We do get freeview and it's usually ok, although it wasn't very happy yesterday - the big high pressure sitting over the uk possibly didn't help?
Anyway, if I get an aerial man in to point it at another (nearer) transmitter, and he sucks his teeth and says I need to change my aerial, should I take any notice?
i969.photobucket.com/albums/ae173/focushj/DSCF0586.jpg
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Looks like a 'narrowband' job so probably not. Can you (a) identify the transmitters and (b) if you look closely at the aerial (binoculars?) can you see a colored plug in the end or anything that might identify its group? See link below (click on the check aerial link)
www.frequencycast.co.uk/freeviewadvice.html#aerial
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Have a butchers at this site comrade Focus ~ fore-warned is fore-armed!
aerialsandtv.com/atvschoiceofaerials.html#BenchmarkedAerials
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>> Have a butchers at this site comrade Focus ~ fore-warned is fore-armed!
>>
>> aerialsandtv.com/atvschoiceofaerials.html#BenchmarkedAerials
Thanks - might have to read that a few times for any of it to stick :)
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>> Looks like a 'narrowband' job so probably not.
But like I say we do get freeview, and most of the time it's ok - would a narrowband aerial give you that?
>> Can you (a) identify the transmitters
Currently on Crystal Palace, but Hannington is half the distance (36/18), and should give a stronger signal according to the predictor on that wolfbane site. Looking at other houses, some aerials point the same way as ours, others don't.
>> (b) if you look closely at the aerial (binoculars?) can you see a colored plug
>> in the end or anything that might identify its group?
No :(
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Looking at it, its a narrow band aerial with a very very tight focus/angle of view, you need to be right on the money pointing that one the right way,
I would have it down.
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Forgot to say that the predictor site recommends an amplified extra hi-gain aerial.
I did have a look online and you can get what sound like good aerials for under £50 - should I buy one myself (hoping it's the right one) and let the man just set it up, or is it best to leave it all to them?
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You can get an erection quite cheaply up here.
Which is my nudge-nudge way of saying leave it to the guy who installs it.
A good local man knows what'll do the job in your area and he shouldn't charge the earth.
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>> You can get an erection quite cheaply up here.
You're asking for trouble iffy... :)
>> Which is my nudge-nudge way of saying leave it to the guy who installs it.
>>
>> A good local man knows what'll do the job in your area and he shouldn't
>> charge the earth.
You're probably right - it's just finding someone who meets those criteria. There is someone locally who gets good reviews on the Check-a-trade website - I've used that before and it seems to be reliable.
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>> You can get an erection quite cheaply up here.
What have you all been up to while I've been busy?:)
Pat
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If you have the ladders, and assuming you dont fall off the roof.
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>> If you have the ladders, and assuming you dont fall off the roof.
Roof shape isn't exactly regular either. I'm glad it would be easy for you FT, but that doesn't help me unfortunately.
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>> Roof shape isn't exactly regular either.
Doesn't necessarily matter.
The dish doesn't need to be on the roof - mines less than three metres off the ground around the back of the house (bottom of my 80cm dish is just high enough to clear really tall people, and I can sweep the snow out of it when it stops the show.).
You need a clear view in the appropriate direction to an elevation greater than 20 degrees or so.
put your postcode/location into
www.dishpointer.com/
and choose the astra fleet at 28.5 East
to find out if it's a possibility or not.
The freesat offering is quite fair, and if you DIY it you can trade insults with Z, or me, or anyone else who has done it.
Last edited by: AnotherJohnH on Mon 24 Jan 11 at 21:14
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>> The dish doesn't need to be on the roof
Freeview - aerial.
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Focus's roof looks a bit like mine. Even the professionals find it a struggle to access from anywhere they can usefully rest a ladder. No way I'd DIY unless a could hire a suitable 'cherry picker' type vehicle.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Mon 24 Jan 11 at 21:53
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>> Freeview - aerial.
Yes, but the thread at the bottom was running away with talk of using satellite as an alternative, and for some reason which isn't apparent to me at the moment, this point in the thread seemed to be the appropriate place to plonk my comment - for fear of the thread order zealot getting over excited.
