Freeview Aerial

PermaBanned · 28 Nov 2009 at 17:33

Well i have a 19" HD TV (don't know what, scoured the manual and Internet for it but it doesn't say anywhere - so i'll assume that it's 720p) in my bedroom that so far has just been used for gaming, but i'd quite like to change that. It's got built in Freeview (it's a Warfedale if you were wondering) so i'd assume that's a good place to start. Thing is i don't have an Aerial, i threw my old one out since the cable melted. What i'd like to know is - what's the best way of making one myself? I have several things around the house; wire coat hangers, empty Guinness cans, an old bike wheel and even an old Satelite dish. So what would be the best way of making a (preferably indoor) Aerial? As for the cable, i've had a look round and i can't seem to find one, not even from an old VCR player - so i guess i just buy a new one. Does it really matter what type as long as it fits in? One end will probably be cut off anyway...

Thanks for any help

PS) Downstairs i have Sky+ on a 36" (ish) Flatscreen CRT.

mame · 28 Nov 2009 at 18:26

if you use a 2nd rate indoor aerial for freeview you will probably find 2 or 3 useable channels and a handfull of other channels it finds but cant display anything. With digital there's quite a fine line between a channel working perfect or not displaying at all.

Lopéz · 28 Nov 2009 at 18:34

Agreed, for our Freeview tv upstairs I just fitted a Wickes digital aeriel to the chimney, cost £9 I think, and ran the coax down the outside wall and into the room.

PermaBanned · 28 Nov 2009 at 19:04

Well i'll set out to prove you wrong - with a single wire coathanger plugged directly into the socket i 'get' BBC1, 2, 3, News and Red Button.

jackthezipper · 28 Nov 2009 at 19:57

SLX Gold digiTop Amplified High Performance Indoor TV Aerial

£12 and works perfect with my tv. Has booster built in to.

bitslice · 29 Nov 2009 at 13:14

I used a bent paper clip and got a great signal, but then I could see the transmitter

Any outdoor aerial is going to get a much better signal than one indoors.
Ask an aerial installer for an old aerial that he's pulled off a house, put it in the loft.

siege2 · 29 Nov 2009 at 13:24

years ago around age 9 at our old house with four streets 2 each facing each other and a pit on the other street facing made a very good pickup , we used to use an coat hanger etc and got perfect reception. now that the pit has being reduced, flatted out Iam told this is not the case anymore, from friends around there.

now I have a sky dish on multiroom ,also have a motorised 90 cm dish attached to the wall at back and a big aerial on my house :-)

Al-Ectrician · 29 Nov 2009 at 13:26

try finding out your needs at wolfbane

http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?

PermaBanned · 29 Nov 2009 at 14:14

jackthezipper said:
SLX Gold digiTop Amplified High Performance Indoor TV Aerial

£12 and works perfect with my tv. Has booster built in to.

Okay, as an update i managed to get half signal with a single coathanger, but it was in an excruciating position that's impossible to maintain wihtout getting cramp, which since i don't have a cable is all i can do. Rather than continue to cut my fingers on beer cans i'm about to order this (the one you suggested) Aerial used from Amazon, which i have a voucher for.

I'll let you know how it goes. Oh, and according to Wolfbane the closest mast is in Fenham, whereas i thought it was Pontop Pike. They're 5 and 13 miles appropriately, but i'm pretty sure the one in Fenham is closer...