Digital TV Signal Boosters

Our area has just started to receive a limited Freeview service from
Whitehawk (14 Km away). We've had an aerial company fit a new digital
aerial and make sure the alignment is OK

Unfortunately, we are still unable to receive some channels - ITV, Ch 4,
Ch5, to name but a few - The BBC channels are all fine.

Do you think an aerial Signal Booster would bring in the missing channels?
I see Maplin have one
(http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...s ter&doy=8m7)
for around the £25 mark.

Failing that, does anyone know if it's at all possible to receive the
missing channels or am I going to have to wait until 2012?

Many thanks

Richard

"Richard Wagstaff" wrote in message
...
Our area has just started to receive a limited Freeview service from
Whitehawk (14 Km away). We've had an aerial company fit a new digital
aerial and make sure the alignment is OK

Unfortunately, we are still unable to receive some channels - ITV, Ch 4,
Ch5, to name but a few - The BBC channels are all fine.

Do you think an aerial Signal Booster would bring in the missing channels?
I see Maplin have one
(http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...s ter&doy=8m7)
for around the £25 mark.

Failing that, does anyone know if it's at all possible to receive the
missing channels or am I going to have to wait until 2012?

Many thanks

Richard


The answer is "NO"! I hate to disappoint you, but the aerial fitted is not
good enough, so the company should have checked the signal level before
clearing off.
If you just asked for a new aerial then you're stuffed as that's what they
give you. If you asked for an aerial that would provide an acceptable
signal in order to watch all digital channels then they have ripped you off
and are probably cowboys.
An amplifier can't amplify something that the aerial isn't picking up!
There is also no such thing as a "digital aerial". If you were sold that or
the company suggested it was then name them here so others can avoid them.
If they are members of CAI you need to report them.
Any decent aerial fitter would try different aerials until you had an
acceptable signal level at the end of the cable and suggest what you
required. If you refused to pay and opted for a cheap one it's your own
fault. They should have fitted CT100 coax which is often black. Forget the
old cheap brown coax. An aerial with an F type connector is also better -
older aerials with screw terminals corrode after a few years as companies
don't bother to waterproof them or the end of the coax to stop water running
down !

Too many cowboys about. It sounds like you might need something like a
Televes DAT45 or 75 with MRD!

Richard Wagstaff wrote:
Our area has just started to receive a limited Freeview service from
Whitehawk (14 Km away). We've had an aerial company fit a new digital
aerial and make sure the alignment is OK

Unfortunately, we are still unable to receive some channels - ITV, Ch 4,
Ch5, to name but a few - The BBC channels are all fine.

As far as I'm aware, no recent changes to DTT services have been made at
Whitehawk Hill, so I'm not sure why you think a service has just been made
available ? The transmitter has carried Freeview (aka DTT) since the beginning.

However because of frequency planning restrictions, some muxes are restricted
in both power, and direction from the site. The mux carrying ITV/C4 is
restricted in the direction of Patcham to protect analogue reception from the
relay station there for instance.

There will be no significant changes to this situation, until DSO, due in the
south of England summer 2012.


--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

"Mark Carver" wrote in message
...
Richard Wagstaff wrote:
Our area has just started to receive a limited Freeview service from
Whitehawk (14 Km away). We've had an aerial company fit a new digital
aerial and make sure the alignment is OK

Unfortunately, we are still unable to receive some channels - ITV, Ch 4,
Ch5, to name but a few - The BBC channels are all fine.

As far as I'm aware, no recent changes to DTT services have been made at
Whitehawk Hill, so I'm not sure why you think a service has just been made
available ? The transmitter has carried Freeview (aka DTT) since the
beginning.

However because of frequency planning restrictions, some muxes are
restricted in both power, and direction from the site. The mux carrying
ITV/C4 is restricted in the direction of Patcham to protect analogue
reception from the relay station there for instance.

There will be no significant changes to this situation, until DSO, due in
the south of England summer 2012.

If the aerial has no masthead amplifier (an amp up on the aerial itself)
then fitting one MIGHT help.

Bill

Thanks for the response.

Actually the fitters were quite good in a way!

When I saw new aerials springing up in our area, I asked an aerial fitter if
we could get the full range of channels. "Yes" came the reply and fitter
spending the best part of the day fitting various aerials in various
positions we still couldn't get ITV and the like.

In the end, the fitters gave up, apologised for giving me incorrect
information and didn't charge me. No idea what aerial we ended up with (the
term 'digital aerial' was mine, not theirs) but I have noticed the aerial
wire is brown (You can tell that my knowledge of these things are zero!).

I now see (from a post from Mark, below) that it looks as if I'm flogging a
dead horse no matter whatever aerial is fitted.

Richard



"TJY" wrote in message
...

"Richard Wagstaff" wrote in message
...
Our area has just started to receive a limited Freeview service from
Whitehawk (14 Km away). We've had an aerial company fit a new digital
aerial and make sure the alignment is OK

Unfortunately, we are still unable to receive some channels - ITV, Ch 4,
Ch5, to name but a few - The BBC channels are all fine.

