Indoor Aerials and Freeview

MouthBoy

MouthBoy

MouthBoy

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Joined
6 Apr 2010
Posts
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Location
Cambridgeshire
Howdy all

I am looking to get an indoor aerial and freeview box for my room. Getting a socket aerial plug wired into my room is not an opition so I am looking at the indoor aerial route. I have no idea what seperates a good one from a bad one, I am sure that the higher amp ones would be better but by how much I have no idea. Can you give me some advice?

Also the freeview box, all the ones I have used in the past have broken/failed really quickly so I wondered if anyone here has some advice on these too. Not too bothered about price as long as it does it job really. Unless its very good for the price, I do not need one that records.

So yea, any ideas?
 
As I'm not that bothered about interior design, I actually have the roof type digital aerial in my lounge. I think it cost me about £25. It does the job fine, but I sometimes have to move it around for different channels.

You might not need freeview recording, but if you get a PVR with a hard drive, you can pause TV, and I find that very useful.

Rgds
 
smeaney said:
I... I am looking at the indoor aerial route. I have no idea what seperates a good one from a bad one, I am sure that the higher amp ones would be better but by how much I have no idea. Can you give me some advice?
Click to expand...
All aerials work on the same principle that to get a good signal you need height and line of sight. An indoor aerial rarely has those advantages. So if an indoor aerial is going to work for you then your house needs to be in an aerial where there's a very strong TV signal. The Wolfbane Signal Predictor will help you. If the predictor says "set top aerial" then you're in luck. If it says "extra high gain amplified" then you are stuffed. It is general, so take the advice with a pinch of salt. If you live on the top floor of a block of flats you could put up a metal coathanger and probably get a signal. :D

There's a few reviews been done on indoor aerials. Google is your friend. Just remember though, they're only measuring them against each other rather than against a normal aerial. That's a bit like taking a bunch of mobility scooters to a drag race. One will be quicker than the rest, but they're not playing the big game. Finally, the amplifier power makes little real difference. If there isn't enough signal to start with then no amp in the world is going to help.
 
lucid said:
All aerials work on the same principle that to get a good signal you need height and line of sight. An indoor aerial rarely has those advantages. So if an indoor aerial is going to work for you then your house needs to be in an aerial where there's a very strong TV signal. The Wolfbane Signal Predictor will help you. If the predictor says "set top aerial" then you're in luck. If it says "extra high gain amplified" then you are stuffed. It is general, so take the advice with a pinch of salt. If you live on the top floor of a block of flats you could put up a metal coathanger and probably get a signal. :D

There's a few reviews been done on indoor aerials. Google is your friend. Just remember though, they're only measuring them against each other rather than against a normal aerial. That's a bit like taking a bunch of mobility scooters to a drag race. One will be quicker than the rest, but they're not playing the big game. Finally, the amplifier power makes little real difference. If there isn't enough signal to start with then no amp in the world is going to help.
Click to expand...

Thanks dude, the pridictor says "Amplified extra hi-gain" on all the transmittors. I guess that means I might get away with it...?
 
No. It means the exact opposite. It means you need an outdoor aerial, and not just a basic one but a very high quality one. Even then it will need the extra help of an amplifier as well. So, to be absolutely clear because I thought you'd have clicked on from the first reply, Wolfbane is saying that an indoor aerial will be totally useless.
 
lucid, you seem informative and i've just checked the link you provided and got this result:

Field
dBµV/m Distance
miles Bearing
degrees Antenna
(suggestion)
UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W
Kidderminster 49 400 58 400 54 400 CD V SO808739 80 1 344 Set-top

the antenna suggestion was set-top so i'm assuming i will be ok with an indoor aerial such as this Ultra High Gain Indoor TV Aerial- Up to 50db Gain
The ideal indoor TV aerial for the style conscious. With incredibly sleek looks and piano black finish, this aerial will not stand out like a sore thumb unlike the indoor aerials of old. It doesn't just look good, its performance is top of its class. With 50db of gain and a 3 stage signal amplifier you wont need to worry about poor digital signals ever again.
Ideal for Freeview, Digital TV and HDTV
Built in amplifier
Mains powered (AC adaptor include)
Up to 50db gain
Size: Only 165cm x 165cm
This aerial can be used Free Standing or can be Wall Mounted for sleek, well finished look.
 
DTT transmitters within "local" range of postcode SA15 1TP
Transmitter 1 (PSB 1):
BBC A 2 (PSB 2):
D 3 & 4 A (COM 1):
SDN B (PSB 3):
BBC B C (COM 2):
Arqiva A D (COM 3):
Arqiva B Gp Pol OS grid ref. Field
dBµV/m Distance
miles Bearing
degrees Antenna
(suggestion)
UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W
Llanelli 49 20 45 20 42 20 B V SN510023 66 1 2 Log periodic
Kilvey Hill 23 2k 26 2k 25 2k 29 2k 22 2k 28 2k A V SS671940 39 * 11 111 Amplified extra hi-gain
Carmel 60 20k 53 20k 54 10k 57 20k 58 10k 61 10k CD H SN576153 39 * 10 24 Amplified extra hi-gain

interesting that ... and whats " Log periodic " ?

also i myself already got a super duper arial with booster as our house is in front of a hill lol .. works fine but would love to know what the other bit is ????



