Missing channels / Poor reception

G

gonemental

Missing channels / Poor reception

I own the HD-FOX T2 and live down in the suburbs of London. I get all Freeview (and HD) channels perfectly.

My Dad has the HDR version and lives in North Nottinghamshire -he is having big problems picking up channels on his Humax box. He can't receive any channels on MUX A or D and although the HD channels show up on the box, they are rarely usable.

His aerial shouldn't be a problem as he had a new one fitted recently specifically for better digital reception.

His location could be a problem - kind of in the middle of nowhere in terms of where the nearest transmitters are.

The big mystery is that a cheap digital TV in another room can pick up every channel perfectly. Also, the TV connected to the Humax box could pick up every channel perfectly before the box was connected (except for the HD ones - it's a standard Freeview tuner in the telly). Why can't the Humax box pick up as much? We've tried rescanning multiple times but to no avail. Any ideas? He's on the verge of sending it back.
 
Re: Missing channels / Poor reception

gonemental said:
The big mystery is that a cheap digital TV in another room can pick up every channel perfectly. Also, the TV connected to the Humax box could pick up every channel perfectly before the box was connected (except for the HD ones - it's a standard Freeview tuner in the telly). Why can't the Humax box pick up as much? We've tried rescanning multiple times but to no avail. Any ideas? He's on the verge of sending it back.
You probably need to manually tune to the six channels given by digitalUk at http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/when_do_i_switch (You need to tick the "I am in the aerial installation trade" box to get the necessary information).
 
Re: Missing channels / Poor reception

Thanks for that link - it predicts good reception, so something's up. We'll try manually retuning - presumably just go to manual search then enter the settings there?

In the link you sent what would something like (for channel 43-) 64QAM 2/3 2k DVB-T mean? Are these the settings we'll need to enter?
 
Re: Missing channels / Poor reception

gonemental said:
In the link you sent what would something like (for channel 43-) 64QAM 2/3 2k DVB-T mean? Are these the settings we'll need to enter?
All you need is the channel number for each MUX; eg 43.
 
Re: Missing channels / Poor reception

My dad just tried manually tuning the channels for the missing muxes, but when the channel is selected each one showed up as 10 or 15% signal strength. When he then started the search for TV channels nothing was found.

Any other ideas?
 
Re: Missing channels / Poor reception

gonemental said:
Also, the TV connected to the Humax box could pick up every channel perfectly before the box was connected
Do you mean by this that the TV doesn't pick up these channels when connected via the RF loop through from the Humax? If thats the case with the box powered on (or standby power-save disabled) then the box is most likely faulty.

What signal strength does the TV report when connected to the aerial and is the same cable being used to connect to the Humax as was being used to connect to the TV?

Cable faults can cause very strange reception faults with DVB signals, I've had a dodgy cable that caused signal quality to drop on just one MUX whilst signal strength was unaffected. Kinks or sharp bends in aerial feeders are bad...
 
Re: Missing channels / Poor reception

gonemental said:
My dad just tried manually tuning the channels for the missing muxes, but when the channel is selected each one showed up as 10 or 15% signal strength. When he then started the search for TV channels nothing was found.

Any other ideas?
What channel numbers did he use and what is his postcode?
 
Re: Missing channels / Poor reception

he needs to reset box before he manually tunes, scan with aerial out is easiest way i think?
 
Re: Missing channels / Poor reception

bixieupnorth said:
he needs to reset box before he manually tunes, scan with aerial out is easiest way i think?

Or just do a factory reset, you get the option to keep your existing recordings.
 
Re: Missing channels / Poor reception

Thanks everyone....

FifthHorseman said:
Do you mean by this that the TV doesn't pick up these channels when connected via the RF loop through from the Humax? If thats the case with the box powered on (or standby power-save disabled) then the box is most likely faulty.

That's what he says, though I forgot to test myself when I was at home. He may be doing something wrong. :roll:

FifthHorseman said:
What signal strength does the TV report when connected to the aerial and is the same cable being used to connect to the Humax as was being used to connect to the TV?

Not sure on this - I'll ask. I did ask him to swap the cables around and try completely different cables as well. He hasn't reported back yet!

MartinLiddle said:
What channel numbers did he use and what is his postcode?

Postcode is DN22 8JX. He tried channels 43 and 49 (and 39 for the HD channels using DVB-T2), but nothing was found.


bixieupnorth said:
he needs to reset box before he manually tunes, scan with aerial out is easiest way i think?

What do you mean by "scan with aerial out"?
 
Re: Missing channels / Poor reception

gonemental said:
Postcode is DN22 8JX. He tried channels 43 and 49 (and 39 for the HD channels using DVB-T2), but nothing was found.
Ah yes I see what you mean about a lot of possible transmitters. It will of course depend on which direction the aerial is pointed but Emley Moor looks favourite and the correct list of channels is 52,40,46,43,50,49,39.
 
Hi - I am sure this answer has been posted before but i cant seem to find it today.

My Father-in-law installed a new Humax HDR a few weeks back and although he is pleased he muttered something about missed recordings and duplicate channels on the 800 range.
I am assuming this means he is picking up duplicate transmitters. He is picking up all the HD channels no problem.
What does he need to do to sort this out? A manual re-tune? His postcode is EH39 4LB. Any help will be apreciated.
Cheers
Michael
 
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