This is because your radio will struggle decoding two radio stations on the same frequency. This is known as co-channel interference. The effect can last from a few hours to a few days and can cause intermittent effects on the service during that time. The effect that causes radio signals to travel further than normal is known as tropospheric ducting. For more information see our guide on tropospheric ducting.
What to do:. There is nothing that can be done but to wait until the weather changes. We have no control over it. If your problem is due to the weather, it should go away once the weather changes. Check our works and warning page to see if there any current weather problems. The most common FM radio aerial on a portable radio is a telescopic one. To get the best reception extend the aerial fully and move the aerial and radio around until you get the best reception. If using a hi-fi with a wire aerial, again extend as much as possible to get the best signal.
External aerials are also available for FM radio and will significantly improve reception. The aerial and cables need to be well maintained and you will need a radio that has an option to connect an external aerial. A radio which can tune to medium and long wave services usually has an aerial built in, which you cannot see. As the aerial is directional, by simply turning the radio you will be able to get the best reception.
AM does not use the telescopic aerial. This needs to be rotated to find the best signal. External aerials are also available for DAB and will significantly improve reception. The aerial and cables need to be well maintained and you need a radio with the option to connect an external aerial.
Unlike the other services, all the predictions of DAB coverage are for indoor coverage. Fading and Hissing. If you normally can receive a service, but you are now finding it is fading, or you can hear hissing, this could be down to one of three things. The first is a fault with the local FM transmitter. If not, then you will need to check the radio and aerial to confirm they are both working properly. However, if you are using a frequency you have preset and there is no radio service on that frequency in your location, then the RDS may not work.
At that point you will need to tune your radio until you find a signal. If you are having continuous reception problems check your car aerial for damage. If you have an extendable aerial make sure it is fully extended to give the best possible reception. Local Radio Travel News. The RDS system is set up to detect local radio travel news. The way to turn traffic announcements on and off on varies between radios. Check you car manual for yours.
Electrical Interference. Interference to MW or LW reception in a car can sometimes happen when the engine is running. This can be due to various things including poor earth connectors, faulty or corroded HT leads and uncompressed spark plugs. This can cause whining on the radio, which rises and falls with engine speed. It has also been known for the engine management system EMS to cause problems.
The simplest test is to turn off your engine and see whether it goes away. The buzzing and clicking lasts from a few seconds to a minute at a time. Switch off heating systems and see whether the problem goes away. If the problem persists when you turn the heating system back on, the problem could be with the thermostat, which may need to be repaired or replaced.
To find out if a particular switch is causing the problem, try turning the lights off one at a time. Many people are now using low power LED lights instead of the more traditional varieties.
However, if the original light used a transformer rather than directly running off the mains, it is possible the transformer is causing the interference. This is because the transformer would have been designed to operate at the higher power and not the lower power the LED lights use.
This has the potential to cause electrical interference. Street lamps. Street lamps can sometimes cause buzzing and crackling sounds on your FM radio.
Keeping a note of when each lamp comes on and goes off will help to identify whether this is the cause of your interference. If it is, contact your local council. Passing traffic. A faulty or uncompressed engine can cause a distinct buzzing 'whine' which varies with engine speed - motorcycles tend to be the worst. Try to move your radio away from the street or use an external aerial.
Electric motor. An electric motor is used in many appliances such as electric lawnmowers, washing machines, drills and hairdryers etc. A faulty motor can cause electrical interference. Check any appliance with an electric motor by moving your radio away from it to see whether the sound improves. If you have several appliances with electric motors you may need to turn them all off and try the above one at a time.
With all of these potential causes, it is worth keeping a log for at least two weeks to determine whether there are any patterns or trends to the interference.
This can be due to:. Reduced transmitter power. Use our transmitter tool to see whether your local transmitter is currently affected by maintenance work. Stereo Signal. Try moving the radio to another position, such as near a window, higher up, or another room. If you get hiss when listening to a stereo signal try switching to mono.
Stereo reception needs a stronger signal than mono. If you have a portable radio you will be able to pick up more of the receivable signal if your telescopic aerial is fully extended. If you have an external or loft aerial check they are functioning correctly.
Tuning to the wrong transmitter. Use our transmitter tool to check you are tuned to the best frequency for your area, as you can often pick up more than one signal. Very occasionally, the weather, usually high pressure, can result in a weakened signal. There is nothing anyone can do about this and the only answer is to wait for the weather to change. For more information see our guide on how weather can affect radio reception.
Help receiving TV and radio. Reception and interference main navigation Menu. Troubleshooting your Freeview Television reception. All will have a similar result of on screen pixellation or the sound breaking up. Basic Installation It is important to check that your installation is intact. Works and Warnings Check our Works and Warnings section to see whether there are any known problems.
Transmitter faults Using our Transmitter Checker , check your transmitter is not undergoing any work. Weather Television signals can be affected by fine weather including high pressure atmospherics and the only solution is to wait for the weather to change, you should not retune during this time. Trees During wet weather, when covered in moisture, all trees can have an appreciable effect on signals.
