No Signal - two aerials in loft

oldernonethewiser

marlasinger wrote: »

Those look like different fittings to what we have. We have aerial connector plugs, so I'm assuming we have to use a splitter that uses aerial plugs?

This is the bodge job:

So, if we remove the one to the study and leave the one to the lounge TV then we will know if that was causing the problem.



Does anyone know why there would be 2 aerials? If you can run several feeds off one aerial why would the previous owners have installed 2 aerials?

No, you use the plugs in the second link.

Ectophile

Running several TVs off the same aerial requires an aerial amplifier, which requires a power supply. The previous owner may have decided it was easier just to put in two aerials.


But then they bodged it when splitting one of the cables to feed two TVs. You can get simple passive splitters, which require no power. They are cheap to buy and will work if your signal is strong enough. if the signal isn't strong enough, you need an amplifier, which means a power supply.

Norman_Castle

marlasinger wrote: »

The aerials seem to be pointing in slightly different directions, adjusting the poor signal one to the direction of the other might help.

If possible move them to an area with clear space in front of them.


https://www.electronics-notes.com/articles/antennas-propagation/installation/alignment-pointing-aiming.php

chrisw

marlasinger wrote: »

It's not a problem with the TVs - if we move the new TV upstairs and retune, it works fine and gets 22 channels. But if we move the bedroom TV (which is an older TV) to the lounge, it gets 7 channels, but they are different channels!! They are not HD ones, and there is no signal problem.

Different TVs also have different sensitivities, not necessarily relating to age. So one TV might cope differently with a weak signal than another.

sevenhills

marlasinger wrote: »

Does anyone know why there would be 2 aerials? If you can run several feeds off one aerial why would the previous owners have installed 2 aerials?

When I moved into my house, there was an aerial in the loft and one on the roof, just easier to do it that way.
Aerial on roof and cable on outside of house, aerial in loft then cable straight into beedroom through a hole in the bedroom ceiling.

Jackmydad

Good quality aerial. Good quality aerial lead copper, double screened, solid foam core.

A minimum number of connections properly made. There's a loss for every connection, even a good one.

The aerial should be outside really.

There's something about aerials not being too close together as well. They interfere with each other in various ways I believe.

Rodders53

Location would help identify transmitter watched. Check your predictions via the Freeview website.
But Freeview Lite relay transmitters (vertical cross rods suggest a relay) should be 43 channels inc 16 Radio in England, if HD DVB-T2 sets. Slightly different numbers in the other Nations or older SD only sets.

Those aerials pictured are both pointing the same way within the aerial radiation pattern 'acceptance angle's and - barring a gross mis-pointing error - adjustment might be a waste of time. Ensure they are at least one metre apart to avoid interaction between them, though. They appear to point through the roof tiles, so less attenuation maybe than some other building materials.

The biggest bodge is the join two cables bit where the result is entirely unpredictable. Replace with proper plugs and a passive splitter is one option.
A powered splitter is the other. A 4 way version could supply all three rooms.

https://www.aerialsandtv.com/knowledge/splitters-amps-and-diplexers is worth a read.

Mutton_Geoff

More help here -

https://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/help-guides/freeview/what-type-of-aerial-do-i-need

Mutton_Geoff

Jackmydad wrote: »

There's something about aerials not being too close together as well. They interfere with each other in various ways I believe.

You can stack aerials together to improve the reception but they need to be a specific distance apart.

googler

marlasinger wrote: »

Is a distribution amp powered by the mains? I take it it has to be connected to the aerial but if we have no mains power in the loft, what can we do?

It doesn't consume a lot of power, take a feed from the lighting circuit, the cables for the ceiling lights immediately below will run through the loft. Or take a spur up from the nearest ring main.