Poor Freeview Signal with outdoor aerial

[darude]

I'm about half a mile away from the transmitter.

Using the outdoor roof aerial (what now picks up the analogue signal perfectly), I get very weak digital signal. I can't pick up ITV1, C4 or FIVE. And with BBC1 and BBC2, signal looks like <10%.

However, if I use an indoor aerial and place it by the window, my signal is about 30%.

I have 3 TVs around the house, none are on digital yet. Can I easily get them all on freeview?

Here's my transmitter.
http://www.ukfree.tv/txdetail.php?a=SO916856

Welcome to all your suggestions.

 

[a1ex2001]

Change the roof top aerial it is probably the right one for the specific band that analogue TV is transmitted in your area which is no longer right for many digital transmissions. In a lot of cases the digital transmitions will spread accross a couple of bands one of which won't be very well picked up by your old aerial. The fact that an indoor aerial gives you reasonable signal strength supports this idea, get a high gain wide band aerial and either fit it yourself or get a man in.

We had exactly the same problem and a quick cheap swap out fixed it in no time, we had a new cable run at the same time just because the old one was getting tatty and it seemed silly not too.

 

[probedb]

You only mention analogue channels when saying you can't receive them. There are many others on Freeview, what are these like?

Your TV/freeview box should give you a signal strength and quality indicator somewhere in it's menus. I'm not sure how it can 'look like less than 10%'? If it was less than 10% you would get 'No Signal' on a digital channel.

 

[darude]

Change the roof top aerial it is probably the right one for the specific band that analogue TV is transmitted in your area which is no longer right for many digital transmissions. In a lot of cases the digital transmitions will spread accross a couple of bands one of which won't be very well picked up by your old aerial. The fact that an indoor aerial gives you reasonable signal strength supports this idea, get a high gain wide band aerial and either fit it yourself or get a man in.

We had exactly the same problem and a quick cheap swap out fixed it in no time, we had a new cable run at the same time just because the old one was getting tatty and it seemed silly not too.

Thanks I think I might give this a go.

You only mention analogue channels when saying you can't receive them. There are many others on Freeview, what are these like?

Your TV/freeview box should give you a signal strength and quality indicator somewhere in it's menus. I'm not sure how it can 'look like less than 10%'? If it was less than 10% you would get 'No Signal' on a digital channel.

There's a signal bar on each channel (when I press info). And that signal bar is about 10% filled. I only mentioned the analogue channels because they're the only ones my folks are interested in keeping.

I'll hunt through the menus to find an overall quality indicator.

 

[Haze]

Change the roof top aerial it is probably the right one for the specific band that analogue TV is transmitted in your area which is no longer right for many digital transmissions. In a lot of cases the digital transmitions will spread accross a couple of bands one of which won't be very well picked up by your old aerial. The fact that an indoor aerial gives you reasonable signal strength supports this idea, get a high gain wide band aerial and either fit it yourself or get a man in.

We had exactly the same problem and a quick cheap swap out fixed it in no time, we had a new cable run at the same time just because the old one was getting tatty and it seemed silly not too.

im not going to doubt u if u say in your case it helped,,

but the type of outdoor aerial isn't going to make any difference, if its hanging off the roof and really rusty then maybe yeah

The fact u r nxt to a transmitter doesn't mean u r going to get full strength, u need to find out which tower u r nxt too,, if its only a relay tower then the chances are u wont get all the channels, as these towers nor the main masts are transmitting at full power yet,, i think they are currently running at some thing 10% atm and untill the big switch in the middle of nxt year.

and if u r receiving your signal from a relay tower, then they dont broadcast all the channels any way,, its only the main masts that do

before u go replacing the aerial u would be better off to get some one to come and make sure its set at the correct hight and pointing in the right direction

ppl that try to convince u that u need a new arieal to get a good reception isint always the case

have u tried using a booster?

 

[lucid]

Actually, the aerial advice is good. In fact, always check the aerial first.

Aerials is a more complex subject than most folk imagine; so it's not a one-solution-fits-all quick fix. Both analogue and digital aerials work in bands. A "banded" aerial gives more signal level than a wideband one - even a so called high gain wideband. If the old aerial was tuned to a different band than the new digital transmissions then that will affect signal level. Another overlooked factor is cable. Digital signals need cable with better shielding. You can also lose specific digital frequencies if the cable is pinched, trapped or bent too sharply. Then there's 75 Ohm impedance; direct line of sight, is it too close to the chimney stack, water in the cable, poorly made connections etc etc.

Boosters should be the last and final step when all other avenues have been exhausted.

Given that the OP is so very close to the transmitter then I would suspect an aerial problem. IMO adding a booster will just produce a bigger "bad" signal for digital rather than solving the problem. Get the aerial and cable sorted first.

 

[Haze]

ok please can i clear up there is no such thing as digital and analogue aerials :S

its just a load of rubbish so ppl can sell aerials to ppl that dont have a clue whats going

im almost ashamed to admit that i have had to sit a 4 hr course and an exam all about the change over, and how everything to do with it works, but i did

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/how_do_i_switch/your_aerial

" If you choose a digital TV service like Freeview, BT Vision or Top-up TV you will need to consider your aerial. If you have a satellite or cable service on all your TVs, you don't need an aerial. Most people with a good aerial now will not need a new aerial for switchover. There is no such thing as a 'digital aerial' "

 

[lucid]

ok please can i clear up there is no such thing as digital and analogue aerials :S

You are correct of course, but I think it's useful to allow exceptions if the phrase is already in common use and it helps less than technical readers relate to the product. After all, we've talked about Hoovers when really we mean vacuum cleaner, and iPod when we mean MP3 player, Plasma to mean flat screen TV etc etc .