What is it with aerial cables

FrankJH · 26 May 2006 at 07:43

Lets say you have a decent tv with a freeview stb

Obviously you need an aeriel cable going from the aerial itself to the stb - but as most stb's are now linked to the tv via scart, and you view the stb via one of the av inputs - which to my mind means the scart is inputing all the stb data into the TV, why is is necessary to have an aeriel cable output from the stb into your tv aeriel input also (as it doesnt seem to be necessary)

Just thought about this at 3am this morning and cant think of a reason myself.

FunkyT · 26 May 2006 at 09:09

The RF output on the Freeview STB allows one to implement a remote link (i.e. control the box via coxial from another room). Something like this: http://www.beststuff.co.uk/omni_link.htm

This would be equivalent to the tvLINK system from Global Communications (UK) as used on Sky Digital installations.

Tesla · 26 May 2006 at 09:13

Also, the RF out on the freeview is intended to be connected to a tv or vcr for the following:

VCR: You can record an analogue channel whilst watching digital.

TV: You can do the opposite of the above if you have connected your STB to the VCR via scart aswell as the TV.

You can view analogue transmissions on your TV.

You can view analogue teletext/ceefax.

Ideally your aerial want's to be directly connected to the STB and not routed through a VCR or DVDR before hand as there RF output channel could be the same as one of the Digital multplexes.

Note: Not all Freeview boxes allow you to implement a remote link, also most Freeview boxes will not output Freeview via RF too. The cost of a STB now means that on the installations I do I would distribute the aerial signal about the house and then install an individual STB on each TV.

FrankJH · 26 May 2006 at 10:18

So withour requiring recording or remote link ( this is for a bedroom tv with my dvd/hdd recorder attached to main tv in another room) i shouldnt need the 2nd aeriel?

Always thought the 2nd aeriel was necessary - but then I guess before I would have been recording so that explains it

Thanks guys

Tesla · 26 May 2006 at 16:10

FrankJH said:
So withour requiring recording or remote link ( this is for a bedroom tv with my dvd/hdd recorder attached to main tv in another room) i shouldnt need the 2nd aeriel?

Always thought the 2nd aeriel was necessary - but then I guess before I would have been recording so that explains it

Thanks guys

If you dont connect the second aerial you wont get any analogue on your TV.

In a couple of years you won't get analogue anyway so no different

FrankJH · 27 May 2006 at 02:12

Tesla said:
If you dont connect the second aerial you wont get any analogue on your TV.

In a couple of years you won't get analogue anyway so no different

Cant get a decent analogue signal here anyway so not that important.

Thanks everyone

Tesla · 27 May 2006 at 08:23

FrankJH said:
Cant get a decent analogue signal here anyway so not that important.

Thanks everyone

That would suprise me, how is your digital signal?

FrankJH · 27 May 2006 at 10:45

Digital signal is excellent

Analogue is clear but it has an overlayed displaced image also if you get what i mean

Tesla · 27 May 2006 at 12:10

FrankJH said:
Digital signal is excellent

Analogue is clear but it has an overlayed displaced image also if you get what i mean

Reason I ask is that at the moment digital signals are transmitted at far less power than analogue, sometimes 10x less.

If the interference is on all channels then it's aerial related, if it's only on one channel then something like a VCR is set to an RF channel similar to one of the analogue stations.

Shimmyhill · 27 May 2006 at 14:11

I dont use the aerial at all as i have sky.

However a m8 broght a digi box over to test. Excellent signal on digital with nice picture. Analogue was useless, barely a picture at all.

I alsways thought that digital would be bad if analogue is bad, seems not - picking of same transmitter aswell.

Tesla · 27 May 2006 at 14:26

Shimmyhill said:
I dont use the aerial at all as i have sky.

However a m8 broght a digi box over to test. Excellent signal on digital with nice picture. Analogue was useless, barely a picture at all.

I alsways thought that digital would be bad if analogue is bad, seems not - picking of same transmitter aswell.

That is very odd. Which transmitter?

Shimmyhill · 27 May 2006 at 16:41

Tacleston i think its called

FrankJH · 27 May 2006 at 17:24

Tesla said:
Reason I ask is that at the moment digital signals are transmitted at far less power than analogue, sometimes 10x less.

If the interference is on all channels then it's aerial related, if it's only on one channel then something like a VCR is set to an RF channel similar to one of the analogue stations.

Think I use Crystal Palace - I am in central London (SW6)

but I would confer with shimmyhill- but then again I havent heard of this type of problem either, its across all analogue channels (barring Ch5 of course being notoriously difficult to get anyway on analogue which I cant get at all) and yet My digitv signal is as good as I have ever seen.

Is it at all possible that the analogue signal might be too powerful, and I am therefore getting a "reflection" of the signal along with the direct signal?

(I can also happily state that no vcr is in use, so it couldnt be that anyway - but I hadnt considered that I have to admit)

Tesla · 27 May 2006 at 21:42

With more info I could probably diagnose the problem.

However, if your digital is flawless then it's probably not worth worrying over as the analogue will be switched off anyway.

These are the RF channels for Crystal Palace (Analogue).

BBC1 - 26
BBC2 - 33
ITV - 23
C4 - 30
five - 37

FrankJH · 27 May 2006 at 23:54

thank you for your effort, but as you said its not really worth it.

Its over all channels and the digital is flawless