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TV signal suddenly disappeared


blackrose

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I've had a good digital Freeview signal since I came back to my mooring a few weeks ago. I was just watching TV when suddenly the TV went blank and now it's saying "no signal" 

 

Can't understand it? Nothing has been touched. I've got one of these things. Maybe it's gone faulty?

 

Just did an auto-tune but nothing

 

IMG_20200324_190315_326.jpg

Edited by blackrose
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Hmm - mebe a case of sprockets out of true on't treddle.

 

Labgear stuff used to be top notch ( in radio ham days) now its - umm middle to low...

Are you on a local tranmitter (these have a habit of dropping out). Do you have a signal meter to check the signal along your internal lines.

As invariably - it depends...

Sorry, can't help - even if 'we' had more detailed info. Go to bed early..

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It looks a bit as if there may be a problem with the brown aerial lead to  plug connection. If the smallest whisker of the braided shield touches the centre conductor you do get the symptoms you describe.

Edited by Tony Brooks
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1 hour ago, OldGoat said:

Hmm - mebe a case of sprockets out of true on't treddle.

 

Labgear stuff used to be top notch ( in radio ham days) now its - umm middle to low...

Are you on a local tranmitter (these have a habit of dropping out). Do you have a signal meter to check the signal along your internal lines.

As invariably - it depends...

Sorry, can't help - even if 'we' had more detailed info. Go to bed early..

I've no idea about the transmitter. Just pointing my antenna in the same direction as everyone else. I have a signal meter for the satellite dish - will that work for the digital antenna too? The thing is I already know I don't have a signal so what the meter going to tell me that I don't already know? Anyway I've resorted to streaming TV on my laptop so won't need to go to bed early. I'll try to sort it out tomorrow.

39 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

It looks a bit as if there may be a problem with the brown aerial lead to  plug connection. If the smallest whisker of the braided shield touches the centre conductor you do get the symptoms you describe.

No that's just a bit of duck tape. There's no problem with the connections. I checked them all. One minute it was all working (as it had been for the last 3 weeks) and then nothing. It just cut out as I was watching it. 

 

The Labgear power supply has a green led indicator. I'm fairly sure that it only illuminates if there is a good connection to the antenna. It is still illuminated as the picture on my original post shows. 

 

https://www.labgear.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/PSM114ERP_IM_V3_2.pdf

 

"The PSM114E/S has automatic short circuit and overload protection and will cut out automatically when either is detected."

 

Edited by blackrose
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Sore-id. One of the coax connectors going through the engine hole had corroded slightly and I think it must have shorted or continuity of the core was interrupted. I guess the green led on the power supply doesn't indicate a healthy connection after all. Anyway I replaced that connector and the TV is working. Fortunately it was the first connection I checked so the gods were on my side today. Thanks for those who responded and Tony you were right (again) just a different connection that was faulty.

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Surprising how many people I have helped by simply checking the TV aerial plug on the lead. At least one was ready to get a new TV, another call an engineer.

 

As it just inserts DC current onto the up lead I could not see how it going faulty could blank the signal, degrade it possibly but not blank it.

Edited by Tony Brooks
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31 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

Surprising how many people I have helped by simply checking the TV aerial plug on the lead. At least one was ready to get a new TV, another call an engineer.

 

As it just inserts DC current onto the up lead I could not see how it going faulty could blank the signal, degrade it possibly but not blank it.

Yes, I see. 

 

The signal went faulty as I was watching TV and it just went blank so I assumed it must be a component, but of course when there's some moisture around any connection can gradually degrade to a point where it no longer works, and if that happens to be when you're watching TV then that's when it stops working.

Edited by blackrose
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13 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Yes, I see. 

 

The signal went faulty as I was watching TV and it just went blank so I assumed it must be a component, but of course when there's some moisture around any connection can gradually degrade to a point where it no longer works, and if that happens to be when you're watching TV then that's when it stops working.

Ask your neighbours if they have a signal. The transmitter may be down.

