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Old 28-05-2008, 16:31
craigdawes
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Can anyone help please??

I am after an indoor aerial for a loft to fit for my Gran.
I dont fancy paying a fortune to someone to get on the roof and fit a new aerial and I dont fancy trying to get up there myself.

She has all wiring and booster equipment in the loft already for analogue and UHF signals.
I was hoping just to get an aerial and plug it in.

I have seen something on Maplin web site for about £20, does anyone know if this will allow the use of a freeview box?

Thanks
Craig
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Old 28-05-2008, 16:47
chrisjr
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For a kick off there ain't no such animal as a "digital aerial". In fact the existing aerial might be perfectly OK for digital. You don't say where (town not loft obviously) you intend installing the new aerial and hence what transmiter will be received.

That might have a bearing on what aerial you need. If the digital signals are all in the same aerial group as analogue then no change may be needed. Provided the aerial has enough gain to pick up adaquate signal then it should work OK.

However if the transmitter you are pointing at has some of the digital signals outside the analogue group then you may need to change the aerial.

The other reason for changing aerial is if it is currently pointed at a relay that does not have digital. That may very well use a different aerial group to it's parent transmitter that does have digital. Though you may find getting the main transmitter could be a problem (hence the analogure relay) and a loft aerial may not work as well for that.

The simplest thing to do now is to beg steal or borrow a freeview box and plug it onto the existing aerial. If it works then job done. If it doesn't then you may need to get up in the loft and change aerials.

But it would help give a more precise answer if you could indicate what transmitter you are trying to receive from.
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Old 28-05-2008, 19:09
craigdawes
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For a kick off there ain't no such animal as a "digital aerial". In fact the existing aerial might be perfectly OK for digital. You don't say where (town not loft obviously) you intend installing the new aerial and hence what transmiter will be received.

That might have a bearing on what aerial you need. If the digital signals are all in the same aerial group as analogue then no change may be needed. Provided the aerial has enough gain to pick up adaquate signal then it should work OK.

However if the transmitter you are pointing at has some of the digital signals outside the analogue group then you may need to change the aerial.

The other reason for changing aerial is if it is currently pointed at a relay that does not have digital. That may very well use a different aerial group to it's parent transmitter that does have digital. Though you may find getting the main transmitter could be a problem (hence the analogure relay) and a loft aerial may not work as well for that.

The simplest thing to do now is to beg steal or borrow a freeview box and plug it onto the existing aerial. If it works then job done. If it doesn't then you may need to get up in the loft and change aerials.

But it would help give a more precise answer if you could indicate what transmitter you are trying to receive from.


Sorry, I should have been more precise.
Apparently my Gran has a freeview box and my uncle tried to 'hook it up' to the existing aerial lead and it would not work - whether he did it correctly I don't know.
She lives in Haverfordwest - Near Pembroke, South Wales.
I do know she is on the 'cusp' of two transmitters as she can pick up different channels - some from Ireland when the weather is ok.
She has been in ITV teletext page 284 and says all the squares are ok so I am thinking all should be fine and my uncle just set the box up wrong.
It is just that we have a 5 hour drive this weekend to hers and dont want to try and muck about getting someone in to fit an aerial when we are not there as she may be ripped off.
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Old 28-05-2008, 20:21
mjk79
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Sorry, I should have been more precise.
Apparently my Gran has a freeview box and my uncle tried to 'hook it up' to the existing aerial lead and it would not work - whether he did it correctly I don't know.
She lives in Haverfordwest - Near Pembroke, South Wales.
I do know she is on the 'cusp' of two transmitters as she can pick up different channels - some from Ireland when the weather is ok.
Have you tried checking her postcode to see what the reception is predicted to be?

Otherwise there is for example an analogue only relay in Haverfordwest itself which doesn't transmit any digital signal at all. Perhaps coupled with a loft mounted aerial, or maybe even two aerials combined somehow from different transmitters, the digital signal is either not present, being filtered out, or is too weak.

She has been in ITV teletext page 284 and says all the squares are ok so I am thinking all should be fine and my uncle just set the box up wrong.
Unfortunately this only tests how likely you are to need an aerial upgrade after digital switchover - not how likely digital reception is now.
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Old 28-05-2008, 21:25
Cme2007
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Whacking the existing arial/aerial/antennae into the freeview may well work.

In my experience extensions to the aerial cable are a major issue with digital.

It may be worth taking any boosters out of the equation.

I have installed a maplin supplied aerial [albeit one that looks like a paperback book]. But then I have almost direct line of sight of the transmitter - it sounds as though you may be on the fringes of 2.
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Old 29-05-2008, 08:06
craigdawes
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Whacking the existing arial/aerial/antennae into the freeview may well work.

In my experience extensions to the aerial cable are a major issue with digital.

It may be worth taking any boosters out of the equation.

I have installed a maplin supplied aerial [albeit one that looks like a paperback book]. But then I have almost direct line of sight of the transmitter - it sounds as though you may be on the fringes of 2.
Cme2007, many thanks for you advice.
Her actual post code is Sa62 3PT and she can get analogue tv from Wales and Devon so she must be right on the 'cusp of two transmittors.
I will get up there and see if she has the wires into a booster box.
Afterall, it could be a dodgy freeview box...

Thanks for your help.
Craig
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Old 01-06-2008, 20:55
skrjones
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Cme2007, many thanks for you advice.
Her actual post code is Sa62 3PT and she can get analogue tv from Wales and Devon so she must be right on the 'cusp of two transmittors.
I will get up there and see if she has the wires into a booster box.
Afterall, it could be a dodgy freeview box...

Thanks for your help.
Craig
Wolfbane doesn't hold up much hope for a loft mounted aerial. You need a B group aerial mounted horizontal, NE facing, likely with a booster as close to the aerial as possible.

Good news is that after next year you should be fine. Before then you will probably get some breakup on some muxs.

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/postcodec...08715ef4936396

http://www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=SN172306
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