Damaged Cables Water can get into external cables and can cause reception problems. Manual Retune A manual retune is more effective than an auto-retune as it only tunes your television to the transmitter your aerial is pointing towards. Interference If you are still having problems, it is possible an unwanted signal is the cause. Qualified Installer We cannot recommend individual Installers. Check out our tools Use our problem assistant to help you diagnose problems with reception and interference View tool.
Check the status of the transmitter you are using and find out TV and radio channels and frequencies View tool. My DAB reception has started to drop out, is this due to poor reception?
How can weather affect DAB reception? Tuning Most DAB radios can be tuned easily at the touch of a button. Telescopic aerials Telescopic aerials on portable radios should be fully extended to receive a good signal. Outdoor aerials An externally mounted aerial can be attached to many types of DAB portable radio and hi-fi systems. Cables and Connectors If you have an external aerial, a radio signal will always lose some of its strength as it passes along the cable and through the connectors.
Works and Warnings Check whether there are any known works or warnings that might be causing the problem. Tuning DAB uses multiplexes to group services together. External aerials It is important to check the cables and the aerial for damage and that they are operating correctly.
Car Radios Radio reception can drop out when on the move due to changes in topography. Weather Radio signals can be affected by fine weather including high pressure. Lost reception of one or more station within a multiplex If all other stations are working ok and you have just lost one station.
If your car radio is showing no signal or no service for a station you usually receive, this could be down to one of the following things: DAB Transmitter Fault If you know your location, you can use our transmitter checker to see whether there is a problem.
Interference Poor DAB reception can also be caused by equipment used in the vehicle. Topography When travelling in the car, your signal can be affected by natural features of the land, for example, hills, valleys, rivers, etc. How to find these services It is best to re-tune your radio when they are broadcasting, so it will store the station in its memory. Checking for problems Check cables and leads within your property to ensure the problem is not a simple installation fault.
Electrical interference There are differences between a reception problem and one caused by electrical interference. Why is this? My Television reception is usually good in the day, so why does my television reception sometimes deteriorate in the evenings?
Why are subtitles sometimes delayed or out of sync? Why am I receiving a voice commentary over my picture. What is this, and how can I turn this off? Freeview Help Guides What is a good Freeview installation? Aerials There are all kinds of aerials available on the market and some which are specific to certain frequencies. Height Your aerial should be as high as possible pointing towards the transmitter with the best signal. Loft and indoor aerials If you live close to a transmitter or can get a strong TV signal, then it could be possible to use an aerial in your loft or an indoor portable aerial.
Cable and connectors A television signal will always lose some of its strength as it passes along the cable and through the connectors. Amplifier These are not recommended unless absolutely required as they can introduce unexpected reception problems. Polarisation Depending on the transmitter you are using, your aerial elements will need to be mounted flat horizontal or on its side vertical. Qualified Installer We cannot recommend individual installers.
Troubleshooting your Freeview Television reception Basic Installation It is important to check that your installation is intact. How to check your cables for water damage If possible, check the external cable for any signs of damage, such as cracking and tears. Damaged cables can cause reception problems and can allow water into your installation. Find the cable that goes from your aerial or satellite dish into your television, radio or set top box and unplug it. This may be from a socket on the wall or a direct cable through the wall.
If you are using a satellite dish to receive your television, you will also need to check the LNB and cap for any signs of water damage. You may need to instruct a qualified installer to assist you with this. If it is a direct cable, check for any obvious signs of water or a green build-up on the connector.
If it is from a wall socket check both the connector on the cable and on the wall socket for any signs of water or green build-up. A green build-up is a sign that water has at some point got into your installation. If you find water damage then it is likely that the cable will need replacing by a qualified aerial installer.
How to better my signal using an amplifier or attenuator When to use an amplifier A signal amplifier should only be used as a last resort when the television signal is weak. Problems using amplifiers Amplifiers themselves are a common source of reception problems.
Masthead These fit directly under an outside aerial and usually the best type of amplifier to fix weak signals. Set-back These fit between the aerial socket in the wall and your television.
Distribution These split the TV signal from a single aerial and allow the signal to be sent to several different televisions in the building. Combined amplifiers Some amplifiers are a mix of the above. Attenuators When to use an Attenuator If you are experiencing pixellation or picture break up, it may be that your signal is too strong as this often presents itself similarly to a weak signal.
Problems with television and radio services in North Yorkshire and Teesside What's happened at Bilsdale transmitter?
What if channels do not come back following the retune? Essential engineering work affecting listeners in the north of England FM radio at Holme Moss has been undergoing antenna re-engineering works since the 29th June. Engineering works. Image credit: mb Latest Radio works and warnings Problems with television and radio services in North Yorkshire and Teesside What's happened at Bilsdale transmitter? Why can I hear a foreign radio station?
Why is medium wave reception worse at night? Radio Help Guides Troubleshooting FM radio B asic Installation It is important to check your installation is working properly and that your radio is in the best possible position. Works and warnings Check whether there are any known works or warnings that may be causing the problem. Transmitter faults and frequencies Use our Transmitter Checker to check the transmitter is not undergoing any work and to see which FM radio services you can receive from your location.
