TV signal amplifier?
- Thread starter s452
- Start date
This will do for you. LINKY
One thing is true for boosters - You can't polish a turd.
I presume you have a communal aerial system feeding all the dorm rooms. If the signal is rubbish to begin with because the aerial is broken or there's some other problem in the gear that splits the signal to all the dorm rooms then a booster won't fix it. All it can be is a sticking plaster.
Have a chat to your dorm neighbours to see if their signal is as bad. If it is, then have a word with building services at the Uni to see what they're doing about it. If it's just your room then get them to have a look at the socket.
One thing is true for boosters - You can't polish a turd.
I presume you have a communal aerial system feeding all the dorm rooms. If the signal is rubbish to begin with because the aerial is broken or there's some other problem in the gear that splits the signal to all the dorm rooms then a booster won't fix it. All it can be is a sticking plaster.
Have a chat to your dorm neighbours to see if their signal is as bad. If it is, then have a word with building services at the Uni to see what they're doing about it. If it's just your room then get them to have a look at the socket.
Forget boosters, you would be better off trying to stick an indoor antenna in your dorm room window. Boosters are great if you install them before the distribution system, so that an already good signal will still be good after its been split 100 ways.
But once a signal is already degraded, there isnt much you can do about it. If other rooms nearby have better picture than you, it could be the downcable to your room or the socket is faulty, and that wont be fixed with a booster either, but building services can help that.
But once a signal is already degraded, there isnt much you can do about it. If other rooms nearby have better picture than you, it could be the downcable to your room or the socket is faulty, and that wont be fixed with a booster either, but building services can help that.
Can't say I agree with the recommendation of an indoor aerial. It would be the last resort after everything else has been tried.
They worked OK for analogue because it was quite forgiving of a poor signal. But digital has a cliff edge. There's only a small margin between working and not working; not the wider range of gradual signal loss with analogue.
A big aerial distribution system of the kind used in a college or block of flats will be of a higher quality than domestic gear, and it should have been installed by professionals who will have checked the signal levels at each output. Done right and maintained properly it should give a signal level as good as a direct feed from a roof mounted aerial. There's no indoor aerial yet made that can get anywhere near that quality.
They worked OK for analogue because it was quite forgiving of a poor signal. But digital has a cliff edge. There's only a small margin between working and not working; not the wider range of gradual signal loss with analogue.
A big aerial distribution system of the kind used in a college or block of flats will be of a higher quality than domestic gear, and it should have been installed by professionals who will have checked the signal levels at each output. Done right and maintained properly it should give a signal level as good as a direct feed from a roof mounted aerial. There's no indoor aerial yet made that can get anywhere near that quality.
You can get digital indoor antennas, and if building maintanance wont fix the main feed, it has a better chance of working than trying to boost an already degraded signal.
Sure its a bit of a last resort option, but if building maintance wont sort it, the OP might not have much choice.
I've yet to find a case where a booster has helped with digital TV, except if the booster is installed at the mast head, before the distribution system.
Sure its a bit of a last resort option, but if building maintance wont sort it, the OP might not have much choice.
I've yet to find a case where a booster has helped with digital TV, except if the booster is installed at the mast head, before the distribution system.
Yeah, and then there is the real world, where sometimes the "professionals" are just a bunch of cowboys who offered the cheapest quote to get the job done, and then vanished.
Which is why there are trade bodies with guaranteed standards and a governing body who will intervene in the event that a registered member's work doesn't come up to scratch. In the case of aerial installations the trade body is the CAI.
Also, there are stricter requirements in order to carry out routine work on a Government funded site.
A University will have a list of approved suppliers and recognised trade bodies. The buyer should perform due diligence on any prospective supplier to ensure the correct credentials before a contract is awarded. Some of these criteria could include length of service, minimum turnover, higher levels of professional indemnity insurance and so on.
In my case I am registered as an approved supplier to the local council. I had to show length of service, insurance details and proof of turnover level before being allowed to tender for contracts. What's your experience of supplying Government bodies?
So, unless the Uni has some how circumvented the checks and balances then the chance of employing a cowboy are actually pretty slim. What this doesn't preclude though is the Uni not paying for the upkeep of the system or allowing well meaning but untrained maintenance staff having a bit of a bodge after the install is out of its initial warranty. Nor does it suggest that the Uni didn't under specify the system in order to cut cost.
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