Freeview - no ITV,CH4 or CH5?

Hi,

I recently purchased a Digifusion FVRT145 Freeview Digital Recorder 80GB PVR
on eBay. Everything seems ok except that when I search for channels I find 6
frequencies and 53 channels. It sets both its tuners to channel 56. I have
even reset the box to its factory default settings, but it has made no
difference. I still cannot pickup ITV, CH4 or CH5 !!! .


Just before Christmas I tested a £17 Durabrand box on my existing aerial
set-up (that I have had for 35 years) and it found all the channels with
good picture quality and we even watched 'Deal or No Deal'. I am in the WN6
9xx area and close to Winter Hill.

Have I missed something? Is it because of the age difference between the two
boxes? Will I need a bigger aerial and replace the coax? I was up on the
roof today and my aerial is more or less pointing in the right direction.
The Winter Hill mast is just over the horizon.

Any advice would be most welcome. Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Ron.

"news.blueyonder.co.uk" wrote in message
. uk...
Hi,

I recently purchased a Digifusion FVRT145 Freeview Digital Recorder 80GB
PVR
on eBay. Everything seems ok except that when I search for channels I find
6
frequencies and 53 channels. It sets both its tuners to channel 56. I
have
even reset the box to its factory default settings, but it has made no
difference. I still cannot pickup ITV, CH4 or CH5 !!! .


Just before Christmas I tested a £17 Durabrand box on my existing aerial
set-up (that I have had for 35 years) and it found all the channels with
good picture quality and we even watched 'Deal or No Deal'. I am in the
WN6
9xx area and close to Winter Hill.

Have I missed something? Is it because of the age difference between the
two
boxes? Will I need a bigger aerial and replace the coax? I was up on the
roof today and my aerial is more or less pointing in the right direction.
The Winter Hill mast is just over the horizon.

Any advice would be most welcome. Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Ron.



That's a strange one. There are only 6 frequencies (Multiplexes) used from
each site, and it seems you are receiving all 6!

I know for sure that Winter Hill ITV1, 2 and 3, CH4, More4, E4 etc use
channel 66, which is at upper end of your aerial's frequency range. Any
problems you may have with the old aerial/connections/water-logged co-ax,
will be exaggerated at the high frequency end of the UHF spectrum.

Chris.

"news.blueyonder.co.uk" wrote in message
. uk...
Hi,

I recently purchased a Digifusion FVRT145 Freeview Digital Recorder 80GB
PVR
on eBay. Everything seems ok except that when I search for channels I find
6
frequencies and 53 channels. It sets both its tuners to channel 56.
Why do you mention ch56 especially? This isn't one that sets its RF output
automatically is is? Do you mean that?


I have
even reset the box to its factory default settings, but it has made no
difference. I still cannot pickup ITV, CH4 or CH5 !!! .
So you are missing muxes 2 and A. These are on channels 66 and 68. These are
the ones that will arrive at your tuner weaker than the others. So if the
tuner is a bit deaf it might just decide that they aren't worth storing. The
problem you have is in deciding whether the tuner's deafness is within the
bounds of acceptability (because they do vary) or whether it is a faulty
unit. I can't help you on that without being there.

Is the cable OK? No damp in it?

Have you got a masthead amp?



Just before Christmas I tested a £17 Durabrand box on my existing aerial
set-up (that I have had for 35 years) and it found all the channels with
good picture quality and we even watched 'Deal or No Deal'.
That's the most astonishing part of your story.

Bill

Bill & Chris,

Thanks for your replies. Looks like I will have to arm myself with a new
aerial, thought the old one was good for another thirty years or so! As I
will be decorating both my bedroom and living room soon so I will put in a
new cable duct from the loft and run in some new better quality co-ax and
fit shielded sockets. I have told my wife I will complete it all before
2009. Thanks again.

