Hmm Digital Reception

**Speshal** · 7th February 2006

I wasn't sure where to put this so move it if I'm wrong or HOS it, I don't care lol.

Simple - How come some people can't get reception in certain areas of the country? I've read loads on the net about signals being broadcast as "spokes" and sometimes a region gets a "bent spoke" (not my own words) which is why reception can be poor or zero for a given time but how do these spokes bend in the first place? Weather or building interference?

The place I work in sell set top boxes but we have to check first if the customer receives reception in their area using the good old post code line but sometimes the system reports no reception but the customer kicks up saying that their old one/their neighbour's one works. Often they buy it anyway and it works fine. I've also read something about the post code check referring to a database of aerial installations on people's homes or something.

Can anyone please help clear this up and correct me if I'm wrong?

**hxbro** · 7th February 2006

DSAT pretty much covers most of the country, people can't get it if they don't have a line of sight, usually caused by a tree or large building

DCAB physically requires cable to be ran to the house or street

DTT doesn't cover all the country, you get hills, valleys, big buidlings that will get in the way of a signal.

Going off a postcode checker is only working off a database, nobody has gone around to every postcode and plugged in a box to see if it works, it'd take too long so they estimate the signal strength from the transmitter, each transmitter will be working at different strengths for each mutliplex. These strengths are a lot smaller than the current analogue signals, and once analogue is switched off the strength will be increased to provide more coverage.

I'd let the customer buy the box but say if it doesn't work then you can't be held responsible if your information says you can't get it. They may be able to get one or two multiplexes, they may be able to get all of them. They might have to upgrade their aerial to improve reception.