I have a Humax 8100T which since about 2 months ago shows 
a blank screen on BBC1 and 2.

The transmitter is Rowridge and I am on the edge of the 
receiving area - BA12 6DG.

It hasn't affected all channels; Sky News, Channel 5, 
Dave, TFM, Film 4 are all not too bad.

I have tried rescanning and although it finds BBC1&2 it 
still cannot display a picture.

Do I need to bin the PVR?

DAvy

Davy  wrote:

>I have a Humax 8100T which since about 2 months ago shows 
>a blank screen on BBC1 and 2.
>
>The transmitter is Rowridge and I am on the edge of the 
>receiving area - BA12 6DG.

I'm astonished that you can get anything.  According to Wolfbane, you're
on the extreme outer fringe with a mountain in the way.

-- 
Dave Farrance

Dave Farrance wrote:
> Davy  wrote:
> 
>> I have a Humax 8100T which since about 2 months ago shows 
>> a blank screen on BBC1 and 2.
>>
>> The transmitter is Rowridge and I am on the edge of the 
>> receiving area - BA12 6DG.
> 
> I'm astonished that you can get anything.  According to Wolfbane, you're
> on the extreme outer fringe with a mountain in the way.


There ain't no mountains between the IOW and the A303 in Wiltshire !
Where are you from, Holland ?  :-)

Rowridge is quite well used in those parts, though as the OP says he's on the 
edge. I suspect his Mux 1 could be suffering co-channel interference from ITV 
analogue from Stockland Hill, which is also receivable in that area.

Things *might* improve next year when Stockland Hill has ASO, and its DTT 
power will be boosted considerably. Might be worth swinging round the aerial 
and trying that then. Otherwise it's a long wait for Rowridge ASO in March 2012.

I assume Mendip is not possible for some local reason ? it might be worth 
considering Hannington, though that's a very long shot.


-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

Mark Carver <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote:

>Dave Farrance wrote:
>> Davy  wrote:
>>> The transmitter is Rowridge and I am on the edge of the 
>>> receiving area - BA12 6DG.
>> 
>> I'm astonished that you can get anything.  According to Wolfbane, you're
>> on the extreme outer fringe with a mountain in the way.
>
>There ain't no mountains between the IOW and the A303 in Wiltshire !
>Where are you from, Holland ?  :-)

Only a slight exaggeration.  :)   According to Wolfbane, there's a 300m
peak between Mere and the IOW.  It's around about Shaftesbury, I think.
What's a mountain in the UK?  1000 feet minimum?

-- 
Dave Farrance

On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:34:15 -0500, Davy 
wrote:

> I have a Humax 8100T which since about 2 months ago shows 
> a blank screen on BBC1 and 2.
> 
> The transmitter is Rowridge and I am on the edge of the 
> receiving area - BA12 6DG.

Why don't you use Mendip? It is a lot closer and there are fewer obstructions,
having just looked at a terrain plot.
There are some rather large wooded hills on the path from Rowridge, across
Cranborne Chase.

> It hasn't affected all channels; Sky News, Channel 5, 
> Dave, TFM, Film 4 are all not too bad.

Who knows what strange effects lots of wet leaves have on signals?

> I have tried rescanning and although it finds BBC1&2 it 
> still cannot display a picture.

That's because you have insufficient signal (on certain Muxes). It's fairly
obvious.

> Do I need to bin the PVR?

You you take your car to the scrap yard when it runs out of petrol?

Dave Farrance wrote:
> Mark Carver <mark.carver@invalid.invalid> wrote:

>> There ain't no mountains between the IOW and the A303 in Wiltshire !
>> Where are you from, Holland ?  :-)
> 
> Only a slight exaggeration.  :)   According to Wolfbane, there's a 300m
> peak between Mere and the IOW.  

 > It's around about Shaftesbury, I think.

Ah, it'll be more or less the same lump that is Gold Hill :-

http://www.romancesouthwest.co.uk/main/en/att-provider-ROMA_18828.html

Used in the 1970s Hovis TV advert.

> What's a mountain in the UK?  1000 feet minimum?

