Cost of digital aerial?

albertross_2

LizEstelle wrote:

I don't agree.

I gathered that

A good shop might mention it at point of sale, and many of the larger chains have displays and leaflets warning you, and stickers on the boxes...

But, would you also expect the saleperson to say "Did you know that you'll get cancer if you smoke these fags" everytime they sold a packet, despite the huge smoking kills signs on every box.

Grannies get ripped off all the time, an unfortunate fact of life. Most shops (apart from Argos), would refund you the £40 if it was returned undamaged.

LizEstelle

albertross wrote:

I gathered that

A good shop might mention it at point of sale, and many of the larger chains have displays and leaflets warning you, and stickers on the boxes...

But, would you also expect the saleperson to say "Did you know that you'll get cancer if you smoke these fags" everytime they sold a packet, despite the huge smoking kills signs on every box.

Grannies get ripped off all the time, an unfortunate fact of life. Most shops (apart from Argos), would refund you the £40 if it was returned undamaged.

Unlike cigarettes, this is a once-off (and usually permanent) changeover. Let's hope when something unfortunate like this happens to an unwary member of your family, you're able to laugh it off similarly as 'just a fact of life'...

A_Nice_Englishman

Not all transmitters carry Freeview yet, but virtually all will after the switchover date in their area. The smaller ones may not carry all the channels though.

I've read that wherever possible things are being arranged so that existing aerials will be suitable for Freeview after switchover. So unless you are very keen to get more channels before switchover, don't spend money on a new aerial. Sit tight and there is a good chance you will pleasantly surprised at switchover time!

More info here http://tx.mb21.co.uk/dso/index.asp

johnmc

Freeview site says I can't get it. A neighbour said he could get them all, so I paid less than £20 for a Digiboxe. Worked fine on the TV aerial downstairs without any changes, but got ntl TV so relegated it to the bedroom and bought another one for the kids.

Bought an aerial for £28 off Ebay. The seller threw in some instructions - easy to follow but VERY funny. Installed with ordinary coax.

Now have 2 lots of Freeview upstairs.

YES the adverts are misleading, but you don't have to be a genius to set it up, and I certainly wouldn't fork out £150.

Mercenary

I agree slightly with RainbowsInTheSpray, there should be a little more OBVIOUS public information in large print about the likely requirements, the reception problems and the effect on equipment for the non-techie potential customers.

I'd read about aerial problems on various sites as I do research on any project before I leap in and I'd also seen that some people can pick up a signal with no bother whatsoever. But older people often just don't do that. Very luckily for my Mother, who on impulse just went out one day on the strength of the adverts and bought herself a Freeview integrated TV without any research on the subject at all, she could actually receive a signal. She would been stuck with a useless TV if she'd found any different.

So when I tried it out for myself, I borrowed a Freeview box and found that it couldn't detect an aerial connection with our existing aerial, so gave up on the idea for a few months.
Then one day, while I was in the loft, I spied an aerial hidden in a dark corner. It looked enough like the pictures of the wideband ones we're advised to have, so I experimented by connecting it up to a downlead leading to a TV in a bedroom, borrowed a Freeview box again and found that we could receive a signal...although pixellated slightly.
So then I bought my own box.
I had to replace the old brown coax with some satellite grade cable when the rain got into the old stuff and it lost signals badly, and ever since then have had a pretty good signal. Not perfect, but pretty good.:D

oldwiring

No one seems to have mentioned that as well as a new aerial, because of the weak digital signal and the possibilty that somechannels may be out of group for the existing aerial, the signal may need further boosting by such as a mastjead amp.

The official sites are reckoned to be ultra conservative, and some of the more knowing folk reckon the Wolfbane Digital Predictor is a better guide. However nothing is guaranteed. There are quite a few people near me, who shouldn't get it at allm but who do and from a distant Tx out of region. However I can't.

TBUH and with no didrepsect, I guess that those who make it seem so easy, do not live in problem areas.

afro_2

Remember Rod Hull?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/298801.stm

If you're not comfortable going up a ladder, get someone in. £150 isn't worth risking your life over.

flossy_splodge

so can you continue to use an old analogue TV when the switchover comes PROVIDED you have a freeview box?:o

computerwoman

RainbowsInTheSpray wrote:

Yes, I'm just another of the millions who were taken in by the advertising on the box about 'just a small one-off payment for a digital box'. How are they allowed to get away with repeating this blatant lie?

No reception on the old equipment.

I asked a passing aerial installer and he said 'around £150 if it's just a straight replacement job'.

This strikes me as exorbitant. Can anyone else tell me what they had to pay for a new aerial to be installed, please?

Hi I would be very happy to recommend you as a friend to sky so you can get sky for free PM if you want and I'll get the info I need and we'll do it, I don't get a thing I don't think but I've seen another thread about free sky+ boxes, so it can't be that hard.

espresso

Moneymaker wrote:

The best way to save money is to educate yourself so you understand fully just what's involved.

I totally agree but the original poster has already decided that she has been conned.