intermittent booster box fault

[Anne]

I wonder if anyone has any ideas - my TV is driving me crackers!

Our TV is connected via a a DVD player / recorder to a signal booster box (which sits next to the TV) and then to a rooftop aerial, we watch freeview. For many months this has worked just fine.

A few weeks ago, I would sometimes turn the TV on and have a 'no signal' message on the screen. If I wiggled the cables on the booster box then the picture would come back. Then I realised that if I turn the booster box off and on again, the picture would come back. At all times, DVDs were playing fine and I could view them on the TV.

I decided this was not a good solution so I bought a different booster box. I couldn't get any signal at all - even when I re-tuned the TV. I tried another different booster box - again no signal. So I then bought new cables and a new booster box identical to the first one. I still have the same problem! When I turn the TV on (witht the new booster box and new cables), no signal. When I then turn the new booster box off and on again, the picture is fine. Sometimes, the signal goes during a programme so I spend quite a lot of time jumping up to turn the booster box off and on again.

I have tried connecting the TV directly to the aeriel socket, but there is no signal ever.

I have no idea what this fault can be! I'd be really grateful for any ideas. Many thanks!

 

[Octopus]

Hum, sounds like you need a TV chappie who will be able to tell you how good your signal strength is - and then advise on the best course of action

 

[dan86]

Definitely sounds like an issue with your aerial.
as murdoch has suggested, a TV 'chappie' is ideally who you need.they will measure the signal and quality and advise of the best solution.
keep us informed as to what happens ☺

 

[Richard Burns]

It does sound as if there is a loose connection or something at the aerial end.
The aerial may have dropped on its mounting or twisted so it is no longer in signal range, the connection to the aerial cable may have become corroded or loose.
If you have a connection box in the wall that connects to the aerial then the problem could be there as well.

 

[Anne]

Many thanks! Hm this does sound like a problem beyond my skills - I'll call someone out and let you know how I get on...

 

[mhar]

Sounds like your 'booster box' may be a power supply for a masthead amp. This amp could be faulty or it could be totally unnecessary and is overloading your tv tuner

 

[Anne]

Ah mharries it appears you are the closest! I had a TV repair person out today. Here is my best, lay-person description: on our roof near our aeriel is a signal booster. It used to have its power supply sitting by our TV (I didn't know this! I thought it was the booster by our TV!). So, when the power supply thing failed, I bought a signal booster box and plugged it in by our TV. Somehow by an odd twist of science, my signal booster box by the TV mostly managed to power the orinigal signal booster by the aeriel. However, it needs a 'jump start', hence having to turn it off and turn it on again.

Very helpful TV repair person replaced the booster box I had bought with a power supply for the rooftop booster box. And now it all works fine (as far as I know, at least it did while he was here!)...

And now I know more about how it all works, which is always helpful.