TV stopped working, and weird phone stuff

suiko

Thanks.

Yes, was fine one day, and the next nothing (as it has been since then). The aerial is mounted on the back wall of the house - the old one was on the chimney, but when it fell off, the guy didn't want to go up on the roof, and put it on the wall instead.

Will have a look at that wall plate tonight.

suiko

If this is the problem, do I need to use that interference thing? Or can I just put the aerial cable in the freeview box and connect that to the TV with another aerial cable?

Guess the video will connect via the SCART cables?

espresso

suiko wrote: »

Right... ventured behind TV for first time in nearly ten years and once I got through the layers of dust and spider webs and whatever I found that the wall aerial socket plugged into a heavy metal thing called "interference" something. The cable seemed a bit iffy, as the wire pulled out of the socket of the interference box...............

Is this "interference box" actually an Antiference power supply that is connected to the mains? If it is then it will be powering a masthead amplifier and your signal will be non existent without it connected or if this box or the cable connected to it has has failed.

suiko

Yes, that's the thing (antiference). What does this do exactly? And why do I need it?

I checked the aerial plate and it was actually plastered into the wall, so I can't see how any water could have got it there or how it can have got corroded.

So I now suspect the problem is with the cable I mentioned before (post 30), which was connected to the wall aerial socket and which came out of its housing when I attempted to take it out. I would imagine this will need replacing? Unfortunately I now have no idea how to set the system up as it was before, i.e. with all the wires going into and out of the antiference box. Antiference box was displaying a red light before I removed it, btw.

I'm thinking this is probably a bit of a big ask for me to fix this, though it is probably a very simple job for someone who knows about this stuff. Presumably a new TV would not need an antiference box?

espresso

suiko wrote: »

Yes, that's the thing (antiference). What does this do exactly? And why do I need it?

I checked the aerial plate and it was actually plastered into the wall, so I can't see how any water could have got it there or how it can have got corroded.

So I now suspect the problem is with the cable I mentioned before (post 30), which was connected to the wall aerial socket and which came out of its housing when I attempted to take it out. I would imagine this will need replacing? Unfortunately I now have no idea how to set the system up as it was before, i.e. with all the wires going into and out of the antiference box. Antiference box was displaying a red light before I removed it, btw.

I'm thinking this is probably a bit of a big ask for me to fix this, though it is probably a very simple job for someone who knows about this stuff. Presumably a new TV would not need an antiference box?

You need to think of this Antiference power supply as part of your aerial system. Presumably when your aerial was fitted on the back wall because the rigger didn't want to go on the roof to the chimney, the amplifier was needed to compensate for the new aerial being lower and giving less signal strength.

To put it back as it was you need to connect the wall plate to the Antiference power supply box connector marked IN or Aerial and then connect the connector market TV to your digibox and plug it into the mains. The Antiference power supply does need to be used, connected as described above. You should easily be able to buy a replacement fly lead for very little expense.

suiko

Maybe you're right, though it's weird I have no memory at all of this. The new aerial was quite recent, and I would have remembered him putting it in. As far as I remember, he didn't even come inside the house, I don't think. It wasn't here when I moved in, so the only other possibility is that someone gave it to me when I was having problems setting up freeview about ten years ago. I guess you are probably right.

What you call the "fly lead" - is that what I am calling the "aerial cable"?

I've reconnected the aerial cable to the antiference box, in the socket marked UHF, which I am pretty sure is the one it was in before. There's also a VHF socket. Then on the side there are four outlet sockets - outlet 1 is connected with a similar cable to the aerial socket of the digibox. There's another aerial cable from digibox to TV. Does this seem right? It seems to match what you say, except that both TV and digibox are connected to the antiference box.

Obviously still something wrong, though, as it is all still exactly the same. Blue screen on TV, and on the digibox (AV2 on TV) a black screen with name/number of channel and a little red square.

espresso

suiko wrote: »

Yes, I did have analogue reception on the TV, with the digibox turned off. This baffled me too, but that's how it was. I would switch on the TV, with the digibox turned off, and I could watch the regular channels normally (tho picture was a bit better when viewed through the digibox). How is this possible? Might it have something to do with the fact that the aerial was plugged into the interference box? In any case, that cable seems to be knackered, so I can't even rewire the set-up as it was.

Unfortunately the other TV has no socket for anything other than an aerial, so can't try the digibox with it.

Quite honestly, I'm at a loss as to know what to do with the thing. Which is why I thought of buying a new set. What exactly can go wrong with a new aerial? I have quite a few aerial cables, and tried different ones last night, so I can't see that that could be the problem.

Guess the recording facility will be more expensive. But there certainly seem to be plenty of TVs with freeview at around that price.

suiko wrote: »

Maybe you're right, though it's weird I have no memory at all of this. The new aerial was quite recent, and I would have remembered him putting it in. As far as I remember, he didn't even come inside the house, I don't think. It wasn't here when I moved in, so the only other possibility is that someone gave it to me when I was having problems setting up freeview about ten years ago. I guess you are probably right.

What you call the "fly lead" - is that what I am calling the "aerial cable"?

I've reconnected the aerial cable to the antiference box, in the socket marked UHF, which I am pretty sure is the one it was in before. There's also a VHF socket. Then on the side there are four outlet sockets - outlet 1 is connected with a similar cable to the aerial socket of the digibox. There's another aerial cable from digibox to TV. Does this seem right? It seems to match what you say, except that both TV and digibox are connected to the antiference box.

Obviously still something wrong, though, as it is all still exactly the same. Blue screen on TV, and on the digibox (AV2 on TV) a black screen with name/number of channel and a little red square.

How do you expect the signal to get though a knackered cable?

All digi-boxes that I have seen have signal strength/signal quality displayed in the set-up menu screens.

No signal = no picture.

Simples!

macman

suiko wrote: »

Yes, that's the thing (antiference). What does this do exactly? And why do I need it?

I checked the aerial plate and it was actually plastered into the wall, so I can't see how any water could have got it there or how it can have got corroded.

So I now suspect the problem is with the cable I mentioned before (post 30), which was connected to the wall aerial socket and which came out of its housing when I attempted to take it out. I would imagine this will need replacing? Unfortunately I now have no idea how to set the system up as it was before, i.e. with all the wires going into and out of the antiference box. Antiference box was displaying a red light before I removed it, btw.

I'm thinking this is probably a bit of a big ask for me to fix this, though it is probably a very simple job for someone who knows about this stuff. Presumably a new TV would not need an antiference box?

You seem to be obsessed with the idea of needing to buy a new TV? Yet nothing in all the info that has been teased out indicates that there is anything wrong with your existing TV.
If the serial signal strength is inadequate without a booster, then changing the TV will not alter that.

fiddiwebb

I'd recommend getting someone in, far easier.

If it was me I'd just run new cable from the aerial without a masthead amplifier at the moment and check if the signal is good enough.

If the masthead amplifier has been there for a while or was installed before the switchover it may not be required.

suiko

Yes, I agree about the lack of need for a new TV. It is just that I have no idea how to fix the problem.

Masthead amplifier has been there at least two years.

I did mend the cable and it does appear to connect with the amplifier, tho of course there is no way of being sure of that.

So what kind of cable do I need? And it should be plugged into the digibox?