TV interference

[BARA]

Does anyone else in the Barry Road/Lordship lane junction area have problems getting a good TV reception on either analogue or digital channels?.

When we got a digital TV found that our old aerial was not up to coping with modern technolgy (put up in 1974) so had a new one installed last May. Have had the company back at least 6 times ( and about 6/8 unkept appointments) to sort out why we cannot get a decent picture - last week engineer felt that someone was transmitting on a similar frequency - i.e. mini cab firm, but nearest is around Upland Road/North Cross or Rye end of Barry. Even analogue has lines on it. Another engineer was supposed to turn up yesterday morning between 8.30 - 9 am to check connections on roof - but I waited in until 9.55 before leaving for work. Other possibility is that someone is operating a pirate radio station.

Would be interested to know if any other resident has similiar problems. It is worse from around 8 pm - each night and the few very late nights I am up, is still bad at 3 am. Internal aerial tried - cannot get most of the channels.

[hibbs]

Hi Bara

I live in Barry Road (Rye end) and have a perfect picture on both analogue and digital channels on all my televisions. It's not much help to you but I thought I would let you know.

[lozzyloz]

BARA I leave close to that junction and have had no problems. Sounds like it's a connection problem as it seems unlikely a transmission would disrupt both analogue and digital signals. Is your aerial sited outside the roof and pointed towards Crystal Palace? Did you receive a decent picture before you changed TV?

[Brendan]

Yes. I have lived at 2 different addresses in that area and reception was terrible in both. Tried all different types of aerials too.

The only solution I have found it to get cable.

[Jamma]

Yeah I live round there and we have no end of trouble with our indoor aerial. Can get analogue alright but digital is just a pain in the backside, you have to keep moving the aerial by fractions of a centimetre and then you'll only be able to get the BBC channels or just the ITV channels. Rarely can get all channels at the same time. Situated so close to the transmitter at Crystal Palace you'd think we'd be alright. My entirely unscientific theory is that the ladlands buildings get in the way of the signal.

[KalamityKel]

I'm on t'other side of the Lane and our signal does vary in quality and in different areas of the house. Generally digital is fine except when the weather is playing up or when someone next door has a blender or other type of machinery thingy, analogue is just silly.

[lozzyloz]

My entirely unscientific theory is that the ladlands buildings get in the way of the signal.

Sounds quite plausible. Is it directly between you and the transmitter? Perhaps there's a huge blind spot behind the estate.

[Brendan]

Oh Christ, don?t blame the estate. You?ll turn this into a class issue too.

I lose signal completely every time the ?effing No40 bus drives past.

[blinder999]

we live near Barry Rd and reception is poor for both analogue and for the built-in tv digital receiver - reception is much better through the external digital top up tv box/recorder.

[macroban]

Perhaps BARA could apply to Southwark Council for a grant to sort out this problem.

[barrymarshall]

We're near Barry Rd and tried everything, signal boosters, the lot. I'm afraid you'll have to get either cable or satellite. It's actually not that expensive.

[damzel]

We live on Landells Road near Lordship Lane junction (which is not too far from Barry Road) and the guy that installed our dish bravely climbed up onto the roof and installed it on the chimney pot because he said that reception was known to be poor in the area. I don't think he was legally allowed to go up there on a ladder (2 story house) but I'm grateful he did as we haven't experienced any problems.

[SummerLightning]

ED is blessed in as much as we're relatively close, but not too close, to Crystal Palace - just look how far its analogue signals travel. Signal strengths should therefore be good enough for reasonable reception across most of the area, unless you've got a large building in the way to the transmitter. However, a common problem that really spoils analogue reception is ghosting, caused by signals reflecting off nearby (and not so nearby) buildings etc., but digital is unaffected by that.

TV reception problems (certainly for digital) in areas like this are usually down to people trying to use crapped-out aerials, cheap aerials, or set-top aerials. Don?t forget that the quality of your aerial is as important as the TV set itself: it never fails to amaze me that people who are willing to drop a grand on a plasma TV are often unwilling to get their 1979-vintage aerial sorted out.

You can't really expect to get reliable reception on a set-top aerial, as not only do the walls of the house absorb most of the signal strength, but the small size of the aerial itself means it can?t pick up most of what's left of the signals. The signals will also bounce around inside the room, giving you plenty of ghosting on analogue, and casuing some channels to 'fade'. If you do need to use an indoor aerial for whatever reason, the Telecam brand ones sold in Argos are reported to be the best performers.

Anyway, digital reception will get a lot easier when the analogue signals are switched off in 2012, as they?re going to whack up the digital signal powers.

[Ko]

Hi there

We have problems with Freeview and I asked our aerial company and they said it was the Dawson Heights estate (btw, I like the estate - looks like a ship!) That is just about plausible if I draw a line between my house and the CP transmitter (although I can see the top of the transmitter...), but a line between your house and CP transmitter seems to miss the estate.

I also asked another workman about an aerial in a different house and they said reception can be difficult if you live in a low lying area even if you live near a transmitter.

Could you get an old analogue TV again (if the old TV was ok)?! Try asking you neighbours how their reception is - if its okay, maybe you could see if you could get wired up to their aerial??

[BARA]

Many thanks for all of your replies. It certainly seems a mixed bag of poor and good reception in the area. Aerial man stated that the aerial was pointing away from tall buildings i.e. Barry House. I did say rumour had it that Barry HOuse spire had a telephone mast installed. Aerial bloke looked out and could'nt see anything. Thought we would have continual problems if there was a mast. Gets bad during evenings that is why the suggestion of someone using the frequencies i.e. mini cab firm or pirate radio station. A previous engineer suggested a digital box, but last bloke said with a digital TV we did'nt need one. When we had an analogue set, rarely had problems even with an ancient aerial.Having spent over ?100 having new aerial put up, will only have cable at last resort. I will try and get the engineers to honour their appointment of getting up on the roof to check connections. We have a years guarentee on the aerial, and I think they are not so keen on solving problems is there is no cash following.

One neighbour rarely uses TV and has analogue have not been able to catch the other 2.

[SteveT]

I live in barry rd near underhill rd and could never get a decent picture. Since I had already tried cable, decided to try sky as there was already a dish over the back garden. I hate to say, but the sky package was/is far better than ntl cable at a comparable price.

[MelbourneGr]

1. Save yourself some money and tell the unqualified engineers to stay home.

2. Get SKY.

3. Watch Cricket all year round.

[Big Jim]

We're on Dunstans and our signal is crap at best - and it's down to being in the 'shadow' of the manky estate thing. We tried everything and ended up having to set up a dish and use a free sat card (it's not as good as Freeview but we can get a signal and it was no more expensive than a normal aerial). And just so you know, we used brand new kit when trying the aerial.