RTE reception in Belfast 21 November 2004 at 9:05AM edited 30 November -1 at 1:00AM in N. Ireland 18 replies 8.7K views

ginger_nuts

I have an elderly aunt who lives in the Botanic area of Belfast . Santa may be bringing her an RTE aerial.
Does anyone know what the reception is like in Belfast .

HowMuch_4-2

It really will depend were in botanic she is due to the likes of the ashby building ect which can block the signal the best thing to do is have a look at the surrounding houses and see if they have a Rte antenna if you have a clear view to the south then the signal will be good you should still use an amplifer though.

Nisher_M

u may need a booster pack if no obstructions are in the way

wirm

whats the difference between an rte aerial and a normal one?

ginger_nuts

whats the difference between an rte aerial and a normal one?

an RTE aerial will give you RTE 1 ,2 ,TV3 TG4.

A normal Aerial will give you BBC1,2 ,ITV ,C4 maybe C5.
The Idea is that you put both aerials on the roof but one aerial cable into the house. A boster is usually needed for RTE ,but the reception is generally good but it depends on where you live. I have RTE in 3 rooms along with freeview .My reception is perfect but it depends where you live.My C5 was really bad until I got freeview ,but my RTE was perfect

HowMuch_4-2

whats the difference between an rte aerial and a normal one?

Its not a RTE aerial as such but a vertical group C/D aerial.
were as divis is a Horizontal group A aerial
the difference is that the elements for each group (there are 4 main ones A,B c/d and E which is a wide band aerial and will cover all bands but at reduce preformance) are of different lengths and spacing and are set to perform at different frequencies.
if you[link=http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/rlogue/irishtrans.html] follow this link [/link] it will give you all the latest info on RTE reception in and around belfast and some of the problems you are likely to encounter.

allybalder

great - last updated aug 2002!! -

HowMuch_4-2

the information is still current as there has been no changes to rte transmitters since then!

DesG

I have an RTE aerial and I can't get a decent signal, just hazy rte1 and hazier rte2.

Someone mentioned a masthead amp, does that need power sent to it? Not sure what I have really, but know there is no power going up the cable.

I am in Lisburn if that makes a difference.

Any help appreciated.

Cheers, Des.

HowMuch_4-2

If you are only getting RTE 1 and 2 i would say yes also do you have a cable splitter to allow you to watch bbc etc and Rte without having to swap the cables if so you need to make sure that a) it the right type i.e a group A and C/D combiner and b) if it is that the BBC is connected to the group A input and RTE to C/D.
Most mast head amps come with a power unit that plugs into the aerial lead but check when buying Edwards and edwards on the holywood road have a good selection but beware they are a wholesalers and won't give advice you need to know what you want.
if you need more advice on what you need Pm and i'll do what i can to help

DesG

I'll have to try and work out what I have first

But I do know there is no psu anywhere on the lead.

Unfortunately, the aerials are on the chimney stack and there is very little chance of me going up there to look

The aerials were in the house when I bought it, and I can't contact the previous owner to get any useful info

Ah well, maybe I'll get it sorted after Xmas.

Cheers, Des.