All posts by David
Below are all of David's postings, with the most recent are at the bottom of the page.Jess,
It is evident from your comments and the comments of others that there is something going on, and there is a general state of denial about it. I did a bit of searching and have discovered that the BBC is responsible for investigating problems with the Crystal Palace transmitter. They have an online form you can plough through in order to lodge a formal request for an investigation. You have to go through several questions, essentially answering no to questions such as "is there an obstruction" or could the weather be affecting it. At various stages you will need to answer that no - this has not answered my question. If you persist you will get to a page that tells you there is a problem they can't resolve via the form, and the will ask for specific details of the problem. My suggestion is that if enough people start using this form, it will be difficult for them to maintain the current state of denial.
The link to the form is:
https://faq.external.bbc.…8143
Copy and then paste this link into your browser.
Hope this helps.
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Thanks to FJC Farrar for your response.
Much as I suspect you are right in what you say, one of my major complaints is the state of denial that there is a problem, and the unaccountability that goes with it. If someone were to admit there is a problem and let us know when it will be resolved, we could all make provision to deal with it. As it is I find myself dealing with a procession of faceless bureaucrats who keep repeating "there are no problems " in the same robot-like manner. It is not good enough.
When I checked Ofcom for a means of chasing this, the only avenue available was directing me to a BBC webform regarding interference problems. In other words "Nothing to do with us Guv." When I reported it to the BBC I received another hollow, form letter response telling me that as the channels affected are not BBC, they can't help. In other words "Nothing to do with us Guv." Not good enough, sorry.
I am bouncing this shambles back to Ofcom, and will continue to pursue it.
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Just as a follow-up to my previous post, it is also worth mentioning that the current state of denial has resulted in a number of people buying new set top boxes because they think something is wrong with their equipment. This needless expense and aggravation is due entirely to the lack of information and accountability being shown in the switch-over process.
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Graham,
Thanks very much for your comments. I know exactly what you mean. If people were given honest information, they could at least understand what was happening and why (and how long it would last). Because this "process" is being administered by people who ram their heads into buckets of sand whenever a complaint is made, we will have to enlist other help.
As a matter of formality (not because I expect any positive outcome) I am writing to Ofcom pointing out their lack of any useful assistance via their web site, and asking them to give me a means of escalating this matter. Their normal response is to say "ring us on our helpline", but I won't be doing that as it gives me nothing in writing. So far, Ofcom have been as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike. No change there.
I have also written (as another formality) to the Digital UK website at Digital UK - Home (the one with the vapid, smiley robot). In essence I have made the same comments as I did to Ofcom, but truncated as they restrict users to 500 characters.
Of more potential use, I have logged a case with BBC Watchdog, as there are a lot of people who have been paying out for new equipment and engineer visits needlessly because of the culture of denial during switch-over. This is a rip-off any anyone's language (see especially Tim's comments further up the page about his aunt's experience). Obviously if Watchdog start getting a lot of complaints about the problems we have been having, they are in a much better position to do something about it.
For anyone interested in taking it further, the Watchdog URL is:
BBC - Watchdog - - Got a story
or, if you prefer, you can email your complaint to them at:
watchdog@bbc.co.uk.
or write to them at:
Watchdog, MC4 C5, Media Centre, Wood Lane, London W12 7TQ.
Hope this helps.
(W12 7TQ)
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I have just done another re-scan (at approx 13:25 on 3rd March) and pulled in 111 channels instead of the 53 I was getting previously. How long this will last until the switchover is complete is anyone's guess. As FJC Farrer warned in an earlier post, signal levels can be up and down like a fiddler's elbow, and that has certainly been my experience.
I will pursue the issue regarding lack of information and accountability, however, because we should have been kept properly informed about what was happening. As usual, the people at the receiving end of a service are being made to serve the needs of the bureaucracy who are running it.
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I'm genuinely indebted once more (as always) for the technical explanations advanced by FJC Farrar. I have no doubt they are all sound, and you appear very well informed. My question remains, why since 25th Feb (or thereabouts) have people scattered all over London been losing their Freeview channels if nobody had any hint that this might happen? (mine are down again this evening). The switchover process has been under way for some time throughout the UK, and unless each team that carries it out treats it like a state secret, there will be a body of information borne of experience, that shows them to expect that some people will be affected adversely during the process.
A while ago Digital UK sent out a leaflet to my address titled "Is your flat ready for the TV switchover in April 2012?" I have every reason to believe this is a national campaign, not something they have just favoured me alone with. On it they listed two points to check. An extra line of text as point three could have warned people that they might experience erratic reception as they approach switchover, so don't rush out and buy new equipment until the process is complete. It isn't quantum physics to do this, but there appears to be an attitude prevalent that this is "nothing to do with us, Guv". Oh, and if you happen to buy new equipment needlessly because you lose Freeview access and don't realise it is temporary, hard luck.
Science marches on.
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Wednesday 29 February 2012 1:31AM
London
Last Saturday (25th Feb) I could no longer view the independent (non-BBC) Freeview channels. On Sunday 26th service had been restored to all channels. Today I have been unable to receive the following:
ITV1
C4
C5
ITV2
C4+1
More 4
E4
ITV1+1
When I checked the signal strength showing for these channels on my Freeview box, all were low - 4 out of a possible 10. When I can receive these channels they register 6 out of 10. Channels I can receive currently are all registering 6 out of 10.
Channels I am unable to watch deliver pixelated images, and intermittent sound.
I have completely re-set my Freeview box, wiping all existing settings and then rescanned. The problem remains.
I live at the postal code E1W 3RY, and connect via a communal roof aerial in a development of flats. I have not experienced this problem before 25th Feb.
I see that the channels I am having problems with are listed as being on Mux 2 which has a rating of "low". The channels I can receive are on Mux 1 which has a rating of "Maximum."
Can anyone suggest a reason for what appears to be a reduction in the service level available on Mux 2?