Digital TV Aerial recommendations

wba31

kwikbreaks wrote: »

You'll need a satellite set top box of some sort and possibly need to change to LNB on the dish to provide an extra port although most will be 2 or 4 ports already.

For cabling you run decent quality satellite grade coax from the dish to the extra satellite box then hook that up to the TV using (in descending order of quality) HDMI, SCART, composite video+sound, or coax depending on what connectors are available on each.

Sounds more complicated than what I'm after to be honest, just wanna get a signal into my TV to make use of the built in freeview on the TV.

AnthonyUK

All you will need is a good quality high gain wideband aerial horizontally or vertically polarised to your particular tv transmitter and connected to your STB or Freeview TV by good quality low loss cable.

As a rule:-

Main high power tv transmitters like Winter Hill near Bolton generally transmit the full Freeview line up including HD horizontally polarized.

Relay transmitters like Haslingden, Rossendale only carry half the Freeview selections at lower power vertically polarized.

Subrelay transmitters serving rural areas are even lower in power (sometimes as low as a kW or even less) and these carry even fewer Freeview channels, these are often vertically polarized.

[Deleted User]

wba31 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend one that they have that isn't too expensive (£15-£20 tops)

You'll need a roof aerial and (unless you are installing it yourself) it will cost a fair bit more than £20 to have one fitted.

Is there not a aerial already on your roof? If so, it's perfectly possible that this is all you'll need to connect.

A.Penny.Saved

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/coveragechecker/
http://www.ukfree.tv/transmitters.php
Chances are that you will be using the transmitter in sutton coldfield which uses horizontal polarization.
Look here if you want to check if there is any terrain which might affect your reception. Do you live in a ditch or behind a hill?
Check the aerial group and ensure that you purchase accordingly. Don't just buy a Yagi such as ***this*** because it's easiest because it will also pickup noise and interference more readily. A Log periodic aerial is recommended similar to ***this***. These get very little wind load and are easy to handle and put up so won't require strong brackets. Pick up from a local store to save delivery. There is a new store in Kings Norton. Cable and brackets will probably cost more than this. However due to the power output you don't need anything too large. I fitted a log periodic myself after starting with a yagi all before analogue switch off. You can always use an attenuator if the signal is too high but you cannot do too much if the signal is too weak. Amplifiers are not recommended.

AnthonyUK

Moneyineptitude wrote: »

You'll need a roof aerial and (unless you are installing it yourself) it will cost a fair bit more than £20 to have one fitted.

Is there not a aerial already on your roof? If so, it's perfectly possible that this is all you'll need to connect.

I would check any aerial already installed before even attempting to put any new cable on; because, if its been up a fair few years it could have had water ingress via the existing coax cable meaning poor or no signal and could even leak into the aerial socket risking damage to your set.

If the existing aerial is rusty damaged ie with bent loose or wobbly elements/reflectors or corroded on the roof then it is far better to buy a complete new wideband highgain aerial new cable new connectors etc and start afresh.

Reception on your tv will only be as good as the aerial installation supplying it.

Putting new cable on a rusty corroded or damaged aerial is a waste of money and isn't recommended.

donny-gal

If you take a cable from the Sky Box in the lounge, and run it to the bedroom, then you can watch anything from Sky or normal TV on that TV. You can also have a splitter so any other TVs in the house get their signal this way. If you get a sky Mouse and handset, you can change the channels and switch Sky on and off from the other rooms. But you can only watch one Sky channel at once, but you can watch the TV channels differently, provded you have a TV aerial going into Sky in the first place, i.e. from the roof.
DG

AnthonyUK

donny-gal wrote: »

If you take a cable from the Sky Box in the lounge, and run it to the bedroom, then you can watch anything from Sky or normal TV on that TV. You can also have a splitter so any other TVs in the house get their signal this way. If you get a sky Mouse and handset, you can change the channels and switch Sky on and off from the other rooms. But you can only watch one Sky channel at once, but you can watch the TV channels differently, provded you have a TV aerial going into Sky in the first place, i.e. from the roof.
DG

The OP wants to use terrestrial Freeview on the upstairs Freeview tv not one channel satellite on rf coax!

donny-gal

If he has terrestrial TV into his Sky Box, he can use this way to get it to another TV or TV's without a second aerial, + Sky as bonus.
DG

AnthonyUK

donny-gal wrote: »

If he has terrestrial TV into his Sky Box, he can use this way to get it to another TV or TV's without a second aerial, + Sky as bonus.
DG

The original poster doesnt want to put Sky into the bedroom on a spare channel on his tv, he wants to use his Freeview set AS a Freeview set through a rooftop loft or chimney aerial without cables round the house and poor quality rf connection that only allows you to view one channel of Sky.

closed

a simple question has gone off tangent a little.