Strange digital TV signal problem

welshbookworm

From here
http://www.radioandtelly.co.uk/freeviewhelp/interference.html
'Freeview can be prone to electrical interference, and here are a few hints to help you cure this:

• Keep your aerial leads and connectors as far away as possible from electrical mains leads as possible.
• Make sure you're using good quality leads to connect from your aerial to your receiver, and from your set-top box to your TV or video. For a new extra pounds, a good quality aerial flylead cable with a gold-plated connector from Maplin Electronics may help.
• If you've got lots of joins, connectors or unshielded adapters, these can make a weak link in your setup. Make as few joins as possible, and keep joins away from all mains cables.
• If these don't work, a good quality external roof aerial with good quality unbroken cable straight to your set top box should be the answer.

Do you live close to a taxi firm, radio ham or police station? Some radio transmitters kick out "RF" which can cause TV interference.

googler

welshbookworm wrote: »

Looks like someone close to you is using something that interferes with your signal.
I know when my daughter uses her hairdryer (in a different room) my freeview signal freezes and drops. As soon as she stops using the hair dyer , my signal goes back to normal.

We've got a loft aerial, and distribution amplifier feeding various aerial sockets throughout the house. The study is on top floor, one of the TV rooms on the lower floor.

If I operate a battery-powered vacuum cleaner (small size, battery operated for cleaning out the PC, 1.5v battery) in the study, the picture goes haywire one floor down.

olias

More strangeness!

It's working tonight, but only some channels. I have checked the channels that are working and they have good signal strength and quality, the ones that aren't are showing zero strength and quality. Therefore it can't be anything like a loose connection or damaged aerial etc. And they are all coming from the same transmitter, and nobody - at least not in my house - is using any electrical equipment.

Olias

closed

have you rescanned?

digital tv channels are grouped into mux's, so it's quite feasible that a misaligned aerial or noisy cable can wipe out a multiplex