Picking up Terresterial TV signal without having to plug a cable in?

[Lucid]

It seems the more you know, the more you realise how little you really know,

That is a very pertinent point.


I think it's useful to put ourselves in the shoes of the average consumer who might wander here looking for a recommendation. In most cases, they just want to know what works. On the face of it, that's not an unreasonable request.

Keep things simple for them.

 

[winston1]

And as far as radio goes I am only an amateur, the professionals like @Lucid I have to take my hat off to, she can run rings around me.

Lucid is a he.

 

[Deleted2797112]

Like all those flat indoor aerials it’s a load of poop. You just happen to be in an area with a strong signal. 15cm of wire would also work there.
Think if indoor aerials were so wonderful the broadcasters would not use those big towers, but just an indoor aerial in their studios.

Please don't twist my words. I didn't say that indoor aerials were so wonderful. I said that most I've tried are crap. I have a drawer full of crap aerials that I tried on the TV discussed above and they didn't work. I've found one that does work. The crap aerials and the good aerial were all used on the same TV in the same room in the same location. There is a difference between them that makes one of them worthwhile (for me) irrespective of the signal strength. This might or might not help the OP.

 

[winston1]

With the money you spent on a drawer full of crap aerials (including the crap one you actually got working) you could have got a decent roof or loft aerial installation.

 

[Deleted2797112]

With the money you spent on a drawer full of crap aerials (including the crap one you actually got working) you could have got a decent roof or loft aerial installation.

No, actually I couldn't. In many blocks of flats, you can't do what you want in terms of installing aerials and or dishes.

 

[ericmark]

I must admit I had problems when living in a block of flats, I was on 23rd floor of 35 so far way up, and I made an aerial using 300Ω ribbon cable formed into a slim Jim aerial, and I was able to connect to a BBS and communicate around the world, using packet radio.

@ceres experience is very valid, trying to get a signal with limited access to outside is really what @PYE P75A was talking about, if it was not for his general interest in radio I would not bother, but clearly he does have a general interest.

I have found some really odd things, we tend to look outside set the transmitter, or use a map and set where it is, and aim an aerial at it, however in one case found the aerial pointed in near enough the reverse direction worked better, some study and you could see what was going on, aerial was pointing at a tall building and clearly signal was bouncing off the building.

These must be one of the worst ideas for TV aerials, omni directional so no gain, they rely on 12 volt powered amplifiers to boost the signal, but they are used with so many caravans and 9 times out of 10 work, how much they rely on the metal ground plain I don't know, but all the training I got when I wanted to sit my RAE told me they are a daft idea, however they work, even claimed as duel band VHF and UHF.

I think the fact it is omni directional helps, as so often whole reason it does not work, is aimed wrong.

 

[Lucid]

These View attachment 194335 must be one of the worst ideas for TV aerials, omni directional so no gain, they rely on 12 volt powered amplifiers to boost the signal, but they are used with so many caravans and 9 times out of 10 work, how much they rely on the metal ground plain I don't know, but all the training I got when I wanted to sit my RAE told me they are a daft idea, however they work, even claimed as duel band VHF and UHF.

I think the fact it is omni directional helps, as so often whole reason it does not work, is aimed wrong.

The motivators for the caravanning crowd are different, IME. There's more weight given to aerodynamic designs that can survive a motorway journey to a site, and that need no adjustment once the 'vanner gets to their pitch.

In some respects I think 'vanners are taken for a ride by the accessories stores and dealerships they visit. There's quite a bit of "ooh, it's special, just for the caravan market", so they end up paying £90 for a tiny omni in a plastic cowl. Of course, it's a hobby, and with hobbies we tend to overindulge a bit. There may even be some one-upmanship; having this or that caravan aerial stuck to the roof being used as a status symbol more than anything.

I've done bits for the caravanning crowd, but mostly it's been narrow boats in my local area for the mobile crowd.

They both have similar problems: The aerials have to be suitable for travelling. With boaters, it's the low bridges. They can't have anything sticking up too high. The other issue is that a lot of mooring sites and marinas are away from residential areas, so they're in signal black spots relatively. This is the case with many caravan sites too.

Log Periodics are great for both crowds. With vanners, a jockey wheel clamp, pole and aerial works far better than the omnis. Amplification can be added if required. With a flat aerial, it can be laid on the floor of the van when travelling. It's simpler to manage than something with large reflectors. Additional amplification can be added if required, especially where the site has a 240V hook-up.

I'd recommend a small Log Periodic for anyone in need of an indoor aerial on a similar basis. More metal, and pointing all of it in the right direction, is going to work better than some tiny omni where at best there's a 30 degree arc of metal kind of pointing at the transmitter. That's just 12% of the aerial's catchment area.

 

[ericmark]

I agree, although with an indoor aerial they can be very flimsy, out door aerial needs to stand wind and birds, I remember seeing a yagi destroyed due to birds, the johnny rook, (Caracara)

fighting on the aerial, but what finished the aerial off was the home owner trying to shoot the bird, which he missed, but did not miss the aerial.

I made aerials out of copper pipe and one time stainless, mainly because the birds would rip the commercial ones to pieces, but in door there is no wind or birds, so does not need as much metal, I love sitting outside and watching the local red kits, but would not want them on my aerial.

 

[winston1]

I must admit I had problems when living in a block of flats, I was on 23rd floor of 35 so far way up, and I made an aerial using 300Ω ribbon cable formed into a slim Jim aerial, and I was able to connect to a BBS and communicate around the world, using packet radio.

@ceres experience is very valid, trying to get a signal with limited access to outside is really what @PYE P75A was talking about, if it was not for his general interest in radio I would not bother, but clearly he does have a general interest.

I have found some really odd things, we tend to look outside set the transmitter, or use a map and set where it is, and aim an aerial at it, however in one case found the aerial pointed in near enough the reverse direction worked better, some study and you could see what was going on, aerial was pointing at a tall building and clearly signal was bouncing off the building.

These View attachment 194335 must be one of the worst ideas for TV aerials, omni directional so no gain, they rely on 12 volt powered amplifiers to boost the signal, but they are used with so many caravans and 9 times out of 10 work, how much they rely on the metal ground plain I don't know, but all the training I got when I wanted to sit my RAE told me they are a daft idea, however they work, even claimed as duel band VHF and UHF.

I think the fact it is omni directional helps, as so often whole reason it does not work, is aimed wrong.

I also have a motor home and carry a wideband 12 element yagi, a 2 piece ali pole and ground stand. One site I went to in Dorset the site manager said if I wanted TV I would need a big high gain aerial and amplifier. I looked around and could see people were struggling. Most had omnis, some had directional aerials in the direction of Stockland Hill. Funny that I thought nearby houses seemed to have aerials pointed the other way (Rowridge). I tried and could get signals (no amplifier) from both transmitters but Rowridge worked well and Stockland Hill was blocky.
For the few days I was there I had the best TV reception on the site.

 

[ericmark]

Yes as said local knowledge. I built my own rotator from two wiper motors, too 2.5 minutes for 360°

 

[winston1]

Yes as said local knowledge.

Indeed, for some reason the site manager did not have it. Nor did I but a quick glance at local houses told me what I needed to know.