Good question.



-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

Dave Farrance wrote:
> Davy  wrote:
> 
>> I have a Humax 8100T which since about 2 months ago shows 
>> a blank screen on BBC1 and 2.
>>
>> The transmitter is Rowridge and I am on the edge of the 
>> receiving area - BA12 6DG.
> 
> I'm astonished that you can get anything.  According to Wolfbane, you're
> on the extreme outer fringe with a mountain in the way.
> 

Wolfbane says everything is "extreme outer fringe", unless you live in 
the same field as the transmitter.

On Thu, 21 Aug 2008 19:51:33 GMT, Dave Farrance
 wrote:

>What's a mountain in the UK?  1000 feet minimum?

Used to be 2000 feet, now 600 metres.

-- 
Alan White
Mozilla Firefox and Forte Agent.
Twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, overlooking Lochs Long and Goil in Argyll, Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/weather

"Paul Ratcliffe" <abuse@orac12.clara34.co56.uk78> wrote in message 
news:slrngargh9.aei.abuse@news.pr.network...
> Who knows what strange effects lots of wet leaves have on signals?

I do. They fuck them up something terrible.

Bill

Davy  wrote in 
news:Xns9B01C7181245Bmeremoveallthistextc@
216.196.109.145:

> I have a Humax 8100T which since about 2 months ago 
shows 
> a blank screen on BBC1 and 2.
> 
> The transmitter is Rowridge and I am on the edge of 
the 
> receiving area - BA12 6DG.
> 
> It hasn't affected all channels; Sky News, Channel 5, 
> Dave, TFM, Film 4 are all not too bad.
> 
> I have tried rescanning and although it finds BBC1&2 
it 
> still cannot display a picture.
> 
> Do I need to bin the PVR?
> 
> DAvy

In answer to your questions:
- can't get Mendip - its behind a local hill
- Stockland might be possible but it would probably cost 
me more to get an installer to muck around swinging the 
arial around that it would cost to install FreeSat?
- some have suggested that in my Rowridge fringe area I 
should not be surprised by the poor reception; my 
surprise is that once BBC/2 were reasonable reception 
but not in recent months.  I had kind of thought that 
the BBC which receives £100M or more in license fees 
would be able to put out a better signal than 'Dave' !!

DAvy

Davy wrote:

> - some have suggested that in my Rowridge fringe area I 
> should not be surprised by the poor reception; my 
> surprise is that once BBC/2 were reasonable reception 
> but not in recent months.  I had kind of thought that 
> the BBC which receives £100M or more in license fees 
> would be able to put out a better signal than 'Dave' !!

Over the last few months the old analogue transmitting aerial at 
Stockland Hill has been replaced by a brand new one ready for the new 
high power DTT services, starting there next year. AIUI the four 
analogue channels are being temporarily transmitted from this aerial 
(until ASO). The aerial is very likely to have subtly different 
characteristics to the old one. Therefore, ITV analogue from there as 
received on your Rowridge aerial might now be marginally stronger and 
corrupting your BBC Mux reception on the same channel.

Sometime between now and 2012, Rowridge will under go similar 
re-engineering, that will mean reduced power working for DTT and 
analogue for extended periods. Expect things to get worse on all muxes, 
before they get better.

http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/stocklandhill/dso/index.php

Brian Gaff wrote:
> One of the tell tales in areas like this is often all sorts of strange 
> aerials pointed all different ways because 100 yards down the road a 
> completely different transmitter is better.
> 
> As for wet leaves, well, he wants to try  a sat dish mounted on a greenhouse 
> that keeps being hit by airborne apples like a guy down my road. What a 
> stupid place to put it!
> 
> 
> Brian
> 

We have an ongoing farce being played out next door to us.

Our new neighbours started off with a Sky dish and a steerable dish 
mounted on the front of the house.

They then built a 6' x 4' shed in the back garden, a couple of feet from 
the house.

The new shed then gained a smallish UHF aerial, angled up towards the 
gutter - the house is between the shed and Crystal Palace. The aerial 
cable was clipped across the roof, through the new roofing felt!

