Do I really need a new aerial?

I'm pointing to the Nottingham transmitter, about 8 miles away and
looking at all the new aerials going up mine looks very sad, see

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...t=d irectlink

I get analogue ok, and acquired a digibox a couple of years ago.
Originally I could get very little, but bit by bit I'm getting more
and more. Last year for instance I couldn't get BBC1 whereas now I
can, plus lots more but some are missing and some pixelate eg Channel
5, whereas Film 4 has always been good.

So as the switch over date approaches I'm getting nervous (mainly of
my wife who will not be amused if she can't watch what she wants).

But presumably the digital signal will continue to get better so
unlike others around my area may I just as well wait and see?

Some people point towards Waltham which is more than twice the
distance and has the edge of a nearby hill as an obstruction. Why
would that be? Should I do the same? What should I look out for or
what should I ask an installer?


--
AnthonyL

"AnthonyL" wrote in message
...
I'm pointing to the Nottingham transmitter, about 8 miles away and
looking at all the new aerials going up mine looks very sad, see

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...t=d irectlink


Interesting bracket, don't think I've ever seen one quite like that before,
as far as I can make out it looks like it keys into the mortar on both sides
and is then tightened and squeezed inwards by a bolt in the middle of the
bracket, although it does appear to have hung on in there for quite a number
of years.

AnthonyL wrote:
I'm pointing to the Nottingham transmitter, about 8 miles away and
looking at all the new aerials going up mine looks very sad, see

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...t=d irectlink

I get analogue ok, and acquired a digibox a couple of years ago.
Originally I could get very little, but bit by bit I'm getting more
and more. Last year for instance I couldn't get BBC1 whereas now I
can, plus lots more but some are missing and some pixelate eg Channel
5, whereas Film 4 has always been good.

So as the switch over date approaches I'm getting nervous (mainly of
my wife who will not be amused if she can't watch what she wants).

But presumably the digital signal will continue to get better so
unlike others around my area may I just as well wait and see?

Some people point towards Waltham which is more than twice the
distance and has the edge of a nearby hill as an obstruction. Why
would that be? Should I do the same? What should I look out for or
what should I ask an installer?

All muxes from Nottingham will increase by 10dB after DSO. That's the
good news. However, I assume your present aerial is quite old, and is
therefore a Group A. If so then it will not respond very well to any
transmission above UHF Ch 35. Currently all but one mux from Nottingham
is within the Group A range (21-34), and that's Mux C. All others
including the main BBC and ITV/4 muxes are up in the 39-68 range.

After DSO the main three muxes (BBC, ITV/4 and the new HD mux) will be
within Group A, but the three COM muxes will still be up in the 50s.

I'd wait until DSO, things will certainly improve, and you should get
stable reception for the three main (PSB) muxes, but the COMs could well
still be flaky.

On Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:13:18 -0000, "Brian Gaff"
wrote:

A lot of the time people point at other transmitters either because they
went up before the local one came into use, or the nearer one has
reflection issues where they live and so the further signal may in fact be
of better quality, which is very important to digital systems.


I was referring to new installs in the past year all in the same block
of buildings. I wonder whether the local Nottingham transmitter which
is currently weak has led some installers to point to Waltham which
presumably is stronger, but the difference is likely to be less marked
in the next couple of months.


--
AnthonyL

On Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:59:52 +0000, Mark Carver
wrote:


All muxes from Nottingham will increase by 10dB after DSO. That's the
good news. However, I assume your present aerial is quite old,

At least 15yrs. Curiously the aerial it replaced pointed to Waltham,
and I could get Belmont? (Yorkshire) channels too, but the mast broke.

and is
therefore a Group A. If so then it will not respond very well to any
transmission above UHF Ch 35. Currently all but one mux from Nottingham
is within the Group A range (21-34), and that's Mux C. All others
including the main BBC and ITV/4 muxes are up in the 39-68 range.


I think I follow that - so BBC and ITV/4 are on Mux C?

After DSO the main three muxes (BBC, ITV/4 and the new HD mux) will be
within Group A, but the three COM muxes will still be up in the 50s.


I don't know and can't find what a COM mux is. Can you clarify? Is
there something I can check now?

There is a very active coal fire on that chimney stack. Am I better
off having any new aerial on the end wall (or even in the loft?)

Thanks

--
AnthonyL

AnthonyL wrote:
On Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:59:52 +0000, Mark Carver
wrote:

All muxes from Nottingham will increase by 10dB after DSO. That's the
good news. However, I assume your present aerial is quite old,

At least 15yrs. Curiously the aerial it replaced pointed to Waltham,
and I could get Belmont? (Yorkshire) channels too, but the mast broke.

and is
therefore a Group A. If so then it will not respond very well to any
transmission above UHF Ch 35. Currently all but one mux from Nottingham
is within the Group A range (21-34), and that's Mux C. All others
including the main BBC and ITV/4 muxes are up in the 39-68 range.


