View Full Version : Terrible Freeview reception tonight
Did anyone else have bad reception on all Freeview channels? According to the signal strength on the TV, it was high, but during the breakups it went to good for a fraction of a second. It was fine until about 7.45pm - then it became unwatchable. Freezing pixels, cuts in the sound etc. I'm only 15-20 miles from the Midhurst transmitter, I do get the odd breakups when a motorbike goes past - but nothing like this!
Cheers,
David.
Fernsehman
06-05-2003, 2:26 AM
Well, it might be interference. Read the thread entitled "Nokia 221T keeps locking-up".
Maybe there was a taxi or similar vehicle operating a radio transmitter nearby. Maybe a neighbour fired up a nice new arc welder. Maybe your wife finally got around to vacuuming! ;)
Maybe someone was using a "Snooper" type radar defeater in his car.
Or maybe your system developed a fault, bad connectiion or else that plug or adapter on your electric fire started to arc inside. Take a look around. The cause might just be obvious.
MartinImber
06-05-2003, 2:27 AM
No problem with SUtton
wyerd
06-05-2003, 11:58 AM
It's strange 'cos it happens more or less the same time every evening. It's not the other half as she's watching Corrie when it happens!
I doubt if its the cable as it was installed only 18 months ago with the new aerial. Connections look OK too. I'll see what happens over the next few days.
7.50 every evening without fail. I don't know if and when it stops as I flick to Sky.
I just can't think what it could be apart from a transmitter issue. Who do I contact?
hornydragon
08-05-2003, 3:39 PM
Do you live near electricity pylons?
No - but there is a small substation 200yds across the road.
hornydragon
08-05-2003, 3:45 PM
That might be it mate a surge in usage, every kettle in the street or a dropout as they current draw falls, Try and tough it out tonight and see how long it lasts! The add break in Corry causes the biggest surge in the national grid, every body putting the kettle on!!!! Distributors get real headaches from this 200yrds is a fair distance but could be a cause if it was next door i would definatly say so. Any neighbours got FV? if so pop round at ten to eight and see if there box buggers up!
They're all on Sky!
Last night it started before Corrie had finished and it's only started happening the last few weeks.
Thinking about it - it did used to happen aound 5.15pm when she was watching Richard & Judy, but not now.
It's puzzling! Signal strength is about 90% normally.
Fernsehman
08-05-2003, 5:41 PM
Think about what's happening around you at that time of evening. Do your neighbours dash out and mow the lawn? Does any neighbour fire up his Ham Radio equipment? Does anyone arrive home in his car and leave his radar defeater switched on? Does your pet eagle come home to roost on your aerial? Could it be an electric shower, central heating pump, shaver, vacuum cleaner...?
What happens at that time each evening?
It could even be a bad aerial connection which contracts when it cools down.
Fman
The Earth's magnetic field - Solar flares!
I'm of on holiday for 2 weeks - hopefully it'll be ok when I get back. I know what your're saying - it could be anything electrical causing interference - but what?!?!?
MartinImber
08-05-2003, 11:45 PM
HEre we go
1) Kettle induced main spikes
Get a filter/surge protector socket
2) Interfearance via cable
CT100 downlead minimal joins
3) Analogue jamming eg Sutton/Emley jamming
Campagne for analogue switch off
1 small glitch so far all evening - couple of big blocks
Fine since
PhilipVass
09-05-2003, 12:26 AM
Could be a transmitter problem, my picture is very good
Cheers guys for the replies.
OK tonights viewing:-
7pm BBC1 Perfect picture
7.30pm switched to ITV Perfect picture
8pm switched to BBC2 - 1-2 min later- block graphics! freezing etc.etc.
Decided to see it through.
9pm better but odd breakup during movements
9.30pm clicks in sound, same as above.
9.50pm not much better - had enough, went on computer to see what you guys had so say about it!
I'm thinking it's a transmitter problem - there's nothing in the surrounding area really that could cause it. Quiet area, not many houses. There was a builder with his power saw cutting tiles a few doors down ealier, and that didn't cause interference.
Anyway - off to Mauritius tomorrow for 2 weeks..... he he he!!!
MysteryMan
12-05-2003, 11:54 PM
I was feeling sorry for you until I saw the last line of your post! Anyway, by the time you read this you will be back - hope it was good!
The main point.... I live up north (Macclesfield, Cheshire) and have been experiencing exactly the same behaviour as you. Around 7:30ish ITV, C4 and C5 all start breaking up, with 'Poor Signal Quality' message. BBC1 and BBC2 are fine! Normally, by around 9:00 things are back to normal.
I called ITV and a 'very helpful lady' said that it can't be a transmitter problem! I wonder how she worked that out.
I will try calling a couple of shops tomorrow to see if they are getting similar reports.
At least, I am not alone!:mad:
By the way, I also have a Sony TV (32DX100) although I hope that isn't part of the problem!
MysteryMan
13-05-2003, 11:00 PM
Well, having spoken to all sorts of people (aerial guy, Sony, BBC, ITV, DTG.....) I was persuaded that the problem was at my end rather than anything to do with the transmissions.
My specific problem was the coax cable from my aerial splitter/amp to the iDTV. It was basically naff and once I replaced it all the signal problems went away - the signal strength on ITV was about 90% (same as BBC1) and no more break ups.
It seems that I am fairly borderline and the signal degradation was enough to lose the signal and it shows up on the ITV channels first as they are cramming more channels onto the bandwidth than other providers.
Still not sure why it seemed to happen at night and no one else offered an explanation.
I can't imagine that this is the cause of other people's problems but investigating the signal strength from the aerial right down to the TV looks like a good place to investigate.
Hope this helps someone else!
Fernsehman
14-05-2003, 12:40 PM
Originally posted by MysteryMan
My specific problem was the coax cable from my aerial splitter/amp to the iDTV. It was basically naff and once I replaced it all the signal problems went away - the signal strength on ITV was about 90% (same as BBC1) and no more break ups.
Which is precisely what I wrote in the "Nokia 221T Keeps Locking Up" thread to which I referred you.
http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=78689&perpage=15&pagenumber=1
Am I allowed to say "I told you so"? :rolleyes:
Fman
MysteryMan
14-05-2003, 2:26 PM
Yes, you certainly are! I guess that I took the lazy route out by posting a question without doing a thorough search of previous threads.:grin:
I've gone back over the information and found it very useful, thanks!
Fernsehman
14-05-2003, 6:05 PM
No problem. You got there in the end.
Anyway, I sort of copied the information (not word for word) from "The Freeview Bible (http://www.The-Cool-Book-Shop.com)". ;)
Fman
Well, I'm back!!! I'd recommend Mauritius - lots of white sand, great diving & snorkelling and fantastic food!!!!
Anyway, back to the case in point - I checked my cabling which was only installed 2 years ago with the new aerial and found the weak spot was the distribution box in the loft, which I'd changed recently to the TV-link one so I could flick the $ky channels in the bedroom. The input feed was a bit dodgy, so the power for the amp was fluctuating, causing the break up.
Cheers,
David.