Do you think an aerial Signal Booster would bring in the missing
channels? I see Maplin have one
(http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...s ter&doy=8m7)
for around the £25 mark.

Failing that, does anyone know if it's at all possible to receive the
missing channels or am I going to have to wait until 2012?

Many thanks

Richard


The answer is "NO"! I hate to disappoint you, but the aerial fitted is
not good enough, so the company should have checked the signal level
before clearing off.
If you just asked for a new aerial then you're stuffed as that's what they
give you. If you asked for an aerial that would provide an acceptable
signal in order to watch all digital channels then they have ripped you
off and are probably cowboys.
An amplifier can't amplify something that the aerial isn't picking up!
There is also no such thing as a "digital aerial". If you were sold that
or the company suggested it was then name them here so others can avoid
them. If they are members of CAI you need to report them.
Any decent aerial fitter would try different aerials until you had an
acceptable signal level at the end of the cable and suggest what you
required. If you refused to pay and opted for a cheap one it's your own
fault. They should have fitted CT100 coax which is often black. Forget
the old cheap brown coax. An aerial with an F type connector is also
better - older aerials with screw terminals corrode after a few years as
companies don't bother to waterproof them or the end of the coax to stop
water running down !

Too many cowboys about. It sounds like you might need something like a
Televes DAT45 or 75 with MRD!

Thanks for the response Mark.

Late last year, when I popped my postcode (Seaford) into the Freeview site
it told me "We're sorry but you're unable to receive Freeview right now"
Some months ago this changed to say "The good news is you can get some of
the Freeview TV channels and radio stations in your area, but not the full
line up."

With ITV/Ch4 pointing to Patcham (pretty much the opposite direction) I'm
guessing that's that!

Richard

"Mark Carver" wrote in message
...
Richard Wagstaff wrote:
Our area has just started to receive a limited Freeview service from
Whitehawk (14 Km away). We've had an aerial company fit a new digital
aerial and make sure the alignment is OK

Unfortunately, we are still unable to receive some channels - ITV, Ch 4,
Ch5, to name but a few - The BBC channels are all fine.

As far as I'm aware, no recent changes to DTT services have been made at
Whitehawk Hill, so I'm not sure why you think a service has just been made
available ? The transmitter has carried Freeview (aka DTT) since the
beginning.

However because of frequency planning restrictions, some muxes are
restricted in both power, and direction from the site. The mux carrying
ITV/C4 is restricted in the direction of Patcham to protect analogue
reception from the relay station there for instance.

There will be no significant changes to this situation, until DSO, due in
the south of England summer 2012.


--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

Richard Wagstaff wrote:
Thanks for the response Mark.

Late last year, when I popped my postcode (Seaford) into the Freeview
site it told me "We're sorry but you're unable to receive Freeview right
now" Some months ago this changed to say "The good news is you can get
some of the Freeview TV channels and radio stations in your area, but
not the full line up."

With ITV/Ch4 pointing to Patcham (pretty much the opposite direction)
I'm guessing that's that!

Ah, sorry Richard, I wasn't clear. ITV/4's radiation is restricted in the
direction of Patcham, *not* restricted to :-)

Having said that, I'm not sure how much signal on any mux is directed
towards Seaford, it's unlikely anything will be allowed to be sent in your
direction because it's also towards France.

Indeed, for analogue you're served by Newhaven I think, so I doubt analogue
from W Hill is much of goer either ?


--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

Mark Carver wrote:
Richard Wagstaff wrote:
Thanks for the response Mark.

Late last year, when I popped my postcode (Seaford) into the Freeview
site it told me "We're sorry but you're unable to receive Freeview
right now" Some months ago this changed to say "The good news is you
can get some of the Freeview TV channels and radio stations in your
area, but not the full line up."

With ITV/Ch4 pointing to Patcham (pretty much the opposite direction)
I'm guessing that's that!

Ah, sorry Richard, I wasn't clear. ITV/4's radiation is restricted in
the direction of Patcham, *not* restricted to :-)

Having said that, I'm not sure how much signal on any mux is directed
towards Seaford, it's unlikely anything will be allowed to be sent in
your direction because it's also towards France.

Indeed, for analogue you're served by Newhaven I think, so I doubt
analogue from W Hill is much of goer either ?



Do you reckon the OP would have any chance of a pickup from Rowridge
(IoW) with a bigger aerial?

Linker3000 wrote:

Do you reckon the OP would have any chance of a pickup from Rowridge
(IoW) with a bigger aerial?

It's a long way to Rowridge, and mostly over sea. There'd probably be some
terrible fading ?

--
Mark
Please replace invalid and invalid with gmx and net to reply.

On Sun, 8 Jul 2007 18:03:41 +0100, "TJY" mused:

Too many cowboys about. It sounds like you might need something like a
Televes DAT45 or 75 with MRD!

Er, lol?
--
Regards,
Stuart.