Freeview...

jcb33

jcb33

jcb33

Soldato
Joined
11 Apr 2003
Posts
4,158
Location
Notts
Hey all,
Sorry if this is in the wrong section! I have just moved into a house share and am trying to set up Freeview. However I get no to very poor signal on all channels, BBC, ITV, C4 etc do not work at all, and TMF and the few others that do keep losing signal and then regaining it.

Due to it being a house share I am not going to buy a new aerial, we may not be allowed and I do not want to give the landlord a free upgrade to his house!

So I am just wondering if there is anything I can do to get Freeview working?

Thanks!
Jcb33.
 
If you live in an area with a bad signal then it's unlikely you'll be able to pick it up with an indoor aerial/booster, so without getting the landlord to sort out a decent external - no, there's nothing you can do to get reliable digital reception.
 
Quite shocking that the government are turning the analogue signal off within the next few years when there are still people who can't receive a decent digital signal. Hopefully when they do switch over to digital they'll boost the signals output at source, otherwise there's going to be quite a few ****** off people around the Country.

Notice that the only FAQ that isn't answered (4th one down) on the official switchover site is :-

I can't currently get Freeview. Does this mean that I will lose my TV after switchover?
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http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/faqs/what
 
Don't get a signal booster, you'll boost all the crap with it. It's very unlikely you'll be getting Freeview without checking the aerial for position, damage, and the downlead for any damage etc.
 
Azagoth said:
Quite shocking that the government are turning the analogue signal off within the next few years when there are still people who can't receive a decent digital signal. Hopefully when they do switch over to digital they'll boost the signals output at source, otherwise there's going to be quite a few ****** off people around the Country.[/URL]
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I'm pretty sure that is the case - they are able to boost the signal and will have more bandwidth available once analogue is off.

To OP: Just buy a new aerial. They aren't exactly expensive - probably the same as a boost anyway.
 
Well, assuming your landlord won't let you install a better antenna permanently (this is likely), then an internal antenna is your next best bet. Comparatively, they're not as good as external antennas, but if you get one of the better models, they can certainly help.

I've heard good word-of-mouth on this one. Never tried it myself though as I had an internal loft-mounted antenna installed, so take it at your own risk:

http://www.oneforall-int.com/?pag=39&prodnr=51
 
Duke said:
I'm pretty sure that is the case - they are able to boost the signal and will have more bandwidth available once analogue is off.
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I thought they had already boosted the signal several months ago, as much as it's going to be boosted.

Hope you're right though, because I'm using an indoor aerial (shared house, just like the OP), and simply wouldn't be able to get TV at all if digital is the only option.
 
Azagoth said:
Quite shocking that the government are turning the analogue signal off within the next few years when there are still people who can't receive a decent digital signal. Hopefully when they do switch over to digital they'll boost the signals output at source, otherwise there's going to be quite a few ****** off people around the Country.

Notice that the only FAQ that isn't answered (4th one down) on the official switchover site is :-



http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/faqs/what
Click to expand...


The reason you can't get a decent digital signal is because of the analogue ones.
At the moment C5 and all the digital transmitters are running at very reduced power (something like 5-20%) because if they were at the same power as the normal analogue channels you'd get real problems with interference.
As the analogue signals are shut down they up the digital transmitters output in that area.
IIRC there are about 70 "channels" available for PAL TV in the UK, to avoid problems you need to keep neighbouring transmitters as far apart from each other as possible in their frequencies, as you take out some channels (analogue) you can up the power on others (digital muxes) without causing problems.
 
There's some debate about whether they'll up the power when switching off that area, or wait until 2012 when analogue is switched off completely. There will certainly be some re-arranging of the spectrum when analogue is no more.
 
They're also modifying some of the transmitters. Sutton Coldfield is being raised by an extra 25m before the analogue switch off.

There'll still be places that can't receive a DVB-T signal for some reason, such as places in valleys, but I believe that Freesat is intended to be the alternative solution here.

I'm lucky in that I'm only 12 miles from the powerful Sutton Coldfield transmitter and have line of sight to my loft aerial, giving me a pristine picture on all channels. IME TMF is the acid test of a DVB-T signal, if you can pick that up you'll get everything else too.
 
Where I live in the Grampian Highlands I couldn't get freeview at all until this week when the scan on my TV picked up 8 channels but they are very dodgy reception. Even analogue is poor where I live and we already have the biggest aerial our local suppliers can provide - during winter usually only get 3 channels. I'm just waiting and hoping for the increase in signal at switch over in a couple of years.
 
Using Google maps and the co-ordinates of my nearest transmitter, direct line is 1200m away which isn't too far :eek: This is a relay though, the main regional one is Mendip (Somerset).
 
Depends where you're going to fit it. In the loft is quite easy. On the roof needs care, for obvious reasons. Of course you have to run cables too.

In your case, however, it's up to the landlord, not you (unless of course the landlord says it's OK for you to do it).
 
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