Co-axial cable issues - very strange.

[Mr Noble]

I got a TV for the kitchen delivered from John Lewis on Monday. It tuned in fine to all 118 freeview channels.

I had pinched the co-ax cable from the lounge TV while I waited a new one to get delivered from John Lewis. (left off order)

When it arrived and I plugged that new cable into the kitchen tv, I could only get about 40 channels.

Very odd.

Put the other older one in and 118 channels, JL cable - 40 channels.

I bought another one from Currys yesterday and tried it - 40 channels!!


I've now tried all 3 cables on the TV in my bedroom and its the same!! 118 channels on old cable and 40ish on both the new ones!





HELP!!! What the heck is going on???

[miniman]

Is the original cable satellite grade?

[PhilboSE]

Interesting...I have a TV attached via a 1m coax patch cable that gets *terrible* reception on some channels. Might try some other cables to see if this is the issue.

[Mr Noble]

@miniman - I think the original cable is so old it's probably well before Sat TV was launched!!



Surely it'd be a well known issue if *some* leads didn't carry certain signals.



Defo something up with current leads. Must be thousands of people in the UK who just *think* they can't get a load of channels when in fact they just have a naff lead.

[megaphone]

All I can suggest is your aerial signal is right on the threshold and the newer cables aren't up to the same standard as the older one.

Or you have no signal at the wall sockets? Maybe the cable itself is acting as an aerial? Have you tried it unplugged from the wall?

[Mr Noble]

Unlikely to be able to pick up all 118 freeview channels on just the bit of cable in rural suffolk!!


It is 100% defo the newer cables that don't carry the signals as well as the old one.


Mission now is to find another "old" cable that carries the signal!


I've got some good digital co-ax in the garage and some male ends somewhere, so I'll make a cable up and see if that's any better.



Will report back.

[Fishtigua]

My FreeSat box packed-up a couple of days ago. Checked everything after reading about your problems. Then, after a few hours, just checked again.

Blow me, the bloody thing just started working once more. Dunno what I did but it's now perfect. Very strange.

[aizvara]

Is it possible that the older cable(s) attenuate the signal enough that the receiver can tune more channels? I.e. the signal strength is too high with newer cables. Though I understand that strength is less important with digital transmission.

[miniman]

Are they pre-made cables you're trying? If so might be worth getting a bit of good quality cable and a couple of good connectors and making your own to try.

[VEX]

It could easily be the other way round!

There is a lot of loss on the old cable from a high powered signal and that me t the TV got the signal at the correct level.

Now the new cable has less loss so more signal at the TV and that is overloading the system.

Which channels are missing, that is usually a good indicator of to much or to little signal.

V.

[Mr Noble]

Vex.



It was all the BBC channels at first. But now its ones like Dave, Viva, Film 4 and all of the crappy shoppinbg and dating and adult channels.

[VEX]

BBC channels are the strongest in the group, so if they were the first to go then it could well be to much signal.

How are you splitting or feeding the signal to the kitchen?

V.

[megaphone]

Does your TV have a signal strength indicator in the menu? Have a look under manual tuning, quite often there. Switch to a bad channel and see what the signal is like.