Multiple Feeds From A Digital TV Aeirial?

nightswimmer

I currently have one aerial in the roof with two feeds (not sure if that is the correct term ) coming off it via a splitter/booster box, which go to the front and back of the house. And a second aerial with a single feed coming off it which goes to the bedroom.

I want to switch to digital and wondered if it's possible to have all three feeds coming off just one aerial without any signal degradation, or will I have to replace both aerials?

Cheers
NS

espresso

It depends if the existing aerials are suitable for digital i.e. cover the MUX frequencies. Find out more about the required aerial for digital here and see how it compares with your analogue requirements here.

nightswimmer

espresso wrote:

It depends if the existing aerials are suitable for digital i.e. cover the MUX frequencies. Find out more about the required aerial for digital here and see how it compares with your analogue requirements here.

Thanks for your reply. I should have been clearer in my original message, my current aerials aren't suitable for digital, so I am going to have to replace them. I just wondered whether I needed to go the the expense of buying two new aerials, or whether with Digital TV, you can have multiple feeds coming off them without any degradation to the signal, which would allow me just to buy one.

Edited To Add: The site you linked too suggests I need an "Amplified extra hi-gain" aerial, if that makes any difference.

tr3mor

nightswimming. Who has told you that your current aerials aren't compatible with freeview? If you haven't tried with your current aerials i'd do that first.

If you do need a new aerial you can get signal boosters with splitters. I would put one of these in the loft as close as you can to the aerial. They're common in anything up to 6 outputs.

Browntoa

I have a 6 way booster feeding off an Analogue Aerial in a poor freeview reception area

Works fine

nightswimmer

tr3mor wrote:

nightswimming. Who has told you that your current aerials aren't compatible with freeview? If you haven't tried with your current aerials i'd do that first.

We tried with the existing aerial, which is donkey's years old, and the reception was bad - we only managed to get a couple channels.

If you do need a new aerial you can get signal boosters with splitters. I would put one of these in the loft as close as you can to the aerial. They're common in anything up to 6 outputs.

That's great, thanks.

A_Nice_Englishman

You may find your Freeview reception improves once analogue is switched off nightswimmer. The transmitter yoiur aerials are pointed at might not be transmitting Freeview at all now and even if it is it will be at a lower power.

nightswimmer

A_Nice_Englishman wrote:

You may find your Freeview reception improves once analogue is switched off nightswimmer. The transmitter yoiur aerials are pointed at might not be transmitting Freeview at all now and even if it is it will be at a lower power.

I'm pointing at Ridgehill so it should be ok. Unfortunately the switch here isn't until 2011(?) so I hope it's not a case of waiting that long. :eek:

A_Nice_Englishman

Ridge Hill analogue is on channels 22-35 and digital on channels 42 - 63.

Your aerials will be designed to pick up the lower channels and won't be very efficient at the higher frequencies so that would explain your lack of digital reception.

I have a feeling that the channels are being moved around when analogue is switched off but will have to research that a bit more. I can confirm that this is due to happen in 2011 in the Central ITV region

A_Nice_Englishman

Right - done the research!

According to this page the digital transmissions from Ridge Hill will move to channels 21-28 once analogue is switched off. This means your existing aerials will probably be OK.

(I don't know how authoritative that page is though. It's not from the Government, BBC or other official organisation as far as i can see)

nightswimmer

A_Nice_Englishman wrote:

Right - done the research!

According to this page the digital transmissions from Ridge Hill will move to channels 21-28 once analogue is switched off. This means your existing aerials will probably be OK.

Thanks for that.

Does that mean I am right in saying that the aerials will be ok once the switch over takes place in 2011, but if I want to get a good reception now I will have to get a new aerial?