Useful guides

Causes in the home Induction or impulse disruption

This kind of interference comes from mains-powered household devices. A fluctuation in the electrical current could disrupt the power to the device at the mains.

Possible sources include:

• Washing machine
• Tumble dryer
• Central heating pump/combination boiler
• Fridge
• Freezer
• Power tools
• Vacuum cleaner
• Water pump
• Fluorescent light-starter

Solution: To identify if a particular electrical device is causing the interference, switch off the device; fit a mains filter device and keep aerial leads and connectors as far from electrical leads as possible.

In-house interference

Possible devices include:

• Mobile phones
• Baby monitors
• DECT phones
• Walkie talkies

Solution: Avoid placing other devices that use airwaves – such as mobile phones, WiFi routers, or laptops – in very close proximity (less than two metres) to your TV.

Causes from outside the home Weather or atmospheric interference

Possible weather conditions include:

• Heavy rain
• Strong wind
• Extended hot weather/high pressure atmospherics

Solution: The TV signal may be affected during high winds or rain as your aerial, or tall trees around it, move in the wind. Wet leaves can also weaken the signal. Upgrading your aerial or raising its height may help.

High pressure, which brings fine weather, allows signals to reach areas they wouldn’t normally reach. Under normal circumstances, the signals from each television transmitter can only be received by those homes that have aerials with a direct line-of-sight to the transmitter. However, on warm summer days, hot air can get trapped under colder air high up creating a layer which acts like a mirror for television signals, reflecting them back towards Earth. This can cause signals from different transmitters to overlap. Unfortunately, there is no solution to this kind of interference. Broadcasters can’t prevent it, and adjusting your aerial will make no difference. Reception will only improve when the weather changes.

Induction or impulse interference

This type of TV interference is caused by machinery in use close to your property.
This could cause a fluctuation in the electrical current disrupting the power to the Freeview device at the mains.

Possible sources include:

• Passing traffic
• Road works e.g. pneumatic drills
• Lawnmowers

Solution: Degraded cable can be susceptible to external interference. If the cable is degraded, it should be replaced.

External signal interference

Possible devices include:

• Taxi despatch systems
• Amateur radio setups
• Police car connectivity or police station communications

Solution: Fitting a RF or UHF band pass filter should block this interference and stop it affecting your free to view signal.

Physical barriers or impacts

This type of TV interference is caused by large objects getting in the way of the signal path, which results in signals being blocked on a permanent or temporary basis.

Possible objects could be:

• New large buildings
• Cranes
• Trees

Solution: Issues caused by temporary structures will be resolved when the structure is removed. In more permanent cases, an amplifier could improve your signal reception.

Damage to external equipment

This type of TV interference is the result of damage to the external equipment that allows your aerial to receive signals.

For example:

• Storm damage to an aerial can lead to misalignment and/or damage
• Old or damaged cables, down-leads or fly-leads

Solution: Damaged cables, down-leads or fly-leads should be replaced. Make sure your aerial isn’t damaged, misaligned or broken. A good TV signal will be achieved with a quality rooftop aerial pointing directly at the appropriate digital transmitter.

If you are not responsible for your TV aerial (because this is the responsibility of your landlord or property manager), have received a postcard from us and experience new interference your free to view service, that is TV received through an aerial – such as Freeview, BT, TalkTalk or YouView, contact us. 

We will ask you to report the issue to your landlord, property manager, factor or residents’ association and to provide us with their contact details. The lease, tenancy agreement or title deeds (in Scotland) will provide details about the rights, role and responsibilities of the owner, tenant or property manager of a flat or apartment, and the provision of TV services within the block and to a property. 

What happens next?

We will assess whether the interference may be caused by an upgrade to a nearby mobile mast.  

We will then aim to contact whoever you tell us is responsible for your communal aerial so we can arrange to provide the appropriate filters, free of charge. We can also provide household filters for residents if necessary. 

If your landlord or property manager has a contracted aerial engineer, we can deliver the filters directly to them. For those without a contracted aerial engineer, or if the contracted engineer needs some help, we can provide technical advice/assistance.  

If the interference to free to view services is due to mobile signals, the filter fitted to the communal aerial system will enable viewers in all of the properties it serves to continue receiving and watching services as normal. 

Have you recently noticed new interference to free to view TV, that’s TV received through an aerial such as Freeview, BT, TalkTalk and YouView? Interference could include poor sound, blocky images (pixelation) or a ‘no signal’ message being shown on screen.   

You may have received a postcard from us advising this might happen. The TV interference may be caused by new mobile masts being upgraded in your area. Cable and satellite services will not be affected by mobile signals. 

