I am having lots of trouble lately with signal drop outs on my panny. I'm in the habit of using timer recording an awful lot so I can watch things later but I often find the recordings have been interrupted by freezing or total loss of signal when I watch them back.

If any updates show I always run them late at night (as gavtech suggests to do) so the best result is gained. I bought a signal booster but haven't tried it yet tbh as I have no idea where best to incorporate it into the set up. When I look at the signal strength the signal quality is high but the signal strength is only half the bar (is this borderline and why the freezing is so random?)

I've had a brief look around the threads and ran this that I found on one of them http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd....10&OS=CH42+9JJ
I have a loft ariel for this bedroom located panny and I have a feeling it's pointing more towards Winter Hill. Would turning it to face more towards Storeton be a simple fix for my problem? Sorry about my total ignorance on the subject. Forgive me if I sound completely stupid asking that!

Turning the aerial would not work at all.

Storeton is a relay transmitter and is vertically polarised. The elements on your aerial will be horizontal to pick up the main Winter Hill transmitter which is horizontally polarised.

Also, the transmitters work at different frequencies and require different aerial types.

Really it is lucky that you can get a signal at all with an indoor aerial.
It really would be worth getting a proper aerial rigger to place a new aerial installation as high as possible on the outside on the building.

Thanks for replying Gavtech. The data on that url was wasted on me tbh. I was totally unaware of the polarisation issue etc.!

Am I pretty much buggered then unless I get a new aerial fitted or would it also be an option to get a split instead off the main external aerial (which also faces Winter Hill)? In your opinion would that be an ok fix for the problem? I think we can safely say a signal booster will not be enough LOL!

One can never be sure... It is so circumstantial.... and as you have a booster already, it makes sense to try it first.

Can you give any information on what type it is?

Yep, just a basic cheap plug in unit from the supermarket I'm afraid. It appears to need a male to male lead which I don't currently have hence me not trying it yet. Also I'm not sure where to introduce it within the set up. Should it go between the panasonic and the tv or between the aerial and the panasonic? When I bought the player there was a short lead in the box that the instructions said to attach to the aerial and then to the back of the panny. I have no idea what that's for but just did as told. If I attach the booster to the aerial lead which side of that short lead should it go?

The booster should go between the incoming aerial and the input to the Pansonic DVDR... so yes - you will require a male to male lead, to link it into the system.

Good luck.

Thanks for all the advice. Much appreciated.
I'll pick up a lead and give the booster a try. Will let you know if it helps my miracle loft aerial reception.

Just an update on the outcome. I bought a small piece of coax cable and some male connections and made my own short adaptor for the booster and added it to the mix. I have to say that on checking the signal strength it boosted the channels that had half bars beforehand by about 20-25% and some channels now actually have a full 10 on the bar so I'm quite happy at the moment. No indication of any freezing or blocking so far so fingers crossed, it may just prove enough! Thanks for taking the time to help me Gavtech.