4G interference could leave you picking up the bill

The number of households running a portable Freeview TV [or a portable TV with a Freeview box] off an indoor aerial, is an unknown – and not necessarily small – proportion of the total affected by the 4G signal. It probably includes a higher percentage of elderly prople and others who have not been able to feed an external aerial connexion to the room where they like to watch television. Certainly they should not be penalised. I believe the government is making a fortune out of the sale of 4G transmission licences; it should have required the regulator to insist on no detriment for any TV viewer irrespective of aerial type or location. It wouldn’t surprise me if the communications industry’s attitude was that “if the free filter doesn’t work you can trade it in for one that does” so a secondary market in the filters will spring up on well-known websites.

The publicity for at800 works – after a fashion. When I was in London recently I saw a lot of at800 advertisements on the sides of buses. They were a bit perplexing and made no sense to me initially; indeed, I thought they were probably a teaser advert for one of the mobile phone networks. Nevertheless, it intrigued me sufficiently so that when I got home I looked up the at800 website and found out what it was all about. Of course, the website dances lightly around the problem that Which? has highlighted for a considerable number of consumers. Will the regulator be able to do anything about it? Is it even within the regulator’s remit?

Is this why, in recent weeks, we’ve been getting no/poor signal messages on screen when trying to view some Freeview channels? We can access few enough channels via Freeview as it is without any additional interference!

A which director on daily politics this morning was far too European and should
keep out of politics and Jeffrey Lawson rather showed him to be not so clever on Europe. We are thinking very seriously of cancelling the Which subscription.
Joseph

I fully support the above mentioned comment about ‘Which’ representative Mr Jeffrey Lawson’s strong support for Britain to embrace the European Parliament fully, as an unprofessional and totally irresponsible statement
European Parliamnet, is in my eyes, unstable , corrupt and over paid.

No more Mr Lawson or I too will be leaving Which.

I have suffered from poor reception and loss of channels on and off since a retune in April. I got a free filter from at800 but that has not solved the problem, so I went on the diagnostic checker on the radio and tv help link provided in an email from at800. They replied the same day (Sunday) and advised me to do do a default setting followed by a manual search. This hasn`t worked either and you can`t reply or send any emails with your case number, you have to write or ring instead – how good is that?? I am left totally frustrated and intend to complain to Ofcom.

This may be a separate problem but still a problem. For at least the last 6-9 months, ie before any 4G introduction we have had persistent loss of signal for all BBC programmes but for no others. Any explanation (cross transmitter interference?) any solutions?

I just wanted to say that I was caught up in the recent Sony/Pioneer Freeview EPG debacle. I posted a question on the at800 web site and promptly received a helpful response saying basically that it couldn’t be 4G because they weren’t broadcasting in the 800 MHz band in my area (Sutton Coldfield). They had also already heard that a large number of people with Sony equipment had been affected and gave me several contact numbers and web site addresses. In comparison, even now I haven’t had a reply from Sony Support to my problem report, although they did manage to get that problem fixed…

I’m not sure that the proportion of Which? members that has heard of the 4G issue is relevant. Channels 59 and 60 are only used for Freeview in certain regions. at800 has only publicised this issue where either is in use.

I live where channel 59 is used for the ARQA multiplex, and I received a postcard from at800 two or three months ago, explaining that there might be interference from 4G. A few weeks ago, all the ARQA programmes became unwatchable (blocky and freezing), with the TV reporting a signal quality of 1/10 or even no signal. I emailed a query to at800 on Friday evening and received a reply first thing on Saturday. (That’s impressive.)

They won’t supply a filter because the 4G service is not yet running in my area, so it can’t be their fault. Hmm, not so impressive.

It may well be that my signal problem is caused by my aerial or tree leaves – the signal has certainly become far worse than it was during the winter. I need to check the aerial alignment, downlead and connections, and I will change the masthead amplifier just in case. It would have been useful to be able to fit a filter at the same time – I’m now wondering about buying one to save another trip up the ladder later.

I find it strange that they don’t publish 4G activation dates. I still don’t know whether it has been turned on yet in Watford, but the state of channel 59 is no different: I still can’t watch Dave. (OK, so that is actually a good thing.)

1,095 Which? members – who were obviously ‘on-line’! about 4G/Freeview issue; does not include a lot of us wrinkles who are not using IT or want to. But who want life in the slow-lane & not to be hustled into the 2013’s. We have to keep spending out limited cash to keep up with Technology just to watch the TV.

I find myself watching less & less television (as the Freeview keeps disappearing) – but my best choice in listening to the radio & Radio 4 is one of the best – as they are also introducing a lot of low comedy to that now.

Choice is an expensive luxury nowadays. They (whoever ‘they’ are) keep telling us, choice is all.

As I’m such an old stick in the mud I’ll happily be one of your ‘secret shoppers’ in the aged section. But my results will be slowly released – by snail mail, my preferred option (& only option).

Again, big business shafting the general public. 4G do we really need it? Maybe if we’re to keep up with the rest of the world, but it’s not really going to improve your life. It may be adding to your ill health. No one will tell you about the real problems created by ALL radio waves.

And so to you TV, Ok, you’ll get a filter, but only one, and when, how long will you have to hang on for one. More than one TV – shafted! What happens when the filter breaks down? Another market opens up to deprive you of your hard earned cash.

If they cannot guarantee your safety, let alone a decent TV signal (without cost and inconvenience) then they should never have gone ahead with more brain affecting signals in the first place.

Conspiracy theory??? Do your research and don’t believe the tests they have done on their behalf.

Worrying about your TV signal is the least of your worries.

Recently Nov 2013, my wife received an ‘Orange message’ saying she was on EE now; as we live in Dorset this did not change our mobile reception at all; However in the last 2 weeks since the beginning of December; we have lost ALL ITV TV STATIONS; Desite having a good ‘quality’ signal but ‘weak one’??
And accordingly our T.V. engineer is recommending a further booster to our aerial AT A COST OF £132 + vat; should I send the bill to Orange or (I use) Vodafone??

I live in North East Wales and over the past 6 months the freeview signal quality has been degrading, no loss of sound but lots of sporadic pixelation and very slow response especially with weaker BBC channels. I have a filter coming but am now seriously dissapointed with freeview service, if it doesn’t work i will set rid of the tv all together and probably go spoon whittling!

I have just come off the phone with at800 who have told me that as they have sent me a filter it is not their problem and I will have to pay for an engineer to sort out a problem that wasn’t there before the nearby 4g mast was switched on. I was also told that as I have my own satellite system and can get tv on that they dont have to do anything about my freeview tv. All the houses around us have had the filter to little success and are spending hundreds of pounds having new aerials, cables, masts and boosters fitted to fix a problem that was not there untill the 4g came online and the engineers are struggling to get the singnals back.
This is not right but not sure what to do next we have a right to not have our lives disturbed by these un human corprate companies.