Quick and easy analogue TV tuning for caravanners

Campers intending to take a TV set on holiday should contact BBC Engineering Information for details of transmitter locations, channels, and polarity. Alternatively, buy the TV Viewers Guide. Thus armed, it becomes much easier to adjust the aerial for good reception. From the fun and games that I’ve seen on campsites, though, for many people aligning the aerial is only half the battle. They also have to tune in the correct channels on the TV set.

If a digital TV set (or set-top box) is in use, the only way to proceed is to align the aerial as accurately as possible using one of the guides mentioned above, then press ‘autotune’ and hope for the best. Further ‘fine tuning’ of the aerial alignment without test equipment is likely to be frustrating because of the nature of digital reception, which basically either works or it doesn’t, but if there are feasible alternative transmitters try the correct aerial alignment for each in turn, performing a new autotune each time. Even if you intend to watch digital channels, you might find it easier to align the aerial for the analogue signals from an analogue/digital transmitter (this usually means a main station), and then switch to digital. Of course, as time goes on the analogue transmissions will disappear across the UK, so if you go camping in the Borders or Cumbria, for instance, don’t be too surprised if there aren’t any analogue signals.

Analogue aerial alignment is much easier if you tune the TV set to the correct channels first. But if the set does not display the ‘real channel’ number, but simply scan tunes along an uncalibrated green line on the screen, as many do, it is impossible to know just what channel you are tuned in to. Since transmitter coverages overlap in many parts of the country this makes it very difficult to use the transmitter information logically and effectively. Here’s a practical example. Suppose you arrive at Reeth in North Yorkshire. The BBC handbook tells you that the nearest main station, Bilsdale, transmits on channels 23, 26, 29, 33, and 35, and that the local relay, Grinton Lodge, transmits on channels 40, 43, 46, and 50. If you tune carefully through the whole band you will find all the above transmissions, and probably others. To find out which will provide the best reception it is essential to know which channel you are actually tuned-in to before you start adjusting the aerial. Then you can use the handbook to set polarity and approximate direction, and finally make small adjustments whilst looking at the picture. But how do you know which channel—and thus which transmitter—you’re tuned-in to? There is a way, but first I should explain the difference between ‘real channels’ and ‘preset channels’.

In the UK, we have 47 channels for TV broadcasting. They are numbered 21 to 68. These are the ‘real’ channels, so called to differentiate them from the channel buttons on the remote control.  When you press channel button number 1, you might think of that as ‘channel 1’, but it is really ‘preset channel’ 1, and as such it can be preset to any of the ‘real’ channels. For instance, when a viewer in London presses button 2, his TV set will receive ‘real channel’ 33. This has been preset, or ‘tuned in’, on that button, and is BBC-2 from the Crystal Palace transmitter. When a viewer in Darlington presses button 1, he will also receive ‘real channel’ 33, but in his part of the world this is BBC-1 from Bilsdale. If he moves to Newcastle, he will need to retune button 1 to real channel 58, which is BBC-1 from Pontop Pike. So, any preset can be tuned to any real channel, and will then display whatever programme service happens to be transmitted on that channel in that area.
 
When a TV set is installed at a fixed location, this business of ‘tuning-in’ is not really a problem. It might be a bit of a nuisance, but it only has to be done once. In contrast, in a mobile home it has to be done at almost every new location. This can be a real bind, especially when you’ve stopped in a layby for a short break and feel like catching up on your favourite programme. There is a better way. A bit of preparation at home is needed, but it’s well worth the trouble.

The basic idea is to tune preset 21 to real channel 21, preset 22 to real channel 22, and so on right up to preset/channel 68. Most reasonably modern TV sets have 99 presets. Once all this pre-setting has been done, selection of a real channel is quick and easy. Even if you don’t have any transmitter details, simply tapping the ‘up channel’ button will scan through every real channel. Once the required programme service appears, simply note down the preset number for future use. There is no need to battle with the arcane peculiarities of the tuning menu and the badly-translated instruction book ever again.
 
The bad news is, you have to preset all these channels in the first place. So you do need to come to grips with the aforementioned tuning menu and baffling instruction book, but console yourself with the knowledge that this is the very last time thatyou’ll have to do it. The good news is, there’s a crafty dodge that makes the job surprisingly easy. Most modern satellite receivers (and some VCRs) can send their output to the TV set on any channel, and you can alter this output channel quite easily. In this way, it is possible to use your home satellite receiver or VCR as a signal generator, so it provides the TV set with a temporary input on each and every channel, in turn. Connect the satellite receiver output to the ’van’s TV set. Set the satellite receiver output to ch21, tune preset 21 on the TV set to the satellite output channel (which is, of course, real channel 21), and store the setting. Repeat the procedure for every channel up to 68. It takes about twenty minutes. The method of altering the output channel of the satellite receiver or VCR can be found in the instruction book, but here is the way to do it if you have a Sky satellite receiver. Press services, 4, then 0-1-select. Go down to  With the receiver turned on, press ‘F’, the ‘5’, on the handset. The display will change to a two-digit number. This is the real channel. Adjust it with the ‘up’ or ‘down’ buttons, or by direct entry of the number. To make the change permanent, press ‘store’. For most Maspro-derived receivers, put the receiver into standby (off but powered), press ‘OK’ for 5 seconds, then proceed as above. For a Pace-derived digital receiver gain access to the secret installer menu by pressing ‘services’, ‘4’, ‘0-1-‘select’ (ignore the on-screen options), ‘4’, then go down to ‘RF channel’. You can then change the channel at will. There’s no need to store it each time.

If you have a TV set with only 60 presets, follow the normal sequence from 21 up to 60, then put channels 61 to 68 on presets 11 to 18. You only have to remember where you stored the last eight channels.

Transmitters in different parts of the country use the same sets, or sequences, of channels, so it’s worthwhile to put a number of commonly used channel sets on the lower presets. This has the advantage that the four main broadcast services will automatically appear on consecutive presets, though they will not necessarily be in logical order. Channel 5 doesn’t follow this plan, but is commonly found on channels 35, 37 and 39. The most-used sets of four channels are:

Alternatively, you might like to tune the lower presets to the real channels that you use the most. For example, if you live in Manchester and like to take the ’van to the Wales coast you could adopt the following line-up:

Remember that all this presetting of channels can be done in the comfort of your own home, using a satellite receiver as a signal source. Because the output of a satellite receiver sits very accurately on the nominated channel, it is possible to tune-in your TV set exactly to each channel, so fine tuning on site will not be necessary. If the TV set has Automatic Fine Tuning, turn it off at the start of the tuning procedure and on when you’ve finished.

If you have a satellite receiver or VCR in the ’van, it’s best to connect these items to the TV set by means of a SCART lead. This avoids the problem of finding a clear channel for their output, something that has become very difficult in some areas since the start of Channel 5.