I think I follow that - so BBC and ITV/4 are on Mux C?

No, BBC Mux is Mux 1, Ch 39

Mux 1: 39 (All BBC TV except BBC4/CBeebies)
Mux 2: 67 (ITV 1,2, C4, E4, C5)
Mux A: 53 (ITV 3, QVC plus others)
Mux B: 63 (BBC Radio, BBC 4/CBeebies
Mux C: 29 (Sky News, Sky 3 ...)
Mux D: 59 (Film 4 , ITV 4...)

Full list

http://www.unsatisfactorysoftware.co.uk/dtt/dtt.cgi?reg=UK.E.CEN.NOT&by=mux&type=VRDIPTSAG&mux =12AbCDBL&hist=&data=&col=LNTMHC&disp=1&grp=&oair=

After DSO the main three muxes (BBC, ITV/4 and the new HD mux) will be
within Group A, but the three COM muxes will still be up in the 50s.


I don't know and can't find what a COM mux is. Can you clarify? Is
there something I can check now?

After DSO Mux 1 becomes PSB 1 and will carry all BBC SD TV and Radio
Mux 2 becomes PSB 2 and carries the same as now
Mux B becomes PSB 3 and carries the 4 HD channels
Mux A becomes COM 1 and will carry the same as now
Mux C becomes COM 2 " " "
Mux D becomes COM 3 " " "

PSB 1, 2, and 3 will be on UHF 27, 24, 21 (Where analogue BBC 1, 2,
and ITV are now) COM 1, 2 and 3 move to Ch 51,52,48 (still out of Grp A)


There is a very active coal fire on that chimney stack. Am I better
off having any new aerial on the end wall (or even in the loft?)

Try to keep it outside, out of the way of smoke would be preferable I'd say

On 2/17/2011 11:53 AM, AnthonyL wrote:
On Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:59:52 +0000, Mark Carver
wrote:


All muxes from Nottingham will increase by 10dB after DSO. That's the
good news. However, I assume your present aerial is quite old,

At least 15yrs. Curiously the aerial it replaced pointed to Waltham,
and I could get Belmont? (Yorkshire) channels too, but the mast broke.


and is
therefore a Group A. If so then it will not respond very well to any
transmission above UHF Ch 35. Currently all but one mux from Nottingham
is within the Group A range (21-34), and that's Mux C. All others
including the main BBC and ITV/4 muxes are up in the 39-68 range.


I think I follow that - so BBC and ITV/4 are on Mux C?


After DSO the main three muxes (BBC, ITV/4 and the new HD mux) will be
within Group A, but the three COM muxes will still be up in the 50s.


I don't know and can't find what a COM mux is. Can you clarify? Is
there something I can check now?

There is a very active coal fire on that chimney stack. Am I better
off having any new aerial on the end wall (or even in the loft?)

Thanks


I didn't know what a Mux was either, but have found this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplexer
Now if they said "Multiplexer" that would be different, So I'm old and
not used to the modern jargon. :-)
Don

In article ,
Brian Gaff wrote:
A lot of the time people point at other transmitters either because they
went up before the local one came into use, or the nearer one has
reflection issues where they live and so the further signal may in fact
be of better quality, which is very important to digital systems.

or, like a road in Bolton I discovered, where all the aerials pointed at a
mast visible on the skyline. It was a police mast, tv was about 30° to the
left - but you couldn't see the mast

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.16

On Thu, 17 Feb 2011 10:59:52 +0000, Mark Carver
wrote:



I'd wait until DSO, things will certainly improve, and you should get
stable reception for the three main (PSB) muxes, but the COMs could well
still be flaky.

But be aware that if you do need a new aerial at the time of the
switchover both it and its installation is likely to be more expensive
than it would be now.

"Rick" wrote in message
...

"AnthonyL" wrote in message
...
I'm pointing to the Nottingham transmitter, about 8 miles away and
looking at all the new aerials going up mine looks very sad, see

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...t=d irectlink


Interesting bracket, don't think I've ever seen one quite like that
before, as far as I can make out it looks like it keys into the mortar on
both sides and is then tightened and squeezed inwards by a bolt in the
middle of the bracket, although it does appear to have hung on in there
for quite a number of years.


They're called (in my vernacular) bang, bangs. They do just sit in the
mortar joint and rely on the surrounding brickwork for support - not nice.

Has the aerial always been a 5 element group A, or did it used to longer and
part of the element train has fallen off at the joint?
It if was me, I'd be considering replacing it with an external log periodic
aerial, mounted out of the smoke path and with new double screened copper
co-ax.
http://www.aerialsandtv.com/atvschoi...l#LogPeriodics