Freeview Aerial(s)?

Question

Hi guys, I need a little help with an aerial for my freeview box. I basically live in a really crappy place for reception, right next to a railway line (literally next to it, my house shares it's fence) and there's lots of trees about.

I recently purchased a freeview (set top) box for my bedroom and having a h**l of a time getting reception with my analogue (as ud expect). Iv found an aerial on google which I think would do the job but am not sure (with all the jargon and all).

http://www.b2cshop24.com/en/digital-freeview-5dbi-dvb-t-tv-hdtv-antenna-aerial-new.html?currency=GBP

Could anyone tell me whether this aerial is even worth purchasing. If not is there anything you could recommend? Breaking it down for me would be helpful :D

Thanks in advance

P.S. Read whole post b4 replying! I'm not doubting ur ability to read but some people are fools.

Answer 1

Analogue? Its time you moved up to digital.Come 2009 you will have NO reception. I suggest you upgrade and save yourself the time and trouble on fixing something that may not be around for long.

Answer 2

I'm afraid that you get what you pay for. If the price quoted for this aerial is correct then you will have wasted £1.

If you have poor analogue reception then you will be guaranteed hopeless digital reception.

Digital television signals are transmitted using a system than unfortunately delivers less energy at the aerial per-channel than analogue. Therefore you need a very much sensitive aerial to successfully receive them.

It is common for people to only receive a good signal on some digital channels and nothing usable on others. This is because the tv stations are grouped together into "multiplexes" squeezing up to 6 digital stations into the same spectrum space (bandwidth) that 1 analogue station takes up.

The Freeview boxes sort out the channels but they need a good Quality and good Strength signal.

Quality and Strength are both required for digital reception, booster amps only improve the strength, not the Quality.

The whole thing is very technical and uses a lot of advanced maths. If you don't want to take my word for it then there are plenty of internet sites where digital terrestrial propogation and standards are described.

A small monopole like the one in your advert , even if amplified, will not be satisfactory.

One of the (many) problems with monopoles is that they receive signals from all directions equally. Therefore, if your passing trains happen to spark, or create a refelection to the tv signal, the little pole in your advert will pick that interference up very well.

The 'gain' of a domestic tv aerial is directly related to the number of directors (elements or cross-pieces) that it has. The more elements then the better able it is to capture weak signals, and it's also more directional so it is more resistant to interference. That is why the type with at least 12 elements are pretty well compulsory for good digital reception in most places.



Some dealers call aerials of 12 elements or more "digital", as if there was something special about them. There isn't, they are just "high-gain yagi" arrays. The "digital" label is just a way for them to impress the public and so they can charge you more for it.

To avoid disappointment get yourself a high-gain aerial (at least 12 element, cost about £30 from Maplin Electronics or B&Q ) and mount it outdoors, carefully pointing it at the transmitter. The signal strength meter on the Freeview box set-up screen would be helpful for that.

If you can't fit it in a suitable outdoor place then you may be lucky and manage to suspend it from your ceiling to point in the right direction. It would mean using s***w type picture hooks that are long enough to go through the plaster into the joists, but would make an interesting conversation peice.

If all else fails then get a Freesat box and dish (about £120 from Comet); or pay a professional aerial installer about £120 to fit a decent terrestrial aerial for you. It's worth it when you consider the cost of a modern HD tv and the need for a decent input signal.

Then, next year you can buy an HD Freeview box and enjoy good tv.

Well, I read your question carefully. I hope that I've answered it ok for you.

Answer 3

Hi, You are going to need a lot more db than that, you need over 40db and then I don't think you will get all the channels. Hope this helps. x