Apologies for poor photo quality (again) - this was yesterday evening and 
the photos looked ok when I previewed them!

Job was around the corner from me. Complaints of no ITV / CH4 / CH5 plus 
many other Freeview channels & crap analogue pictures. Tested one of the 
outlets and was a seething mass of noise with some muxes at around 85dBuV 
with BER off the chart, and some ok-ish for a few seconds but then hopeless. 
Spotted a small Televes amplifier (no spec but think these are 20dB gain) 
behind main TV amplifying the RF2 & aerial signals.

Went up into the loft and here's what I found!

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/8531/nicerf2.jpg

Probably one of the worst I've seen! Note the 2 amplifiers powered via a 
taped joint to the lighting circuit. They even scrimped on using a choccy 
block!
Also note the three coax cables taped together. It was just a horrible mess. 
The DVB-T signals direct from aerial were perfectly fine on all but one mux 
(which was borderline) but still just above digital cliff! It looks like 
they've just added more amplifiers to try and improve the borderline mux? 
It's all a bit strange. Customer wasn't too bothered about possibility of 
pixelation on borderline mux in future so aerial was left alone.

I replaced the lot with a single 8 way Antiference A280D and fitted a 3a 
fused spur. Customer now impressed that he can change Sky channel from 
bedroom!

This kind of simple domestic work should be bread and butter stuff to a 
professional aerial firm surely? How can they get it so wrong? Clearly there 
are elements of roguery & laziness in there also!!!

"-<GB>-Carpy"  wrote in message 
news:WkVGm.7147$k31.6309@newsfe04.ams2...
> Apologies for poor photo quality (again) - this was yesterday evening and 
> the photos looked ok when I previewed them!

I do wish you'd spend some of that money I know you're making on a decent 
camera! That would have been an excellent exhibit in my Rogues' Gallery!

Bill

"Bill Wright"  wrote in message 
news:r6WdneIp5OOP83HXnZ2dnUVZ8qudnZ2d@pipex.net...
>
> "-<GB>-Carpy"  wrote in message 
> news:WkVGm.7147$k31.6309@newsfe04.ams2...
>> Apologies for poor photo quality (again) - this was yesterday evening and 
>> the photos looked ok when I previewed them!
>
> I do wish you'd spend some of that money I know you're making on a decent 
> camera! That would have been an excellent exhibit in my Rogues' Gallery!
>
> Bill
>

It still is a good exhibit- you've just gotta squint a bit!

I've got a decent camera, but I always forget to take it up into the loft!

What happens is I'll spend half an hour heaving my large aching frame and 
countless heavy tools / hundreds of connectors / numerous new parts and a 
fresh coffee into the loft - make myself comfy by the headend (with a big 
sigh of relief) & be just about to rip the dodgy wiring out when I realise I 
havent taken any photos of it yet.

Then it's a decision to either upheave myself from my nice little perch and 
tramp all the way back down to the van, or just take a few snaps on my 5mp 
camera phone! I always choose the phone.............I even preview the 
pictures and they always look spot on the small screen in a dark loft. I 
guess I'll just have to add my proper camera to the list of items that need 
hauling up into lofts!

"-<GB>-Carpy"  wrote in message 
news:ld0Hm.66580$R52.21899@newsfe24.ams2...
>
> "Bill Wright"  wrote in message 
> news:r6WdneIp5OOP83HXnZ2dnUVZ8qudnZ2d@pipex.net...
> What happens is I'll spend half an hour heaving my large aching frame and 
> countless heavy tools / hundreds of connectors / numerous new parts and a 
> fresh coffee into the loft - make myself comfy by the headend (with a big 
> sigh of relief) & be just about to rip the dodgy wiring out when I realise 
> I havent taken any photos of it yet.
>
> Then it's a decision to either upheave myself from my nice little perch 
> and tramp all the way back down to the van, or just take a few snaps on my 
> 5mp camera phone! I always choose the phone.............I even preview the 
> pictures and they always look spot on the small screen in a dark loft. I 
> guess I'll just have to add my proper camera to the list of items that 
> need hauling up into lofts!

What a long rambling excuse! What you have to do is put a small cheap but 
effective camera in a small cheap Jessops soft camera bag. Put this and a 
small torch in your toolbox. Point the torch at the head-end when you are 
taking the picture and it will help the autofocus no end. Anyway, you're 
doing a grand job, and I wish there were more like you.

Bill

Its that old out of sight out of mind principal. Its amazing what can work 
though.

I was playing around the other day to see what other transmitters were still 
possible from here. Hannington is, but since I last tried there seems to be 
some sort of nasty very loud paging signal crossmodding onto anything with 
an aerial in the clear  facing  in that direction.

Not that I'm bothered as TV at the moment is pretty boring.

Brian

-- 
Brian Gaff - briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff'
in the display name may be lost.
Blind user, so no pictures please!
"-<GB>-Carpy"  wrote in message 
news:WkVGm.7147$k31.6309@newsfe04.ams2...
> Apologies for poor photo quality (again) - this was yesterday evening and 
> the photos looked ok when I previewed them!
>
> Job was around the corner from me. Complaints of no ITV / CH4 / CH5 plus 
> many other Freeview channels & crap analogue pictures. Tested one of the 
> outlets and was a seething mass of noise with some muxes at around 85dBuV 
> with BER off the chart, and some ok-ish for a few seconds but then 
> hopeless. Spotted a small Televes amplifier (no spec but think these are 
> 20dB gain) behind main TV amplifying the RF2 & aerial signals.
>
> Went up into the loft and here's what I found!
>
> http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/8531/nicerf2.jpg
>
> Probably one of the worst I've seen! Note the 2 amplifiers powered via a 
> taped joint to the lighting circuit. They even scrimped on using a choccy 
> block!
> Also note the three coax cables taped together. It was just a horrible 
> mess. The DVB-T signals direct from aerial were perfectly fine on all but 
> one mux (which was borderline) but still just above digital cliff! It 
> looks like they've just added more amplifiers to try and improve the 
> borderline mux? It's all a bit strange. Customer wasn't too bothered about 
> possibility of pixelation on borderline mux in future so aerial was left 
> alone.
>
> I replaced the lot with a single 8 way Antiference A280D and fitted a 3a 
> fused spur. Customer now impressed that he can change Sky channel from 
> bedroom!
>
> This kind of simple domestic work should be bread and butter stuff to a 
> professional aerial firm surely? How can they get it so wrong? Clearly 
> there are elements of roguery & laziness in there also!!!
>