TV aerial repairs in Colchester

Fixing TV aerials in Colchester

A TV aerial spends its life outdoors on the most exposed part of the house. Over the years the clamps loosen, the coax hardens and splits where it bends over the gutter, and the plastic box on the aerial lets in moisture. The symptoms creep up slowly: a few blocky pictures on a wet evening, then a channel that disappears, then a screen that says no signal just as the match starts.

Most of these faults can be put right without a new aerial. We measure the signal at the TV, at the wall plate, at any amplifier or splitter, and up at the aerial, so we can pin down exactly where it is lost. Then we repair that part, test every room, and tell you what we found in plain terms.

Common TV aerial faults in Colchester

Wind and storm damage

Gales coming across open farmland hit rooftops in Stanway, Boxted and Langham hard. We straighten or replace bent aerials, renew chimney lashings and brackets, and make a leaning pole safe before it falls.

Water in the cable or connectors

Rain seeps into split sheathing or a poorly sealed plug and the picture pixelates, often worst after a downpour. We cut out the damp section, fit weatherproof connectors and seal the joint at the aerial.

TV aerial pointing the wrong way

An aerial that has turned even a little away from Sudbury can lose the weaker channels. We realign it using a signal meter and tighten the fixings so the next storm doesn’t move it again.

Amplifier and splitter failures

When every TV goes blank together, a loft amplifier or its power unit has often failed. We test it, replace it where needed, and check it isn’t boosting an already strong signal so hard that the picture suffers.

Lost channels and mobile interference

Channels gone after a retune point to an aerial built for the old frequencies. A picture that drops out at busy times can be 4G or 5G from a nearby mast, which a filter at the aerial or amplifier blocks.

One room, one TV

If only one set has a problem, the fault is usually close by: a crushed fly lead, a loose socket or the cable run to that room. We test each part and replace the one that has failed.

Repair it or fit a new TV aerial?

We repair when the repair will hold. A new TV aerial makes sense when the elements are cracked or corroded, when it was built for a narrow band of channels that no longer covers Freeview, or when the bracket and pole need replacing and the aerial itself is worn out. We show you the meter readings so the choice is yours.

Use the slider on the TV below to see each level of fault and the usual cause in Colchester.

No signalCheck your aerial connection

Signal

Turn up the signal

35%

No signalBreaking upOdd blockPerfect

TV aerials by the estuaries: Wivenhoe, Rowhedge and Mersea

Homes along the tidal Colne at Wivenhoe and Rowhedge, and on Mersea, nine miles south of Colchester, face salty air off the water. Salt speeds up corrosion on clamps, bolts and TV aerial elements, and it works into connectors that would last far longer inland. We use stainless steel fixings, sealed connectors and aerials made to stand up to coastal weather. If your aerial on the island or by the quay is streaked with rust, have it checked before a winter gale brings it down.

Areas we cover in and around Colchester

Aerial repairs anywhere in the city and the villages around it, including systems fitted by someone else.

Nearby towns we also cover

• Chelmsford
• Braintree
• Maldon
• Ipswich
• Clacton-on-Sea

Colchester questions