Any digital tv reception experts ??

[bennesspipers]

Ever since UK television went digital i cant receive a good enough signal to get all channels everyday, its very changeable.
Iv got new tv wi inbuilt Freeview, new aerial of the best quality (so the fitter said !), & a mains powered signal booster connected into the aerial cable.
Channels like ITV4 & Dave are often totally unwatchable.
I have had a protracted row wi the BBC over this, during which they sent a subcontractor, then the BBC 'moved the goalposts' over what would be available, then 1 of their fitters broke my tv & lied to me about it, luckily i had a witness & the BBC sorted the Subcontractor out !
Im just about sick of digital tv !!
ANY suggestions guys ?

 

[Sp!ke]

Get sky or cable.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Channels like ITV4 & Dave are often totally unwatchable.

They're the same when you can get a signal.

Just do more of your other hobbies.

 

[Piff]

Double check all connections.
We lost all freeview channel except BBC ones last week.
Re-tuned - no change.
We have "magic eyes" on all TV's.
Tried removing the Magic eye on this TV for a direct aerial connection - suddenly all freeview channels available
Replaced the magic eye with a new one and all is well

 

[bennesspipers]

@Spike, already tried Sky, its also affected by rain & other weather

@Charles Morgan, hehe, its only a weekday problem, lol

 

[IanA2]

Go satellite with a Humax free sat system. HD, cheap as chips and no fees. I dumped Sky years ago, I deeply resented putting so much money in that man's pocket.

 

[bennesspipers]

@Piff, whats this 'magic eye' please ?

 

[IanA2]

@Spike, already tried Sky, its also affected by rain & other weather

Odd I've never found that. Is your dish set up right?

 

[bennesspipers]

@IanA2, the BBC actually tried a freesat box here, couldnt get 'Dave' on it tho (not available as an option), actually iv still got their box !
Is 'Humax' a different system ?

 

[bennesspipers]

@IanA2, yes, + others i know have had probs wi Sky & bad weather, trees too !

 

[IanA2]

@IanA2, the BBC actually tried a freesat box here, couldnt get 'Dave' on it tho (not available as an option), actually iv still got their box !
Is 'Humax' a different system ?

Not knowing what the BBC box is I don't really know. But I can say that Humax is very good kit.

 

[IanA2]

@IanA2, yes, + others i know have had probs wi Sky & bad weather, trees too !

If trees are affecting your signal then the dish needs to be relocated.

 

[bennesspipers]

It says Grundig on box, & Freesat

 

[bennesspipers]

So you mean something like this Ian ?
Humax Foxsat HDR (320 GB) DVR Freesat, Twin Tuner HD Recorder 8809095664836 | eBay

 

[grober]

Pop your postcode into this site to see which broadcast aerial you use. Look at the MYFREEVIEW and MULTIPLEX drop down tabs.
My Freeview | ukfree.tv - 11 years of independent, free digital TV advice

Your best bet is probably to go for a dish for satellite reception as has been said. Positioning this is crucial for reliable reception. Size matters! Bigger the dish the higher the signal gain. You may benefit from a much larger dish than the standard Sky type. You might have to mount it on a pole in your garden or have a free standing dish on a concrete plinth to get a clear unobstructed line of sight to the satellite. As always its a trade off between an obtrusive dish V reception. This site has a wide selection of kit.
Satellite dishes. Transparent satellite dishes. Motorised satellite dishes, Mobile dish, Large satellite dishes. Prime focus. Satellite dish heaters. UK.

 

[Paul/]

We had signal problems at one point in the digital rollout- apparently the transmitter output increased, and our signal amplifier overloaded the input to our equipment. So our amplifier was disconnected and now everything is fine.

 

[Stratman]

Somewhere in the menu system of your TV will be a signal strength and quality indicator. The quality should be above 6 or 7 for reliable reception, the strength should be over 50%.
Check while looking at BBC1 and Ch4 at the very least.

Bizarrely, you might be better off without the signal booster. It won't hurt to try. It's possible (though unlikely) the booster has pulled in duplicate stations from a less than ideal transmitter, and they're the ones you're watching. Delete all stored channels and rescan without the booster in circuit. It should only find and store signals from the local transmitter, assuming the aerial is pointing at it!

 

[bennesspipers]

@Grober, Big thanks Graeme, i'll get someone more technically awake than me to check that out
@Stratman, already tried with & w/out booster, & they had a proper meter to make sure the aerial was pointing right.
From everything iv tried so far im thinking im in a really bad reception area, even tho the BBCs transmitter (Belmont) is damn near visible from here !

 

[Piff]

@Grober, Big thanks Graeme, i'll get someone more technically awake than me to check that out
@Stratman, already tried with & w/out booster, & they had a proper meter to make sure the aerial was pointing right.
From everything iv tried so far im thinking im in a really bad reception area, even tho the BBCs transmitter (Belmont) is damn near visible from here !

We are half way between 2 transmitters. Until we moved house (about 200 yds) we were pointed at one, now we are pointed at the other. Local aerial expert set it up together with sky dish & amplification/distribution.

In very heavy rain we get pixilation on sky/freesat

 

[grober]

The broadcast aerials in the UK have been " privatised" meaning that they are not all run by the same organisation any more. Digital signals are grouped into Muxes [ multiplexers] operating at different frequencies Even within the same aerial these muxes can be run by different companies. In other words some stations are broadcast [ i.e. the signal propagated]by one company others by other companies
Belmont transmitting station - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia***

and

Belmont TV Transmitter

TheBigTower - Belmont Transmitter UHF Coverage

Full service Freeview transmitters | ukfree.tv - 11 years of independent, free digital TV advice

If you look at the channel distribution on the various muxes LISTED ***** select Belmont from the map then scroll down
#You will find that DAVE and ITV4 are most likely being broadcast one of the lower powered MUXES hence your lack of signal.