In short order, the aerial disappeared and another Sky dish appeared - 
mounted on the trunk of a tree at the bottom of the garden! Needless to 
say, within a couple of weeks, leaves started growing on the tree, which 
must have a surprise to them!

The dish has now been moved to a wooden post at the end of the garden, 
in front of the tree. It sways a bit in the wind.

In the meantime, an 18 element contract aerial has been mounted directly 
above the steerable dish at the front of the house. In a Mk II 
arrangement, it has been raised about a metre above the dish on a short 
extension mast.

I'm waiting to see what they come up with next!

Terry

"Brian Gaff"  wrote in 
news:dIurk.46363$E41.22074@text.news.virginmedia.com:

> Your box has become a tv critic? :-)
> 
> Are any other channels affected as well, getting back to 
being serious.
> 
> Brian
> 

Well it seems to be only BBC1&2 which are affected.  And 
this during a period when there has been no high over 
Europe.

Davy

On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:32:59 -0500, Davy
 wrote:

>"Brian Gaff"  wrote in 
>news:dIurk.46363$E41.22074@text.news.virginmedia.com:
>
>> Your box has become a tv critic? :-)
>> 
>> Are any other channels affected as well, getting back to 
>being serious.
>> 
>> Brian
>> 
>
>Well it seems to be only BBC1&2 which are affected.  And 
>this during a period when there has been no high over 
>Europe.
>
>Davy

Any way you could try another Freeview box?  Yours may have developed
a fault.


Marky P.

Davy wrote:
> "Brian Gaff"  wrote in 
> news:dIurk.46363$E41.22074@text.news.virginmedia.com:
> 
>> Your box has become a tv critic? :-)
>>
>> Are any other channels affected as well, getting back to 
> being serious.
>> Brian
>>
> 
> Well it seems to be only BBC1&2 which are affected.  And 
> this during a period when there has been no high over 
> Europe.

Mux 1 carries:- BBC 1, BBC 2, CBBC (Until 7pm), BBC 3 (After 7pm), and 
BBC News channel.

If you can still receive CBBC, BBC 3, and BBC News (Ch 80) then it's not 
a reception problem, but rather something more subtle with your box.

Marky P  wrote in 
news:gd2ta4p0iujn9fk89hkhb0ablir4gdllv1@4ax.com:

> On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:32:59 -0500, Davy
>  wrote:
> 
>>"Brian Gaff"  wrote in 
>>news:dIurk.46363$E41.22074@text.news.virginmedia.com:
>>
>>> Your box has become a tv critic? :-)
>>> 
>>> Are any other channels affected as well, getting 
back to 
>>being serious.
>>> 
>>> Brian
>>> 
>>
>>Well it seems to be only BBC1&2 which are affected.  
And 
>>this during a period when there has been no high over 
>>Europe.
>>
>>Davy
> 
> Any way you could try another Freeview box?  Yours may 
have developed
> a fault.
> 
> 
> Marky P.

A mate has lent me a cheap Digihome DVB 915 STB which 
does decode all the channels much better than the Humax 
- but BBC1/2 still seem to be the most likely to break 
up.

Davy

On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:14:09 -0500, Davy wrote:
  > I had kind of thought that the BBC which receives £100M or more in   
  > license fees would be able to put out a better signal than 'Dave' !!

As far as I am aware, and I am sure I will be soon corrected if I am not, 
the BBC have never been responsible for the broadcast transmission of 
their terrestrial digital television services --

  the BBC neither own nor operate the television transmitters
  or television masts.

"Terry Casey" <k.type@example.invalid> wrote in message 
news:Bhvrk.78737$LU4.8480@newsfe24.ams2...
> In the meantime, an 18 element contract aerial has been mounted directly 
> above the steerable dish at the front of the house. In a Mk II 
> arrangement, it has been raised about a metre above the dish on a short 
> extension mast.
>
> I'm waiting to see what they come up with next!

Any pictures suitable for the new DIY section on my website?

