Apartment signal level suddenly dropped

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JonnyCam

570 posts

Ultimate Geek

#114643 26-Feb-2013 13:30

I live in a 32 apartment complex, and we have sky & freeview distributed to the each of them.
(Tasman / Buckle intersection, Mt Cook)

I went to watch a DVB-T recording from my PVR the other night, and it didn't play.
Check the logs and saw it was no signal. Checked on the TV and get a very patchy - unusable signal.

The signal comes into the lounge and goes through about 10M of coax to the other side of the room where an active signal booster / splitter goes to the TV & PVR.
This has worked fine for the last year, but has not worked since 21 Feb.

I asked the body corp / building manager to investigate, and they said that I should speak to my service provider. (and mentioned that nobody else has complained)

My service provider is Freeview, so do I need to get a tech out to look at the communal system, as I expect if they visit my apartment, they will just say the signal is low.

There are a couple of other antenna points around the house - is it worth trying those?
Any techs on here suggest what they would do? (sky signal is still working fine)

Thanks

trig42

Banana?
4985 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#770455 26-Feb-2013 13:33

Can you take the active splitter/booster out of the loop and see if that makes a difference? Could be it's power supply has died.

JonnyCam

570 posts

Ultimate Geek

#770474 26-Feb-2013 13:55

Yeah, I thought that and could see the little LED on it working (the booster is a Hills one with a hardwired power cord)

I tried that on Sunday I think - but because the antenna is all cable ties in line with the ethernet & sky cables, it didnt quite reach the TV (which I know has a better tuner)

I had to use a f-connector to belling then into the TV.

Stupidly - before they upgraded the system in the apartment, I was using one of those flat 5cm square antenna you get with USB dongles, and it worked better than now for the most part.

B1GGLZ

1960 posts

Uber Geek

#770512 26-Feb-2013 14:44

I'd try connecting the TV direct to the wall socket and try the other sockets as well.
If it doesn't work on any of them then something happened in the buildings wiring that needs to be fixed which would be the Manager's problem. Maybe one of your neighbours has shorted out the Freeview distribution circuit?

B1GGLZ

1960 posts

Uber Geek

#770513 26-Feb-2013 14:46

JonnyCam:

Stupidly - before they upgraded the system in the apartment, I was using one of those flat 5cm square antenna you get with USB dongles, and it worked better than now for the most part.

How did they upgrade the system?

JonnyCam

570 posts

Ultimate Geek

#770882 27-Feb-2013 08:54

B1GGLZ:
JonnyCam:

Stupidly - before they upgraded the system in the apartment, I was using one of those flat 5cm square antenna you get with USB dongles, and it worked better than now for the most part.

How did they upgrade the system?

This was a while back, but the signal has never been that good, but then they said they were getting something fixed (for freeview) and the aerial connection started working fine.

B1GGLZ

1960 posts

Uber Geek

#770925 27-Feb-2013 10:22

OK.
As I said, try connecting the TV directly to each of the sockets with shortest cable possible. This should indicate if the fault is with your cabling or the building's cabling. If it still doesn't work then demand the building's manager fix the problem.

Goosey

1991 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#770930 27-Feb-2013 10:32

Ive seen adverts for people with Freeview to watchout for channel changes... would a quick auto re-tune do it?
(somehow I doubt it, but nice to eliminate none the less).