TV aerial connection

[Deleted User]

I am not sure if this is the correct forum.  If not would someone please move it for me?
Understandably TV aerial installers are not able to come inside houses at present.  I had a new TV  roof aerial installed just before lockdown and I have very limited reception owing to a weak signal.  I have smart TVs and Humax Freeview boxes for both  and one TV has Freeview Play.  I understand I now need my aerial to be raised up on a higher roof pole in order to receive a better signal to receive all Freeview ? Freeview Play channels  in my living room and in my bedroom.

This extension can be done from outside but the living room aerial seems temperamental and loses connection completely at times if touched even slightly.  By 'fiddling ' with it the limited channels I have come back.  This does not happen in the bedroom TV. They both come off the same new roof aerial.  Although I know nothing about this technology I wonder  if the inside living room aerial lead/wire has a loose wire in it?   If this is the case I would have to wait till after lockdown when an aerial installer can come indoors to fix it.  Both TVs have limited channels and weak signals.
I noticed too late that my neighbours' roof aerials are all much higher up on longer poles and mine is lower down on the roof.  The aerial installer came back and it helped a bit but I still have limited channels and weak signal.

With the intermittent connection in the living room should I wait till after lockdown to ask an installer to come?  I don't  want to lose the limited  channels I have but don't  want to have the roof aerial higher up if there is also a problem with the ?lead/wire inside needing a repair.  I have not tampered with it but I wonder if a staple  to secure it has gone into the wire and , if so, could possibly have damaged it a bit.
Any advice would be very good and really appreciated , thank you.

Crimson

neilmcl

There's no reason why TV aerial installers not to be working now as long as they can work in a safe, socially distanced manner. Have you actually checked to see if any in your area are working?

J_B

Deleted_User said:

Understandably TV aerial installers are not able to come inside houses at present.

We had a guy out - he came in the house and fixed everything - job done.

[Deleted User]

Thank you for replying.  I have not checked again.   Some weeks ago I left a message on an answering machine and the installer did not get back to me.
 I'll make some enquiries to see what is  possible now.  If an installer is willing to come into the house, kerping safe distance  that would be ideal.

When I find out I'll post with an update, thank you.

Crimson

Robisere

When we first moved into the last village where we spent 13 happy years, we had the same problem. The village was in the 'shadow' of the Lincolnshire Wolds and signals were still analogue, but shortly after we moved Digital came in. The antenna in our loft remained from a previous tenant and we could not get a digital signal. We had a new roof antenna, had it erected and wondered why all the others were higher. Then we had a real expert take a look and he put up a long pole with an antenna on it, with a signal meter balanced on his arm. Told us that the tree across the way was interfering with the signal from the uprated transmitter: several tenants on our side of the road said their signal was poor too, despite the tall masts. Eventually we managed to get the tree taken down (did not like doing that, I love trees!) and the high mast gave us all great signal. Now we live in an apartment block with a good signal, but I still recall the antenna guy hanging onto a ladder with one hand, whilst holding this massive pole up and watching his meter, balanced on the roof! Fortunately it was a bungalow.

[Deleted User]

Thank you Robisere.  It sounds as if it is the same here.  I also wonded if there could be a 'fault' in the lead at the living room TV.  I telephoned a local aerial company and left a message so hopefully they will return my call.  I'll post an update once I hear anything.

With this awful Corona virus and lockdown etc. I am grateful to have some TV channels although it will be good to have 'full Freeview' again.

Someone kindly thanked me for a post but when I tapped on it, to see who had thanked me, it said I could not react to my own post.  I am more familiar with the previous system. Thank you for all the replies.
Crimson

RumRat

Don't click on the thanks button, just hover your pointer over it to see who thanked you.

mobileron

Just look at the aerial plug,there are 2 wires,one goes down the centre of the plug the other is the braiding.
Ensure they are not touching each other. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWEUuV5Qfxc
seek and u will find.

MinuteNoodles

DO NOT FOLLOW THAT GUIDE 100%. Do not cut away the braid completely. The braid needs to be in contact with the outer shell of the aerial plug.

DoaM

+1 ... as soon as I saw the braid being snipped off I shuddered. (That guide is relying on a very small contact patch with the braiding at the end of the cable - not a good idea).

Rodders53

While not perfect https://www.aerialsandtv.com/knowledge/how-to-attach-wire-up-plugs-aerials-and-wall-plates shows a way to do the job effectively enough.
Poor/loose connections and hdmi cable cross interference can cause similar issues.  Keep aerial cables and hdmi well apart.

OP  Your aerial install should be under guarantee.  That he has failed to fix things is poor in my (expert) view.
Location?  Postcode of a pub, shop, school or similar very nearby (within 100 m ideally) will allow estimation of the signal levels and transmitter.
What sort of aerial has been installed? (Please not one with a rectangular pressed aluminium plate as the reflector).
Have you got a masthead amplifier?
How is the signal split?  (A passive 2-way loses over half the signal received by the aerial.)