Bill

Bill Wright wrote:
> "Terry Casey" <k.type@example.invalid> wrote in message 
> news:Bhvrk.78737$LU4.8480@newsfe24.ams2...
>> In the meantime, an 18 element contract aerial has been mounted directly 
>> above the steerable dish at the front of the house. In a Mk II 
>> arrangement, it has been raised about a metre above the dish on a short 
>> extension mast.
>>
>> I'm waiting to see what they come up with next!
> 
> Any pictures suitable for the new DIY section on my website?
> 
> Bill 
> 
> 
Bill

Unfortunately I haven't got one of the shed or the tree, but I'm putting 
together a little collection for you

Terry

"Terry Casey" <k.type@example.invalid> wrote in message 
news:s0Crk.70269$Ft5.26615@newsfe29.ams2...
> Unfortunately I haven't got one of the shed or the tree, but I'm putting 
> together a little collection for you

Excellent.

Bill

On 22 Aug,  
     J G Miller  wrote:

> As far as I am aware, and I am sure I will be soon corrected if I am not, 
> the BBC have never been responsible for the broadcast transmission of 
> their terrestrial digital television services --
> 
>   the BBC neither own nor operate the television transmitters
>   or television masts.

They did up until 1997 when they were  sold out to a bunch of texas cowboys
led by T Miller jr.

-- 
  BD
  Change lycos to yahoo to reply

On Fri, 22 Aug 2008 23:38:10 +0100, me9 wrote:

> On 22 Aug,
>      J G Miller  wrote:
> 
>> As far as I am aware, and I am sure I will be soon corrected if I am
>> not, the BBC have never been responsible for the broadcast transmission
>> of their terrestrial digital television services --
>> 
>>   the BBC neither own nor operate the television transmitters or
>>   television masts.
> 
> They did up until 1997 when they were  sold out to a bunch of texas
> cowboys led by T Miller jr.

According to

<http://www.uk.nationalgridwireless.com/aboutus_heritage.shtml>

QUOTE

n 1997, Castle Transmission International acquired the Home Service 
Broadcast Transmission Division of the BBC. This division, encompassed 
the BBC's long tradition of engineering advances in broadcasting and was 
responsible for shaping much of the technology we currently use to 
receive television and radio signals.

UNQUOTE

My memory was in error -- I thought the BBC had been forced to sell out
earlier than 1997, before the digital television service started.

Thank you for your correction.

Now that Crown Castle has become NGW and NGW has been purchased by
Arquiva, terrestrial broadcasting in the UKofGB&NI is now safely in the
hands of a foreign owned monopoly.

So should one applaud another "well done" to the policies of Thatcher and 
Major and Bliar to ensure the hand over the assets to the control of 
foreign companies?

J G Miller wrote:
> 
> My memory was in error -- I thought the BBC had been forced to sell out
> earlier than 1997, before the digital television service started.

DTT services started in November 1998, so you could still argue the BBC have 
never transmitted their own DTT output ?

-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

Davy  wrote in 
news:Xns9B01C7181245Bmeremoveallthistextc@
216.196.109.145:

> I have a Humax 8100T which since about 2 months ago 
shows 
> a blank screen on BBC1 and 2.
> 
> The transmitter is Rowridge and I am on the edge of 
the 
> receiving area - BA12 6DG.
> 
> It hasn't affected all channels; Sky News, Channel 5, 
> Dave, TFM, Film 4 are all not too bad.
> 
> I have tried rescanning and although it finds BBC1&2 
it 
> still cannot display a picture.
> 
> Do I need to bin the PVR?
> 
> DAvy

Thanks guys for all the input.  I think that Mark Carver 
may have identified the problem when he said "Over the 
last few months the old analogue transmitting aerial at 
Stockland Hill has been replaced by a brand new one 
ready for the new high power DTT services, starting 
there next year. ....... Therefore, ITV analogue from 
there as received on your Rowridge aerial might now be 
marginally stronger and corrupting your BBC Mux 
reception on the same channel."

Maybe my Humax 8100T can't cope with the interference 
but the loaned Digihome can?

