Our portable digital tv works perfectly at home. The aerial we are using in the caravan also works perfectly at home with our portable tv and the tv we use at home. However, we can not get the portable to receive a tv signal in our caravan at any site, even when others at the site have a brilliant reception. We have carried out a retune every time and numerous times on each occasion. We have tried indoor and outdoor aerials. 6 months ago we weren’t having any problems with the same tv. Any ideas‽ we are at a complete loss.
I don't know which brand you are having this problem with. However earlier this month we were asked if we were having trouble getting a signal with our Avtex. We were not, it was a good signal. The person who asked also had an Avtex, and they had been having trouble most of this year. Re tuning is not always the answer. SOME TV's have a memory it seems, and they can suffer from 'overload'. I.e. the techy stuff that helps, once it has been retuned into different areas many times, has to, or tries to locate a previous signal. That said, if you are in an area that you have not been into before, it will not locate it, as its memory is full to 'overload'.
It seems the only way to overcome this is go to 'set up' in menu, and select First Time Setup, or Set up out of box (or similar). That way you wipe its memory or so I am told. I do hope that this helps you, but if you add in the makes of the equipment that is giving you problems, some one who knows their stuff, and are familiar with it, will come along with your answer.
Thanks. It’s a Technika TV. Since having problems, we’ve brought it home and retuned it with no issues at all. We’ve also reset the channel list and reset to factory settings. It’s as if it’s a problem with the tv being in the caravan.
Thanks Austins it’s got us thinking. We have retuned it a huge amount of times and maybe it’s ‘memory’ is overloaded unless you have specific technical knowledge to do a deeper reset.
Have you been back to the van since the retune/factory setting/ of the tv?. Do you use the same aerial cable and antenna? at both home and away?.
There will most likely be a simple answer to it. The wires within the cable in the van may have been damaged etc.
No I don't have any experience of TV reception at all, other than the episode earlier this month (in Dorset) and a similar van/tv set up to ours. They deleted many channels, and then I went into set up, and did the retune...managed to get as many as 3 that were watchable. Check your cables at the van, wiggle them about whilst the tv is on. If no problems at home it is going to be something very minor (but exasperating) in the van.
Come on folks let these folks watch telly.
We did the reset while we were away and then a retune. Still no luck. We tried an external aerial (similar to that you would use on a house) and an amplified indoor aerial. The indoor aerial has since worked perfectly at home with the caravan tv and the tv we used normally at home. The outdoor aerial was horizontal. Even if the polarity was incorrect, this goes t explain why the indoor aerial doesn’t work. None of the leads or aerials are fitted (it’s a mid 80s van). Who would have thought it was all so complicated! Thank you for all your suggestions!
Last week we where in worksop and could not get a picture on are new Avtex TV on the van aerial but got a good picture on the old caravan aerial set up last used over ten years ago
I had a Technika TV a few years back, it lost the channel memory facility so binned it. Picture was rubbish anyway. Getting back to your problem when you park up does your aerial have a clear line of site ie no big trees, buildings etc? Also check the TV is set for DIGITAL reception, with all the moving it is easy to leave it on terrestrial or even a HDMI setting. Go for First time installation section then follow the promps ie; select English then Digital.
Thanks yes it had a clear line of sight and it was set correctly. We got a picture straight away when we brought it home and used the indoor aerial from the caravan.
Following advice from Austins, I’ve researched the memory overload thing further. The BBC recommend a factory reset followed by a retune WITH THE AERIAL UNPLUGGED! Apparently this will wipe the channel memory that was created following previous retunes! I’ll give it a go next time! Fingers crossed!
Quote: Originally posted by HLSW on 28/10/2018
Thanks yes it had a clear line of sight and it was set correctly. We got a picture straight away when we brought it home and used the indoor aerial from the caravan.
Indoor type aerials are rarely successful when used with caravans.
The fact that yours works OK when used in the parked up van at home tells me that home is relatively close to your local TV transmitter and/or, the Transmitter is putting out a good strong signal!
In order to compare, try testing for “Signal quality” whilst parked up at home. I would guess that the reading will be around 90 to 100%.
As soon as you move to a different location you will then probably be trying to pick up the signal from a different transmitter which of course, would automatically necessitate a “retune” and more than likely a decent directional aerial set to the correct polarity
On arrival at your chosen site, check out the wardens aerial and also any local houses accurately noting in which direction they are pointing (use a compass if necessary) and also whether they are set to vertical or horizontal polarity.
Your aerial should then be set up the same.
Ideally, your aerial should be over 7ft above ground level and with no large buildings in its line of sight, (trees are not normally a problem with terrestrial TV but avoid them if you can). Check your "signal quality" again. Good Luck!
Vin Blanc
------------- Now retired from active caravanning. - really miss it!
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Topic: Tv reception
