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All posts by Michael O'Pray

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

M
Freeview reception - all about aerials | Installing
Saturday 16 April 2011 11:45PM
Daventry

I am in Daventry which is probably just in the green area( yellow being the strongest signal) However after a few hiccups for a day or so after the original changeover on April 1 the BBC signals have been quite good. However since the total changeover on 13 April ITV has consistently been a strong signal whereas in the last 48 hrs BBC1, BBC2 and BBC3 have all been unwatchable although BBC4 is OK

Why has the BBC signal dropped in strength and quality and will this be permanent?

The Sandy Heath transmitter is reporting no problems. So why this difference between ITV and BBC?

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M
Freeview reception - all about aerials | Installing
Sunday 17 April 2011 6:04PM
Daventry

Thanks all I used the CH button on the remote instead of numbers 1-9 and eventually as you have said found BBC 1&2 in the 800s and the reception was fine. I assume that once it starts tonight BBC3-4 will also be OK

I went full circle with the CH +&- and noticed that there are still some channels that are unwatchable. Most don't matter to me but Film 4 was also unwatchable which is a pity.

Any ideas as to what I do about this?

While I thought I had retuned according to DigitalUK's instructions after 13 Apr, I was using instructions that are several weeks old.

I'll check again and re-do the re-tune to make sure that is right.

In the meantime I'd appreciate anyone with ideas as to how I get Film4 OK responding

Thanks

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M
Freeview reception - all about aerials | Installing
Sunday 17 April 2011 11:14PM
Daventry

As of 11:10pm on Sunday I now have an improvement in every channel- literally. Channels such as Film4 ITV4 and the others such as Russia today are all watchable. These weren't just fragmenting slightly or freezing occasionally before, they were literally impossible to watch.

So what explains the improvement and will it last or is this just a late night phenomenon and if so why do things get better late in the evening?

Thanks

Thanks

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M
Freeview reception - all about aerials | Installing
Monday 18 April 2011 2:29PM
Daventry

I am learning more each day and thanks for the link. Film4 and ITV4 have today at noon reverted to being unwatchable as have the minority channels such as Russia Today.

It may be that I am thick but I couldn't see anything in the link that explains good reception at 11:00pm and unwatchable the next day at noon.

Am I stuck with occasionally getting good reception for Film4 and ITV 4 late at night?

I have also discovered that there is a relay transmitter at Dallington Park Northampton which is only 12 miles away so I'd assume good reception on all channels.

Thanks

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M
Freeview reception - all about aerials | Installing
Thursday 21 April 2011 12:22AM
Daventry

I am back to the situation I was in on Sunday night. All the channels that were unwatchable at lunchtime today are now OK at midnight

They are on the ARQB post configuration. Other than discovering that ARQB has the problem channels I couldn't see how the link give me any help?

The inversion effect doesn't seem to explain anything which is occurring


What is it about the lateness of the hour which suddenly give me good reception on those channels which are unwatchable earlier on.

It all suggests that a good signal is possible and it isn't the wrong transmitter or my equipment that is the problem.

So what exactly is happening that is fully explained by good reception late at night.

Does ARQB simply get stronger late at night and if so why.

OR is ARQB still improving the signal without admitting that it still has some way to go in the moderate reception area. The map shows that Daventry is on the yellow/green line.

Could it be that ARQB is still working on its poor signal in Daventry?

I really am no further forward in solving my issue

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M
Freeview reception - all about aerials | Installing
Thursday 21 April 2011 3:45PM
Daventry

I switched on this morning at about 11:00am and the poor signal group was fine. This is the first time I have been able to get good reception in the morning. I have just switched on again as of 3:30pm and they are unwatchable again.

So in the 4 hour intervention my cabling hasn't changed, the aerial direction hasn't changed, the weather hasn't changed and it isn't dark.

It seem to me that it is connected to the ARQB signal strength. It is still fluctuating. ARQB can transmit a strong enough signal but cannot currently maintain its strength.

Hopefully ARQB is making progress and will get it right. It would help if there was somewhere I could go to get an admission that signal strength is fluctuating but is being worked on.

PS My aerial points towards Sandy Heath. The Wrekin is miles away in the wrong direction and I don't think it has any relevance to my problem.



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M
Freeview reception - all about aerials | Installing
Thursday 21 April 2011 7:28PM
Daventry

I don't want to appear to be argumentative or ungrateful for the responses I am getting but if it is affected by the sun and heat alone or in the main then at 11:00 am this morning I'd have thought the overnight cool conditions such as exist at say midnight would have largely gone by 11:00am and the extra heat in the 4 hours to 3:00pm would have been marginal. Certainly it wasn't that much warmer at 3:00pm than at 11:00am.

Or is it the case that the temp in the atmosphere in which the waves travel are affected more than on the ground so the fluctuations are greater than experienced on the ground.

At what height do the digi waves travel?



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M
Freeview reception - all about aerials | Installing
Thursday 28 April 2011 8:44PM
Daventry

An "interesting" thing happened late this afternoon. Film4 was just about watchable at times(this is the channel along with ITV4 of which I have had problems all along).

I decided to try auto tuning instead of my manual retune which I had done previously.

When completed the whole range of poor reception channels just disappeared i.e. they could not be located by going through the channel +/- button.Those I could get were fine.

I then repeated the manual re-tune as per the instructions on the DigitalUK site exactly as before but this made no difference. The problem channels now cannot be located at all but as per the auto tune the channels I can get are all fine

It may not matter as it looks as if the problem channel range will remain a problem until Sept 14 when the required re-tune will place the poor reception channels from 67 to 48 as has been pointed out to me.

However I am curious as to what has caused the problem channels to suddenly disappaer altogether.

Any ideas?

Thanks

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M
Freeview reception - all about aerials | Installing
Friday 29 April 2011 2:52PM
Daventry

Thanks but none of this is making any sense to me. Why should my system previously know to look for Film4 on Mux whatever and on channel whatever but when I do the same re-tune it fails to find it or any of the channels between 0014 More4 and 0028E4

What had changed to make the system unable to find these channels and more importantly what do I need to do to restore these channels even if the reception there is very variable.

Thanks

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M
Freeview reception - all about aerials | Installing
Sunday 26 June 2011 9:40PM
Daventry

I posted several times in April after the digital switchover at Sandy Heath.

To recap I live in Daventry and the reception map shows that I am on the fringe of the yellow area for both Sandy Heath and Sutton Coldfield.

So it would appear that I'll be no better off when Sutton Coldfield switches in August/Sept or will I experience a increase in signal strength after the re-tuning required in Aug/Sept?

My problems are mainly in the ARQB mux channles affecting Film 4, ITV4.

All BBC channels and ITV1, Channels 4 and 5 are fine

If the re-tuning results in better reception in the problem areas in Aug/Sept then I may as well just put up with the problems for just over another 2 months. If on the other hand nothing changes after the re-tuning then I need to think about other solutions which will be what?

Thanks

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