TV reception

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Rickles

2938 posts

Uber Geek

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#110471 9-Oct-2012 20:34

Hi all, is it just my TV or has UHF Freeview in Wellington been flakey lately?

At random times during the last 5 or 6 nights we've been getting occassional 'stuttering' and 'pixelation' on all channels .... no specifc times and not (as far as I can tell) during the day.

TV has been re-tuned.

R.

oxnsox

1923 posts

Uber Geek

#698726 9-Oct-2012 21:23

More likely your aerial/cable. How old is that lot?. Been windy?

Rickles

2938 posts

Uber Geek

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#699092 10-Oct-2012 13:58

Hi Ted,

TV is only 5 months old, antenna has been there since early Sky days and has worked fine with analogue and digital up 'till now.

Wellington windy???

R.

illicit

553 posts

Ultimate Geek

#699458 11-Oct-2012 08:10

Rickles: antenna has been there since early Sky days

Bingo!

oxnsox

1923 posts

Uber Geek

#699488 11-Oct-2012 09:11

Firstly you may want to check it's alignment, in the wind they will move over time.
But realistically it wouldn't hurt to have the cable replaced. (Wherever the cable runs -external- sunlight and weather will have degraded it, -internal/underfloor- it may have been subject to some rodent abuse). Coax cables tend to be quite hygroscopic, so often over time they corrode from the inside and this isn't something you'll notice with a visual inspection.
There's probably also corrosion on the antenna itself (weather and birds), cleaning that up can help too.

A job for a not so windy weekend.

Rickles

2938 posts

Uber Geek

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#699493 11-Oct-2012 09:29

All, thanks for suggestions.

Oddly, the wind makes no difference to viewing, and the last couple of nights there's been no problem at all.

Bearing in mind that when I got the new TV (7 months ago), I removed the VHF antenna and the diplexor, then re-joined the coax and taped it up, so weather could be the problem viz. water ... will get up there and make another new joint after cutting back the coax a length and perhaps using self-annealing tape or a shrink-wrap cover.

Although old, the UHF antenna is pretty clean and completely rust free, with a good wire connection and both plastic and rubber cover/boot.

If problem persists I can then work backwards and consider replacing the entir cable ... hopefully it's not the new TV !

Cheers,

R.