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Thread ID: 60447	2005-08-02 04:04:00	Improving TV reception	Morgenmuffel (187)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
377460	2005-08-02 04:04:00	Greetings from Invers again Problem is TV1 is often unwatchable (by this I mean the picture not the type of programmes) Sal's site is down so here is a pic of the tv (nigel.geek.nz) (ignore the other crap on the page - it's my General crap/test page) TV1 is often unwatchable it's very rare we get a really good picture, on a good day the picture tends to be sharp* but full of the interference you can see on the photo * probably not the best word, 'sharp' compared to prime which is always watchable just a bit grainier than the other channels as for the other channels 3 & 4 are always fine 2 gets the same style of interference as 1, but is nowhere near as pronounced as in most of the time it is fine and watchable with negligible interference we have the big aerial on the roof with the smaller uhf aerial attached to it I have tried adjusting the aerial direction, but that made no noticeable difference -- it all uses co-ax I have tried signal boosters -- no difference rabbit ears -- worse any suggestions would be welcome or if any one else in invercargill, could tell me if they get one OK cheers	Morgenmuffel (187)
377461	2005-08-02 04:17:00	Gosh! I haven't used a tv antenna in a long time, but that certainly looks like you're trying to pull a signal from too far away . I don't know about NZ freq's and strengths, but there is also a late image giving you a ghost . You might try moving closer to the signal, and remove any mountains or trees between you and the originating signal . If your home isn't mobile, then maybe the neighbors in your community might petition for a repeater on a nearby mountain or hilltop . If you are a large enough body (not singularly, but as a group) you might get a positive response to the request . The US Federal Communications Commission hears these requests all the time, and although I feel any petition to the US FCC will not do you any good, perhaps there is a NZ equivalent . Do you have DSL in your area? And please, can you tell me your internet speeds?	SurferJoe46 (51)
377462	2005-08-02 04:34:00	Im in Invercargill and we don't have hills, i think the nearest hill would be in Bluff (which is where the transmitter is I believe), there isn't actually a ghost, it's probably me decreasing the image size too much, but we do get those diagonal distortion lines almost like diagonal sine waves at times, i live in grasmere (suburb) now but in all the other suburbs I've lived in tv 1 was Ok, (and prime was unwatchable (now it's only unwatchable from 6 - 6:30PM)) As for moving my half wood half concrete house, I have a feeling my little hatchback may struggle towing it a bit Cheers	Morgenmuffel (187)
377463	2005-08-02 04:45:00	Have you tried different TVs/videos and seen whether they get better reception? Some tuners just aren't that good. In my experience boosters never seem to do a very good job. One thing that you could consider doing is to either sign up to (and keep) a sky digital connection. Or you could sign up for a short period, after which you cancel your sky subscription. This way you still get to keep the satellite dish and the decoder so you get perfect reception of all the free to air channels that they provide as well (One, Two, Three, C4, Maori and Prime, I think). I'm pretty sure this is what happens though, I can't say I've done it myself to make sure that it does work like this, but I've heard of other people doing the same.	Jeremy (1197)
377464	2005-08-02 05:52:00	One quick and not so flippant note here: Try to use a VCR as the tuner...unless the NZ versions don't have them that way. I always find that the VCR tuners are a lot better than the tuners in a tv anyway.	SurferJoe46 (51)
377465	2005-08-02 05:56:00	had the same sought of problem, but mine was caused from to strong a signal, got a signal reducer from dse, which helped heap's, have you tried a booster	plod (107)
377466	2005-08-02 05:59:00	Pretty sure you cant do that. Cancelling your subscription means you have to return your decoder. You can however get sky installed and then cancel your subscription (you then have a sky dish with no decoder). If you get a mate who already has sky to get an additional decoder ($30 month I think) you can then use that to do what Jeremy just said. You then get all channels except the extra paid for ones (movies, sports). Will cost you but may be worth it in the long run. Oh and its illegal so this post will probably be removed or see me banned. :D Bye for 24hrs or 48....... Veale	Veale (536)
377467	2005-08-02 06:09:00	Hmmm, just having a wee look around I came across something that's quite interesting. It all depends on how much you like your TV though. Can I temporarily disconnect SKY when I'm away on holiday? SKY UHF Customers: you can temporarily disconnect (downgrade) SKY for a minimum of 1 month' maximum 3 months, retaining the equipment at your address. Monthly subscription $5.00 per month. SKY Digital Customers: you can change your SKY Digital package to "Decoder Rental" only $18.29 per month for a minimum 1 month no maximum. While on this package you will be able to access the following free-to-air broadcast and radio channels - TV1, TV2, TV3, C4, Prime, TAB Trackside, National Radio, Concert FM, Nui FM, Tahu FM, Kiwi, and Calvary Chapel – plus retain access to pay-per view and SKY Digital’s Guide. Source (www.sky.co.nz)	Jeremy (1197)
377468	2005-08-02 06:42:00	Hi Nigel That looks like external RF interference, especially since it appears on other channels as well, so you won't fix it with boosters or anything else like that. Your own antenna tests have pretty much confirmed that. I am assuming that you have actually tuned it to the local channels of course, you may be in an area where another channel is required, though I seriously doubt it. The source may be very local (inside your house), local (in your immediate neighbourhood) or somewhere close but between you and the transmitter. That it affects two different channels tends to suggest that it could be an instability inside the VHF section of your TV tuner, or maybe not! To start with, check with neighbours to see if it is a problem elswhere in your immediate locality. You might have to try rabbit ears on their TV to prove the point if their antenna signal is very good If they have no problems, turn off everything electronic inside your house including your computer, portable phones, microwave (for the digital display only) and see what result you get. If it goes away, switch on one by one till you identify the culprit then execute!! If the interference remains, borrow a TV from elsewhere or take your TV to another location to check that it works OK at a site where the local TV is OK. You need to prove by elimination whether it is your TV, your antenna or your site. Of the three, at present the antenna seems the least likely. I have extensive practical expertise in this area, as do others like tweak'e for example, so between us we should be able to get to the bottom of the problem. Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
377469	2005-08-02 06:44:00	Well I had originally thought of something along the lines of thesky option, but well i don't really want to spend much money, as for tuning through the VCR, my VCR has a fault on the aerial in connection and is much worse than the tvs tuning (only good for playing vids, not recording)	Morgenmuffel (187)
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