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MaFt
Pocket GPS Staff
Joined: Aug 31, 2005
Posts: 15384
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
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 Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:35 am Post subject: Freeview signal help needed |
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(Topic split by Rob from: Announcement: Non SatNav General Technical Help)
right, i'll start...!
my main tv at home has freeview built in. the only issue i've had is that the signal does not seem to be as strong as with a stand-alone set-top box.
in general it's fine (we got a proper aerial fit a couple of years ago) but 2 multiplexes from Emley Moore we have problems with...
on an evening (and sometimes around 9.30am) MuxA (channel five etc) tends to lose it's signal. this can last anywhere between 1 and 20 minutes. luckily we still have analogue which i can switch to temporarily.
the 2nd 'problem' is that Mux1 (BBC) is pretty much unusable from Emley Moore (but all the other Mux's are fine!) and we end up getting our signal from a transmitter in lincolnshire - this is fine until you get the 'local' news etc for a totally different region...
so, my question is, on the switch over the broadcast signal strength's will increase AND the frequency's will be changed - is this likely to 'fix' my issues? i.e. are the issues i face because the frequency's used are not optimised (as the analogue ones are using the best ones at the moment)? and why are some Mux's from the same mast not as good signal?
MaFt |
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Anita
Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Mar 15, 2006
Posts: 3219
Location: Windlesham, Surrey
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:00 pm Post subject: Re: Non SatNav General Technical Help (Trial) |
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MaFt!!!!
| RobBrady wrote: | | Do you have a technical, non-satnav question that you'd like to pose? If so, start a new topic and post it here! |
 
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Anita
TomTom VIA 135 - App 12.075
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MaFt
Pocket GPS Staff
Joined: Aug 31, 2005
Posts: 15384
Location: Bradford, West Yorkshire
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:21 pm Post subject: Re: Non SatNav General Technical Help (Trial) |
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ANita, I read this part:
| RobBrady wrote: | | Do you have a technical, non-satnav question that you'd like to pose? If so, start a new topic and post it here! |
:D
MaFt |
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mostdom
Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jul 10, 2006
Posts: 1964
Location: Surrey, UK.
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:37 pm Post subject: Re: Freeview signal help needed |
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| MaFt wrote: | | my main tv at home has freeview built in. the only issue i've had is that the signal does not seem to be as strong as with a stand-alone set-top box. |
That surprised me as it is often the opposite way around. Is the inbuilt reception booster boosting?
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HERE LIES PND May it rest in peace.
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GerryC
Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Mar 01, 2005
Posts: 1513
Location: West Mids
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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Putting a random Bradford postcode in the DigitalUK postcode checker shows that Emley Moor is not running at full strength at present on digital so you could get some problems with reception. You may be in a better line-of-sight so may have better readings than the 50-80% it's showing.
Does QVC and FiveUS have problems at the same time as C5 - they're all on mux A? It could be that it has a different compression that makes it more prone to errors.
I take it you have the proper aerial installed to get the right UHF channels. Mux 1 (BBC1/2/3 is on UHF52 which is higher than all the others so if your aerial is group B it's marginal (group B gives UHF 35-53).
In 2011, it will run at full strength using most of the old analogue frequencies so you should be fine then.
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Border_Collie
Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: Feb 01, 2006
Posts: 2543
Location: Rainham, Kent. England.
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | so, my question is, on the switch over the broadcast signal strength's will increase AND the frequency's will be changed |
I wouldn't bank on it MaFt. I checked on their site for where I live in Medway, terrible reception on normal aerial and no freeview. I assumed everything would be OK once the changeover is made but found they have no intention of increasing the signal strength or adding a mast to allow us Freeview. Our choice will be Sky or Virgin.
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Formerly known as Lost_Property
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Border_Collie
Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: Feb 01, 2006
Posts: 2543
Location: Rainham, Kent. England.
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 10:13 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | In 2011, it will run at full strength using most of the old analogue frequencies so you should be fine then. |
Maybe I'd better re-check. Hopefully I'll be lucky.
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Formerly known as Lost_Property
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theripper
Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: Feb 07, 2006
Posts: 581
Location: Medway Towns, Kent
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Lost_Property wrote: | | Quote: | | so, my question is, on the switch over the broadcast signal strength's will increase AND the frequency's will be changed |
I wouldn't bank on it MaFt. I checked on their site for where I live in Medway, terrible reception on normal aerial and no freeview. I assumed everything would be OK once the changeover is made but found they have no intention of increasing the signal strength or adding a mast to allow us Freeview. Our choice will be Sky or Virgin. |
Where abouts in Medway do you live because I get perfect Freeview reception from Bluebell Hill.
theripper |
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DennisN
Tired Old Man
Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 14907
Location: Keynsham
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:28 pm Post subject: |
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What's a Mux? Is it something to do with "Where there's Mux, there's brass (or money)"?
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Dennis
If it tastes good - it's fattening.
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Border_Collie
Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: Feb 01, 2006
Posts: 2543
Location: Rainham, Kent. England.
