Anyone else having crashes on UHF39 (618Mhz) ?

jack616

Member
I have 3 boxes on 2 aerials/runs - all 3 crash every 1-2 minutes if I tune into this mux
(I was trying to record the william hartnel movie on talking pictures) but they all crash
even without recording.

I've tried reducing the signal strength (attenuating/removing the amp) with no luck
All muxexes except com7( which is fnctionally useless here anyway) and 1 other have about
the same signal strength - hidden meter doesnt indicate anything more than 3-4% variation
Strenght is 80-84% Q at 100% solid
signal on the one box is at 64%/100% with no amp on it. (the other 2 have an amp)

Retuning or manual tuning doesnt fix it.

Just tune in to talking pictures and leave it. 1-2 minutes and all 3 boxes crash
(not simultaneously -maybe 20-30 seconds apart)

Does anyone else see this (I'm on sutton west mids if that helps anyone)
 
Why use the hidden service menu tuner test when you can just use Menu >> Settings >> System >> Signal Detection?
 

The above link is showing a "Freeview outage" in Sutton Coldfield. I don't have any other information. Perhaps this is the source of your problems. :unsure:
 
OK thanks for the Medip info - that narrows it down to sutton coldfield.

Thanks Phil - at least theres an indication something isn't right for others on sutton
I wonder how they work out that red line on that graph... anyway
FWIW I've just tuned into talking pictures again and it crashed after 10 seconds.
I tried another manual tune with no luck last night
CBS Drama isn't crashing (also on the same mux) so it looks like a TV channel thing
rather than a mux issue (maybe?)
I seem to remember a very similar spate of "fixed" crashes some years ago
but can't recall the details right now.

I don't know if this is related - I doub't it - but in the interest of full disclosure:
Interestingly we are getting 2 "ghost" muxes here and have for many months now
(UHF23 appeared recently - UHF 26 over a year ago) Both are listed in webif as
"west midlands" both have low power and good Q indications and both are listed
as having no channels on them. I havn't been able to get any info on those anywhere.
Aerial positioning and so on has been checked.
UHF26 is currently at 33% power solid 100% Q and never goes away -UHF23 does go away
now and then - on a few weeks then off - this started after the last big retune (it's off at the moment)
We do have trees down the road but they dont have leaves yet and dont seem to be an issue
when they have.

I tend to use the service power meter as I assume the manufacturer put it there for a reason.
Whether its the same or not I dont have a clue - except theres the tuner swap ability on hand.
(Again I dont know if that works or not) Its just what I've always used.
 
I tend to use the service power meter as I assume the manufacturer put it there for a reason.
It provides the means to test the performance of the tuners individually. It's not worth the rigmarole of entering the service menu when all you want to do is survey the incoming signal.
 
FWIW I've just tuned into talking pictures again and it crashed after 10 seconds.
I tried another manual tune with no luck last night
CBS Drama isn't crashing (also on the same mux) so it looks like a TV channel thing
rather than a mux issue (maybe?)
I seem to remember a very similar spate of "fixed" crashes some years ago
but can't recall the details right now.
I suggest you report the problem to Humax and Talking Pictures and see if you get a response.
 
I wonder how they work out that red line on that graph...
Wet finger in the air I should think.
FWIW I've just tuned into talking pictures again and it crashed after 10 seconds.
What box are you using?
Interestingly we are getting 2 "ghost" muxes here and have for many months now
(UHF23 appeared recently - UHF 26 over a year ago) Both are listed in webif as
"west midlands" both have low power and good Q indications and both are listed
as having no channels on them. I havn't been able to get any info on those anywhere.
Aerial positioning and so on has been checked.
UHF26 is currently at 33% power solid 100% Q and never goes away -UHF23 does go away
now and then - on a few weeks then off - this started after the last big retune
I expect it's The Wrekin. Whereabouts are you, roughly speaking?
I suggest you report the problem to Humax and Talking Pictures and see if you get a response.
Humax will just tell you to factory reset it, and TP will probably say it's not their problem (which it isn't), if you get any response.
Probably better asking Arqiva, but you aren't likely to get a response from them, as they are not end-user facing.
 
Humax will just tell you to factory reset it, and TP will probably say it's not their problem (which it isn't), if you get any response.
Probably better asking Arqiva, but you aren't likely to get a response from them, as they are not end-user facing.
My recollection is that the previous transmitter problem was resolved by Humax escalating the problem to the relevant party; am I mistaken?
 
My recollection is that the previous transmitter problem was resolved by Humax escalating the problem to the relevant party; am I mistaken?
I don't recall which transmitter problem.
(The previous BBC iPlayer was fixed by Humax reissuing certificates, probably after investigation by both parties.)
 
Humax will just tell you to factory reset it, and TP will probably say it's not their problem (which it isn't), if you get any response.
Probably better asking Arqiva, but you aren't likely to get a response from them, as they are not end-user facing.
Humax always tell you to do that! (Sometimes it even works). TPTV will probably respond and may say it isn't their problem - but they may kick Arqiva's butt!
 
OK so this morning it's stopped crashing - I'm assuming - whatever it was it was specific to talkingpictures - the other stations
on UHF39 were not crashing.
Looking back to when I monitored freeview for others this exact issue did happen - once with music channel and previously with RT
The only date I have left for those was in 2014.

It provides the means to test the performance of the tuners individually. It's not worth the rigmarole of entering the service menu when all you want to do is survey the incoming signal.
Thanks BH it's nice to know these things.

Thanks to all for the comments - I'm guessing it had something to do with whatever they were doing that EEPhil pointed me at.
Its a pity they never use the freeview information page for anything useful (Ch100) Perhaps they're too embarrased.

Thanks again.
 
Ok - just for the record:
It stopped for just a day and has been crashing the boxes day and night ever since if left on talking pictures
more than a minute.

It seems to be just me so perhaps it's local interference. If I do get a definitive answer I'll record it here
but otherwise not bother the forum with this. Interestingly though yahoo lists 618Mhz in use
for all manner of thing - none of which should be the issue but worth a closing mention maybe.
 
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