Blocky picture

Just put freeview boxes in two upstairs bedrooms and a loft aerial with
26 Db masthead amp. It gives a good signal to both rooms. Signal
strength indicated on the TV by the box is about 70%, but ITV1 keeps
occassionally going blocky with slight freeze up.

Anything I can do to stop this, apart from not tuning in to ITV1.

Thanks
Paul

26dB masthead amp....do you really need that much gain?

Have you tried a simple 2 way amplifier instead. If you used a masthead
because of a lack of power in the loft, you can get 2 way amps which can be
line powered.

I'd personally say that if you really need a 26dB amplifier, then the aerial
shouldn't be in the loft at all.

Signal levels across lofts vary wildly. Have you tried just connecting one
Freeview box to the aerial, and exploring different positions in the loft?
You will need someone shouting "thats better" etc.

Don't forget there will be a delay in the signal bar registering any
difference, after you have moved the aerial slightly. This will however make
the whole episode much more fun. Generally, the optimum position will be
found in a position where it is

a) A nightmare to get to (lots of crawling and acrobatics required)
b) Totally impossible to fix in this position

Also, try to realign the aerial on a really hot day. The combination of
sauna temperatures and physical exertion is most refreshing.






wrote in message
ups.com...
Just put freeview boxes in two upstairs bedrooms and a loft aerial with
26 Db masthead amp. It gives a good signal to both rooms. Signal
strength indicated on the TV by the box is about 70%, but ITV1 keeps
occassionally going blocky with slight freeze up.

Anything I can do to stop this, apart from not tuning in to ITV1.

Thanks
Paul

Forgot to add that you should keep an eye on the "quality" of the signal (if
available), not just the "strength".

Reliable digital reception can be very difficult to obtain in lofts due to
the "quality" being poor, regardless of the actual strength..

"GameBashers | Carpy" wrote in message
.. .
26dB masthead amp....do you really need that much gain?

Have you tried a simple 2 way amplifier instead. If you used a masthead
because of a lack of power in the loft, you can get 2 way amps which can
be line powered.

I'd personally say that if you really need a 26dB amplifier, then the
aerial shouldn't be in the loft at all.

Signal levels across lofts vary wildly. Have you tried just connecting one
Freeview box to the aerial, and exploring different positions in the loft?
You will need someone shouting "thats better" etc.

Don't forget there will be a delay in the signal bar registering any
difference, after you have moved the aerial slightly. This will however
make the whole episode much more fun. Generally, the optimum position will
be found in a position where it is

a) A nightmare to get to (lots of crawling and acrobatics required)
b) Totally impossible to fix in this position

Also, try to realign the aerial on a really hot day. The combination of
sauna temperatures and physical exertion is most refreshing.






wrote in message
ups.com...
Just put freeview boxes in two upstairs bedrooms and a loft aerial with
26 Db masthead amp. It gives a good signal to both rooms. Signal
strength indicated on the TV by the box is about 70%, but ITV1 keeps
occassionally going blocky with slight freeze up.

Anything I can do to stop this, apart from not tuning in to ITV1.

Thanks
Paul

I think this is the problem. All other channels are fine, it's just
this one that freezes. I've probably amplified a crap signal.

Yes, I did the acrobatics bit and the " Is that better" with the aerial
in the loft ( nothing sexual there BTW). But I could only find one
"hotspot" where all but this channel were good.

I don't really wanna go on the roof, if I can help it.

Paul