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>> Forgot to say that the predictor site recommends an amplified extra hi-gain aerial.
It says the same for us but we get satisfactory reception from a narrow band aerial in the (bungalow) loft.
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There will be loads rushing out buying a new aerial now even though they don't need one.
Why anybody bothers with freeview is beyond me get sky pay the money get the choices.
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>> Why anybody bothers with freeview is beyond me get sky pay the money get the
>> choices.
I don't want the choices, more than enough of that on Freeview. And as mentioned upthread I'm not giving my money to Murdoch's empire.
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>> Why anybody bothers with freeview is beyond me get sky pay the money get the
>> choices.
Have to be careful not to fill the recorder's disk drive as it is - certainly don't need any more choice, especially if we have to pay for it. Simples.
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Well i guess you don't know what your missing if you don't have it.
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>> Well i guess you don't know what your missing if you don't have it.
Could you give some examples?
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Sky movies all the movie channels.
FX channels sky page 164 not on freeview?
Sports?
The music channels too many to list.
Kids tv
Discovery & History more again on sky.
It's what floats your boat and as the kids like certain programes to me it suits everybody.
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>> It's what floats your boat and as the kids like certain programes to me it
>> suits everybody.
Nothing that particularly jumps out from that list - some gets to terrestrial/freeview eventually (films) or I'm just not that bothered (most sports). But if I had more free time and money then I would consider it.
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No interest in sport except for the Tour de France (on terrestrial) and the few movies I want to see I'll buy on DVD. Might watch more History National Geographic type stuff if I had it but not worth spending tens of squids a month to a business I despise.
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...Could you give some examples?...
The movies are all shown commercial-free, which is a big plus for me.
I've given up trying to watch films on ITV - too many interruptions.
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>> Well i guess you don't know what your missing if you don't have it.
Oh Indeed I do.
Thats why I am not buying it.
999 channels of mostly shiesse.
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>> the big high pressure sitting over the uk possibly didn't help?
Probably not, as you seem to be aware - see this link for words I've forgotten about:
www.stevelarkins.freeuk.com/tropo_condx.htm
Receiving over great distances does increase the likelyhood of you getting CCI problems.
As mentioned in the link, with Freeview things change rather abruptly from from fine and dandy to blocky and unusable.
It can get quite confusing if your freeview box decides to retune during these conditions.
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Plus,
if you're considering changing from Crystal Palace to Hannington, they operate in significantly different parts of the frequency range, so your man is right to suck his teeth:
www.aerialsandtv.com/hanningtontx.html
And, don't forget the transmitted frequency changes that come with DSO, as shown on the tables towards the end of the link
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>> www.aerialsandtv.com/hanningtontx.html
This is interesting as well:
"Ofcom reports that Hannington has a severely restricted radiation pattern to the East (to protect Guildford TX), this applies to all 6 MUXES in an arc from NE to SE, see picture. If you live in this sector you may get perfect analogue off Hannington, but your digital may well be problematic."
I think we're just south of NE from Hannington - I wonder if that's why it's not such an obvious choice over Crystal Palace around here.
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>>should I buy one myself (hoping it's the right one) and let the man just set it up, or is it best to leave it all to them?
I'd leave it to them. There's nowt to be saved; your man on the roof will almost certainly charge you more for his time to make up the difference.
Last edited by: Clk Sec on Sun 23 Jan 11 at 14:47
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The Wolfbane 'predictor' is not accurate.
Go here, www.digitaluk.co.uk/ and tick the box that says 'I am in the aerial trade'.
Transmitter coverage is not necessarily distance as Crystal Palace can be the best signal in parts of Stevenage, yet a small part of North London is best served by Hannington.
Aerial is an 18 element contract aerial ie not that good, and is probably a narrow band aerial. As Crystal Palace and Hannington are different aerial groups, an aerial for one may not suit the other. And they are different regions, BBC London and South.
