Thank you for your email dated 22 August regarding Com7 HD.
Our postcode checker predicts you should receive good overall reception from the Winter Hill transmitter. This information is based on a roof top aerial. To view your predicted coverage, please click here
I have checked and there are currently no reported transmitter problems within your area. As you are probably aware, our planned engineering website (click here) confirms that is no current work going on with this transmitter. This website is updated every Monday. In addition, there are no emergency works going on at this transmitter. For confirmation of this, please click here.
In order to investigate this Com7 signal further for you, would it be possible for you to provide us some more addresses (postcodes and house numbers) of the various areas, so that we can compare them. In addition if you would be able to provide us with the make and model of the digital equipment the members are using. All the information you provide us will be very useful.
Please go to the Digital UK site and contact them via their e-mail facility, the more they get the more they may take notice. The BBC no longer operate transmitters and don't seem very interested in them or their problems.
Shall do. I appreciate that the BBC don't operate the transmitter but I assume that they (although ultimately we) are paying for the service and have a vested interest in how their product is presented.
In fairness, it's not only the BBC that's affected, but the whole of Com7. Incidentally, I rewatched a recording of Everyday Miracles (BBC4HD) more closely, and there were eight disturbance events in the hour. I timed them as they occurred, but could discern no particular pattern: three happened within five minutes whereas the longest clear spell was sixteen minutes. The trouble is that this is a lower-power Mux so the powers that be will almost certainly assume bad aerial systems or weak reception, but, as I pointed out to DigitalUK, the effect is too widespread to be as simple as that.
Mike.
I've had this problem on BBC4 HD for a couple of weeks, especially noticeable on Proms broadcasts. I assumed that the mux was operating on lower power than normal.
Though in the last two days I seem to have my usual excellent sound and vision back.
In fairness, it's not only the BBC that's affected, but the whole of Com7. Incidentally, I rewatched a recording of Everyday Miracles (BBC4HD) more closely, and there were eight disturbance events in the hour. I timed them as they occurred, but could discern no particular pattern: three happened within five minutes whereas the longest clear spell was sixteen minutes. The trouble is that this is a lower-power Mux so the powers that be will almost certainly assume bad aerial systems or weak reception, but, as I pointed out to DigitalUK, the effect is too widespread to be as simple as that.
Mike.
I'm sure you are right, I singled out BBC4 HD because I was watching recordings of the proms. I hadn't, at that time, watched enough of the other channels to be able to comment on them but BBC News HD certainly seems to be affected as well and no doubt everything else on that multiplex.
Latest email from Digital UK suggests interference at my location.
hank you for your email dated 25 August regarding tv reception.
Having tried all the options I mentioned in my previous e-mail, it may well be that there is an external source that is interfering with the signal. There is an organisation called The Radio and TV Help Website who can investigate this on your behalf. They can be contacted on 03709 016 789 or www.radioandtvhelp.co.uk for further information on the work that they do.
Latest email from Digital UK suggests interference at my location.
hank you for your email dated 25 August regarding tv reception.
Having tried all the options I mentioned in my previous e-mail, it may well be that there is an external source that is interfering with the signal. There is an organisation called The Radio and TV Help Website who can investigate this on your behalf. They can be contacted on 03709 016 789 or www.radioandtvhelp.co.uk for further information on the work that they do.
To have the same fault reported from St.Annes, Preston, Manchester, Macclesfield etc.
makes local interference a fairly tenuous explanation, but I suppose they have to follow the script!
Mike.
I did ask them to look at what people had said on Digital Spy but unless they get a lot more complaints, unlikely as this is a minority service, nothing seems likely to happen in the short term.
As the radio and TV help service is run by BBC distribution they do know quite a bit.....
But compared to the days of EID ..... It is not as good a service
But as the telemetry of transmitters is a lot better , regular problems be sorted before any impact on viewers.
To have the same fault reported from St.Annes, Preston, Manchester, Macclesfield etc.
makes local interference a fairly tenuous explanation, but I suppose they have to follow the script!
Mike.
I received a phone call from Neil at Digital UK this morning, he is trying to contact some one else as well hopefully you.
Although they don't, quite reasonably, act on one complaint, when they get a small number that are identical and from different areas they do. It seems that Arqiva may have discovered a reason and are working on it. He hopes therefore that the problem will soon be resolved.
As technologist says, these things should be picked up by telemetry, but I have been in this game long enough to know that things don't always work or worse still say they are working when they are not.
Many thanks to everyone who reported the problem to Digital UK.
Please accept our apologies for not calling you back, as per our message earlier today.
Digital UK have worked with Arqiva to explore the issues raised about picture and sound interruptions on Com7 from Winter Hill. Arqiva are confident that viewers should begin to notice services restored to normal very soon.
Thank you for your feedback on this matter, which was very helpful.
So a good result, and hats off to DigitalUK for taking notice and getting the message across.
Mike.
I got the impression that the only complaints they got were from us. When you consider how many people the transmitter serves, less than the other multiplexes but still a substantial number, you wonder how many people watch com7, here or anywhere else. Thanks for your help in solving this matter.
Absolutely massive problems on Com7 started at 01:20 and still ongoing (02:00). At one point my HDFox was trying to decode more than one stream with horizontal bands of different programmes stacked on the screen. Changing channels within the mux made no difference, they were all scrambled. I'd like to think it's an attempt to clear the drop-out fault, which is still present, but it looks more like an encoder going mad. Anyone doing any recording on Com7 overnight will be disappointed.
