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Hi guys.
My mother-in0law has recently obtain an Aura STB, which I have set up for her. It is connected to an outdoor aerial.
According to the Freeview website, we should be able to receive 129 channels, and in fact we actually find 141 when auto scanning. However, we are missing some key channels that she wants, and that we should apparently be able to receive.
Signal strength on tuner 1 is showing at 98%, with 100% quality (should there be anything in tuners 2 and 3? Because they’re blank).
Now, while I was waiting for my forum membership to be authorised, I have managed to conduct further research. The fault doesn’t appear to be with the Humax, but I felt I might as well reach out in case there was any advice that could be given.
My mother-in-laws setup includes a booster/splitter box – when this is removed the signal strength and quality on tuner 1 drops markedly. She also has an older Panasonic DVR with built in tuner as well as a tuner built into the Panasonic TV, and a Roku box that I gave her (so she didn’t really need the Aura, but she got it to replace her Virgin Media box when she ditched their contract). To be fair, apart from the lack of a Netflix app, it has helped consolidate her usage to a single remote control, which is helpful. But I digress.
The TV’s built in tuner picks up the channels that the Aura does not. The Panasonic DVR also picks up the missing channels.
Having gone through the settings, I found that the Panasonic DVR allows to see signal strength by channel! Very useful. And going through a pattern emerged, all the missing channels signal strength was appalling – AND they all appear to be on CH22!
According to Freeview, we should be able to receive the following channels from the Rowridge transmitter (her aerial is in the horizontal orientation).
11 – Sky Mix
17 – Really
19 – U&Drama
31 – E4 Extra
36 – Sky Arts
40 – Quest Red
43 – Food Network
45 – Gems TV
47 – Film4 +1
48 – Challenge
60 – U&Drama +1
65 – That’s TV 2
70 – Quest +1
96 – Must Have Ideas
233 – Sky News
723 – Talksport
724 – Capital
728 – Heart
730 – RNIB Connect
731 – Classic FM
732 – LBC
Additionally, there are 3 other channels not listed on the Freeview site which the other tuners pick up, we’re not worried about these, but I’m including them for completeness.
670 – ADULT Section
673 – ADULT smileTV3
695 – spacer channel to separate adult content form radio
These all appear to be Channel 22 / ARQ A
I have checked the signal strength for these channels on my TV (we recently had a log-periodic antenna installed), and we are getting 92%+ signal strength with no losses.
I think her antenna is the old analogue one (and I know that the whole you NEED a digital antenna schtick was bull in most cases), I wonder if a new antenna would fix her situation?
First of all when you go to the Settings> Channel & Broadcast> Signal Test you will only see one tuner active if you are only watching one channel.
Tuners 2 and 3 will become active if you are recording programmes broadcast on other multiplexes.
Have a look at the aerial cables connection to the Aura, unplug and unscrew the plug and make sure the inner copper core is making full contact with and slightly protruding from the central tunnel, about a millimetre or two. It has been noted that if full contact is not made this can cause a whole multiplex to be ‘knocked’ out. Check any other connections to wall sockets or similar.
From what you have discovered the channels you have listed are all broadcast on Channel/ Multiplex 22 from the Rowridge transmitter. If the Aura is in an area where it can receive signals from another transmitter you could try a manual tune to that other transmitter.
Click on the link below to the Freeview transmitter page and input the Auras postcode,
https://www.freeview.co.uk/corporate/detailed-transmitter-information
Having input the postcode the next page will show the transmitters broadcasting to that area
with ‘most likely’ shown first and alternative transmitters listed below.
Further down the page you will see more detailed information giving the channel/ mux number each broadcast on. If there is an alternative transmitter that you could retune to take a note of the mux numbers (these are under the N in a black circle) make a special note on the mux number under the BBC B label, this is the HD multiplex. If manual tuning the Aura you need to change Transmission from DVB-T to DVB-T2 for the HD mux, you will see this when you go to the manual search page.
All other multiplexes are standard definition and require Transmission to be set to DVB-T.
On this forum and another there has long been conversations if the tuners used in the Aura are less or more sensitive than that used in other PVR’s or TVs.
In my case my aerial is connected direct to my Aura then looped over to a Humax 5000T (older model with three tuners) which is then looped up to the TV. The Signal Strength and Signal Quality meters in both the Humax 5000T and my Sony TV are across all multiplexes stable and not prone to drop outs.
