Non-motoring > New TV aerial Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Dave Replies: 18
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New Mon 27 Aug 12 22:22 
 New TV aerial - Dave
I need to erect a new twig on the other house. We only have digital signal here, but how do I know it's 'pointed' correctly?

My last digital box had a signal strength option, but the current one doesn't. Although I heard that for a digital signal it is much less important.
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New Mon 27 Aug 12 22:33 
 New TV aerial - henry k
Why a new twig? Is the old one bust/ fallen down?

Unless the other house is in splendid isolation have a look at other aerials and point it in the same direction as the majority.

Note what size the majority of aerials are and do not get conned into have an expensive multi pronged job.

I am in a strong signal area and my ancient aerial in the loft works well.
Never seen or used a signal strength option.
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New Mon 27 Aug 12 23:08 
 New TV aerial - bathtub tom
Last time I put an aerial in the loft I took compass bearings of a few others around and used it to align the new one. I don't think it's that critical, just get the vertical/horizontal alignment right.
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New Mon 27 Aug 12 23:42 
 New TV aerial - No FM2R
www.ukfree.tv/transmitters.php

Stick your postcode in here, then click on full details (or similar) you should get a bearing.
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 00:26 
 New TV aerial - VxFan
Unfortunalety Mark, Dave lives in Sweden.

Unless when he says his "other house" he means one in the UK?
Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 28 Aug 12 at 00:27
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 00:49 
 New TV aerial - No FM2R
>>Dave lives in Sweden.

oops.
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 08:52 
 New TV aerial - Dave
Ha, I mean my other house next door in Sweden.

No twig there now, just an old satellite dish fixed to a tree. But I have an aerial on this house so can get a compass bearing (if I had a compass). But looking through a catalogue of aerials, how on earth can you tell a good one from a rubbish one?
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 09:19 
 New TV aerial - henry k
>>how on earth can you tell a good one from a rubbish one?
>>
A rubbish one is one that is the wrong one for local transmitters or it will not survive the climate.

Aerials are very simple bits of aluminium but they need to be the right sized bits.
I suspect buying locally you will get the correct version.
In simple terms, the weaker the signal you get from the transmitter the more elements you need on the aerial.
Customers are easily conned into bying a fat aerial at great cost.
Uk prices:-
My old loft aerial works fine ( about £7 to replace it but could get a "better"one for £15 ). I see quite a few megga aerials on nearby homes and smile.
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 10:04 
 New TV aerial - Mike Hannon
Don't forget that what you need is a wideband aerial for efficient digital reception, not the traditional UHF type that is tuned for a particular band of the spectrum (A, B, C etc) that is used locally.
It will look as though it has more 'twigs' on it - and it will be a bit more expensive.
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 10:30 
 New TV aerial - Slidingpillar
And get a one that passes the CAI benchmark scheme.
www.cai.org.uk/information/downloads?task=viewcategory&catid=37

The wideband requirement depends on where you are. Although a wideband aerial is a safe general bet, some areas, ie London receiving Crystal Palace will remain in the same group (A).
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 21:35 
 New TV aerial - spamcan61
>> And get a one that passes the CAI benchmark scheme.
>> www.cai.org.uk/information/downloads?task=viewcategory&catid=37
>>
>> The wideband requirement depends on where you are. Although a wideband aerial is a safe
>> general bet, some areas, ie London receiving Crystal Palace will remain in the same group
>> (A).
>>

Like they said, although widebands are a bit dodgier now they've turned the volume up post DSO and some folks are finding they have 3 sets of BBC channels etc.

In terms of build quality then I'd use pretty much anything in a loft, outside I'd use something better like a Blake, cheapo aerials tend to use plastic that degrades over time under UV and elements made of thinned down Bacofoil; these don't tend to stand up well to pigeon orgies.

edit, having said that my Screwfix wideband was a tenner or so 12years ago and hasn't had any bits fall off yet.
Last edited by: spamcan61 on Tue 28 Aug 12 at 21:39
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 13:02 
 New TV aerial - Fursty Ferret
Just buy the biggest one you can for £20 and bung it in the loft. I just pointed mine in the same direction as the neighbours' (who, it appears, were conned into paying a fortune for enormous ones on a pole 20 feet above roof level) and it worked fine.

Most digital TVs will show you the signal strength / quality so you can fine tune it.

Edit: TV signals are polarised (depending on transmitter) so if it doesn't work first time, rotate it by 90 degrees and try again.
Last edited by: Fursty Ferret on Tue 28 Aug 12 at 13:03
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 13:36 
 New TV aerial - Dave
I'll have to stick it on the outside I think, as it has a tin roof and tin cladding. Just need to make a bracket that doesn't squash the cladding tin inwards against the insulation and membrane.
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 15:18 
 New TV aerial - Dog
Why not get a blimmin dish and dun wivvit!
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 15:43 
 New TV aerial - Focusless
Doesn't dish = subscription, or is there enough free (half-decent) content (in Sweden)?
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 17:28 
 New TV aerial - Dave
I have a subscription for telly through the aerial already, and have a spare box, so I can have telly in the new house (where I'm going to live), and my current house next door which will be the workshop.
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 19:39 
 New TV aerial - Dog
>>Doesn't dish = subscription, or is there enough free (half-decent) content (in Sweden)?<<

I was thinking of Freesat, with a large enough dish of course.

forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=903935 (I know Dave is in Sweden)
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New Tue 28 Aug 12 20:14 
 New TV aerial - Dutchie
I have a dish and a old aerial.I cancelled sky to many dvd's which I haven't seen to see.

The airial gives me Freevieuw enough channels for us.
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New Wed 29 Aug 12 09:19 
 New TV aerial - Focusless
>> >>Doesn't dish = subscription, or is there enough free (half-decent) content (in Sweden)?
>>
>> I was thinking of Freesat

Oops - I'd forgotten about that.
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