Mike.
....Digital UK have worked with Arqiva to explore the issues raised about picture and sound interruptions on Com7 from Winter Hill. Arqiva are confident that viewers should begin to notice services restored to normal very soon....
I've not had a chance to really check my BBC4HD reception in the last week, but tonight's Prom seems fault free and moreover the sound quality (I use a separate amp.) is significantly better than it was - worth listening to at last.
I've not had a chance to really check my BBC4HD reception in the last week, but tonight's Prom seems fault free and moreover the sound quality (I use a separate amp.) is significantly better than it was - worth listening to at last.
Thanks folks!
I was watching a programme about Deep Purple last night and it was dropping out constantly every few minutes There's been no improvement at all that I can see, unless both my Humaxes have suddenly developed an identical fault. Disappointing.
Mike.
Re-scanned my TV last night. Afterwards completely lost all trace of BBC4HD and BBC NewsHD from Winter Hill. Nothing on programme guide and no signal. Normally very strong - can actually see Winter Hill from house.
You must have been unlucky and re-tuned when they had a fault. I have just checked BBC News HD and it's OK now. As far as I can tell the transmitter problems we complained about have now been solved though I must admit that I don't watch the channel that often now that the prom season has ended.
Try the usual suspects, if the PVR has a modulator that you don't use turn it off or move it well away from channel 31. Keep HDMI cables, especially unscreened cheap ones, away from your aerial cables.
You must have been unlucky and re-tuned when they had a fault. I have just checked BBC News HD and it's OK now. As far as I can tell the transmitter problems we complained about have now been solved though I must admit that I don't watch the channel that often now that the prom season has ended.
I, too, thought that the problem had been solved but I regret that I have been suffering from BBC4HD dropouts again in the last couple of days. I have been too busy to watch much television over the previous few weeks though, so I can't be sure when the problem started again - if indeed it ever went away!
I, too, thought that the problem had been solved but I regret that I have been suffering from BBC4HD dropouts again in the last couple of days. I have been too busy to watch much television over the previous few weeks though, so I can't be sure when the problem started again - if indeed it ever went away!
It never went away,unfortunately. Com7 has been as unstable as ever despite Arquiva giving assurances about an improvement.
Mike.
Comments
Dear Mr. Pilgrim,
Thank you for your email dated 22 August regarding Com7 HD.
Our postcode checker predicts you should receive good overall reception from the Winter Hill transmitter. This information is based on a roof top aerial. To view your predicted coverage, please click here
I have checked and there are currently no reported transmitter problems within your area. As you are probably aware, our planned engineering website (click here) confirms that is no current work going on with this transmitter. This website is updated every Monday. In addition, there are no emergency works going on at this transmitter. For confirmation of this, please click here.
In order to investigate this Com7 signal further for you, would it be possible for you to provide us some more addresses (postcodes and house numbers) of the various areas, so that we can compare them. In addition if you would be able to provide us with the make and model of the digital equipment the members are using. All the information you provide us will be very useful.
Kind Regards,
Janita
Viewer Support
Mike.
Better than the standard letter I got, possibly because I filled in their form so they have my address.
Shall do. I appreciate that the BBC don't operate the transmitter but I assume that they (although ultimately we) are paying for the service and have a vested interest in how their product is presented.
Mike.
Though in the last two days I seem to have my usual excellent sound and vision back.
I'm sure you are right, I singled out BBC4 HD because I was watching recordings of the proms. I hadn't, at that time, watched enough of the other channels to be able to comment on them but BBC News HD certainly seems to be affected as well and no doubt everything else on that multiplex.
hank you for your email dated 25 August regarding tv reception.
Having tried all the options I mentioned in my previous e-mail, it may well be that there is an external source that is interfering with the signal. There is an organisation called The Radio and TV Help Website who can investigate this on your behalf. They can be contacted on 03709 016 789 or www.radioandtvhelp.co.uk for further information on the work that they do.
To have the same fault reported from St.Annes, Preston, Manchester, Macclesfield etc.
makes local interference a fairly tenuous explanation, but I suppose they have to follow the script!
Mike.
But compared to the days of EID ..... It is not as good a service
But as the telemetry of transmitters is a lot better , regular problems be sorted before any impact on viewers.
I received a phone call from Neil at Digital UK this morning, he is trying to contact some one else as well hopefully you.
Although they don't, quite reasonably, act on one complaint, when they get a small number that are identical and from different areas they do. It seems that Arqiva may have discovered a reason and are working on it. He hopes therefore that the problem will soon be resolved.
As technologist says, these things should be picked up by telemetry, but I have been in this game long enough to know that things don't always work or worse still say they are working when they are not.
Many thanks to everyone who reported the problem to Digital UK.
Dear Mr Pilgrim,
Please accept our apologies for not calling you back, as per our message earlier today.
Digital UK have worked with Arqiva to explore the issues raised about picture and sound interruptions on Com7 from Winter Hill. Arqiva are confident that viewers should begin to notice services restored to normal very soon.
Thank you for your feedback on this matter, which was very helpful.
So a good result, and hats off to DigitalUK for taking notice and getting the message across.
Mike.
Mike.
Thanks folks!
I was watching a programme about Deep Purple last night and it was dropping out constantly every few minutes There's been no improvement at all that I can see, unless both my Humaxes have suddenly developed an identical fault. Disappointing.
Mike.
It never went away,unfortunately. Com7 has been as unstable as ever despite Arquiva giving assurances about an improvement.
Mike.