short term interference to reception.
Again do NOT retune if you have badly pixellated pictures or no signal.
If you did retune, then your correct tuning has probably been cleared and you will have to repeat a retune when signals are normal. You may have to try several times as you can't be sure when that may be.
Check that your aerial is still pointing in the correct direction (compare to neighbours). Make sure the downlead isn't flapping in the wind and just check your coax connections behind the TV etc.
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Samuel Brown :
I suspect Spotlight TV is no longer on Freesat 500 -
See HOME | phil-mack and SpotlightTV Music, Memories & More
If you have access to Freeview on a Smart TV, LCN 271 Channelbox has Spotlight TV in it's Music and Featured sections.
However based on my own experience and from what I read elsewhere, loading the streams can be problematic/non-functional depending on make and model of set!
There also seems to be a selection of Country Music video episodes on Freeview 265 - it's "On Demand 365" streamed channel (scroll to Country Music Entertainment).
If you have a smart TV web browser, there maybe other websites you can load.
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Terry Chapman:
Just beyond the west side of Chipping Norton is out of the coverage area for the main Oxford transmitter according to the Freeview predictor and one of the coverage maps. This is no doubt due to the local terrain.
Your predicted transmitter is the Over Norton relay 2km away at bearing 16 degrees (that's slightly N of NNE) and the aerial rods (or squashed Xs) should be vertical.
The UHF channel there for the PSB3/BBCB HD multiplex is C36.
The PSB1/BBCA multiplex is on C48, and PSB2/D3&4 is on C33.
Now, predictions aren't always 100% and you may also get signals from other transmitters which could be weak or unreliable, but especially because of recent weather conditions causing interfering signals from distant transmitters to be received. If you retuned recently under such conditions you may not be tuned to the correct UHF channels. From what you describe that sounds like a possibility for the PSB3 multiplex.
Check in your TV Tuning section which UHF channels you are tuned to.
OR your aerial isn't pointing at the Over Norton transmitter, if that's the case, please advise which way it's pointing (as accurately as you can) and which UHF channels you are tuned to.
IF it happens to be pointing at the Oxford transmitter, signals may be unreliable especially with current weather conditions.
In the multiplex order BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6
Oxford UHF channels are -
The main multiplexes are C41, C44, C47, C29, C37 & C31
If you can get the Local mux L-OFD it is on C22 in your direction.
(Unfortunately the lists at the top of the page haven't been fully updated by the site owner since the 700MHz Clearance programme).
See Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview for which channels are carried on which multiplex.
Note there are no COM or Local multiplexes at Over Norton., it's a PSB only (Light) Relay transmitter.
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Thursday 1 September 2022 1:36AM
Jeffrey Morgan:
Taking the advice of "locals" was a mistake I'm afraid. You are NEVER advised to retune when you have badly pixellated pictures or no signal, invariable this will clear the correct tuning that you had and you can end up either not tuned or tuned to some spurious signals from elsewhere.
There were/are two most likely probabilities for the pixellation.
A couple of weeks ago the transmitter was listed for Planned Engineering and this would have affected the signal on some channels but not necessarily all of them at the same time or at all.
The other is Current Weather conditions - Tropospheric Ducting - causing interference from more distant transmitters in Europe or the UK. This can be very variable and is usually short term at any instant but conditions have been persisting for several days, different parts of the UK are being affected at different time. Not all multiplexes will be affected at the same time or at all.
Both Freeview and the BBC have issued warnings about short term interference to reception.
As you have lost some of your correct tuning and whilst disruption due to weather conditions may return overnight and/or into the weekend, manual tuning for the missing multiplexes may be the best option. If you can't manual tune then you'll have to automatic tune when signals are normal which you may have to repeat several times as you won't know exactly when that may be.
In the order BBCA/PSB1, D3&4/PSB2, BBCB HD/PSB3, SDN/COM4, ArqA/COM5, ArqB/COM6
Aberdare's UHF channels are C24, C21, C27, C25, C22, & C28
See Channel listings for Industry Professionals | Freeview for which channels are carried on which multiplex.
Check in your TV Tuning Section that you end up correctly tuned to Aberdare's UHF channels.