TV aerial advice needed.

--Tony--

Hi all,

Need advice from a TV expert.

I needed to run a new wire to my outside aerial but on taking it down the contacts are to corroded to rewire so I'm going to have to buy a new one.

At the moment I don't have a digi box but might get one later so might as well fit something so I will be ready. I have sky but need normal TV when recording.

I see a lot of people have these funny looking aerial but my neighbours run digi boxes without changing their aerials and they are only fitted on the eaves on the front of the houses (I'm on the end of the row and the only one up avove the ridge level).

My question is do I need a special aerial for my area? I remember years ago you had to get one of the right rating for your area and they normally had different colour codes in the end of the aerial.

My current one is 16 element with the element running flat, ie right to left (not up and down or on its side).

Other people here do have smaller ones.

Also any advice on where I could buy one cheap would be welcome.

Many thanks Tony

shammyjack

Digital Freeview is a minefield !

Do your homework by searching Google etc and try starting at this site

http://www.megalithia.com/elect/index.html


shammy

T4i

At the end of the day a aerial is a aerial. Its a peice of metal that can recieve transmissions via frequencies.

One rule for aerials, higher the better. I learnt alot in my teens about aerials as I got into HAM/SSB radios.

During my HAM days I learnt that these expensive 'branded' aerials work just aswel as the cheap nasty looking ones. And thats from a transmitting AND recieving point of view.

If your neighbours have box std aerials I'd be tempted to go for the same kind of deal.

Weymouth_Man

Sounds like you need a new aerial, have a look at this link, hope it helps ?
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=41700&ts=60846 :beer:

moonrakerz

Try these two sites, they may help.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/digital/freeview.shtml

http://tx.mb21.co.uk/

You should have the correct aerial for your area. The second website will tell you what your local transmitter requires.
I shouldn't try and compare HAM radio to TV reception - HAM radios operate on HF, around 136kHz; TV operates 500-800mHz. Basically TV is "line of sight", HF, given the right conditions will go round the world. But because of its relatively low frequency HF is very prone to interference from just about anything.
Unfortunately some TV aerial suppliers look upon digital as an excuse to boost their income. Where I live , there is now a vast array of expensive high gain TV aerials sprouting up all around me. I have a conventional "normal" aerial - and it works absolutely beautifully on digital !
Ask around before you commit yourself to a big spend.

richcook

live in poor reception area got high gain digi areil from wilkos £25 found it to be excellent

--Tony--

Thanks guys will work my way through this.

--Tony--

I think where I live I need a red aerial, but I'm still a bit confused about High Gain and these ones Wilco, B&Q etc sell, they don't appear to have any colour code? Are they universal?

Assuming I'm right and they are universal I'm still not sure which is best to get, do I just grab a universal one from B&Q or find a local TV shop and buy a red one.

I assume a red one would be better an analogue (that's where I am now) but one day I will need to get a Digi Box.

It says as well as being red I need an amplified ultra high gain aerial, I have not seen ultra high gain? I have a feeling its the number of elements that make it high gain, so guess that's why I had 16 elements before.

Very confusing this.


EDIT.

Ah HA, think I found what I need, get black code not red but it wont be quite as good until we go digital (And I assume black is what B&Q etc sell??).

Aerials for digital
In the future, when the digital switchover isunderway,the UHF channel numbers used by certain transmitters may change. Although there are no details at present the BBC recommends the use of CAI benchmarked wideband aerials (colour coded black) if you are replacing your existing equipment or need to upgrade it in order to receive Freeview. As mentioned before, these do not have as muchgain as a grouped aerial so a slightly larger aerial maybe needed. This should cover your present aerial requirements as well as those in the future.

richcook

tony i also bought a masthead amplifier to go with digi aerial

--Tony--

Thanks guys this is turning into a nightmare.

OK bought a Masive high gain aeriel from B&Q yesterday, I know I'm in a poor signal area for both annalouge and digital!

Put it up and nothing.

Let me explin all.

When I moved in 6 years ago I could hardly get a picture, I went in the loft and found the aeriel wire had lots of joiners going all over the house, I suspected the last owner had removed a splitter amp so bought one plugged all the tails in as all has been fine for 6 years.

Early this week the signal was really poor, the amp appeared OK as the light was on and on unplugging the amp and joining the wired the signal got worse still.

The outside wires were hard and crispy and next door suggested I replaced the wire but the terminals were corroded which was also the end of the current aerial.

So here I am with my expensive B&Q high gain aeriel, no signal at all, if I plug in the amp I get a weak signal.

I got it from B&Q so I can take it back easy if I need to.

I'm now thinking it was the splitter amp all the time, working but not as powerful (if thats possible) as before?

I'm now thinking I'm going to have so spend some real cash and do the job properly and fit a masthead amp rather than buying another splitter amp.

Can I have a mast amp and a splitter anp? If so would the power supply for the mast amp go in tghe loft before the splitter?

I'm going crazy over this and its costing a fortune.

moonrakerz

It sounds as though your cable might be knackered. Go back to B & Q, again ! and buy some new co-ax cable. Run it from your new aerial - any route, the easiest, just to try it - direct to your TV and see what you have then.