However the Aura which is first in line shows lower signal strength in all multiplexes and in some multiplexes the signal strength wavers. So it is more prone to pixellation.
Have you taken the Aura to your own location if that is still in the Rowridge area and tried tuning the Aura to see if gets all multiplexes and the full range of Freeview channels.
You have also noted that Signal Strength can be as high as 98%, this can be problematic and cause drop outs and pixellation, attaching a variable attenuator will allow you to reduce the signal to about 90 – 95%. Signal Quality should always be 100%.
And lastly make sure the HDMI cable is kept away from the aerial cables, if the HDMI cable is not sufficiently shielded it can cause problems to Signal Strength and Quality affecting the picture.
A few things to try there, and maybe clutching at straws with some but always difficult when you are not actually there.
Maybe by trying some of these steps it can narrow it down to what is actually the cause of one multiplex not being picked up by the Aura.
Good luck.
Interesting, especially about the connection and the signal strength.
I did try it with a direct connection (without the booster/splitter), signal strength dropped to around 60% and it still didn’t pick up 22.
I haven’t tried the aura at my house, but we are in the same area.
Rowridge is our recommended transmitter.
Edited images to upload
[attachment=104536,2365] [attachment=104536,2366]
Okay Rowridge is the ideal transmitter and you should be getting good service across all multiplexes.
If you go to the Manual Search facility in the Auras Settings> Channel & Broadcast> Manual Search
and enter 22 at Channel, make sure Transmission is set to DVB-T. What do the Signal meters report
is it receiving if anything on that multiplex.
You can always input the other different multiplex/ channel numbers and report what the signal meters are reporting, remember to change the HD multiplex (Channel 21) Transmission setting to DVB-T2.
If when the Channel setting in manual search for 22 is showing nothing I would check the cable is firmly connected
and maybe gently rotate it to see if it picks up something.
If that doesn’t work maybe you could pare back the cable a few centimetres and reconnect it to the plug and then the Aura, making sure the central core is through the central tunnel and protruding slightly.
As you are reporting the the TV picks up all multiplexes and also the Panasonic DVR then you would think that the Aura should not have a problem. But the Aura is a delicate flower.
I would keep the signal booster/ amplifier attached but you may consider the attenuator to just bring the signal down, although in this case that may not be the answer to the problem of a missing multiplex.
I can only see it being something with the cable connection to the Aura, so maybe a bit more jiggling and manipulating
the cable could prove to be the answer.
Update.
So I’ve spent the evening at the MiL’s.
I’ve checked the plug, I cannot see the core of the coax, but neither can I remove the plug off the end.
I can unscrew it to reveal the shielding, but that’s it. It “feels” like it’s crimped, soldered, or has grippers inside it that prevent it letting go off the core.
I took the box upstairs where there’s a second aerial (it’s another roof aerial, but this one is mounted inside the loft rather than on the eaves outside like the downstairs antenna).
Signal strength was much poorer, with only about 70% when connected to the booster.
A channel search only picked up 96 channels as opposite to the 141 from downstairs.
But both antennas and cables are old.
So I took the box to mine (5 minutes away), and managed 94% signal strength on our log periodic that we had installed a couple of years ago, with no active booster. And picked up 166 channels, I didn’t go through the full list, but all of the first 10 channels listed above were detected.
Plugging the box back in at the MiL’s, she could now view these channels, although they do occasionally break up.
So it would appear it’s either her old antenna, or the cable, or both that are the issue.
I’m going to have a word with the aerial installer that fitted our log periodic tomorrow.
Yes maybe a good idea to have a professional look at the aerial and cables.
The cables you describe could be the issue as they may be of a low standard.
I use Webro WF100 cable which is 7mm in diameter with a 1mm solid copper core with full shielding
fo minimal signal loss.
If you measure up how much cable you would need you can check online to see if anywhere will sell you cut lengths
(or perhaps your aerial fitter) plus new plugs/ connectors and cable clips.
I bought mine from Maplins but that has gone you can have a look here, 10 metre minimum though.
https://www.cables4all.co.uk/webro-wf100-coaxial-cable–satellite-tv–tv-aerial-2840-p.asp
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