Who are at800 & why are they sending me mystery packages?

Recently you may have received some post & or a box from an organisation called at800 & wondered what it was all about, or you may have just thrown it away with the rest of the daily junk mail!

It is, however, an important bit of post to read and understand, as you may soon lose or have interference on some of your Freeview TV stations.

The reason you may have difficulties receiving some stations is that the Government & Ofcom have sold some broadcasting frequencies, that were used for Freeview, to mobile phone companies.

The mobile phone companies will use these frequencies to provide the new 4G signal. This allows much faster mobile download speeds and makes using a SmartPhone much easier and far less frustrating.

The frequencies that have been sold are right next to the ones we still use for TV signals which is why there might be some interference experienced for some viewers.

The frequencies have been chosen specifically because they give a high level of coverage and penetrate walls & roofs better than some other available frequencies.

What's in the box?

Your at800 filter will arrive in a box like this.

If you're in an area that is very likely to have interference problems, at800 will have sent, or will be sending you a free filter in the post. It will arrive in a small box and have everything needed for most people to resolve interference problems.

The contents of your at800 package

Once you open your box please check that you have the following items. 

1 Filter

1 Small aerial cable (with male & female ends)

1 Set of instructions

Adhesive Velcro pads

What do I do with it all?

There are various ways that an aerial system can be set up in your home & below we'll take you through how to connect the filter to them. The four options are:

1. One aerial which is connected to a distribution amplifier (normally hidden in the loft) that supplies all of your TVs, Recorders & Set-top-boxes with a signal.
2. One aerial directly supplying one TV.
3. One aerial supplying a TV &  DVD Recorder/Freeview Recorder/YouView box/Set-top-box etc...
4. Multiple aerials supplying multiple TVs

Cable end "A" connected to socket "A"

Regardless which system your home has, you'll need to complete the following step before continuing.

Pick up the filter and find the socket marked "A".

Pick up the short aerial cable and find the end marked "A" 

Plug the cable into the filter so that "A" & "A" are lined up.

Now these are connected we will simply refer to the whole unit as "the filter".
Once happy you have done this correctly you are ready to follow one of the options below.

Setting up Option 1

Your first task is to locate your signal distribution amplifier. As mentioned already, these are normally found in the loft and as such can be a little bit tricky to get to. If you are unsure about ladder climbing or keeping your footing in the loft we suggest giving us a call on 01793 537971 so we can get an installer to come and do the work on your behalf for a moderate fee.

A typical distribution amplifier marked with UHF

If you are happy to be in the loft you should find a box with aerial cables connected to it.

It is always recommended to switch electrical items off at the mains before connecting or disconnecting any cables.

One of the cables that is plugged in will be coming straight from your aerial ready to be distributed around your home & is the only one you'll need to unplug.
The socket it will be connected to is normally called "UHF", "Aerial in", "IN" or have a logo that looks like a vertically split capital "T". Find this and disconnect it from the amplifier.

The filter connects between your aerial and the amp'.

Plug the cable you have just disconnected from the distribution amplifier into socket "B" on the filter.

Now connect the other end of the filter in to the empty connection on the distribution amplifier you've just created.

Turn the amplifier back on & check your TVs are working as normal.

Setting up Option 2

Position your TV so you can see the input panel on the back & switch the power off at the mains.

You should see your aerial plugged in to the antenna socket. This will normally be marked with "Antenna", "Aerial", "RF Input" or even a logo that looks a bit like a vertically split capital "T" (as seen in the photo). 

This is the cable you need to disconnect.

If you have a games console, DVD or Blu-Ray player connected, you'll need to ensure you don't disturb these connections.

Plug the aerial cable that you've just disconnected from the TV in to the socket marked "B" on the filter.

Plug the other end of the filter in to the now empty socket on the TV.

Switch the TV back on and check everything is working as expected

If you are worried about the filter hanging down and being visible once it is fitted use the supplied Velcro patches to fix the filter to the TV as seen in the photo.

Setting up Option 3

Position your Recorder or Set-top-box so that you can see the inputs on the back & switch off at the mains.

Generally, as with a TV, you will see a socket marked "Antenna", "Aerial", "RF Input" or even a logo that looks a bit like a vertically split capital "T" (see photo above). This will have your aerial cable connected & is the cable you need to disconnect.

Plug the aerial cable that you've just disconnected from the Recorder or Set-top-box in to the socket marked "B" on the filter.

Plug the other end of the filter in to the now empty socket on the Recorder or Set-top-box.
Switch back on at the mains and check everything is working as expected

Setting up Option 4

Option 4 actually isn't an option in its' own right. What you will find are combinations of Options 1-3 that need to be worked through individually. By working out which of the 3 options above apply to each TV/aerial you are trying fix, you will be able to follow the instructions above to resolve the problems one-by-one 

What else do I need to do?

In theory you don't need to do anything else than follow the instructions above. You don't need to add or disconnect any other cables in your system and you shouldn't need any other equipment to make things work.

If you do get stuck however, please feel free to give us a call on 01793 537971 where we can book in one of our engineers to come out and get things sorted for you.

Although at800 believe the filter will, for the majority affected TVs, resolve the interference, there will be instances where the interference is simply too strong. In these circumstances, at800 should have some other solutions for you to consider and should be contacted on 0333 3131800 or via enquiries@at800.tv