TV Reception lost

grumpycrab

Aerial points to Crystal Palace with masthead amp.; get nothing but corrupt stuff on channels 800-899. Tried 2 different TVs; either Crystal Palace has gone (doubt it very much) or something's eaten through our cable.

aerostar

Usually 800 and up are channels from another transmitter and will be low level leading to break up. Your normal channels should start at 1 not 800.
Try a retune.

grumpycrab

aerostar wrote: »

Usually 800 and up are channels from another transmitter and will be low level leading to break up. Your normal channels should start at 1 not 800.
Try a retune.

Done (many) retunes; Fargo recorded ok Wed night so something's happened since then. My list so far is either:-
1. Crystal Palace has gone down (or something's blocking line of sight)
2. disconnect somewhere (no bad weather or building work or diy; visual inspect of aerial looks ok)
3. masthead** amp failed (or is failing); do these ever breakdown?

(**) not very familiar with these but it plugs into aerial socket (and power) in bedroom;

EssexExile

Well it's easy to find out if it's the transmitter - ask a neighbour or look online.

Of course masthead amps breakdown, out there in all weathers. Or it could be a broken cable, or the fuse gone in the supply.

London50

http://www.bbc.co.uk/receptionsearch

Rodders53

Crystal Palace is very unlikely to ever go off air on any single multiplex let alone all of them. There is also a backup to the on site backup down the road at the Croydon tower.

Thus, your aerial is at fault.

Usual advice is to NEVER RETUNE when you get reception problems. The TV loses all the TV station placeholders when a retune is done. If not retuned, when the fault is rectified all the TV stations return with no further intervention needed.

Masthead amp - or more likely the power supply box attached to the aerial cable - may have failed? Some TVs have an 'antenna power' function that might power the amplifier (remove the power supply box from the cable circuit first though!).

A good aerial installer would have equipment to test and diagnose the equipment and rectify the installation.

shaun_from_Africa

Rodders53 wrote: »

Crystal Palace is very unlikely to ever go off air on any single multiplex let alone all of them.

Never say never.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54DWQzxC6e8

Hedgehog99

If you still have a freeview box left over from when you used it with an analogue TV, sometimes a box's tuner can be more sensitive than the one built in to a freeview TV.

I get more channels with a reliable reception through my freeview box (yes, I still have an ancient analogue TV) than with my newer freeview TV.

It was one of the aerial installers who told me the boxes can sometimes get signals from weak channels.

grumpycrab

Wow. Other half reports that Amazon Prime delivered a PSU** (exact same model for £10, ordered 16hours ago) and ...it works. She says the LED is a little brighter than the old one. Saved calling aerial man.

(**) PSU provides power to masthead amplifier via aerial lead itself.