Help me get a decent TV picture! (without spending much!)

Doozergirl

Hi,

We've just moved house and bought a new TV with freeview inbuilt. The TV is picking up a terrible signal on 4 of the terrestrial channels through the rooftop arial and nothing on freeview, despite having checked that we are in the right area.

There is a sky minidish at the property but obviously the pin won't fit into the regular arial hole. Is there an adapter I can buy to use the minidish as an arial or do I have to buy a skybox or call out a freeview specialist?

We're renting, so I don't really fancy getting the rooftop arial altered if it's going to cost.

Please help, I want to watch my new TV! :wall:

rosscobley

a few options are

1) Buy a sky box and card and use that

2) New aerial

3) get a booster and try that

4) get up and move the aerial see what happens

Doozergirl

What's a booster?

jghal

Using the Sky dish as an standard aerial won't work.

Make sure your rooftop aerial is physically pointing in the direction of your local transmitter for best freeview reception.

Asda do a perfectly acceptable mains powered amplifier (phillips made) (also known as a booster )for about 5-6 quid (I use this and get great results.

:beer:

irnbru_2

Doozergirl wrote:

The TV is picking up a terrible signal on 4 of the terrestrial channels through the rooftop arial and nothing on freeview, despite having checked that we are in the right area.

I doubt a booster will help if you're failing to pick up 4 of the terrestrial channels.

I'd ask the non-Sky neighbours if they pick up Freeview or look at the aerials they use and see if your's is similar.

Is your aerial access via a socket in the wall?

amcluesent

Don't bother going to a CAI registered aeriel fitter for a Freeview aerial, I did and was charged a bundle and he was still a cowboy (i.e. lent his ladder directly against the plastic roof gutter, never heard of using a standoff. Refused to drill a neat hole in the soffit ("asbestos, innit?") and left cable trailing under slate.

duncansby

I got a booster fitted to my aerial and now get perfect freeview and terrestrial picture. Bloke was very nice and efficient - cost £80 including fitting

Zahc

Most freeview setups have a page on the menu showing signal strength. By selecting this page and then moving the aerial about (and a lot of shouting to a willing helper) you can see if the signal is getting stronger or not.
Also the aerial will have a connection where the coax goes in. This can get corroded and is easy to disconnect, clean up and reconnect. The aerial connection box in the house(where you plug in the TV) can also be a cause for signal loss due to poor connections. Pay special attention to the shielding (the wire mesh that goes around the aerial cable), if this is touching the core (centre wire) it will wipe out your signal.
Getting a booster can work, but make sure you get one that boosts digital frequencies (it should say on the box) and fit it as near to the aerial as possible. If you put it down the line from the aerial it can also boost the 'noise' from a bad or weak signal, making it worse.
If your neighbours' terrestrial signal is good, the problem lies with your set up.

Zahc

A_Nice_Englishman

(1) Try a different lead between the aerial socket and the TV
(2) Borrow a TV to check that there is nothing wrong with yours
(2) Get your landlord to fix the aerial/downlead
(3) Buy a second hand Sky box

ckerrd

Sounds as if you can't get freeview.
Post code checks are meaningless.
You need to try and find out what transmitter you are pointing at.
If you are only getting 4 analogue stations chances are that your local transmitter is not digital. Could be a small repeater.
No point buying a booster - waste of money.

Doozergirl

Right, it turns out that the aerial socket by the most obvious place to put your main television doesn't work. So I bought a second hand sky box and that doesn't work either. I get what is obviously Sky on the TV, but it's not picking up any channels. I thought you got the freeview channels regardless? Any ideas?

My TV is now at least 10m across the room now and I have to watch it through my dining table from about 10m away from the sofa wher it works perfectly. :wall: Changing the layout of the room isn't particularly practical. Can I make the landlord fix the socket or what?