Freeview setup help - hardware

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725 posts

Ultimate Geek

#790228 1-Apr-2013 16:18

Have tried with the Freeview Panasonic plasma. Have coaxial aerial cable connected from wall plug to antenna in of TV.

Can get 1,2 and 3 watchable (but not great quality) and Maori and Prime very snowy. Nothing else.

Tried a powered indoor UHF aerail and get nothing (although couldn't really get it close enough to the window).

My next option is this - on special to the end of trading tomorrow. Hopefully this will resolve my issues. I plan on taking the existing outdoor aerial off it's mounting pole and replacing with this one.

B1GGLZ

1961 posts

Uber Geek

#790229 1-Apr-2013 16:33

tukapa1: Have tried with the Freeview Panasonic plasma. Have coaxial aerial cable connected from wall plug to antenna in of TV.

Can get 1,2 and 3 watchable (but not great quality) and Maori and Prime very snowy. Nothing else.

Presumably you are tuning these on analogue and getting nothing on Digital?
You won't get a snowy picture on digital. It'll either be there, pixellated or nothing.
If you get Prime snowy on analogue I would have thought you would be able to get something on digital. Looks like a new UHF only antenna is needed. Have you checked to see how the cable is split to the various sockets?

Edit: Spelling.

farcus

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#790230 1-Apr-2013 16:34

tukapa1:
Can get 1,2 and 3 watchable (but not great quality) and Maori and Prime very snowy. Nothing else.

then it wasn't freeview.
With freeview you either get a picture (perfect) or no picture.
Snowy and low quality picture indicates you were tuning in the old analogue signal.

Gilco2

1556 posts

Uber Geek

#790231 1-Apr-2013 16:34

tukapa1: Have tried with the Freeview Panasonic plasma. Have coaxial aerial cable connected from wall plug to antenna in of TV.

Can get 1,2 and 3 watchable (but not great quality) and Maori and Prime very snowy. Nothing else.

Tried a powered indoor UHF aerail and get nothing (although couldn't really get it close enough to the window).

My next option is this - on special to the end of trading tomorrow. Hopefully this will resolve my issues. I plan on taking the existing outdoor aerial off it's mounting pole and replacing with this one.

well if as you say "snowy" then that is analogue and not freeview which is digital. Digital is good or pixelated but not snowy or ghosting. But even so on analogue if prime is snowy then sounds like you need new uHF aerial

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tukapa1

725 posts

Ultimate Geek

#790254 1-Apr-2013 17:26

Thanks to you all - that was a real D'oh moment.

I went away and RTFM and now found out how to get to digital TV - ran through the auto tune and nothing, nada, zipo.

Looks like I'm definitely off to Noel Leeming tomorrow to pick up one of those UHF aerials on special.

Thanks all!

Deev8

481 posts

Ultimate Geek

#790259 1-Apr-2013 18:07

tukapa1:
Deev8: Are you sure that there is cable running from the aerial through a splitter to the wall sockets around the house?

I get 1,2 & 3 from those wall sockets so it's looking like the aerial I have is VHF and not UHF.

It would be better to do a quick check rather than assume that - it's not so unusual to pick up a poor analogue VHF signal using nothing more than the co-ax cable from the TV to a wall socket as an antenna.

The reason I asked the question is that a friend encountered exactly this situation when his new house was built some time ago - a roof-mounted aerial was there, and wall sockets were there, but no connection through from the wall sockets to the aerial.

B1GGLZ

1961 posts

Uber Geek

#790274 1-Apr-2013 19:41

Deev8:
It would be better to do a quick check rather than assume that - it's not so unusual to pick up a poor analogue VHF signal using nothing more than the co-ax cable from the TV to a wall socket as an antenna.

The reason I asked the question is that a friend encountered exactly this situation when his new house was built some time ago - a roof-mounted aerial was there, and wall sockets were there, but no connection through from the wall sockets to the aerial.

+1
I was wondering the same. Given the outside antenna you have I would expect great VHF analogue pictures if everything was connected properly. Same with Prime and Maori on UHF Analogue.
Is there a distribution amplifier somewhere without power connected?
Any change in signal when you unplug the co-ax from the wall socket?

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richms

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#790275 1-Apr-2013 19:41

Often there is provision for the antenna to be looped thru a sky box put in, so the cable from the antenna goes there first, and then another run goes up to the splitter. If its not looped thru then there is nothing but a piece of wire getting signal.

Richard rich.ms

tukapa1

725 posts

Ultimate Geek

#794483 7-Apr-2013 08:33

B1GGLZ:
Deev8:
It would be better to do a quick check rather than assume that - it's not so unusual to pick up a poor analogue VHF signal using nothing more than the co-ax cable from the TV to a wall socket as an antenna.

The reason I asked the question is that a friend encountered exactly this situation when his new house was built some time ago - a roof-mounted aerial was there, and wall sockets were there, but no connection through from the wall sockets to the aerial.

