NTL Cable Service: bad reception on channels at end of band

Nanor

I have bad reception (equidistant spots of snow) on the following channels: Discovery - 48 MHz, C4 - 56 MHz, and TV5 - 408 MHz. These 3 channels are on frequencies that are on either end of the range used by NTL, so I'm presuming other people have this problem. I'm waiting for a reply from NTL on this.

Does anyone else have this problem?

Mountjoy Mugger

Blue on Black is hard to read!

Ta

Baz999

There is absolutely no excuse for anyone on NTL Dublin cable to have poor reception on any channel. If there is a problem, then its purely down to NTL not maintaining the network as they should. Nanor, you should ring NTL maintenance straight away, and DON'T let them leave until you have perfect reception on ALL channels. Don't be fobbed off by any excuses.

Baz_

NOOOOOOO!!!!!!

I can not believe it, I have just begun to battle my arch nemesis BaZ, and now there is a Baz999, what can I do now.

Given the state of NTl's finances-they've just let 100's go across the water-don't hold your breath for a significant improvement.
mm

cableskeptic

I heard that the lower end of the spectrum (5MHz and 65MHz) used by cable companies is prone to more interference than the higher frequencies so that could possibly explain your problems with Discovery and C4.

A few questions:

I presume that the interference is experienced on ntl's analogue channels?

What other channels are in the lower band? If any others are they prone to interference as well?

Do you have multiple TVs connected to the cable?

Dotsie~tmp

I had the same problem on these channels till i got ntl to do the digital. They replaced the cable from the box on the front of the house and used those new nifty connectors instead of the old screw ones. They also installed a small box beside the tv with what looks like a little amplifier inside it.

From there it goes to a splitter ( not a cheapy power city one ) that has 7db output ( about 5 x the signal power ). The it goes as usual to the decoder video and tv.

One thing i found is that making the connection yourself using the old screw co-ax connectors will give you a ****é reception. Buy ready made lengths of it from peats or somewhere. Another thing, if you want to take the output of decoder/and or/video and send it to other tvs through the house, buy another booster/splitter! The one you plug in with VHF and UHF inputs and 4 or more outputs. It will do wonders for the reception as each connection and device or loop weakens the signal.

Give ntl a call and tell em what you want.

Antenna

Nanor,
Make sure it is not your TV that is to blame! I have a Mitsubishi C14T7L 14-inch teletext TV and this has internally generated interference at the 'lower frequencies'! Attempts to use rabbits ears for band 3 (VHF) reception from Mullaghanish is a disaster. In contrast using a 20 year old TV in the same room with the rabbits ears gives acceptable reception. Even with the band 3 antenna in the attic the reception with the Mitsubishi still has slight patterning, whilst being perfect on the old TV. The problem is due to internally generated interference leaking out of the Mitsubishi. Try a different TV instead ( if you have not already done so) and see if the problem is still there. If a TV is causing this problem and is still under guarantee dont be afraid to complain. These type of problems are due to cheap construction.

>I have bad reception (equidistant spots of snow) on the following channels: Discovery - 48 MHz, C4 - 56 MHz, and TV5 - 408 MHz. These 3 channels are on frequencies that are on either end of the range used by NTL, so I'm presuming other people have this problem. I'm waiting for a reply from NTL on this.

_Kaiser_

Discovery - 48 MHz, C4 - 56 MHz, and TV5 - 408 MHz. These 3 channels are on frequencies that are on either end of the range used by NTL, so I'm presuming other people have this problem.

These channels (add Eurosport to the list in my case) have ALWAYS been bad here (Coolock). I've long since given up ringing NTL (and Cablelink before them) about it tho.

The_Conductor

I'm sorry to resurrect a long dead thread- but I am experiencing the exact same problem as here.......

Channel 4, E4 and Discovery are particularly prone to "snow" and noise distortion on their sound.

In addition I subscribe to NTL's cable broadband package. Intermittently the modem is unable to sync with the server and most of the time the download rates are unbelievably crap. Its actually reached the stage where my upload speeds (which are bad....) are frequently better than my download speeds......

I had an engineer call out to me on Saturday the 22nd of October. He tested my line and said I had a slightly weak signal- that it had been reported in many areas around Lucan- particularly in the North of the village- he mentioned the new Laraghcon estate as a particular blackspot. He indicated that NTL was running new "fibre" into their junctions in Lucan and that the problem should be sorted in a week or so.

I asked if he was certain that I would not have to book a fresh call-out, as its a bummer having to stay in the whole time without any indication of when the engineer is going to turn-up- he said it would 100% per cent definitively not be necessary- as there was no problem whatsoever with my internal wiring and nothing that he could do in there.

Yesterday- the reception on the afore 3 mentioned channels deteriorated to such an extent that they were unwatchable- and my download speeds were stuck around 25-30 kbps.

I rang customer services this AM and they are insisting that the problem is at my end, that they have no problems whatsoever in the area and that I must book another call-out....... The individual was rather sharp with me on the phone and very unhelpful.

So- its Saturday the 19th of Nov for my next callout......

I am deeply unhappy.....

Freddie59

cableskeptic wrote:

I heard that the lower end of the spectrum (5MHz and 65MHz) used by cable companies is prone to more interference than the higher frequencies so that could possibly explain your problems with Discovery and C4.

A few questions:

I presume that the interference is experienced on ntl's analogue channels?

What other channels are in the lower band? If any others are they prone to interference as well?

Do you have multiple TVs connected to the cable?

