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FAQs
Reception problems
Will I need to upgrade my aerial to get digital?
This will depend where you live and if you are going digital now (before
analogue switch off) or leaving it until switchover date. Any rooftop aerial, in good condition, is capable of receiving both an analogue and terrestrial digital TV service like Freeview. You don't need to have a 'digital' rooftop aerial. If you have good reception on analogue TV you are likely to have good digital TV reception.
Use the Digital UK's website Postcode Checker to check signal stength in your area. If you select the Freeview link, it will tell you if you need to upgrade your aerial for reception now and for reception after analogue switch off. Your local registered aerial installer will also be able to advise. You can also check your aerial by visiting teletext page 284.
For general information about getting a digital signal, see Getting a signal through an aerial.
I cannot receive particular channels?
Digital TV transmits the channels in six separate groups and
each group is at a different frequency. If your TV aerial does not effectively
cover all these frequencies efficiently, you will lose a whole group
- which could be up to 10 channels.
Most likely your aerial is not covering all the frequencies because it or the aerial down-lead cable needs upgrading or adjusting. Your old aerial may be working fine for the analogue channels, but if the digital channels in your area are of significantly different frequencies, the aerial may pick up only some of these, so you will need a new aerial. Your local registered aerial installer will be able to advise.
It is a good idea to go for an aerial that covers both the new digital channels’ frequencies as well as the older analogue ones. This will ensure that any older TVs or VCRs in your house that you are still using will continue to work during the switchover period and digital will still work after the frequencies are shifted following switchover.
Even if you do have the correct aerial, a poor quality, waterlogged or corroded aerial down-lead cable can result in loss of groups of channels.
For general information about getting a digital signal, see Getting a signal through an aerial.
Use the Digital UK's website Postcode Checker. If you select the Freeview link, it will tell you if you need to upgrade your aerial for reception now and for reception after analogue switch off.
If you are using an indoor aerial, you may need to spend more time finding the best position and orientation or upgrade to a better performing aerial. In some rooms it may not be possible to get reception from all channel groups. For information about correctly positioning and tuning indoor aerials, see Setting up aerials.
For information about the best performing indoor aerials, see test reports indoor aerials.
Why does the picture break up or freeze?
With digital terrestrial, if you have a poor aerial the picture tends
to freeze, stagger or break up into little squares. Also you might get
some channels perfectly and others not.
Your rooftop aerial could have been blown out of position by the wind and need re-orientating, or the down-lead might need replacing if it is corroded or waterlogged. Or you may need to replace the existing aerial for a better one or one that covers all the digital frequencies. Your local registered aerial installer will be able to advise. See above for help with indoor aerial problems.
See Through an aerial for advice on getting rooftop and indoor aerials, and Connecting up for advice on tuning all products.
My reception is poor even with a new rooftop aerial?
Most likely the new aerial is not the right type to cover the
digital frequencies or not powerful enough to pick up the weaker signal
if you live at the edge of a reception area.
Or the problem may not be the aerial but an old down-lead that needs replacing. Also if you are running long lengths of aerial cable throughout the house, the cable needs to be good quality with a minimum of joints. Do not use cheap extension aerial cables for runs of more than 3 meters or so. Thin extension aerial cable is only suitable for short lengths eg for the final connection to the TV or video recorder.
To find out if you live in a weaker signal aerial, use the Digital UK's website Postcode Checker.
Having an aerial in the loft can result in weaker signals. Reception will depend on the materials used in the roof and what else is in the loft. A water tank can cause problems for example.
In fact rooftop and loft aerials are outside the remit of our test programme so you may need to go to an aerial installer – either whoever installed yours or through one of the professional bodies, see Links.
Why do I get interference whenever a train goes by?
Modern set top boxes, digital TV recorders and IDTVs are much
better at coping with this sort of problem than in the early days of
digital terrestrial TV.
Ongoing interference problems can be caused by external, unauthorised transmissions or interference from nearby electrical plant or railways. Ofcom is responsible for investigating these see There is advice on their website - Ofcom.
Will an amplified indoor aerial be better than a non-amplified
one?
An amplified aerial will not necessarily improve reception. Although
it does amplify the TV signals, it also amplifies interference by the
same amount and to make matters worse, a poor one may introduce extra
noise of its own. At best an amplifier will only make a small improvement.
In fact the top performer in our indoor aerial tests so far is non-amplified and quite a lot cheaper than the amplified ones. We recommend that you first try this one. Buy from a shop that will exchange it if you can’t get decent reception.
Also, follow our setting up information on indoor aerials to make sure it is adjusted properly- see Setting up aerials
