Indoor Aerial with booster or Outdoor aerial suggestions

[robbie77]

Hello,

I have water in most of my old co-ax cable. I have one cable that I can get freeview on that seems ok.
I had someone (friend of a friend) look at the aerial on the roof and he said it was very old and the cable was old and needed replacing.

The roof is quite a size and high up, I live on a hill but cannot get full reception with a small electric booster aerial attached direct to the TV making me think a loft one may not be good enough or ar they significantly bigger and better than small portable ones?

I am willing to get on the roof and replace the aerial, I remember something about a single receiver would be OK.
I was looking at maybe a High Gain Digital Aerial 52 or 32 Element

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Ele...+Digital+Aerial+52+Element/d190/sd3084/p16523

If I was to install this aerial and needed to run six different coaxial leads (thinking of ct100) from the aerial do I just need a six way splitter?

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Ele...V+Satellite+Splitter+4+Way/d190/sd3084/p16238


I have a socket in the loft I could use for loft aerial but understand that I could potentially lose 50% reception and have a potential fire hazard.

Any pointers or help please?

 

[ChrisFrost]

Indoor aerials, even those with electronic boosters aren't going to work that well with Digital transmissions unless you are in a strong signal area. Even then you may find that reception is patchy unless you have a clear line of sight in the direction of the transmitter*

* There'll always be someone ready to chip in how their set top aerial picks up 6 zillion stations, but that's generally the exception that proves the rule

Clear line of sight is really an important priority in getting a good signal to the aerial. A roof mounted aerial will be better in this respect than a better/higher gain aerial mounted in the loft.

Boosters: the closer to the aerial then the better. Masthead amps are the best solution. Boosters located near the TV are the worst by comparison.

How much boost: too much signal can be just as bad as too little. One advantage to having a professional installer (CAI member) is that they're likely to have the equipment and meters necessary to measure the amount of signal in your area and make adjustments to the aerial and booster so that the set receives just the right amount. Of course, that service has a price.

For DIY installation you have to take a bit of an educated guess based on some of the information available. You can also help yourself by choosing gear that has an adjustment facility.

So, the next thing to look at is your location with regard to the local transmitters; are you in the middle of a patch or nearer to the edge (fringe) when the signal is weaker. ATV is as good a place as any to start doing some research. Also have a look at UK Free TV to search for the local transmitters and their signal strengths. There are plenty of other advice sites too if you do a bit of Googling.

That cheap splitter is not right for you tbh. It's a passive (non-amplified) device, so the best it can do is reduce the signal to 1/4 its original level on top of the insertion loss. That's not a good thing

If you already have a power point in the loft then fit a mains powered aerial splitter there. Just take some sensible fire precautions to avoid overheating or the risk of it getting wet in the event of you losing some roof tiles.

...and that aerial... I'm not a great fan of these huge "sail" aerials. They look impressive, but they do catch the wind quite a bit. There are quite a few near me that have lost their rear deflectors after being up only a couple of years. That's not good.

...So, what does all this mean for you?

Go with a wideband aerial (I'd use a Log Periodic + a Masthead amp with a power level control on the indoor power supply so it would be much easier to adjust when looking at a TV rather than having to run up and down a ladder to the roof), and combine that with a 6-way powered aerial distribution amp.

The choice of CT100 cable is good (whether you need 250m though is debatable unless you live in a mansion ), and add enough of the appropriate plugs to make the correct connections.

Tool Station wouldn't be my first choice because their selection isn't great. There are other online retailers with a wider choice. If you want a price from me on this then just let me know.

 

[plugwash]

I'd suggest using WF100 rather than CT100, no chance of a water filled cable that way.