They're only prone to interference if you have dodgy connections. I called NTL once about the same problem and the tech pulled out my vcr from the press, showed me where the connection was breaking because it was pushed up against the back of the press. He said that a lot of the calls they get about these channels are actually caused in the houses with broken plugs/connectors and DIY stuff.

Apparently those little silver tv plugs that you buy are not as easy to fit as they look. He told me some people put them on upside down with the earth missing??!! Mine was perfect after he left. No probs now.:D

bk

smccarrick wrote:

Channel 4, E4 and Discovery are particularly prone to "snow" and noise distortion on their sound.

C4 and Discovery are now repeated at 543 MHz and 575 MHz, try tuning in these frequencies rather then the lower VHF III frequency, it should help.

http://www.ntl.com/locales/ie/en/athome/frequency.html

The_Conductor

Freddie59 wrote:

They're only prone to interference if you have dodgy connections. I called NTL once about the same problem and the tech pulled out my vcr from the press, showed me where the connection was breaking because it was pushed up against the back of the press. He said that a lot of the calls they get about these channels are actually caused in the houses with broken plugs/connectors and DIY stuff.

Apparently those little silver tv plugs that you buy are not as easy to fit as they look. He told me some people put them on upside down with the earth missing??!! Mine was perfect after he left. No probs now.:D

The connections coming from the wall have not been modified by me in any manner whatsoever since they were installed (and a booster put in) by NTL when they came out to put in the Cable Modem and test it a year ago. I have no DVD or video machines attached. It is stand-alone. I mostly use it for feeding internet into a wireless router- I was told by NTL to test the reception on C4, E4 & Discovery. The engineer has tested and reported the signal as weak at the junction box on the main road (which he said was one of the reasons that they were bringing new fibre into the village- as they had reception complaints from almost 40 customers in the locality).

I have tried an FM connection with a laptop on their FM feedthrough and am registering 70% signal strength with 35% signal quality (with the ASUS diagnostic tool). I do not think its anything internal in the house- and given that neighbours etc are all having the same problem, guess I had better not hold my breath getting it sorted.

What really annoyed me is the engineer confirmed all of this and stated that he did not need to call again- yet the snotty customer service agent on the phone insisted on booking another appointment with him. Both he and I have better things to do with our Saturday afternoons.....
What I asked the customer service agent- was could she confirm that the additional fibre had been installed locally, and if not could she give me any idea of the timescale on the installation. She treated me like an imbecile and short of offering the engineer a beer when he calls round next Saturday week- its a waste of everyone's time. She was not willing to listen to me or answer any of my questions whatsoever- it was as though she were reading from a script- and woe behold anyone who deviated from their allowed list of questions........

I feel seriously belittled and put-out by NTL customer service, and still have no idea if they will ever solve our problems.

Freddie59

smccarrick wrote:

The connections coming from the wall have not been modified by me in any manner whatsoever since they were installed (and a booster put in) by NTL when they came out to put in the Cable Modem and test it a year ago. I have no DVD or video machines attached. It is stand-alone. I mostly use it for feeding internet into a wireless router- I was told by NTL to test the reception on C4, E4 & Discovery. The engineer has tested and reported the signal as weak at the junction box on the main road (which he said was one of the reasons that they were bringing new fibre into the village- as they had reception complaints from almost 40 customers in the locality).

I have tried an FM connection with a laptop on their FM feedthrough and am registering 70% signal strength with 35% signal quality (with the ASUS diagnostic tool). I do not think its anything internal in the house- and given that neighbours etc are all having the same problem, guess I had better not hold my breath getting it sorted.

What really annoyed me is the engineer confirmed all of this and stated that he did not need to call again- yet the snotty customer service agent on the phone insisted on booking another appointment with him. Both he and I have better things to do with our Saturday afternoons.....
What I asked the customer service agent- was could she confirm that the additional fibre had been installed locally, and if not could she give me any idea of the timescale on the installation. She treated me like an imbecile and short of offering the engineer a beer when he calls round next Saturday week- its a waste of everyone's time. She was not willing to listen to me or answer any of my questions whatsoever- it was as though she were reading from a script- and woe behold anyone who deviated from their allowed list of questions........

I feel seriously belittled and put-out by NTL customer service, and still have no idea if they will ever solve our problems.

I'm not having a go at you! Just trying to help by letting you know how they fixed it for me! Why don't you tell them that it's in the street? Ask for a supervisor - works in most places I know!:)

SPDUB

bk wrote:

C4 and Discovery are now repeated at 543 MHz and 575 MHz, try tuning in these frequencies rather then the lower VHF III frequency, it should help.

http://www.ntl.com/locales/ie/en/athome/frequency.html

Those additional frequencies aren't available everywhere though

There isn't even a very weak signal in the part of crumlin where I am .

lensman

Nanor wrote:

I have bad reception (equidistant spots of snow) on the following channels: Discovery - 48 MHz, C4 - 56 MHz, and TV5 - 408 MHz. These 3 channels are on frequencies that are on either end of the range used by NTL, so I'm presuming other people have this problem. I'm waiting for a reply from NTL on this.

Does anyone else have this problem?

yes, add C4 to the list as well, poor reception for years & years in my area,
lots of excuses from NTL, my own idea is that these freq. have little or no
tolerance to outside interference or dodgy cable connections, in my case I think a small a/c voltage was leaking onto the carrier wire, my TV screen was like an oscilloscope I could see a 50hz wave some times, I lost my rag with NTL and shaged the lot out a few years back, back with them at the moment on the digital package.