freeview breakup

[cecil39]

i got a new tv with freeview built in, and was sure that we would be all set to watch tv over Christmas with no problems, not so, in fact we were unable to really see anything through to the end as the picture constantly broke up and the sound went on and off, even BBC1 & 2 & ITV1 that we never had any problem with before is now doing the same, what can i do about it?

[Graham-W]

Try the TV on another aeriel eg. at a neighbours house. It may be a faulty one. If it's ok then:
Make sure all your aeriel conections are good. Check your aeriel hasn't blown over. You could try a signal amplifier. Argos do them: http://www.argos.co.u...essories|28589765.htm

[AlBags]

Basically .. your signal is not good enough ..

Antenna direction (tx) and type/quality to achieve good gain.
Signal Amplification
Condition of down-lead
Must be NOT passively split (only use multi-way amps or distribution)

[Buenchico]

As others have indicated, the signal strength is insufficient. (Different makes and models of TVs have vastly different 'sensitivities', i.e. their ability to cope with weak signals. Your new TV clearly has poorer sensitivity than whatever you had before).

Ideally you should get your aerial (AND the associated cabling) replaced but, if you've previously had good Freeview reception with another set (or set-top box) then a simple signal amplifier will probably fix the problem. They're cheap in Tesco and Asda but it's worth paying a bit more for the one that Maplin sells because it provides greater signal gain:
http://www.maplin.co....gle&u=223504&t=module

Chris

(PS: Signal conditions were particularly poor over the Christmas period. That was probably due to the atmospheric pressure and possibly because of a solar flare, which are among the many factors which can effect TV reception).

[cecil39]

thanks for your input folks, thats all a great help.