ABC TV Channels disappeared

It is bizarre; I suspect the same as you, that these ‘works’ to the digital services might have inspired a boffin to tweak but they yanked instead.

My partner scanned from scratch on the Media PC on Saturday and we ended up with two sets of ABC channels, the newer ones worked.

– Yes, sharing aerial.
– Yes, same for all receivers.
– The analog was the grainy picture, yes – the digitals alternated between ‘no signal’ and ‘no service’ just like for HellsBells.
– We can see the tower, our roof is just high enough to clear the other houses.
– Not sure about our neighbours either, I’ll ask them next time this happens. I don’t know many other people who watch free-to-air TV any more…

ABC rang back just now and gave me the standard advice – I’ll have to get the Nerd to follow up on some of it when he gets home, seeing as how us trolls can’t do much more than turn such fancy equipment on and off. Irons are much easier to operate, even while watching TV ;D
They said there had been no other reports in the last week and no work in the schedule. They claimed that a lot of equipment sold in Australia and made overseas doesn’t quite match the standards, and that Australia are rare users of the 9A channel. That doesn’t answer the question of why it all suddenly went pixel-shaped this month.

Hi Sybil, bizarrely no. On Thursday – again, for no apparent reason – ABC and the others all came back!! I checked the PC’s event logs, updates etc. but nothing. I cant find anything my end that could have caused this.

I can only guess that something/someone up Black Mountain has been mucking around and not told anyone. My suspicion is still firmly with the ABC – but that is only based on information from folk here and by ABC saying that work was/is going on up Black Mountain.

Thats weird you are getting those problems, could I pose some questions;

– are your TV’s sharing the same aerial?

– are the problems you are having exactly the same for all your receivers?

The B&W grainy issue shows you are receiving an analogue signal – a digital one would have frame drop-outs, pixelation etc. if there was a poor signal. Do you have analogue and digital channels?

From your aerials, can you visually see Black Mountain (i’m assuming you use Black Mountain)? If not, what is blocking the view (hill/s, house/s, water tanks)?

Finally, and this is one I admit I didnt do, do your neighbours have the same issue/s?

Ex-victus, you are not alone. You still having problems?
While our TVs and media PC have had intermittent drop-outs with both ABC and Prime over the last few months (in Amaroo) it is definitely getting worse with the ABC. We haven’t been able to get any ABC channels for days now. Oh, sorry, we CAN get the main analog channel on one TV but it’s B&W and grainy.
We have trouble-shot all devices (including several re-scans) until the urge to throw the remote at the screen sends us to other forms of entertainment. I am expecting a call back from ABC’s reception advice hotline on Monday, will let you know if they have anything useful to say. These works from 9 June should be over and there’s nothing on ABC’s reception maintenance schedule webpage.
Found the article troll-sniffer was referring to at http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/833253.html

Lazy I said :

In before “I have Transact, I don’t have any reception problems”

You’ve got a problem alright… TransACT. No HD.

One day someone is going to turn their tv on, find all their beloved digital channels gone and think the world has ended then proceed to take their own life..

I bought the DSE $79 HD box, it works well for a cheap box only annoyance is the a slow start up time and my rabbit ear antenna picks up all the channels.

Aw, this isn’t fair. Why me! Was up until 3am last night trying to sort out what the problem is (hardware checks, software checks, logs, google searches) but I’ve got precisely nowhere (even my spelling is now affected!).

On Tuesday night I went to bed happy and contented that I could hold my head high and watch ABC and Prime channels whenever I wanted without hinderance or concern. But now, all I have is Portugese News, Italian Food Safari, Neighbours and Masterchef (IE. The offerings of SBS and SC10). Now, i’m not dissing this channels and programmes but oh I wish I could watch ABC2 Breakfast, The hottest place on Earth (with the lovely Kate Humble) and Today In Parliament. Might even be forced to go out and socialise! Even do some excersize, God forbid!!

Ho hum. Can anyone recommend a dirt-cheap, disposable, digital STB I can use to verify that the signals from ABC & Prime etc and actually getting down my wire? At least then I could narrow the investigation to the PC/Tuner-Card/Software (even though I can see nothing that changed Tuesday night!)

georgesgenitals said :

ex-vectis said :

Update – just got a call from home that more channels have gone missing.

Which makes me think ‘what does she do all day, watch TV!!!’. Should be ironing or cleaning or making my dinner!!! (Is that a ‘troll’ lol?)

Calling the missus a troll? Niiiiiiiice.

Yeah, you havent seen her! Found her while clipcloppingover over her bridge….

On the TV side of things – I’m down to SBS and SC10! The troll (who never reads RA, as you may guess!) loves Neighbours and Masterchef so she’s happy but i’m very confused!

Just checked aerial and the TV cable from aerial to PC and that is fine. Checked event logs, updates etc. and again nothing. However, the lack of millions of posts saying ‘the channels have disappeared!’ still seems to suggest the problem is at my end…. Hmmm…

I have issues with reception all the time, some say that it is being too close to the transmitter is bad (too much power is as bad as not enough in digital TV apparently). But the ABC also appears to be having issues due weather, bogans drag racing up Macpherson St, granny needing a nap or some other random process…

ex-vectis said :

Update – just got a call from home that more channels have gone missing.

Which makes me think ‘what does she do all day, watch TV!!!’. Should be ironing or cleaning or making my dinner!!! (Is that a ‘troll’ lol?)

Calling the missus a troll? Niiiiiiiice.

Hahaha! ROFL. Good point, hadn’t thought of it that way….