Internal TV aerial - no longer an signal

fatpiggy

Any bright ideas out there please? I have been using an oldish CRT set in my front bedroom with a portable aerial for several years, and generally speaking it worked surprisingly well. My house is reasonably high up and I get my signal from the Winter Hill transmitter near Bolton. About a month ago the picture on any TV station started freezing and jumping and then one day it just went to "no signal". I waved the aerial about a bit and eventually got the sound back but no picture. This week I thought I'd treat myself to a new TV (moneysaving rules of course!) with built in Freeview. Set it up ok and guess what - no signal. I assumed the aerial was knackered and bought a new one (I think it is 46db gain) and still no signal. I'm going to check the set is OK on the roof aerial intake downstairs this evening but has anyone got any suggestions? Why did it all work perfectly for years and then suddenly, total failure? Have Winter Hill made some sort of change or something.

GRRRR

[Deleted User]

If you've changed the TV and the aerial it's not immediately apparent why this should happen. Have any large buildings been erected in the area recently? Do you know what the signal strength indication was like on the TV downstairs before the fault developed, has that changed? Have you put any equipment in the bedroom which may be interfering? Is it practical to use a signal splitter and run a lead from the downstairs aerial? Another option may be to put a large aerial in the loft, and poke a hole for the lead through the bedroom ceiling.

fatpiggy

Hi Jack_Pott. No, as far as I am aware there are no new buildings in my line of sight to the transmitter (the Beetham Tower went up in Manchester several years ago now) and I haven't changed anything in my bedroom. The TV and aerial sit on a table about 2 feet from the window. To be honest I haven't noticed anything about signal strength on the downstairs TV although a couple of months ago it did squeak slightly as though the signal was marginally compromised for a moment. I also have a DAB radio on a shelf under the TV in the bedroom and that drops out a bit - do you think that could be related? I think I'll use the roof aerial to at least set the Freeview up on the new TV and see what happens after that is done.

I shall give the loft aerial due consideration - the only problem is the surveyor suggested I don't even put empty suitcases up there as my old ceilings are the original 1030s lath and plaster and are someone fragile - making a hole in it would be a doddle!!

JohnDinton

Trees have more leaves in summer so that weakens the signal. The trees are probably a bit taller now than they were last year. With an analogue receiver you would have noticed a gradual deterioration over the years. With a digital signal the cut off is more sudden.

fatpiggy

Thanks John, but I don't think it is that either. I've lived there for 10 years with no problems at all. There is a tree/large shrub outside the window but it has been topped out and it is to one side of the room anyway, in the opposite direction to the transmitter.

[Deleted User]

I don't know what else to suggest really. It doesn't surprise me that you can't get reception from a set top aerial, but why the sudden change I don't know.

fatpiggy

An update - I plugged the TV into the main aerial last night and... no signal. So clearly the TV, or rather the built in Freeview is the problem. Back to the shop for me.

It doesn't explain why the previous set suffered from patchy signal and then none at all after several years of no problems, but I now suspect the Freeview box, rather than the aerial.

Modern technology - not built to last

JohnDinton

There have been changes to the Freeview standards over the years so the early sets and boxes no longer work. If that were your problem it would have affected you years ago. If you are particularly fond of the set you could get another set-top box.

[Deleted User]

fatpiggy wrote: »

A This week I thought I'd treat myself to a new TV (moneysaving rules of course!)

fatpiggy wrote: »

Modern technology - not built to last

Unfortunately "money-saving rules" usually means purchasing a sub-standard supermarket cheapie.

I agree about built in obsolescence though...

fatpiggy

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

Unfortunately "money-saving rules" usually means purchasing a sub-standard supermarket cheapie.

I agree about built in obsolescence though...

Actually I wasn't bothered at all about buying a supermarket's own make. Someone I know is a TV dealer and he told me that the manufacturers for the supermarkets buy large loads of branded parts and then fit them in unbranded sets. So one Tesco TV will be full of Hitachi parts, another Toshiba and so on. It is no different from washing machines, most of the makes contain identical parts. If you buy a branded TV or other white goods, you are basically paying for the brand (and doing their advertising for them). I remember a post on here a few years ago from a person who worked in a bakery, producing loaves for all the major labels. They made 10000 loaves for Hovis then changed the wrapper, nothing else, and carried on producing for a supermarket own brand!

fatpiggy

JohnDinton wrote: »

There have been changes to the Freeview standards over the years so the early sets and boxes no longer work. If that were your problem it would have affected you years ago. If you are particularly fond of the set you could get another set-top box.

Oh neither was THAT old, certainly not the FV box. :rotfl: