Freeview reception

[Harry Bloomfield]

Yesterday, some of the weaker MUXes began to pixelate, on the living room TV. Checking other TV's around the place, they were similar. Chimney antenna downlead, plugs in, in the loft, then goes all the way down to living room, where I have an 8-way distribution amp, that then feeds most of the rooms in the house.

This morning I got the binoculars out, to check the antenna, all looked OK, so I went in the loft to check where the downlead plugs in and the cause of the issue was obvious - there was water in the plug, from the recent rain. As a temporary fix, I fitted a signal booster, which has restored full operation for now. Hopefully it will last until the summer, when I will get an installer out, to fit a new antenna and downlead.

 

[winston1]

Probably only need the new downlwad.

 

[big-all]

i had a problem about 7-9 weeks ago, Reigate hill transmitter said no problems kept checking everything but notice any recording overnight where fine it took about 2 weeks off faffing about to realize that it was the transmitter at fault ??
just wonder iff they are going about transmitter to transmitter in turn

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

The small TV in the kitchen is very sensitive to signal level, it was the first to begin pixellating on the weaker mux's. It was at first the only one suffering, so I assumed it was a fault local to that one. Just nudging the antenna lead, would make a difference, so at first I thought a dry joint on the socket and I had it in mind to open it up to investigate.

 

[Rodders53]

Make sure that the water in the cable can drip into something safer than the electronic amplifier (booster). Particularly if it is mains powered.

Antenna installers will work in most weather conditions; ideally get it seen to sooner rather than later.

Insist on all-copper foam filled satellite grade cable such as Webro WF 100. If a new antenna is required avoid the 'contract' types with the flat plate pressed alloy reflectors.

i had a problem about 7-9 weeks ago, Reigate hill transmitter said no problems kept checking everything but notice any recording overnight where fine it took about 2 weeks off faffing about to realize that it was the transmitter at fault ??
just wonder iff they are going about transmitter to transmitter in turn

Reigate had some Planned Works during early September (from UKFreeTV who trawl the BBC Reception Advice fault reports).
It's a Main transmitter nowadays, so fully duplicated kit and antennas plus backup generators. Also fully monitored by Arqiva remotely. Fringe reception might be affected by main/reserve antenna working, as may borderline adequate aerial installs.

 

[big-all]

thanks
i am less than 2 miles away [rh1 2ha] and 100% quality and 75-100% strength

 

[Rodders53]

thanks
i am less than 2 miles away [rh1 2ha] and 100% quality and 75-100% strength

Hmm could be radiation pattern differences when switched to the other antenna for maintenance? Overload when in the non-optimal antenna for your location, and it provides even greater signals? 100% signal is often too much (but receiver metering is a very variable feast). That might account for the 'all good leaving us' message when you had issues?

Wolfbane estimates that postcode at 84 dBuV/m field strength. Terminated signal at a receiver should be between 45 and 65 dBuV, so potential for too high a signal level. Perhaps.

 

[big-all]

i have more than one booster one near the aerial one down stairs and one in the shed a further 50ft away
my setup is historic about 40 years old into the downstairs and to each upstairs tv direct
then in the main room daisy chain via now removed vcr 1 and 2 the feed to all tvs via a spare frequency

now off course is all freeveiw with spokes to each box or tv direct only mentioning in case relevant

and there are no back feeds the only connection is two recorder boxes to one tv one via hdmi and one via scart in case that relivent
now i am not actually asking for help its just i love a challenge and in case you like to do a csi job the information is there

 

[Rodders53]

i have more than one booster one near the aerial one down stairs and one in the shed a further 50ft away

You need a pro meter to measure, accurately, the signal levels on every multiplex frequency. Likely need to remove amplifiers and/or attenuate before some amplifiers to get the right levels to each TV outlet.
If your Vp Reigate antenna is 40 years old it'll be wrong group (C/D) and may not work as well at the group A frequencies now? (Though some C/D aerial were OK as widebands and simply relabelled as such - Triax Unix, for example).

Sound like you have a masthead amp, downstairs psu for that amp and are re-amplifying at the end of a shortish cable run (wrong place to do it, really on properly long cable runs: one uses a launch amp to do that at the source end). 50 ft is 15m and cable will only introduce a loss of 2.5-4 dB and a similar order to the aerial downlead loss.

 

[big-all]

yes the last amplifier for the shed was an attempt to "overcome the problem" so could probably be removed
i actually got a reasonable picture with a bit off wire in a loop between centre core and outer core at the end off a short lead
as i dont need to watch the vhs via the aerial any more i could just use a loop or set top aerial

 

[cwhaley]

Mine is still pointing to the Sutton Coldfield transmitters and not Waltham, so I get West Midlands news which is of no relevance at all. No idea why it was pointed that way but of all the banks of chimney-mounted aerials on our road, mine stands proudly the wrong way.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Insist on all-copper foam filled satellite grade cable such as Webro WF 100. If a new antenna is required avoid the 'contract' types with the flat plate pressed alloy reflectors.

Got the Webro on the shelf, Wolfbane suggests Log Periodic, Group B and Field 62

What would be a decent antenna to buy?

Plan is to set it up ready, for my friendly local roofer to fit and I tell him left right with a compass reverse bearing from the ground, as I did 30 years ago with the present one. Plug end, just slip under the tiles and plugs into the main down lead.

 

[ericmark]

I had problems with mothers house, got a professional in, who tested the aerial and mast head amplifier, and they showed A1, did not matter what I did, it would work A1 for a short time, then fail, it turned out to be the power supply so the pros meter used it's own power supply.

Today Moel-y-Sant misses out so many programs I use free to air satellite.

 

[winston1]

Got the Webro on the shelf, Wolfbane suggests Log Periodic, Group B and Field 62

What would be a decent antenna to buy?

Plan is to set it up ready, for my friendly local roofer to fit and I tell him left right with a compass reverse bearing from the ground, as I did 30 years ago with the present one. Plug end, just slip under the tiles and plugs into the main down lead.

I advise you to get an aerial installer to fit and supply it not a roofer. Would you get an aerial installer to retile your roof ?

 

[Rodders53]

https://www.aerialsandtv.com/knowledge/aerials/atvs-choice-of-tv-aerials-and-why-we-chose-them is worth a read.
Consider buying from Justin (author/owner of ATV aerials) as a thank-you if you find the website useful. DM Log or the Yagi 10K are the probable choices as that'd give 62dB + 6dB aerial gain -3 dB cable and termination loss = 65 dBuV. The ideal level is 45-65 dBuV. The 8-way amp would add more gain, of course plus amplifier noise.

If Harry is in a clear line of sight location (no tidal waters or flood plains giving variable foreground reflection) and Wolfbane figures are correct then a simple compass direction aerial erection will probably be OK. Roofers are even more likely to work in adverse weather conditions, although they may be too busy for this job if repairing storm damaged roofs..

I suspect cable damage where it passes under sharp roof tiles into the loft and cable movement in winds/rain/expansion/contraction may have allowed water in? It's not an ideal cable entry method.

Mine is still pointing to the Sutton Coldfield transmitters and not Waltham, so I get West Midlands news which is of no relevance at all. No idea why it was pointed that way but of all the banks of chimney-mounted aerials on our road, mine stands proudly the wrong way.

Rather common actually.
SC was there for UHF BBC 2 and colour before Waltham was built and many who were early adopters never bothered to put up a new aerial for Waltam. Similar things happen in other parts for similar reasons (Nicam stereo. Early DTV.)