Aug 17
22
A customer contacted us after ongoing problems with their BT TV service. Channels were breaking up and the picture was not stable. They were unsure whether it was the BT box, the aerial, or the wiring, so they started looking for which local TV aerial installers to use and asked us to attend to test the system properly.
Initial Investigation
When our engineer arrived, he carried out a full set of checks on the aerial system. This included testing the signal coming from the aerial, inspecting the cabling, and checking the feed going into the BT TV box. During this inspection we found that the system was running through an amplifier/booster.
Fault Identified
The booster on the system was faulty. Because it was not working correctly, the signal reaching the BT TV box was not clean or stable. We replaced the faulty booster with a new unit and then tested the line again with a signal meter to confirm performance.
Second Issue: Signal Too Strong
After replacing the booster, our signal meter showed that the incoming TV signal was actually too strong for the BT TV tuner. This can surprise people, but a signal that is too powerful can cause just as many problems as a weak one – including pixelation and picture dropout.
Solution: Install an Attenuator
To bring the signal down into the correct range, we installed an attenuator on the line feeding the BT TV box. This reduced the signal to the ideal level. We then re-ran the meter test and achieved a 100% signal level at the BT box with stable quality.
Result
- BT TV channels restored and stable.
- Faulty booster replaced.
- Signal level corrected with an attenuator.
- Customer now has a properly balanced aerial system.
Conclusion
This case shows why it’s important to use an experienced local TV aerial installer. Not every fault is caused by a weak signal – sometimes the signal is too strong, especially after a new booster has been fitted. If you are asking yourself which local TV aerial installers to use because your BT TV or Freeview channels keep breaking up, give us a call and we can test, diagnose, and fix the problem on site.
