digital tv and communal aerials

"Dave Fawthrop" wrote in message
...

snip


Then the signal is not too bad
As a second best this might work.
If you have a bootlace link from the wall plate to the set throw it away
and make a news one with one made from satellite cable CT100.
An amplifier in this cable will probably make *yours* work.



I might try that, have some nectar points to spend in Argos for the freeview
box. Might go for Goodmans GDB3, read a few negatives aboutr their new GDB5
with DAB. Have a few other Goodmans products which are fine.

Andy

andyc wrote:

I might try that, have some nectar points to spend in Argos for the
freeview box. Might go for Goodmans GDB3, read a few negatives
aboutr their new GDB5 with DAB. Have a few other Goodmans products
which are fine.

*****

My GDB3 is fine, but it doesn't (yet?) have the 7-day EPG, if that matters
to you. I like its timer capability, but that may or may not be important to
you.

If you get one, check its software version - 3.11 is pretty stable, but 3.12
is available if you want to play with RS232 (not sure what difference it
makes - suspect very little).

André Coutanche

"Max Demian" wrote in message
...
"John Porcella" wrote in message
...

Surely if all you want is a bigger/higher aerial that's all you should
have
to pay for. Best to get a cowboy operator and bung him a couple of
hundred
quid in cash.

I presume that was an attempt at humour? If you get a cowboy you will
have
a cowboy job done with few if any guarantees.

A 200 pound job that works could be better value than a 2000 pound job
with
guarantees. If it works and stays working that's all that's required.
Think
extended warrantee ripoffs.

Think "cowboy"! What chances are that the work will be done competently?


Why the reference to the
method of payment? I hope you are not encouraging tax evasion?

You are Gordon Brown AICMFP.

No.


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MESSAGE ENDS.
John Porcella

Maybe they say you need the new *digital* coax.

If you are going to do a job, then it makes sense to relay the cable.

Are you, or have you ever been, an aerial rigger?

No, why?


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MESSAGE ENDS.
John Porcella

"King Queen" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 5 Dec 2004 04:34:12 +0000 (UTC), "John Porcella"
wrote:

As I have written elsewhere, consider getting your own. I have done
this.
The communal system feeds 115 flats, but since it took the local
authority
until last month to upgrade it to DTT, they allowed me to have my own
private one fitted some years back. I added DAB which is not available
communally.

genuine question: what is the point in getting DAB installed when you
already have DTT anyway?

Not all radio stations on DTT are on DAB and vice versa. How does one
person in the flat listen to the radio if somebody else wants to watch TV
(assuming only one TV)?


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MESSAGE ENDS.
John Porcella

"andyc" andyatajchard.co.uk wrote in message
.. .
Hi John,

Sounds cheap to me! I presume that you did not ask for an FM, DAB and a
satellite system to be installed at the same time? Recently, a friend
was
quoted £2.5k plus VAT for a new high gain aerial, DAB and FM aerials and
two
satellite dishes to be installed and cabled round to four flats. I
trust
the firm as they have done work for me in the past, and came in well
below
another firm which has quoted £3.5k for the same job. Admittedly, this
is
Central London where it is probably more pricey anyway.

I didn't ask for FM, DAB and satellite as well.

Hmm, then it might be a touch expensive.

I wonder if you might have more success pushing your proposal through if it
included all modern forms of reception?


I know exactly what you mean!

lol, not just me then!

I am afraid not!


Frankly, it is for the landlord to install it and charge all of the
leaseholders. I suspect that you are now going to tell me that the
leaseholders also own the freehold? If that is so, you could tell them
that
if it is not done now, it would have to be done in future anyway when it
might be more expensive since all of the aerial firms will be busy like
hell
with changeover jobs. Also, you could try telling them that the value
of
the flats is compromised by not having access to the now popular DTT
service. I would not be willing to buy a flat where the aerial could
not
give me what I want.

We don't own the freehold,

Ah, in which case it is a matter for the landlord and not you. If you
cannot get agreement of the leaseholders, then make private arrangements
with the freeholder.

sadly when it came up for grabs, there was not
enough interest from enough people. What I'll do now is send the quote to
the owner of the freehold (local property management company) and see what
their reaction is. It'd be good for them to be interested in getting it
installed and pushing it, like you say it'll have to be done sometime
anyway,and would be a good investment.

If the landlord is forward looking one they will not limit them to just
upgrading only terrestrial reception. Why? What if somebody wants Sky D
(or Eutelsat)? They would be favouring one set of people. Furthermore, if
there is not shared satellite dish system then people will probably end up
sticking their own up and thus damaging parts of the building.



My advice to you would be if you meet any resistance at all is to get a
price for having your own personal system installed at roof level, or
you
might find one or two others who might want to join you and you can
split
the costs between willing participants and not aggravate the misery guts
in
the block.

I'll look into that and also see what my lease says about doing such
things,

The roof is unlikely to be part of your lease...you will have to negotiate
the matter with the landlord.

though we do ignore bits of our lease, like having pets without prior
permission, such rebels ;-)

Thanks for all your suggestions, copy of the quote will be off to the
landlord today,highlighting benefits of getting it done.

Good luck and if there is any progress why not share the good news (or bad)
by reposing here.


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MESSAGE ENDS.
John Porcella

"andyc" wrote
| I didn't ask for FM, DAB and satellite as well.

FM and DAB are probably minor extra costs and might help sell the idea of
the system to other residents. A security camera on the front door or car
park might also be attractive, and putting it through the TV system is a lot
cheaper than rewiring everybody for video entry phones.

Owain

"Max Demian" wrote
| Surely if all you want is a bigger/higher aerial that's all
| you should have to pay for.

My understanding was the OP wanted reception of digital terrestrial
television. A bigger aerial is not necessarily going to give him that.

As one point not considered so far, it's possible the aerial itself is
adequate but that some muxes have been blocked by filters fitted to resolve
an analogue reception problem in the past.

| Best to get a cowboy operator and bung him a couple of
| hundred quid in cash.
| I presume that was an attempt at humour? If you get a cowboy you
| will have a cowboy job done with few if any guarantees.
| A 200 pound job that works could be better value than a 2000 pound job
| with guarantees. If it works and stays working that's all that's
| required.

*If* it works.

The OP does not want 11 neighbours complaining that their tellies have
stopped working because Trigger's chewed the aerial on the roof.

Owain

"Owain" wrote in message
...
"Max Demian" wrote
| Surely if all you want is a bigger/higher aerial that's all
| you should have to pay for.

My understanding was the OP wanted reception of digital terrestrial
television. A bigger aerial is not necessarily going to give him that.

As one point not considered so far, it's possible the aerial itself is
adequate but that some muxes have been blocked by filters fitted to
resolve
an analogue reception problem in the past.

Indeed that is what used to be done in my own block where the signals were
received and then raised by another 18 channels and then sent aroung the
system with attenuators used to block the irrelevant channels.


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MESSAGE ENDS.
John Porcella

"Bill" wrote in message
...
and not aggravate the misery guts in
the block.


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MESSAGE ENDS.
John Porcella

But John, I thought that was you!


Heh-heh, Bill! Good one!

Out of 115 flats there are probably only fifteen who are interested in
digital, though this might increase with the promotion of Freeview.


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MESSAGE ENDS.
John Porcella