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1 hour ago, blackrose said:

Yes, I see. 

 

The signal went faulty as I was watching TV and it just went blank so I assumed it must be a component, but of course when there's some moisture around any connection can gradually degrade to a point where it no longer works, and if that happens to be when you're watching TV then that's when it stops working.

That’s the thing with digital. Old analogue tellys would just have given a poorer and poorer picture. Digital means if it’s just good enough you’ll get a picture, if it’s just a little worse than that you won’t. 

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Most of the push together inline connectors are really meant for indoor use. We have a boat here that I put one on outside, wrapped it tightly in oven foil, failed a couple of days later, fitted another, bound it tightly with self amalgamating tape and oven foil, failed again, intermittant unless she fiddled-manipulated the joint. In the end I fixed a new cable straight out from the telly direct to the aerial with no connector, no more trouble.

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1 minute ago, bizzard said:

Most of the push together inline connectors are really meant for indoor use. We have a boat here that I put one on outside, wrapped it tightly in oven foil, failed a couple of days later, fitted another, bound it tightly with self amalgamating tape and oven foil, failed again, intermittant unless she fiddled-manipulated the joint. In the end I fixed a new cable straight out from the telly direct to the aerial with no connector, no more trouble.

 

I always use that special tape that SKY guys use that sticks to itself and seals 110% - really good - never looks like its any good but after its been wrapped around for 48hrs just try to undo it!

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56 minutes ago, Halsey said:

 

I always use that special tape that SKY guys use that sticks to itself and seals 110% - really good - never looks like its any good but after its been wrapped around for 48hrs just try to undo it!

 

Self amalgamating tape.

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1 hour ago, bizzard said:

Most of the push together inline connectors are really meant for indoor use. We have a boat here that I put one on outside, wrapped it tightly in oven foil, failed a couple of days later, fitted another, bound it tightly with self amalgamating tape and oven foil, failed again, intermittant unless she fiddled-manipulated the joint. In the end I fixed a new cable straight out from the telly direct to the aerial with no connector, no more trouble.

 

Yes I put self-amalgamating tape on the connection outside, but this one was inside the engine room and it's the one I disconnect when I move the boat as the tall antenna pole is on the bank. The cable enters the boat through an engine room vent. There's obviously still some moisture in the engine room but hopefully I won't need to replace that connection again for a couple of years.

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FWIW Domestic connectors are / can be a disaster. I aways use BNC connectors 'cause they are designed to be connected and disconnected. A bit more expensive but well worth it. CPC stock  them as well as a range of adaptors for TV sockets, sat dishes et al.

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Up until recently, we've always had two antennas on board so if what happened to you happened, we could just swap antennas to see where the broken connector was..... and I've always got spare cable on board to bypass the one I am using. Having said that, I've now given up with the tv antenna and just stream from the router to the telly....I think the moonraker is somewhere in the bowels of the boat. 

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15 hours ago, cuthound said:

 

Self amalgamating tape.

Good stuff but not UV resistant. It should be overwrapped with insulating tape (ideally wrapped in the opposite direction to the self amalg).

Those Belling-Lee tv connectors are extremely crap. Avoid as much as possible.

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I had this problem in the house once; been working fine for months; but then one day in April the signal went.  Tried all the connections and couldn't find anything wrong.

 

Turned out to be the tree outside, which is directly in line to the transmitter, coming into full leaf, and obstructing the signal - sorted by moving the aerial a few feet.  Easier in a boat!

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On 26/03/2020 at 10:47, Onewheeler said:

Good stuff but not UV resistant. It should be overwrapped with insulating tape (ideally wrapped in the opposite direction to the self amalg).

Those Belling-Lee tv connectors are extremely crap. Avoid as much as possible.

I've never had a problem with self-amalgamating tape that's outside breaking down because of UV absorption. On the other hand I have had problems with the adhesive of electrical insulating tape going gooey over time and just becoming a nasty mess. Perhaps you've been using poor quality self-amalgamating tape and I've been using poor quality insulating tape?

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