I spoke with a friend today who has been down the same road in recent weeks. He is on the fringe of reception of the Guildford relay (living near Godalming). The aerial company that he used told him that they could install a wide band aerial (with a mast head amp) for about £150 but that the QOS may be poorer than the single mux that he is currently getting. He decided to keep his money in his pocket.
I'll probably be in a similar position when the chap comes out on Thursday. It's great being part of this forum because I am picking up so much data (quickly) and this is great ammunition for helping me make an informed choice when the time comes.
Out of interest, the three muxes that you were able to get were with what type of aerial and was any form of amplification employed?
Out of interest, the three muxes that you were able to get were with what type of aerial and was any form of amplification employed?
Hi Ian,
When I first started with Freeview I tried the 'old' existing aerial (multi-element contract-type yagi) and got nothing digital from Hannington. I changed the aerial (to a Blake DMX-10, wideband high-gain, CAI cat.1) and downlead (double screened satellite grade) and fed the downlead straight into the digi-box. That got me 3 Muxes from Hannington or all 6 from Crystal Palace. This was with no amplification.
I later got a DMX-10A (Group A) aerial for Crystal Palace and I use the wideband with a masthead amp for Midhurst. I'm not sure if I tried the wideband with amplification for Hannington (I probably did, and still only got 3 Muxes) , but may check the next time I'm up the ladder as I need to change the feeder on the wideband so I can re-route it. This will probably next spring/summer when the weather is better for the job! I will also fit a masthead amp to the aerial pointing at Crystal Palace as the signal can be marginal at times.
After digital switchover I hope that the Hannington signal will be good enough for me to downsize the aerial farm to a single log periodic and multi-output masthead amplifier. That's the plan!
This brings back memories of Farnborough. I did my HND at Farnborough tech 15 years ago and lived near Farnborough North station.
TV wise, I used a portable aerial and got a signal from the Crystal Palace transmitter far better than from the Hannington transmitter. I think that there will be more chance with Crystal Palace than anything else. As others have said, he really needs to find a GOOD local aerial installer who knows the area and seek advice.
Just out of interest, looking up at the houses in the area, do the aerials point towards London, or do they point another direction? That will give you a clue as to what the installers in the area have used for a transmitter.
most are basic aerials and they point to Hanngington. A few are wideband ones and they point in a variety of directions. The problem is that I live towards the lowest point of a gentle hill that falls away from Crystal Palace (which is certainly not line of sight). The hill faces toward Hannington (also not line of sight).
NTL are widely cabled in this area (myself included). It's quite possible that the majority of the people around me are either happy with NTL or have not embraced the new technology of Freeview and premium quality TV sets. It's also possible that people have given up!
The aerial people who are coming out are based about 3 miles away. They are a firm who have been in business for many years (so the people at the Sony Centre in Camberley tell me) and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will both know the area and want to uphold their reputation. I guess I'll find out tomorrow what is/is not possible.
Thanks also to Pop for telling me what aerial he has. This will give me a better feel for what is good/not good should a discussion about changing aerials come up tomorrow.
The aerial man didn't turn up. Consequently I will (not very) patiently wait for the Virgin Media man to come on Monday and fit the V+ box through HDMI and then decide if Freeview through the aerial is still better than the V+ box can offer.
If I am still disapointed I'll have to look for another aerial man.
Comments
I spoke with a friend today who has been down the same road in recent weeks. He is on the fringe of reception of the Guildford relay (living near Godalming). The aerial company that he used told him that they could install a wide band aerial (with a mast head amp) for about £150 but that the QOS may be poorer than the single mux that he is currently getting. He decided to keep his money in his pocket.
I'll probably be in a similar position when the chap comes out on Thursday. It's great being part of this forum because I am picking up so much data (quickly) and this is great ammunition for helping me make an informed choice when the time comes.
Out of interest, the three muxes that you were able to get were with what type of aerial and was any form of amplification employed?
Hi Ian,
When I first started with Freeview I tried the 'old' existing aerial (multi-element contract-type yagi) and got nothing digital from Hannington. I changed the aerial (to a Blake DMX-10, wideband high-gain, CAI cat.1) and downlead (double screened satellite grade) and fed the downlead straight into the digi-box. That got me 3 Muxes from Hannington or all 6 from Crystal Palace. This was with no amplification.
I later got a DMX-10A (Group A) aerial for Crystal Palace and I use the wideband with a masthead amp for Midhurst. I'm not sure if I tried the wideband with amplification for Hannington (I probably did, and still only got 3 Muxes) , but may check the next time I'm up the ladder as I need to change the feeder on the wideband so I can re-route it. This will probably next spring/summer when the weather is better for the job! I will also fit a masthead amp to the aerial pointing at Crystal Palace as the signal can be marginal at times.
After digital switchover I hope that the Hannington signal will be good enough for me to downsize the aerial farm to a single log periodic and multi-output masthead amplifier. That's the plan!
Pop
TV wise, I used a portable aerial and got a signal from the Crystal Palace transmitter far better than from the Hannington transmitter. I think that there will be more chance with Crystal Palace than anything else. As others have said, he really needs to find a GOOD local aerial installer who knows the area and seek advice.
Just out of interest, looking up at the houses in the area, do the aerials point towards London, or do they point another direction? That will give you a clue as to what the installers in the area have used for a transmitter.
most are basic aerials and they point to Hanngington. A few are wideband ones and they point in a variety of directions. The problem is that I live towards the lowest point of a gentle hill that falls away from Crystal Palace (which is certainly not line of sight). The hill faces toward Hannington (also not line of sight).
NTL are widely cabled in this area (myself included). It's quite possible that the majority of the people around me are either happy with NTL or have not embraced the new technology of Freeview and premium quality TV sets. It's also possible that people have given up!
The aerial people who are coming out are based about 3 miles away. They are a firm who have been in business for many years (so the people at the Sony Centre in Camberley tell me) and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will both know the area and want to uphold their reputation. I guess I'll find out tomorrow what is/is not possible.
Thanks also to Pop for telling me what aerial he has. This will give me a better feel for what is good/not good should a discussion about changing aerials come up tomorrow.
Ian
The aerial man didn't turn up. Consequently I will (not very) patiently wait for the Virgin Media man to come on Monday and fit the V+ box through HDMI and then decide if Freeview through the aerial is still better than the V+ box can offer.
If I am still disapointed I'll have to look for another aerial man.
Ian