The majority of viewers who receive a postcard from us will not notice any interference to their free to view TV when a nearby mobile mast is upgraded. TV interference can be caused by all sorts of external and internal factors. Our useful guide can tell you more. 

You can also eliminate some of these factors by answering a few questions in our diagnostic tool.  

We also have a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions which can provide further help and advice.   

You can also contact us. If we believe the interference to your free to view TV is caused by mobile signals, we can help.  

When you call us, you will be asked a series of questions to help us understand more about the type of TV interference you are experiencing and to check to see if a mobile mast has been upgraded. 

For example, we will ask: 

Is it some free to view channels that are affected or all of them? If there are specific channels, we will ask which ones. This will help determine if a retune is required to account for network changes. 

We will ask you about your aerial set up , for example, is it a set-top aerial. If not, we’ll ask where your aerial is located – on the roof or in your loft  – and the approximate date of when it was installed.

We will also ask questions about the condition of your cabling. TV reception problems can be caused by loose, trapped or crushed cabling. All cables should be securely fixed with clips. Water seeping into the cable will also affect your reception. If you can see the cabling, we would recommend that you check the condition before you give us a call. 

If you have more than one TV connected to a single aerial system, it’s likely that you will have a splitter or an amplifier or a masthead amplifier. 

Don’t worry if you don’t know the answers to these questions, we can help you. 

 

What other things could you check? 

• If the sound is quieter than before, this could be because you have a set-top box/digital TV recorder (or personal video recorder) for which the output volume has been turned down. 
• The remote control handset doesn’t work. The batteries may need replacing. 
• A thin line or lines appear across the picture. This might be caused by impulse electrical interference – see our useful guide on common causes of interference for more information. 
• If the picture has gone blue. Check that the SCART (the 21 pin lead) is plugged in fully. 
• Your TV may have a motion sensor activated which will check for activity or movement in the room. If no activity or movement is detected during a set period, your TV will switch to standby. 
• Some set-top and digital recording devices have an energy saving mode. If this is active, it can prevent the TV signal reaching the TV’s digital tuner resulting in a ‘no signal’ message. 

Transmitter updated and planned engineering works could also cause issues with your TV picture. Further details are available on the BBC website Help receiving TV and radio 

This table shows what support Restore TV can provide to you. If you have any questions, please contact us. 

 

What support can we provide	Phone support	Free filter	Engineer support
I am responsible for my TV aerial*	Yes	Yes	Yes
I have a communal aerial system	Yes	Yes	No
I have satellite or cable TV	Yes	Yes	No
I have cable or satellite TV but also watch free to view TV through an aerial on another TV set	Yes	Yes	No
I have a set top aerial	Yes	Yes	No
I have a TV at my place of work	Yes	No	No
Extra support available for those who are eligible	Yes	Yes	Yes

 

*If we believe the TV interference might be due to mobile signals, you do not have satellite or cable services and are responsible for your own aerial, we can send you a filter to fit yourself, free of charge. Fitting instructions are included, and we can provide further advice online or by phone. In most instances, fitting the filter will block mobile signals being received by your TV equipment, however, if it does not and if you are eligible, we may be able to arrange for a Restore TV engineer to visit your home, at no cost. Terms and conditions apply; see our Code of Service for further details. 

 

Use of set-top aerials

Set-top aerials are often unable to provide a consistently good quality signal, as they are low to the ground and susceptible to receiving unwanted signals and other forms of interference. This might include passing vehicles such as motorbikes, buses, and construction traffic; and machinery including lawnmowers and vacuum cleaners. 

In many cases, set-top aerials have high amplification which further intensifies the problem. 

Set-top aerials are designed to work in strong signal areas only

• Terrestrial broadcasting is best received via a TV aerial that is at least 30 feet above ground level. 
• The use of an outdoor aerial above roof height will provide good quality reception. 

Types of set-top aerials

Set-top aerials such as the ‘double loop’ variety are not particularly suited for viewing TV services in the UK. Not only are they quite poor at receiving ultra high frequency (UHF) signals, they also tend not to filter out unwanted signals, interference and wrong frequencies. 

Log periodic set-top aerials (those with a pointed shape) are a better design but still only offer relatively low reception quality. 

To improve reception, you could try the following:

1. 1. Move the set-top aerial higher or closer to a window. 
   2. Place a low-cost upgrade aerial outside a window pointing in the same direction as a neighbour’s aerial.
   3. Check all connections are of good quality and replace old or broken joints and cables.
   4. Set-top aerials with boosters built in are often turned up too high. Try reducing the gain control to a lower setting.