My tupporth is use an aerial installer who is a CAI member. Symbol looks like a satellite dish on a tripod. They will fit the right aerial in terms of gain and type with the aid of a meter for digital signals.
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>> Go here, www.digitaluk.co.uk/ and tick the box that says 'I am in the aerial trade'.
Good one. Although Hannington is top of the list (perhaps just because it's closest), the coverage predictor at first sight appears to indicate there's not much in it - they both have one not-so-good mux:
EDIT: sorry, link removed - gave too much personal info
However, Hannington at present doesn't have mux HD at all, which I assume means you need to be pointing at Crystal Palace to get any freeview HD. After 'switchover step 2' in 2012, Hannington does appear to be the best bet, and as we don't yet have an HD box or TV, I still reckon that might be the one to go for.
>> My tupporth is use an aerial installer who is a CAI member.
Yep, sounds like the way to go. Thanks everyone.
Last edited by: Focus on Sun 23 Jan 11 at 15:32
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>> >> the big high pressure sitting over the uk possibly didn't help?
There was no propagation effects or benefits from that high pressure. In the summer maybe.
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It's not often I disagree with the man, and even less often when I can be bothered to go into print about it, but the winter high pressure problems are really bad for long distance UHF TV.
Have a chat with the folk in Stoke-on-Trent about the winters they suffered with the Wrekin transmitter being RBR off Sutton Coldfield, before it was finally line fed.
There are/were a significant number of relay transmitters similarly affected.
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Pretty well all covered above but just my thoughts...
Old aerial looks a budget type, probably not of the correct band, connections may be corroded and the downlead may not be a high grade suitable for freeview.
I have the log type aerial which are getting to be popular for freeview. They are a little more selective than the basic type so reject unwanted signals well. Note the unusual look with no rear reflector.
www.aerialsuperstore.co.uk/antiference-lp28f-tv-aerial-12-p.asp
Mine was put up for about £100 with a new pole, wall brackets and downlead. Well worth it to come home and find the job done and signal spot on.
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Crystal Palace is relatively unusual in that all the digital MUX pre DSO are in the same group (A) as the analogue service and the link below suggests they'll stay that way after DSO. Many others add a MUX or two way outside the old range.
www.aerialsandtv.com/crystalpalacetx.html
The digitaluk site can need a sense check as well. For my NN postcode it's first suggestion is Sutton Coldfield. In fact practically everyone hereabouts uses Sandy Heath which carries what passes for local news on BBC East/Anglia. Sutton Coldfield is West Midlands.
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...which carries what passes for local news on BBC East/Anglia. Sutton Coldfield is West Midlands...
My Sky box receives all the regions of BBC1, which means I can tune in to local news from anywhere in the country.
I shouldn't think that's part of the premium package, local BBC1 isn't, so would be available to any subscriber.
Sky reception seems fairly stable, if it works, it works, and there's certainly no aggro over this or that aerial.
If Focus is going to spend £100 on the fitting of a new aerial, it's worth thinking about Sky's one-off payment service.
I believe it's now called 'Freesat from Sky' and is about £150.
It must be a good deal, because the service doesn't appear on Sky's website. :)
www.radioandtelly.co.uk/skyfreesat.html
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>> If Focus is going to spend £100 on the fitting of a new aerial, it's
>> worth thinking about Sky's one-off payment service.
Not too bothered about having any additional channels, and IIRC it's not as easy to feed multiple TVs from satellite. So we'll probably just stick with freeview.
Last edited by: Focus on Sun 23 Jan 11 at 16:49
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My trenchant views on Murdoch would rule out any Sky solution!!!
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www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html
If you like proagation look at the above link type in Northwestern Europe in the drop down bar on left top of page,
I use this for vhf/uhf Transmissions for the uk in the Amateur radio band but also works for tv/radio as required.
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>>My Sky box receives all the regions of BBC1, which means I can tune in to local news from anywhere in the country.>>
It's exactly the same with the BBC and partners' Freesat service (Sky is now called Free to Air or similar) - that's why you key in your postcode to ensure your local programmes are normally provided.
