on-digital box not finding channels
Discussion
hi,
i have recently left home and have taken one of my parents TVs and old on-digital boxes. i moved to bristol where TV reception seems to be quite bad, so i bought a £15 aeriel booster. when this is plugged directly into the tv i can get very poor reception once i have retuned it.
but i cant seem to get the on-digital box to work at all. i thought i knew how to retune one (menu, getting started, add channels), but no-matter what i do it never finds any channels. is there anything else i have to do because i have moved home?
any help would be very much appreciated.
chris
i have recently left home and have taken one of my parents TVs and old on-digital boxes. i moved to bristol where TV reception seems to be quite bad, so i bought a £15 aeriel booster. when this is plugged directly into the tv i can get very poor reception once i have retuned it.
but i cant seem to get the on-digital box to work at all. i thought i knew how to retune one (menu, getting started, add channels), but no-matter what i do it never finds any channels. is there anything else i have to do because i have moved home?
any help would be very much appreciated.
chris
that is a very useful site, but could someone please tell me what the results mean?
when i did a search of my postcode on this site:
www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?
it has a large table with lots of columns and i dont know which are important. i have a feeling that the UHF number is important, but that table gives me about 8 different ones. any help?
chris
when i did a search of my postcode on this site:
www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?
it has a large table with lots of columns and i dont know which are important. i have a feeling that the UHF number is important, but that table gives me about 8 different ones. any help?
chris
I too have an old ONdigital box and live in Bristol and can get all the channels. I live in a flat and speaking to the engineer who setup the aerial system he says the aerial is pointing to the Bedminster rely. He also mentioned the analog signal from there is rubbish and you can't even get channel 5.
I would check that:
a) your aerial can receive digital TV
b) it's pointing in the correct direction
Thinking about this further, I seem to remember there are other options when retuning the box and "add channels" isn't the one you want. There's another option in that menu that warns you that you'll loose your existing channals if you do this and that's the one you want to select. I'll check this evening as I've got the manual lying around somewhere!
I would check that:
a) your aerial can receive digital TV
b) it's pointing in the correct direction
Thinking about this further, I seem to remember there are other options when retuning the box and "add channels" isn't the one you want. There's another option in that menu that warns you that you'll loose your existing channals if you do this and that's the one you want to select. I'll check this evening as I've got the manual lying around somewhere!
speedychrissie said:You need to do a "store channels" not add. This may ask you for a PIN number if you have one. This will force it to retune to the local stations. Worked for me
i thought i knew how to retune one (menu, getting started, add channels), but no-matter what i do it never finds any channels. is there anything else i have to do because i have moved home?
speedychrissie said:
that is a very useful site, but could someone please tell me what the results mean?
when i did a search of my postcode on this site:
<a href="www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?"><a href="www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?">www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?</a></a>
it has a large table with lots of columns and i dont know which are important. i have a feeling that the UHF number is important, but that table gives me about 8 different ones. any help?
chris
I'm no expert but i'll give it a go using my postcode.
Ok the headings of the column refer to the channel groups(eg bbc goup). I think about 10 - 15 digital channels are encoded in groups into an analogue UHF channel which is what the UHF channel number shows. You can enter how high your antenna is at the top and it will tell you which transmitters are available to you. Most of the other number are to do with the how high the mast is. the GP column shows you which group of antenna you should have as does the antenna suggestion. Grid ref is the mast and bearing is direction from you postcode. Erp is the power of the transmitter bigger the better generally unless its much further away denoted by the distance column.
So taking that all into account you should be just as confused as I'am
Oops just remembered polarization which is Horizontal or Vertical if you antenna is H any you point at V no signal or very crappy anyway
>> Edited by malman on Wednesday 20th July 00:52
>> Edited by malman on Wednesday 20th July 00:55
Digital terrestrial is a bit "all or nuffink". I did my aerial here myself, and I used the analogue part of our heathfield transmitter to fine tune the direction. That is to say, if the analogue picture is iffy, you probably won't get digital.
I imagine that when they switch analogue off, you'll have to get a signal strength meter to do the fine tuning
If the set top box can't auto tune, then there's nothing to be had.
As for the aerial, if optimum signal strength (with correct aerial type, polarisation, and direction) is still weak, use a masthead amplifier over one that goes by the television. You'll get a better picture every time. If optimum signal strength without the amplifier is good, explicity choose not to use one.
The signal can be too big for your telly, as well as too small, and the strength will vary seasonally.
Each of the digital channel groups is reffered to as a multiplex, not that it helps much.
In built up areas, you can get line of site, and ghosting/multipath problems, attributable to large surrounding buildings. If this is an issuse you might be better of with a satellite setup. Often the angle to the satellite is more favourable than to the terrestrial transmitter.
Edited to add;
Pertinent facts.
>> Edited by dilbert on Wednesday 20th July 01:42
>> Edited by dilbert on Wednesday 20th July 01:47
I imagine that when they switch analogue off, you'll have to get a signal strength meter to do the fine tuning
If the set top box can't auto tune, then there's nothing to be had.
As for the aerial, if optimum signal strength (with correct aerial type, polarisation, and direction) is still weak, use a masthead amplifier over one that goes by the television. You'll get a better picture every time. If optimum signal strength without the amplifier is good, explicity choose not to use one.
The signal can be too big for your telly, as well as too small, and the strength will vary seasonally.
Each of the digital channel groups is reffered to as a multiplex, not that it helps much.
In built up areas, you can get line of site, and ghosting/multipath problems, attributable to large surrounding buildings. If this is an issuse you might be better of with a satellite setup. Often the angle to the satellite is more favourable than to the terrestrial transmitter.
Edited to add;
Pertinent facts.
>> Edited by dilbert on Wednesday 20th July 01:42
>> Edited by dilbert on Wednesday 20th July 01:47
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