+1
I was wondering the same. Given the outside antenna you have I would expect great VHF analogue pictures if everything was connected properly. Same with Prime and Maori on UHF Analogue.
Is there a distribution amplifier somewhere without power connected?
Any change in signal when you unplug the co-ax from the wall socket?

Sorry for the delay - been a bit busy....

The signal disappeared when unplugging coax from the wall socket.

The distribution of the aerial must be tucked away in a dim dark recess up in the ceiling space which I can't get too to check. It goes into the roof space by the aerial in the pic I posted but without shedding about 50kg I can't get into that space within the roof to check it out.

I grabbed one of the aerials from Noel Leeming and chucked it up the other night after work. I removed the old aerial and have installed the new one on the same mounting pole. I pointed it (roughly) at the mountain and tried tuning in via both a set top box on a non Freeview TV and also through the Freeview enabled TV in another room. I picked up a handful of channels but bad pixealton and dropouts so I thought 'that's a start' and that I would play with aerial alignment a bit more over the next day or so.

I have now done that and got it better but I'm still a bit hit and miss - some slight pixealtion and dropout but I have only a handful of channels being picked up on both the set top box and the TV when going through tuning.

Was wondering whether something like this would help me get it exactly right - or whether I should just now be paying someone as I've already spent $50 on the aerial and looking at another $50 on the signal strength meter if that would help. I guess I could always chuck the meter on TradeMe once I'm done to recoup some of that coin. I don't imagine a technician will be overly cheap.

As an aside I had real issues with tuning when it was raining the other night - is the terrestrial signal easily disrupted by rain (like rain fade on Sky) or is that an issue more to do with the aerial alignment not being spot on?

cyril7

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#794491 7-Apr-2013 09:01

Hi, I think before you spend anymore on an antenna you sort out the cabling and splitter status. The signal levels in the city according to the FreeView site are very good, and if you can see the mountain I would suggest the antenna could be miles off alignment and still provide pixel free service.

I suggest you find a small school kid, lets call him oliver, and send him up with a camera and work out what cables go where.

Cyril

B1GGLZ

1961 posts

Uber Geek

#794665 7-Apr-2013 17:38

cyril7: Hi, I think before you spend anymore on an antenna you sort out the cabling and splitter status. The signal levels in the city according to the FreeView site are very good, and if you can see the mountain I would suggest the antenna could be miles off alignment and still provide pixel free service.

I suggest you find a small school kid, lets call him oliver, and send him up with a camera and work out what cables go where.

Cyril

+1
or perhaps find out who did the install when you built the house and get them back to sort it out.

Jaxson

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#794845 8-Apr-2013 09:25

Yes the antenna receives the signal, and the cabling allows it got get back to the TV as easily as possible, without it being interferred with either. If the cabling is poor quality, the wrong type, not connected/terminated properly, damaged, running via a few multi splitters or amplifiers that aren't now powered up etc, then it doesn't matter how good the aerial is, the signal won't get back to the TV.

As has been mentioned above, you simply do need to work out what's going on between the aerial and the TV.

robjg63

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#794855 8-Apr-2013 09:48

I would be inclined to get a 'professional' if I were you.
You could end up replacing all sorts of bits and pieces and make various trips to different suppliers for cable/connectors etc.

If you get the guy with a van he will probably have everything required to do the job and know what to check.
They also tend to know some of the quirky things about installs.

As you mention you have already replaced the aerial - wiring may be next - and do you need a signal meter.
While DIY is a great thing sometimes it aint worth it.

PS Looks like that aerial needs power sending up for the amplifier. Some STBs could do that - not sure about TVs with built in tuners? Are you sure the amplifier is actually getting power?
Again - the guy with the van could probably check all this for you and they arent that expensive. 30-60 minutes of his time v days of yours???

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

tukapa1

725 posts

Ultimate Geek

#798355 12-Apr-2013 12:35

Failing the ability to coax a child into my attic space (sounding dodgy) I managed to squeeze myself through the first few frames then it opened up reasonably nicely for the rest of my adventure.

I'll explain my setup as best I can and add images.

I have the freeview aerial which I bought installed on the existing mounting pole from the old aerial, with the existing cabling connected;

I also have the Sky dish which I have not touched;

There is a single run of RG6 from the aerial and a double run from the Sky dish. These go into the roof space and into the attic area;

From there the single RG6 from the aerial goes into an 8 way splitter (Hills Signalmaster 30145);

It splits out to seven different wall points around the house. The Sky runs go directly to the distribution point where the Sky decoder lives;

The wall points are connected like this;

I do not have a distribution hub as such - had that in my last house and didn't feel the need to do it again - I just run everything into my theatre room and each run of cable is terminated in wallplates.

I guess now I'm wondering if I need a powered splitter or amplifier as all of the cabling seems to be in good order. I am thinking I should be getting a good Freeview signal?

Thanks.

turb

881 posts

Ultimate Geek

#798368 12-Apr-2013 13:24

Maybe try connecting the cable straight though to where your telly is (without the splitter). So you have as few confounding factors as possible.

If that doesn't work I'd say it's time to call a professional!

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