My ITV/C4 Freeview channels have disappeared - what can I do? Is it my SCART ca
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV It is a feature of television signals that they can be effected by the weather. Aside from the obvious damaged that can be caused by wind or torrential rain, the onset of summer can cause a more intriguing problem called "inversion".
Basically, when the sun heats up the land, the hot air can get trapped below cold air at high level. This creates an "inversion layer" which acts like a polished mirror to TV signals. This causes two problems: you can receive both the original and a reflected signal from your own transmitter (on analogue TV this appears as "ghosting") or interference from TV transmitters that are normally too far distant.
The ITV/C4 multiplex of channels (ITV-1, ITV-2, ITV-3, ITV-4, CITV, C4, More4, E4, Quizcall) use a transmission "mode" called 64QAM, and it is sadly much more prone to these problems.
So, whilst a loft-mounted aerial will provide reception at some time, it will fail at others. The only real solution is to mount the aerial (or a new Class I aerial) outside on a pole, but some people report that changing the cable from the aerial to the set-top box to the high-grade satellite cable can also help.
The SCART connection, by the way, only carries a single TV picture, not the Freeview transmission multiplexes, so if this is disconnected it will result in degradation to every channel at once.
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Sunday, 12 October 2014
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Carole 7:21 AM
Blackpool
About a week ago I lost itv channels through my freeview plus box I tried through tv and had the channels then they disappeared from that as well. I retuned my tv which now has no channels at all now but am still getting signal upstairs any advice appreciated
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Carole's: mapC's Freeview map terrainC's terrain plot wavesC's frequency data C's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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jb388:23 AM
Carole : If you are receiving signals upstairs but not on your downstairs connection then this simply points to the link from upstairs being broken at some point, maybe even caused by a defective jumper lead!
However, you should temporarily connect your box (and TV if its a Freeview model) into the upstairs connection and carry out a retune on it, this being to restore the channels lost during your last retune before returning the box downstairs, as its easier to test for a faulty connection on a box or TV that already has channels stored in its memory, as the picture will jump back on again as soon as the defective connection is moved.
If though all appears to be OK downstairs, then its really a case of checking out whatever method has been used to feed the signal from the aerial to the two outlet points, the usual way being via a two way splitter, this being either powered or unpowered dependant on the signal strength being received, although in your case I feel that its possibly powered.
Further advice dependant on feedback, but just a point to note with regards to retuning. Retuning should never be carried out on any Freeview device if all signals appear to be lost, because all it achieves is to wipe out anything already stored in the tuners memory resulting in further retunes having to be made in order to restore them.
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Thursday, 16 October 2014
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ava rutherfordium10:26 AM
Sunderland
Why have I lost all my channels from no 70 to 100 they went off when it started to rain I retuned still the same
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ava's: mapA's Freeview map terrainA's terrain plot wavesA's frequency data A's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Friday, 17 October 2014
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Grace7:50 PM
My TV has been coming up with no signal notice please can anyone advise what I need to do to get signal as I have tried all the necessary .....
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MikeB8:41 PM
Grace: Your signal is so low in power its not registering or is gone completely - usually your aerial system has a problem, which is what its telling you. Read the manual for the TV, and it will tell you this. Check back from the back of the TV (to make sure the lead hasn't fallen out). If it looks OK, your probably going to have to call a professional.
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Sunday, 19 October 2014
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jason10:14 AM
Solihull
I've had no problems until this weekend I'm getting interference on itv and channel4 i live in olton solihull b92 7rq does anybody know why this would be happening cheers jas
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jason's: ...
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Marianna5:01 PM
Hi
I live in g58pn. My tv freeviw had no signal. I moved the scart plug and now I have bbc one and two etc but missing itv, channel four film four etc. Can you advise ?
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jb386:34 PM
Marianna : If moving the scart plug resulted in you receiving BBC1, then all this is liable to have done is to restore the link between the box and your TV, or if "not" using a separate box? indicate that the aerial connection on the rear of the TV requires checking, pull it out then in again a few times as this action cleans the connection.
If though you "are" using a box, then the scart lead is not connected in any way with reception, therefore irrespective of whether using a TV or a box carry out a "first time installation", this also known as "default setting" or "reset", followed in the latter two cases by carrying out a normal auto-tune.
By the way, are you connected into a communal aerial system, if you are? and still cannot receive anything other than the BBC channels after having carried out the aforementioned, check with one of your neighbours to ascertain if they are also experiencing a similar problem.
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Marianna7:36 PM
Glasgow
Thanks. It is a communal ariel but not wanting to chap neighbours door just yet. I did all those checks and still not got this channels. Thinking it's maybe the weather with main ariel ? When watching bbc2 tho it does occasionally jump and say no signal and come right back on again !
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Marianna's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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jb3811:50 PM
Marianna: I fully appreciate your reluctance as far as making an enquiry with a neighbour is concerned, as many residents in an apartment block quite understandably like to retain their privacy, likewise do not particularly wish to have contact with anyone residing in close proximity to them, and indeed in many cases for very good reason!
Its just that when anyone linked into a communal aerial system is experiencing reception problems they are somewhat limited in what they can do by not having any control over the aerial system, that is with the exception of checking the jumper lead from the wall socket into their TV or box.
If though the jumper lead appears to be OK, then its likely that other residents in the block are also liable to be suffering from the same problem as yourself by being linked into the same system, not knowing whether they are or not being the only reason for enquiring elsewhere.
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