Regards,
Ron.
-----
"news.blueyonder.co.uk" wrote in message
. uk...
Hi,

I recently purchased a Digifusion FVRT145 Freeview Digital Recorder 80GB
PVR
on eBay. Everything seems ok except that when I search for channels I find
6
frequencies and 53 channels. It sets both its tuners to channel 56. I
have
even reset the box to its factory default settings, but it has made no
difference. I still cannot pickup ITV, CH4 or CH5 !!! .


Just before Christmas I tested a £17 Durabrand box on my existing aerial
set-up (that I have had for 35 years) and it found all the channels with
good picture quality and we even watched 'Deal or No Deal'. I am in the
WN6
9xx area and close to Winter Hill.

Have I missed something? Is it because of the age difference between the
two
boxes? Will I need a bigger aerial and replace the coax? I was up on the
roof today and my aerial is more or less pointing in the right direction.
The Winter Hill mast is just over the horizon.

Any advice would be most welcome. Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Ron.

Bill Wright wrote:

Just before Christmas I tested a £17 Durabrand box on my existing aerial
set-up (that I have had for 35 years) and it found all the channels with
good picture quality and we even watched 'Deal or No Deal'.
That's the most astonishing part of your story.

I've been in my home for over 30 years (HA8 NW London), there was an
aerial lead buried in the wall connected to a loft aerial.

I did refit satellite quality cable to some extensions but my main TV is
still served by the old brown cable buried in the wall. Occasional
pixelation when a motorbike goes by but otherwise all seems OK.

I do have a masthead amp though.

Geoff Lane

In article ,
Geoff Lane wrote:
Bill Wright wrote:

Just before Christmas I tested a £17 Durabrand box on my existing
aerial set-up (that I have had for 35 years) and it found all the
channels with good picture quality and we even watched 'Deal or No
Deal'.
That's the most astonishing part of your story.

I've been in my home for over 30 years (HA8 NW London), there was an
aerial lead buried in the wall connected to a loft aerial.

That lead is not subject to adverse weather conditions.

Mine has been outside since 1977 and still works well. Mind you it was
decent co-ax for its time. (URM203 from RadioSpares- as they used to be)


I did refit satellite quality cable to some extensions but my main TV is
still served by the old brown cable buried in the wall. Occasional
pixelation when a motorbike goes by but otherwise all seems OK.

I do have a masthead amp though.

Geoff Lane

--
From KT24 - in "Leafy Surrey"

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.11

news.blueyonder.co.uk wrote:
Bill & Chris,

Thanks for your replies. Looks like I will have to arm myself with a
new aerial, thought the old one was good for another thirty years or
so! As I will be decorating both my bedroom and living room soon so I
will put in a new cable duct from the loft and run in some new better
quality co-ax and fit shielded sockets. I have told my wife I will
complete it all before 2009. Thanks again.

Regards,
Ron.

Make sure you use "satellite" grade co-ax, CT100 or equivilent.

"charles" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Geoff Lane wrote:
Mine has been outside since 1977 and still works well. Mind you it was
decent co-ax for its time. (URM203 from RadioSpares- as they used to be)

Presumably you reimbursed your employer . . .

Bill

In article ,
Bill Wright wrote:

"charles" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Geoff Lane wrote:
Mine has been outside since 1977 and still works well. Mind you it was
decent co-ax for its time. (URM203 from RadioSpares- as they used to be)

Presumably you reimbursed your employer . . .

we had an arrangment for paying by cheque instead of sending the invoice
to accounts. Worked very well.

Bill

--
From KT24 - in "Leafy Surrey"

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.11

"charles" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Bill Wright wrote:

"charles" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Geoff Lane wrote:
Mine has been outside since 1977 and still works well. Mind you it was
decent co-ax for its time. (URM203 from RadioSpares- as they used to
be)

Presumably you reimbursed your employer . . .

we had an arrangment for paying by cheque instead of sending the invoice
to accounts. Worked very well.

A very civilised arrangement. Do you think it would be allowed nowadays?

Bill