To watch BBC, ITV, Channel 4 etc local programmes from other areas, just go to the All Programmes listings from 950 to 977 and select the area required (details are listed).
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>>It must be a good deal, because the service doesn't appear on Sky's website. :)>>
Actually it does:
www.sky.com/shop/tv/free-to-air-channels/
Also:
www.christiansat.org.uk/sub.html
I've seen these cards listed for as low as £25.
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...Actually it does...
Not really, that Sky link is just a list of channels.
I cannot find anywhere on the site where it says you can buy a subscription-free service for £xxx.
It may be there somewhere, but it's not apparent.
Last edited by: Iffy on Sun 23 Jan 11 at 17:51
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Apparently you phone Sky on Sky on 08448 244 400 and ask for the Free To Air card - it's £20.
Another number is 08442 410 595.
However, this information goes back to 2008-9 so might not be valid now.
This is/or maybe more up to date: 08448 244400.
If you get no joy, seems an email to jeremy.darroch@bskyb.com should get it resolved.
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>> Apparently you phone Sky on Sky on 08448 244 400 and ask for the Free
>> To Air card - it's £20.
Not free then is it.
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>>Not free then is it.>>
Technically no, but it's a one-off payment as far as I'm aware.
You could say the same of Freeview and Freesat - without buying the initial equipment you can't receive it...:-)
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Actually I believe you only need to pay for the £20 card for ITV.and Channels 4 and 5. The unscrambled free to air services like the BBC are available without a card.
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Without a a Freesat card....
Channel 4 is available for free from the normal Sky menu.
Channel 5 has to be added via the services - add channels menu. just a little clumsy for some people
ITV1 &BBC1 are non regionalised - you will have to select channel 987 for example for your localised service.
With a Freesat card....
4 & 5 available from Sky menu. The ITV1 & BBC1 'channels of choice' are tied to your postcode.
Worth paying ? NO.
Last edited by: pmh on Mon 24 Jan 11 at 09:52
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>> ...Actually it does...
>>
>> Not really, that Sky link is just a list of channels.
>>
>> I cannot find anywhere on the site where it says you can buy a subscription-free
>> service for £xxx.
>>
>> It may be there somewhere, but it's not apparent.
>>
>>
This is the Sky no subscription service:-
www.sky.com/shop/freesat/home/
I haven't bothered poking round the site, but it used to be a lot cheaper to take out an offer with 3 months subscription then cancel after the 3 months.
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Why would you go free on sky? Use the dish to go free on Freesat, more channels than skys free service.
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>> Why would you go free on sky? Use the dish to go free on Freesat,
>> more channels than skys free service.
>>
If you don't already have a dish installed then the Sky solution can be cheaper overall, especially as there's usually some sort of offer on; even if you end up taking out a basic subscription for 12 months and then cancelling.
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>> It may be there somewhere, but it's not apparent.
If you type freesat into Sky Help, it turns up under helpcentre > tv > freesat-from-sky. But if you go into the TV section of the Help, I can't spot it. I think you've got to know it exists to find it.
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...I think you've got to know it exists to find it...
We got there in the end.
I think Sky has to offer this as part of its broadcasting licence, but would far rather you take out a monthly subscription.
The channel list is low-rent, there's not even Sky Sports News or Sky News.
But you do get everything installed and working for £175, nothing more to pay.
Going back to the OP, a fully functioning Freeview service for the cost of a new, fitted aerial, say £100, looks the better bet.
Sky freesat might be an option for someone who cannot get Freeview.
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You don't have to go to Sky to get satellite TV and you don't need to pay £150. I bought a satellite receiver from LIDL for £30 and a dish and LNB off the internet for £20. A few more quid on cable, F connectors, a pole, a couple of brackets and bolts and voila - freesat for £65 or so.
The swearing and cursing not to mention sweat in trying to line up the dish with Astra 2 is another story. That part took maybe an hour. Practice makes perfect though - I used to have a temporary installation at a holiday house that needed setting up the dish whenever I wanted TV. After a while it never took longer than 10 minutes to get set up.
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Is this aerial ok for freeview? - Bromptonaut