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
cm1179 said:
lucid, you seem informative and i've just checked the link you provided and got this result:

Field
dBµV/m Distance
miles Bearing
degrees Antenna
(suggestion)
UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W UHF ERP
W
Kidderminster 49 400 58 400 54 400 CD V SO808739 80 1 344 Set-top

the antenna suggestion was set-top so i'm assuming i will be ok with an indoor aerial such as this Ultra High Gain Indoor TV Aerial- Up to 50db Gain
The ideal indoor TV aerial for the style conscious. With incredibly sleek looks and piano black finish, this aerial will not stand out like a sore thumb unlike the indoor aerials of old. It doesn't just look good, its performance is top of its class. With 50db of gain and a 3 stage signal amplifier you wont need to worry about poor digital signals ever again.
Ideal for Freeview, Digital TV and HDTV
Built in amplifier
Mains powered (AC adaptor include)
Up to 50db gain
Size: Only 165cm x 165cm
This aerial can be used Free Standing or can be Wall Mounted for sleek, well finished look.
Click to expand...
The thing with Wolfbane is it is an "average reception" predictor. It's very useful as a general guide, but it can't predict exactly what you'll get in your room, only the general postcode or OS grid square area.

The other thing to check when you do the enquiry is the aerial height. The default is 10m which is average chimney mount height. Change the setting to reflect the height that your aerial will be. If you live in the top floor of a 20 storey block of flats then you're laughing. But if you live in the ground floor flat and on the opposite side of the building to the direction of the transmitter then it's going to be much harder to get a signal. So you and your neighbour could have the same gear and live in the same building but both get very different results.

Your result from Wolfbane suggests that the general signal level in your area is strong. By all means try a set top aerial but bear in mind what I said above. I would also treat any claims about "ultra high gain" and "50dB gain" with a pinch of salt. All you can do is try the aerial and see if it works for you. If it doesn't then no amount of boosting is going to help. You just have to try a different design.
 
TALON1973 said:
Llanelli 49 20 45 20 42 20 B V SN510023 66 1 2 Log periodic

interesting that ... and whats " Log periodic " ?
Click to expand...
It's a type of aerial design. Log Periodics have a broad and relatively flat gain curve. That means they're good for all frequencies of transmitter signals. So they don't give as much boost to the signal that say a Yagi might, but nor are they as selective about the frequencies where they operate best. They're also very good if your TV reception is plagues by interference from passing vehicles and other electrical generating equipment.

There's some good reading here http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/best_aerial.htm
 
lucid said:
The thing with Wolfbane is it is an "average reception" predictor. It's very useful as a general guide, but it can't predict exactly what you'll get in your room, only the general postcode or OS grid square area.

The other thing to check when you do the enquiry is the aerial height. The default is 10m which is average chimney mount height. Change the setting to reflect the height that your aerial will be. If you live in the top floor of a 20 storey block of flats then you're laughing. But if you live in the ground floor flat and on the opposite side of the building to the direction of the transmitter then it's going to be much harder to get a signal. So you and your neighbour could have the same gear and live in the same building but both get very different results.

Your result from Wolfbane suggests that the general signal level in your area is strong. By all means try a set top aerial but bear in mind what I said above. I would also treat any claims about "ultra high gain" and "50dB gain" with a pinch of salt. All you can do is try the aerial and see if it works for you. If it doesn't then no amount of boosting is going to help. You just have to try a different design.
Click to expand...

thanks. i did take the result with a pinch of salt but i do live quite close to a transmitter (thingy) and the tv is on the first floor of a terraced house which has one tv point downstairs and that is running through a sky box and dish (i don't subscribe to sky, previous owners did, still works for terrestrial though) for £20 i guess it's worth a gamble, cheaper than having an aerial point installed upstairs i would imagine :)
 
cm1179 said:
...for £20 i guess it's worth a gamble, cheaper than having an aerial point installed upstairs i would imagine :)
Click to expand...
The bits to install an aerial extension aren't that expensive. I bet I could put together a kit with cable, plugs, clips, a decent powered splitter and a long drill bit and post it to you for less than £30. A ladder, a drill and a couple of hours work would see you done. You're guaranteed a good signal then and could even watch Sky in bed! lol
 
lucid said:
The bits to install an aerial extension aren't that expensive. I bet I could put together a kit with cable, plugs, clips, a decent powered splitter and a long drill bit and post it to you for less than £30. A ladder, a drill and a couple of hours work would see you done. You're guaranteed a good signal then and could even watch Sky in bed! lol
Click to expand...

you missed the part where i fall off the ladder lol
 
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