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| Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Where abouts in Medway do you live because I get perfect Freeview reception from Bluebell Hill. |
ME8 7BJ. Can get channels 1 to 4 with lots of snow and no channel 5. A few years back a mate in the aerial business put up a, if I can remember rightly, a twin 18 element aerial which improved things slightly. Speaking to neighbours they all have the same problem. There was talk, some years back, about having another mast put up in the Gravesend area which would solve our problems. Never happened. Even had two aerials at one time, one pointing north'ish which picked up from the Anglia area. Also tried the Dover transmitter, which wasn't too bad except in summer when we received signals which appeared to come from France, Germany and Belgium and as some frequencies were almost the same, our normal channels broke up. Our main problem is the North Downs which blocks the main signal from Maidstone. Evidently no problems at Farthing Corner, Parkwood or Wigmore.
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Formerly known as Lost_Property
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Mullet
Frequent Visitor
Joined: Dec 12, 2005
Posts: 1051
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| Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:52 am Post subject: |
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| Lost_Property wrote: | | channels 1 to 4 with lots of snow |
Me too in '06. Imagine my embarrassment when the TV engineer informed me I was watching the Turin Winter Olympics.
Sorry couldn't resist it, I've got me coat  |
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aj2052
Frequent Visitor
Joined: Jul 03, 2005
Posts: 1431
Location: Leics,UK
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| Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 1:42 am Post subject: |
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Not a lot of help, but I have the same problem on my HDD twin freeview reciever keeps dropping signal on any freeview channel, ok for first year then started dropping signal, surprisingly it never drops signal when recording programs sometimes two at the same time, I also have 3 set top boxes which never drop signal at all, I am on Sutton Coldfield Transmitter. Its going to be annoying if I have to wait till 2011 to find i have no improvement.i have changed aerial 3 times up to now with no improvement.
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theripper
Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: Feb 07, 2006
Posts: 581
Location: Medway Towns, Kent
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| Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Lost_Property wrote: | | Quote: | | Where abouts in Medway do you live because I get perfect Freeview reception from Bluebell Hill. |
ME8 7BJ. Can get channels 1 to 4 with lots of snow and no channel 5. A few years back a mate in the aerial business put up a, if I can remember rightly, a twin 18 element aerial which improved things slightly. Speaking to neighbours they all have the same problem. There was talk, some years back, about having another mast put up in the Gravesend area which would solve our problems. Never happened. Even had two aerials at one time, one pointing north'ish which picked up from the Anglia area. Also tried the Dover transmitter, which wasn't too bad except in summer when we received signals which appeared to come from France, Germany and Belgium and as some frequencies were almost the same, our normal channels broke up. Our main problem is the North Downs which blocks the main signal from Maidstone. Evidently no problems at Farthing Corner, Parkwood or Wigmore. |
The north downs should not block the signal from the bluebell hill transmitter which is only 5 miles from you as the crow flies, towards essex the nearest is Sudbury which is 45 miles away. Have you looked at other peoples digi aerials in your road because it might just need an extension pole to raise it up a bit.
theripper |
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theripper
Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: Feb 07, 2006
Posts: 581
Location: Medway Towns, Kent
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| Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Lost_Property wrote: | | Quote: | | Where abouts in Medway do you live because I get perfect Freeview reception from Bluebell Hill. |
ME8 7BJ. Can get channels 1 to 4 with lots of snow and no channel 5. A few years back a mate in the aerial business put up a, if I can remember rightly, a twin 18 element aerial which improved things slightly. Speaking to neighbours they all have the same problem. There was talk, some years back, about having another mast put up in the Gravesend area which would solve our problems. Never happened. Even had two aerials at one time, one pointing north'ish which picked up from the Anglia area. Also tried the Dover transmitter, which wasn't too bad except in summer when we received signals which appeared to come from France, Germany and Belgium and as some frequencies were almost the same, our normal channels broke up. Our main problem is the North Downs which blocks the main signal from Maidstone. Evidently no problems at Farthing Corner, Parkwood or Wigmore. |
The north downs should not block the signal from the bluebell hill transmitter which is only 5 miles from you as the crow flies on top of the north downs, towards essex the nearest is Sudbury which is 45 miles away. Have you looked at other peoples digi aerials in your road because it might just need an extension pole to raise it up a bit.
theripper |
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Border_Collie
Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: Feb 01, 2006
Posts: 2543
Location: Rainham, Kent. England.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:14 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Have you looked at other peoples digi aerials in your road because it might just need an extension pole to raise it up a bit. |
My pole is about six feet above the chimney pot. It would be interesting to know how high I'd need to go. I wouldn't fancy a 12 or 18 foot one, especially when it's windy. I wonder if it could be something to do with the Howard School buildings partially blocking the Bluebell signals. I'll have to try to find where the Bluebell transmitter is on Google Earth and draw a straight line to my house.
I've just changed over from Sky to a Virgin Media package. I'll give them a year to see if the Internet is better than the BT one.
I suppose I could always set up to Sky again as I've been told I can receive all normal freeview channels without paying a subscription. Told after I had started using Virgin.  Only problem with that I'd have to go back to using BT lines for the Internet and for the past two months I've had nothing but aggro with them. (Hence the change).
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