Dodgy Cable Reception

Telefís

Not living in Dublin for years, it's always interesting visiting relatives seeing the aul cable alive and well.
Only that well, it isn't.

Should all NTL cable reception be crystal clear? I have some family in Crumlin who have an analogue connection dating from goodness knows when, and the CH4 reception in particular is quite poor, and some other channels also suffer from the odd bit of noise or distortion, with lines coming and going across the screen, and a very light snow.

Likewise I have other family living in a house dating from c1988 and their reception of CH4 and UTV is quite bad - apparently quite snowy at times.
Is this common with analogue cable? Is it likely just the connection box needs to be replaced, or maybe the entry cable from the house?

Is it up to NTL to fix this free of charge?
Thanks.

bazzer

In this day and age there is no excuse for poor cable reception. Call NTL now and get them to sort it - and, yes, it's free of charge.

paulm17781

I used to always get that on NTL. I have had digital for so long I don't know if it is still like that. Ch4 was always particularily bad.

Alun

The frequency band that CH4 and a few others are transmitted on on NTL analogue seems to be quite susceptible to interference coming in via crappy cables / connectors between the TV and the NTL junction box. I had the same thing when I had analogue and just swapping the cable for a good quality one solved it overnight.

Telefís

Thanks all for your help. Is the cable coming from the road high quality double copper shielded co-ax, or just the crappy old stuff with a single layer of copper braid round it?

The junction boxes and connections in the Crumlin house are not great - they're the old Cablelink ones and cables have been routed all about the house, but the newer 80s house shouldn't have any problems like that as the box is serving a single television set and has never been tampered with.
Definitely worth getting NTL out.

By the way, when was the cable system laid around Dublin? Ballymun was the scheme that spurred on its introduction in 1969 wasn't it? So when did it roll out in Dublin's surburbs etc - the early 70s?
And how was it brought into peoples' homes - was every garden in the city dug up or are they draped from house to house?
Do the cables enter through the downstairs front window in most cases, and what of more modern or new homes, where is the central cable wired to there?
(Sorry for all the questions )

SPDUB

Telef&#237 wrote: »

By the way, when was the cable system laid around Dublin? Ballymun was the scheme that spurred on its introduction in 1969 wasn't it? So when did it roll out in Dublin's surburbs etc - the early 70s?
And how was it brought into peoples' homes - was every garden in the city dug up or are they draped from house to house?
Do the cables enter through the downstairs front window in most cases

Well we hooked up in 1973 in Dublin 8 sometime during the summer as I remember the first programme I saw was cricket

They did drape it from house to house and yes it came in through the downstairs front window .

The name of the company covering our area was Merlin.

ciaran76

Telef&#237 wrote: »

Likewise I have other family living in a house dating from c1988 and their reception of CH4 and UTV is quite bad - apparently quite snowy at times.
Is this common with analogue cable? Is it likely just the connection box needs to be replaced, or maybe the entry cable from the house?QUOTE]


Yeah strange that in My parents house CH4 and Discovery Ch seem to be snowy as too in my mates house which is about 10 mins up the road from them in Dublin 15. I have digital so have perfect clear screen most of the time