DAvy

On Sat, 23 Aug 2008 17:36:06 +0100, Mark Carver wrote:

> J G Miller wrote:
>> 
>> My memory was in error -- I thought the BBC had been forced to sell out
>> earlier than 1997, before the digital television service started.
> 
> DTT services started in November 1998, so you could still argue the BBC
> have never transmitted their own DTT output ?

Well that is what I thought originally.  Apparently I misinterpreted the
mesage from me9 whose comment must only have intended to apply to the 
ownership of transmitters and masts prior to the take over by Crown 
Castle International.

So the question remains, did the BBC conduct any test transmissions of
digital terrestrial television using their own transmitters prior to the 
sale the sites to CCI, and if so were, any digital transmitters were sold 
on to CCI?

Furthermore, would it therefore be correct to say that the BBC is no 
longer a broadcaster but merely a producer, commissioner, and scheduler
of program services, since they neither play out, distribute, nor 
transmit services?

On 23 Aug,  
     J G Miller  wrote:

> On Sat, 23 Aug 2008 17:36:06 +0100, Mark Carver wrote:
> 
> > J G Miller wrote:
> >> 
> >> My memory was in error -- I thought the BBC had been forced to sell out
> >> earlier than 1997, before the digital television service started.
> > 
> > DTT services started in November 1998, so you could still argue the BBC
> > have never transmitted their own DTT output ?
> 
> Well that is what I thought originally.  Apparently I misinterpreted the
> mesage from me9 whose comment must only have intended to apply to the 
> ownership of transmitters and masts prior to the take over by Crown 
> Castle International.

My reply was a general one about transmission.

> 
> So the question remains, did the BBC conduct any test transmissions of
> digital terrestrial television using their own transmitters prior to the 
> sale the sites to CCI, and if so were, any digital transmitters were sold 
> on to CCI?

Tewst transmissions were certainly made well before November 1998. I'm not
sure who owned them, but they were removed well before November 1998. 

> 
> Furthermore, would it therefore be correct to say that the BBC is no 
> longer a broadcaster but merely a producer, commissioner, and scheduler of
> program services, since they neither play out, distribute, nor  transmit
> services?

nail, blunt end, hammer, hit.
 
-- 
  BD
  Change lycos to yahoo to reply

me9@privacy.net wrote:

>> So the question remains, did the BBC conduct any test transmissions of
>> digital terrestrial television using their own transmitters prior to the 
>> sale the sites to CCI, and if so were, any digital transmitters were sold 
>> on to CCI?
> 
> Tewst transmissions were certainly made well before November 1998. I'm not
> sure who owned them, but they were removed well before November 1998. 

Crystal Palace and Pontop Pike were the sites used for BBC DTT tests, circa 1996 ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/papers/paper_08/paper_08.shtml


-- 
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

Mark Carver wrote:
> me9@privacy.net wrote:
> 
>>> So the question remains, did the BBC conduct any test transmissions of
>>> digital terrestrial television using their own transmitters prior to 
>>> the sale the sites to CCI, and if so were, any digital transmitters 
>>> were sold on to CCI?
>>
>> Tewst transmissions were certainly made well before November 1998. I'm 
>> not
>> sure who owned them, but they were removed well before November 1998. 
> 
> Crystal Palace and Pontop Pike were the sites used for BBC DTT tests, 
> circa 1996 ?
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/papers/paper_08/paper_08.shtml
> 
> 

Digital television tests were done from CP in 1992 with an erp of 50W, 
though not using the current DVB-T standard. High power tests using the 
reserve at CP and 10kW erp were done in 1993. Interestingly, both 64QAM 
and 256QAM modes were used, though I can't remember what the net capacity.

Phil

Davy  wrote:

> Maybe my Humax 8100T can't cope with the interference 
> but the loaned Digihome can?

The Digihome certainly has a decent tuner. Mine can decode Mux2 from
Belmont (due east, HP) via the Sheffield log periodic (south-west, VP)
which none of my other decoders can see using the same feed. Several
multiplexes are co-channel with others around here, but I can't say
whether the Digihome copes with them better than the other boxes.

-- 
Alan Pemberton
Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
To e-mail me directly, please visit
<http://www.pembers.freeserve.co.uk/index.html#Mail-me>