You could also contact a local Confederation of Aerial Installers (CAI) aerial company and ask for advice on local reception conditions.

If you have tried the above and it makes no difference to the signal, contact us. 

We write to homes, organisations, businesses and local authorities ahead of new mobile signals being upgraded.  

Viewers living in communal properties with a shared aerial, who receive a Restore TV postcard and notice new interference to their free to view service, that is TV received through an aerial – such as Freeview, BT, TalkTalk or YouView, are asked to contact us. We will also ask them to report the issue to you and ask them to provide us with your contact details. 

If you are responsible for properties with communal aerials, and have been advised by your tenants of new interference to free to view TV, you should contact us and register the details of the property or properties you manage. 

We will provide a free outdoor filter – to you or your aerial contractor – which should be fitted to the communal aerial system and will enable viewers in all of the properties it serves to continue receiving and watching free to view TV as normal. 

In most cases, a filter installed between the aerial and the distribution amplifier in a communal TV system will restore free to view services. We can also provide domestic filters for the residents to fit themselves if required. 

What if the filter doesn’t solve the issue? 

If the outdoor and/or the domestic filter cannot fix the problem, and an acceptable level of TV reception is not restored, then contact us. We can provide additional over the phone support and technical expertise. There is no charge for this service. 

You are responsible for commercial or business properties. 

If you use a satellite master antenna system (SMATV) service to provide TV services, you are not usually dependent on free to air signals via an aerial, and unlikely to be affected. As many of these systems are maintained by an external contractor, they should be able to resolve any problems. 

We write to those in the voluntary and community sector to advise of the help and support we provide. This includes the provision of a chaperone to accompany a visit from a Restore TV engineer, if required. 

You are eligible for this additional support if you: 

• are 75 years of age or over; 
• are registered blind or partially sighted; 
• receive any of the following benefits: personal independence payments (PIPs); attendance allowance; constant attendance allowance or War Pensioner’s Mobility Support.

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, we are able to provide assistance via email. Our email address is enquiries@restoretv.uk. In your email to us, please include your address details and advise us of your preferred way to discuss the issue. To understand more about the type of TV interference you have noticed, we will email you a series of short non-technical questions.  

 

How do I know I can trust the chaperone? 

1. You can check the details about the chaperone by calling us. 
2. When our local support team calls to arrange the appointment, you can give them a password that only you and they will know. When the engineer arrives at your home, you can ask them for the password to confirm that they are who they say they are.

 

Support for care homes 

We provide filters for care homes and private nursing homes. Care home managers should call our contact centre for more information, contact us. 

We send postcards to households, businesses, hospitals, care homes*, schools and universities ahead of new mobile signals being upgraded.  

Viewers living in communal properties with a shared aerial, who receive a Restore TV postcard and notice new interference to their free to view service, that is TV received through an aerial – such as Freeview, BT, TalkTalk or YouView, are asked to contact us. We will also ask them to report the issue to you and ask them to provide us with your contact details.  

If you are responsible for properties with a shared aerial, you may need to get an outdoor filter fitted to the aerial to enable viewers in all of the properties it serves to continue receiving and watching TV as normal. 

The lease, tenancy agreement or title deeds (in Scotland) will provide details about the rights, role and responsibilities of the owner, tenant or property manager of a flat or apartment, and the provision of TV services within the block and to a property. 

Communal filters 

Some organisations may have specific TV provision, for example, internet protocol TV (IPTV) for delivering TV and broadband, or outsourced patient bedhead TV and phone services. They may also have ancillary buildings and properties, such as staff facilities, classrooms or residential housing where TV is delivered through an individual or communal aerial. In either case, if new TV interference is reported, we can help. 

If you have been advised of new interference to TV services received through an aerial, you should contact us and register the details of the property or properties you manage. You should also provide us with the contact details – including an email address – of your aerial contactor.  

We will provide a free outdoor filter – to you or your aerial contractor – which should be fitted to the communal aerial system. Filters may also need to be fitted on the aerial cable behind the TV or set-top box. Your aerial contractor should be able to advise what is required; we can also provide technical advice. We can provide domestic filters for the residents to fit themselves.  

Commercial or business properties 

If you use a satellite master antenna system (SMATV) service to provide TV services and are not dependent on free to air signals via an aerial, it is unlikely you will be affected. These systems may be maintained by an external contractor who should be able to resolve any problems. 

*We send a postcard to the care home and not individual residents. 

This short video will show you how to fit your filter