I know they've listed planned work at Waltham for this week, leading to possible weak signals, but I was wondering if anyone else has the same problem as I do - Loss of Mux C. It's been down since Tuesday, and is the only one where there's problems.

Fortunately, the only channel I usually watch on Mux C is Dave, and the +1 repeats on Dave Ja Vu are on a different Mux, but it's still a bit irritating!

I checked my Fetch TV Smartbox 7000 set top box using the 999 shortcut to Help, Diagnostics, TV Signal.

I checked each of the first 12 channels for each of the Mux groups. Every single one of the Waltham region's MUX groups is at the normal signal strength that I maintain between 80% and 88%.

Dave is on Freeview 19 on the C33 MUX group. The Signal Strength is 73% and Picture Quality is 85%.

If you are not getting any of the MUX groups, I'd question if a retune is necessary or a manual scan after clearing all channels first.

If your set top box allows a manual scan, then search for C23, then C26, then C33, then C42, then C45 and finish with C49. Otherwise, test with an automatic rescan.

Remove the aerial input into the Freeview box, run autoscan to get zero channels. Reconnect the aerial input and run autoscan again and get all possible channels. I've recently got 97 channels through the wideband all-frequencies aerial. Whether a lower frequencies special aerial is required, I don't know. Maybe giving us your postcode would help to check that aerial option.

I use a signal booster. In my case, the Sky + box is where I plug in the Freeview aerial connection and it helps to boost the signal a little extra. Even so, I still get stable pictures even when I tested fitting a variable attenuator from the http://www.satcure.co.uk/ website.

The signal strength dropped by upto 20%, yet every Freeview TV channel still displayed the same. So I removed the attenuator I had tested.

The signal booster gets the input from the Sky output and I send one of the booster's outputs to the Fetch TV box, another to the DVD Recorder then to the TV.

In Winter, you may need a booster. Please check your Diagnostics Statististics for each of the first 12 Freeview channels that will use each of the MUX groups.

Dave on C33... any signal at all? After a retune or manual scan for C33, what now? Any improvement?

If you check the TV retune website for retune instructions, you may get a better result, or check the productmanuals available:

http://www.tvretune.co.uk/productmanuals

Maybe you have to set the TV channel to BBC News 24 on channel number 80 before a rescan? Maybe you need a software upgrade first?

Please tell us your Freeview box's maker and model number or whatever eg a Freeview recorder of TV with Freeview built-in.

Sometimes, getting an extra Freeview box is a good backup solution. At least it helps check Diagnostics for Signal Strength info.

Also, register free here:

http://www.tvcatchup.com for Dave is listed as a free to watch TV channel and there are a few non Freeview channels as well as a forum for extra options...

Unless you tell us the details eg Station Signal Strengths, postcode, equipment makes and model numbers, you will have to continue alone and use the forum search to find previous equipment recommendations of this and other websites. If you call in a professional, you can determine if there is equipment failure or whether there are changes in getting new equipment eg to boost or reduce signal strength. In some recent changes to Freeview, the signal strength has been boosted. The signal floods the reception till a weakening variable attenuator is installed. See those keywords and find the satcure website link for that add-on. Boosters are more expensive yet even they should be variable strengths to adjust for the different MUX groups.

Please let us know the details for further comments.

I've checked signal strength, and it's only about 50%, so it looks like that's the issue.

As for equipment etc, it's a really cheap dual tuner 80Gb Freeview+ box from Maplin (it cost £40 refurbished) - it isn't even on the website anymore, so it looks like they've sold out. It's only an interim device until finances permit the purchase of a better one, and isn't the best piece of kit you can get, so I'm not too fussed about technicalities. As for the antenna, it's an external wideband, but the house is located in a dip, and so location is probably a big factor...

So it looks like no further help is needed, as the problem has cleared itself as far as it probably will, and any remaining issues are down to low broadcast power and location.

Oh, and postcode is DE56 1HT...

http://www.freeview.co.uk/availability/main/display/coverage/DE56+1HT/4/0

Please check that postcode channels result webpage and confirm what you can receive...

Some of the channels are blanked out as not currently available to you till the digital switchover.

In such cases, Freeview websites may recommend getting Sky or Virgin Media installed.

The forum has mentioned using the Internet TV and Internet Radio options which will include some Sky and some Freeview channels:

See the links below this post eg tvcatchup and teev and tanktop and check out whatever tv guides or schedules or search site options will be useful. Register free and then visit and select either the TV or Radio channel or a catchup tv show or series.

I've tried USB Freeview dongles as well eg for modern PC operating systems. The most channels I got was just under 70. On Freeview, I get 97. On Sky, I get hundreds of free channels and Virgin Media not so many free channels. If I didn't need Freeview for a few channels not on Sky, I'd have ignored it and just got a few Sky boxes installed instead.