TV Reception problem

In article , snipped-for-privacy@soon.com scribeth thus

Analogue channel 6?, what's that then?. Chanel 6 TV isn't transmitted and channel 6 on VHF shut down a long time ago!..

Nope thats going on all the time..

Sounds awkward. One for the boys form Ofcom or the radio investigation service.

Or post a screenshot picture here or somewhere...

It's the "Channel 6" RSL. Think it's called "Six TV" and is in analogue.

Slinky

Any neighbours within 1/2 a miles or so Radio Amateurs? It might be interference from packet radio. The fact that it is evenings only indicates a "domestic" rather than "commercial" source. What's it like at the weekend?

Have tried taking a pic but the interference seems to last only a frame or two..after about half an hour of trying to capture it I gave up!

If you imagine a band of "sparklies" covering about a third of the picture, lasting about a frame or two; appearing in bursts about every half second. The band appears at random positions on the screen. The "sparklies" within that band are quite well spaced out and not too dense. The sparklies seem quite well defined too, almost line morse code. Makes me think perhaps its some sort of burst of digital data. Packet radio, perhaps? What esle sends out bursts of signal?

It's also strange that they seem to start and stop quite abruptly. I'd expect this sort of thing to fade in and out over a period of time if it were due to atmospherics. It's almost as if a piece of equipment is being switched on somewhere; then switched off an hour or so later.

Slinky

Are you in the UK? Sounds to me as though you are in the USA. If so you are not going to get much useful information from a UK group.

Peter Crosland

No, the IP is assigned to newnet.co.uk and the OP has explained that the Channel 6 reference refers to SIX TV which is an RSL operating around Oxford.

Too fast for packet radio, that would transmit for a second or three in each burst. Some of the other digital modes may transmit such short bursts at such a high rate though.

If this is 'sparkly' type of stuff it suggests that the interference is breaking in somewhere in an analogue part of your system, because digital systems aren't affected in that way. If you have a digibox attached to an analogue TV receiver, it sounds as if this interference is *very* local, and breaking in directly to the TV set (or perhaps the digibox). Somewhere in your house, perhaps, or an immediate next-door neighbour?

To be fair, the OP is careful to mention the effects of the interference on digital and analogue reception separately, and only mentions picture break-up on the former. It points to the interference is being received by the aerial and may not be so local.

Thus spake snipped-for-privacy@soon.com ( snipped-for-privacy@soon.com) unto the assembled multitudes:

Do you have a radio amateur operating in the vicinity? I used to have one just down the road with an enormous Yagi array on his roof, and for a while that used to cause serious interference with my TV picture during the times when he was busy on the air. I approached him about this and he was very friendly and helpful, and even gave me a couple of filters for my TV cables, and the problem was largely eliminated. Anyhow, he has long since moved away so the problem such that it was moved away with him.

In my case is totally obvious. Its the crap thermostats that I installed that cause a second of arcing when they switch..

get a MW radio and listen.

Arcing sounds like water poured into boiling fat.

Digital interference is far more 'machine made' sounding.

Do your neighbours have the same problem?

Do the street lights come on when the problems start?

Its periodic, not random, so its not likely to be sparking / arcing. If nothing in your house is txing every half second, neighbours are the next most likely.

If you can reach the tv aerial (eg loft aerial) you could rotate it slowly to use it as a basic direction finder, hopefully it'll point you to the source. If OTOH the interference stays the same wherever you point it, that would suggest it isnt getting into the system at the aerial.

If the latter, progressively disconnecting / unpowering everything should help drill down to where its coming from.

NT

Now that would be impressive!

(yes, I know what you mean...but it's more likely that the problems start when the street lights come on! :-) )

Yes, UK.

Dreadful. Especially during X-Factor, Corrie etc.

T'other half likes X-Factor, Corrie etc so I'm getting a hard time..

Six-TV also operate a station in Southampton.

Slinky

It's also affecting freeview and causing picture breakups every second or so.

Doesn't affect Sky, DVD, video etc. The freeview box is also a PVR. As recordings are also blatted then it seems the interference is coming down the aerial.

Have tried switching stuff off in the house to no avail.

There is, what I believe to be a CBer a few hundred yards away. He's got an 18' or 21' pole on his roof. Unless he's broadcasting some sort of digital signal it wouldn't explain why the interference comes in regular bursts.

slinky