Freeview - terrible reception

Edinburghlass_2

You need a strong signal from a particular mode of aerial which any installer will advise you about. Doubt if you will get enough signal from portable aerial. Sorry can't help anymore.

John

Beg to differ with a fellow Scot but I get fine reception from an old OnDigital box with an inside aerial but then maybe I am in a particularly good area for reception.

Forget the aerial booster though, I have tried them at my caravan and useless

Fifer

Freezing is quite common in poor reception areas or with a poorly set-up aerial. When we first moved to this house, we persevered with a loft aerial for a few months. Some multiplexes were ok, but ones with marginal reception froze and broke-up regularly. Moving the aerial outside cured everything.

EDIT: I agree though, that a Sky FTV card might be a better solution in fringe areas.

Woby_Tide

....and boo-hiss(!)  :P  to those who choose to heckle at rather than aid those in need of a little info...

come off it, "my freeview reception is extremely bad and freeview say my area has a poor signal, what could be the problem?" they had all the info they needed, sorry if it was out of order, just seemed an odd question

Joe_Bloggs

You can use this site to review your transmitter options.
http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?
It is more likely than not, a problem with terrain. Line of sight is the key for terrestrial TV reception. The higher the aerial and transimtter the better the oppertunity for line of sight alignment with the transmitter.

You may have to redirect your aerial and change its type (ie tuning range) and vertical or horizontal orientation to receive transmissions from another transmitter.

Digital terrestrial transmitter powers are 50 to 100 times less than conventional analogue TV. Were this switched off then digital reception could be improved by boosting the power.
J_B.
PS. This site can be used to check aerial/transmitter line of sight for radio transmission feasability.
http://www.megalithia.com/elect/terrain.html

djohn2002uk

As you already have your Sky digibox there is no need for a Freeview box. Sky can supply you with a card free of charge programed for the Freeview channels only. I know this to be true because I have one. You obviously need to keep your dsh connected because you will be receiving your Freeview signal from the Sky satellite instead of by aerial. But you pay nothing to Sky. I don't know if the new Topup TV is available this way though.

cobden

As you already have your Sky digibox there is no need for a Freeview box. Sky can supply you with a card free of charge programed for the Freeview channels only. I know this to be true because I have one. You obviously need to keep your dsh connected because you will be receiving your Freeview signal from the Sky satellite instead of by aerial. But you pay nothing to Sky. I don't know if the new Topup TV is available this way though.

You may find that sky will want to charge you for the sky box before they will supply the free view card they do round my area a new subscriber pays £160 for full install and free view card, but the dealers try to get you to buy the Family pack I had the same problem due to a Large victorian building just to the left of my property and had this even when ondigittal operated despite an aerial. However I switched I rang a rigger for freeview who came along checked the present fittings Ok and I suggested a booster box, said dont waste your money, he put me a further smaller digital aerial up and then at my request ran me leads into a back bedroom and into the front, connected my Thompson Box in the lounge and sorted out my add on channels with add on TV and walla all works well. I have since bought another Thompson box for the bedroom so if I want to go to bed I take my card for add on upstairs plug it in and can watch the add ons at no extra cost box cost £79.99 from Argos and the survey and installation £60. one areial picks up signal from Winterhill the other from Pendle forrest transmitter

Regards,Cobden

alexj2002

Is your portable TV on an external (outside) aerial or a tv-top mounted one?

If it is the latter then this is almost certainly the reason - Freeview in all but the most strong signal areas simply will not work with indoor smaller aerials.

Also in response to this <quote>As you already have your Sky digibox there is no need for a Freeview box. Sky can supply you with a card free of charge programed for the Freeview channels only. I know this to be true because I have one. You obviously need to keep your dsh connected because you will be receiving your Freeview signal from the Sky satellite instead of by aerial. But you pay nothing to Sky. I don't know if the new Topup TV is available this way though.</quote>

The Sky card is for Free-To-View channels not Freeview channels. There is quite a big difference e.g. there is no ITV2,UKTV History and UKTV Bright Ideas on Free-To-View and there is no Pop,Pop+,Chart Show TV,The Vault,Motors TV etc. on Freeview.

Top-Up TV is the pay tv service for digital terrestrial television and so there is absoultely no way it will work with satellite.

The channel list for Freeview (Free Digital TV through an aerial) can be found here: http://www.kswindells.34sp.com/freeview/ta.php/channels and the channel list for Free-To-Air (Free Digital TV through a satellite dish) can be found here: http://www.geocities.com/digitalsatuk/astra2_28e.html