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Traffic causes signal breakup on mux2
mrsupercomputer
Posts: 5
Forum Member
I live in Hull and get my TV signal from the Belmont transmitter.
Generally my signal is very good, but since I installed a second TV and ran a coaxial cable to it from the freeview box (it connects to the first TV via scart), the channels on mux 2 (itv, c4, c5, etc) break-up whenever traffic is heavy (or a noisy moped goes past). However, it only does so when the second TV is switched-on. If both TV's are turned on and tuned to a mux 2 channel, the picture on both will be bad, but as soon as the second TV is turned off, the picture on the first TV improves dramatically.
It's a bit strange, and quite annoying as I live on a main road. Can anyone please explain what's happening? And maybe suggest a fix?
Thanks for reading, xx
Generally my signal is very good, but since I installed a second TV and ran a coaxial cable to it from the freeview box (it connects to the first TV via scart), the channels on mux 2 (itv, c4, c5, etc) break-up whenever traffic is heavy (or a noisy moped goes past). However, it only does so when the second TV is switched-on. If both TV's are turned on and tuned to a mux 2 channel, the picture on both will be bad, but as soon as the second TV is turned off, the picture on the first TV improves dramatically.
It's a bit strange, and quite annoying as I live on a main road. Can anyone please explain what's happening? And maybe suggest a fix?
Thanks for reading, xx
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Comments
It would probably be best to use an amplified splitter.
Check to make sure that your coax braid is making good contact at all the relevant plugs, you could get interference on the cable if it isn't.
There's a signal booster going from the aerial to the freeview box, and I get a good signal, but there isn't one going from the freeview box to the second TV. Is that necessary?
Couldn't I get a extra-shielded coax cable or some kind of filter to stop the interference feeding back into the freeview box?
You need a good quality double screened cable to minimise losses and interference. Also the best place to have a booster and splitter is as close to the aerial as you can get. Then run the minimum amount of cable from there to each room.
The way you are doing it is possibly the worst option. You have a long run of cable from the aerial then another long run to the second TV. That won't do the second TV any favours. And if the booster is also downstairs behind the main TV then it is also amplifying all the crap that gets into the cable between it and the aerial. That is why the best place for any amplifier is near the aerial to get the cleanest signal possible and also to overcome the losses in the cable run.
You might get a better result using a two output booster and plugging the second TV into that instead of the Freeview box. And using a better quality of cable as well. Assuming the option of splitting/amplifying closer to the aerial is not possible.
In this fast paced digital tv world the rf feed is a dying legacy anyway so u may not always have this daisy chain option when u buy a new box + both tvs show same ch (very last century).
I would recommend 1 aerial with a multi way splitter or multiway booster (depending on how strong your signal is, using a booster where its not needed just adds the risk of boosting and making worse the interference), with a cable going to each room. Each tv then operates on its own with either its built in freeview or box.
The only type of splitter I would use is a all metalised one, not one of the cheap plastic things.
In any case "worst" is a relative term. If you have the choice of splitting/amplifying at the masthead, running the bare minimum of cable, or daisy chaining two long runs of cable the best option has to be the masthead and the worst has to be daisy chaining does it not? Relative to each other.
Unless you are thinking about something like a Sky box with built in modulator?
It's annoying because the interference hasn't actually been that bad the past few days
No it couldn't.