4G or not 4G? Not if the transmitters tamper with TV signals

And there was me thinking that there was some body to oversea the usage of the waves, as what’s to stop some Tom, Dick or Harriet broadcasting on whatever frequency they like. Guess maybe there should be one, as heaven forbid somebody interfering with emergency channels.

This is the first I’ve heard of this potential problem and I am pretty cheesed off by it. We live close to a water tower that is peppered with spikey poles and beaming things [I’ve no idea what they are but I guess they’re to do with mobile communications in some form or other]. Our TV reception has been much better since we switched over to digital freeview last year but now there is the prospect of a return to the dark ages with hiss, crackle and fade. I bet there’ll be houses on the fringes of the free filter zones which get a degraded picture but can’t have a free filter. And what about if you buy an additional TV some years later? – Will the mobile company still cough up a free filter?

End of June now, and nothing has changed. The Press are starting to get interested, too – eg today’s Independent.

Why aren’t Which? campaigning on this? Why should the usually fairly affluent 4G users be subsidised by the usually much less affluent (and often elderly) Freeview users?

This is a mobile phone issue, caused directly by the mobile phone companies, and on the polluter-pays principle they should be paying to resolve it.

And since this affects anyone living within a 2km radius of a 4G transmitter (more than 2 million people according to the Independent) huge numbers of us are going to lose our TV reception.

As I said, why isn’t Which? getting properly involved? It campaigns on far less important issues than this at the drop of a hat!

It seems that everything these days is destined to interfere with other services. The Data-over-mains units (PLT’s) for example mess with radio signals!
OFCOM are as useful as a chocolate teapot! Believe me, I know, I’ve involved them. They just pass the buck!

There is no cable in my area, and satellite dishes may be affected by neighbouring trees. As the State will be charging telecommunication companies large sums of money to use the 4G system, the State should set aside money to resolve all problems concerning freeview reception. Most freeview users are probably old or poor, and are unaware of this potential problem, despite the increasing number of articles in the media. WHICH needs to highlight this matter in an article ASAP, and then ensure that it is reprinted in the general media. There are only 8 comments on this WHICH conversation, this only highlights the lack of interest on this matter. As such, the Government can safely ignore this subject. An online petition or a campaign to gain the support of M.P.’s and pensioner organisations might also be useful. APATHY may prove to be very expensive for freeview users.

How can I find out if my freeview signal, suplied by Crystal Palace transmitter, will be affected by 4G signals?

I’m about to upgrade my freeview PVR to a YouView PVR but if 4G will interfere with freeview signal it wouldn’t be a wise move.

I find mellis’ comment that it’ll affect anyone living within a 2km radius of a 4G transmitter hard to believe as that would cover most of the population living in towns and cities, wouldn’t it?

From Which?, Keith (http://www.which.co.uk/news/2012/07/government-pledges-additional-funds-for-freeview-4g-filters-290960/):

It’s now clear that 900,000 households living within a 2km radius of any 4G phone mast can expect to have interference to their Freeview TV signals.

The government has now confirmed that while they expect most TV viewers will be able to solve problems by fitting a filter themselves, some homes will require an engineer to install the filter. In such cases the government has pledged that vouchers for up to £50+VAT will be provided to pay for the installation.

In the very limited number of cases where filters cannot improve the TV service, assistance will be provided to switch to free-to-view satellite (Freesat) or to cable TV. Extra support will also be offered to vulnerable consumers.

Consumers who are eligible for vouchers to pay for professional installation include anyone who lives in a block of flats, or those who have masthead amplifiers, both of which require professional installation.

Which? welcomes this announcement but notes that only one filter will be provided free-of-charge to households. The many homes that have two of more TV sets will still have to pay to secure additional filters leaving them out-of-pocket through no fault of their own.

Consumers will additionally have to suffer the inconvenience of installing filters themselves or arranging for an engineer to do this for them. Clearly there is more that government could and should do here to allay homeowners’ worries.

I already get interfearance on the free view tv when certain mobiles are used nearby so what is going to happen when this new 4G is rolled out. Used to be a time when if a cb radio interfeared with your tv the tv licence agency would have the power to stop the interfearance. It seems now that paying the tv licence gives you no right to watch a tv with out interfearance. If we are going to be froced to swap to paying for cable or to have expensive filters fitted just to be able to recive a reception then we should grow a back bone a all start to refuse to pay the TV LICENCE.
We are supposed to live in a free and democratic country Yet we are forced by law to pay for a tv licence and told it is to cover the BBC chanels many would be happy with out the BBC there are enough other chanels to watch we are being dictated to but are all to stupid and scared to stand up and have our voices heard because in this country we punish people harder for not paying their tv licence then we do if they drive with out insurance or tax..

I understand that even before 4G has been rolled out avross the UK, an even more advanced system 5G is being developed. However, a recent media article suggested that this could cause even more interference for digital terrestial aerials.
Is this correct, and if so, will it spell the end of TV aerials as we know them?
Will we have to move onto sateliite dishes or cable?

5G! What about 6G and 7G they are coming, 4 billion the goverment made from 4G they have set aside 180 million to deal with any problems!
single phase tv is on is way,there is going to be problems for years to come because the filters will all have to change again,, and with each new g, when 5,6 and 7g arrive

Does ‘Which?’ recommend that we shouldn’t buy new Freeview equipment since it might have to be thrown away if at800 recommends a platform switch?

As far as I can work out at800 will attempt (but not guarantee) to see that you can watch a single TV, but doesn’t say anything about PVRs and other TV equipment.

Apparently it’s going to happen again in 2019. Ofcom have just given permission to sell off another band of frequencies, which just happen to clash with some freeview signals, to mobile phone companies.

Time to scrap Ofcom me thinks.

Our house started recently having total picture breakup of all our freeview channels, by coincidence there have been new mobile phone masts put in the bell tower in a church not 50 metres from our house. I decided by process of elimination and cost of replacing internal aerial equipment that it was 4g interference. I contacted at 800 for advice and as I answered yes to having Sky they could only send me a 4 g filter which I would have to pay to fit to my 2+year old outside aerial as the 4g signals will be affecting the masthead amp that is fitted.
So if I want to watch Freeview anywhere but my main TV which I frequently did I need to pay to have a filter fitted. Yet my neighbour in the same situation but does not subscribed to sky had @800 pay for the cost of fitting the filter to their outside aerial FOC. So in effect I pay a TV licence a Sky subscription, an aerial upgrade 2+ years ago at a cost of over £250 and a new Freeview tv last year and yet cannot get any freeview channels anywhere in my house, without incurring an extra cost. The Church concerned has been paid to to accommodate the masts the installers have been paid the phone companies will be paid by their customers but us the unsuspecting citizens of the UK are being ripped off again.
This with the blessing of the UK government selling off a frequencys that were always going to affect freeview TV channels.
This should be rectified to make it mandatory that devices that existed and worked perfectly well before, should be reinstated, to as was, at no cost to the householders affected.
I hope Which takes this on as campaign as there is only the Freeview customers that are losing out. Not the government or the phone companies.