Hi-Fi radios If you are using a Hi-Fi tuner and stereo reception is hissy, but mono is fine, your aerial may not be powerful enough. Weather FM radio signals can be affected by fine weather including high pressure and the only solution is to wait for the weather to change, you should not re-tune during this time. Pirate Radio In some urban areas Pirate Radio can be a problem. Distorted S and Z sounds sibilance This can happen when your radio receives more than one signal.
When you turn the power back on the box or TV will reboot its software. This will usually fix the problem. If you're still having problems, you could try doing a full reboot and retune. This usually involves the following steps, but the process may vary slightly depending on your device. If it's still not functioning properly, contact your device's helpline or look on its website for further advice. If you can't find the full range of channels that you had before, we recommend you have your aerial and cabling checked — it's possible that it's become damaged or corroded or been moved out of position slightly.
If you are having problems viewing channels we can help you to fix the problem. If this has not helped solve the problem the following websites to find a qualified aerial installer local to you:. Latest Bilsdale transmitter update for viewers in North East England. There is a chance that it is just the equipment you have at your home that is causing the interruption to your Freeview service.
This is far more common than anything external to your property such as interference or problems with your TV transmitter. This is very common, as it is widespread to have your TV aerial cables installed on the outside of your property over time these could break down and fail. You should make every effort to secure the cable as best as possible including where it may run down the roof tiles as if it is allowed to move it is likely that it will chafe and cause a break in the cable.
Also, the sun over time will leak out the plasticiser in the cable it brittle and eventually over time fail apart. Believe it or not black cables will actually last longer than white cables because of the effect the sun will have on this colour.
It is very common in both of the above instances that once the PVC has broken on the cable that when it rains the rain water actually enters the cable and remains in the cable. Worst case scenario is that the water will use the cable like a slide and slide down it all the way and enter your TV equipment. You be amazed at how much water can actually be held within a cable. If you have water in your cable you need to replace it right away as it could damage your TV equipment.
You should always discard the factory fly-lead that often comes with your TV equipment and have a good one made up with double screened coaxial cable ideally with all copper conductors. A faulty amplifier is a very common cause of poor TV reception.
The signal goes in fine and comes out awful. There is no such opportunity with digital TV signals. Passive equipment can become faulty as well. This is usually some form or physical damage which could cause passive splitters to become faulty. Another common reason that cause this is the constant disconnecting and connected of cables such as in wall plates which can break and ruin the TV signal.
This is actually very common. I have personally taken a TV out of a box to set up for a customer only to find it is faulty. There is a potential that one of these pieces of equipment is ruing your Freeview signal. Obviously if you can see the aerial lying on your roof that is the problem.
If it looks fine it usually is. The majority of problems around a broken aerial are usually because water has been allowed to enter the dipole. Some aerials are more prone to this than others but often the water has just forced its way in or the aerial has been installed incorrectly.
Another potential thing that could break your TV aerial is a nearby electrical storm or lightning strike. The aerial itself may look fine but the inside may be completely fried. One day they are fine but as they move, grow and leaf during the different seasons they can cause problems. The odd tree is fine but as the trees become more and more dense the will cause more and more of a problem for Freeview TV reception.
Your aerial should be cunningly installed to avoid the trees as much as possible. Usually this would mean getting your TV aerial moved to the roof or high up on a wall but on occasion I have found actually lowering the TV aerial to miss the branches and leaves — I would never assume this however as it is not common and a signal test should always be performed beforehand.
Sometimes you may do everything right. Install an antenna with a balun, use double screened coaxial cable and wall plates, install your aerial high up on a chimney stack with a filter to remove any unwanted signals or interference and a working TV and you still get problems.
There is a chance that there is a problem with the transmitter. Transmitter problems are not as common as some people think, they usually occur when the transmitter is under some form on maintenance but they do sometimes happen. Because Freeview is broadcast from a land based transmitter the land itself, buildings and trees can get in the way.
If this situation you should either satellite TV and opt for Sky or if you do not want to pay a monthly subscription Freesat which itself is very similar to Freeview but not exactly the same. Some people often look at me in disbelief when I go to the manual tuning settings instead of the auto-tune. I going to save you a full reason because I have written a whole separate blog on this subject which you can read here.
Essentially when you run an auto scan you TV may see signals from neighbouring transmitters and want to store them instead in place of the good TV signals that you want to use. These signals themselves may not work properly and cause the TV the pixelate. Where this is the case, the best option would be to try and filter out the unwanted TV signals.
Another thing you could do is to fit an attenuator whilst you tune the TV and remove when the auto scan has completed. With the right sized attenuator, you would weaken all the signals but should weaken the signals you do not want so they are no longer recognising the unwanted TV signals and still recognising the signals you do want. This is a challenge in itself so you may want to be purchase am adjustable attenuator to right the right balance or get your aerial installer to supply you one.
Should only cost you a few quid extra as well. There you have it, by far our longest blog to date. There are of course many more ways that your Freeview reception can be disrupted but this blog would have gone on forever.
0コメント