freeview signal

[karl359]

i am a virgin cable customer & have just bought a hdtv with freeview built in and was thinking of using the freeview only because it has skysports news , virgin dont!! trouble is i dont have an aerial and dont want to spend £50/60 just to get this channel .do indoor aerials work as it would be a lot cheaper, i live in the pentwyn area of cardiff. the freeview site dont give much info on signal strength etc

[lsproc]

Try www.ukfree.tv, much better than the freeview site

[King Of Fools]

I watch Freeview on an amplified indoor aerial so it can work but it will depend on where you live.

Also, note that Sky plan to take Sky Sport News off Freeview and replace it with Sky Sports PayTV. See http://www.picnicnews.com/

[arkwright23]

My daughter has a digital tv in her bedroom and receives all the freeview channels through an indoor aerial not near the window or in line of sight of the transmitter (Winter Hill).
So my question is, will she still be able to watch the same channels when analogue is switched off through the same aerial??

[King Of Fools]

Originally Posted by arkwright23

My daughter has a digital tv in her bedroom and receives all the freeview channels through an indoor aerial not near the window or in line of sight of the transmitter (Winter Hill).
So my question is, will she still be able to watch the same channels when analogue is switched off through the same aerial??

Yes she is even more likely to be able to as the digital signal power will be increased when analogue is turned off.

Everybody who currently receives analogue through a current aerial should be able to receive at least the current five channels through the same aerial once analogue is switch off even in areas where people currently need to get a new aerial to receive digital.

[Taf]

Pentwyn used to get it's TV signals from accross the water (Mendips) but now you'd be advised to swing the aerial to the transmitter outside Ely (Wenvoe)... signal strength was much better then... but I had to have a new aerial fitted...

[Itshim]

I live in Whitchurch Cardiff & run 2 TV s with Freeview as well Virgin both use a booster "in door ariel" . As I have said before get it from Maplins or Argos
( both on Newport Rd) Keep the box etc if it don`t work take it back for a refund. You will at least need to fine tune both the signal ( ie the dial) too high & mine does not work. The height you extend the arms ( again to high or low & it don`t work) and were you place it in my case 12" makes a difference!!

[ntluser]

For those forum members who are satisfactorily receiving Freeview using an indoor aerial, can you specify which indoor aerial you are using please?

I get my signals from the Winter Hill transmitter but only satisfactorily with an external aerial. Just wondered if there are any really good indoor aerials that members would recommend.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. TIA.

[Hogweed]

Originally Posted by ntluser

For those forum members who are satisfactorily receiving Freeview using an indoor aerial, can you specify which indoor aerial you are using please?

I get my signals from the Winter Hill transmitter but only satisfactorily with an external aerial. Just wondered if there are any really good indoor aerials that members would recommend.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. TIA.

Sorry I don’t know the name, but I got a very basic one for £15 from ASDA – tiny little windowsill job with an amp, and I get perfect reception, 100% signal strength. Mind you, I can see Ridge Hill out the window – though it’s 16 miles away. You could always try one from Argos, as they let you take things back if you don’t like them

[Itshim]

[quote=ntluser;34428516]For those forum members who are satisfactorily receiving Freeview using an indoor aerial, can you specify which indoor aerial you are using please?




Argos cat ref 534/3243 One for all £19.99

pointed at Wenvoe Hope this helps.

[arkwright23]

My daughter's is one of these:

http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/stor...&category_oid=

With her new lcdtv with built in freeview, the tv has to be switched on for about a minute or three before she is able to view the channels. Initially the message says "no signal" but after a while the signals start coming through, starting, I think, with the BBC channels with Sky Sports News a little later.
You need to turn the aerial round until you receive the best picture; I have no idea which direction it should be facing as there are plenty of buildings between it and the Winter Hill trasmitter.

The trouble for most DTT users is that their transmitter will likely have the DTT signals spread across the spectrum rather than as a narrow band of frequencies. Thats why most DTT aerials have to be wideband rather than a specific group like the analogue aerials mainly were.
A wideband antenna is always going to be a compromise, as it has to work across a wide tuning band. It always makes me smile when manufacturers describe antennas as Digital. they aren't, they are wideband.

[Hogweed]

It’s funny… I’m very lucky, as I live 16 miles from Ridge Hill, and can see its lights out my window at night, so I just pointed the cheapest and nastiest ASDA aerial at it, and bingo – 100% signal on all channels. It had an amp in it, mind.

So then I stuck a big high-gain six-foot-long thing up in my attic – with no amp – again 100% signal.

Then I went to my girlfriend’s house – she’d just moved in, and wasn't sure what the reception would be – and I found a fairly short aerial (maybe 18”) in the attic – looked like wideband, but I’m no expert. It was pointing vaguely at Ridge Hill, as far as I could tell – her house is more like 15 miles away. Fitted up a £20 Digihome box like mine, and voom! Only something like 30% signal, but perfect picture…

Originally Posted by Hogweed

It’s funny… I’m very lucky, as I live 16 miles from Ridge Hill, and can see its lights out my window at night, so I just pointed the cheapest and nastiest ASDA aerial at it, and bingo – 100% signal on all channels. It had an amp in it, mind.

So then I stuck a big high-gain six-foot-long thing up in my attic – with no amp – again 100% signal.

Then I went to my girlfriend’s house – she’d just moved in, and wasn't sure what the reception would be – and I found a fairly short aerial (maybe 18�) in the attic – looked like wideband, but I’m no expert. It was pointing vaguely at Ridge Hill, as far as I could tell – her house is more like 15 miles away. Fitted up a £20 Digihome box like mine, and voom! Only something like 30% signal, but perfect picture…

With digital you don't get variation of the picture quality against signal strength until theres not enough signal for the box to work with, then it pixellates.

[Itshim]

What else can I say, I have an LG with Free-View in the lounge & a 14" Goodmans with a freeview box in the conservtory . Both work with the indoor one for all . I cant "see" Wenvoe only houses behind me.In fact the LG isn`t even an out sidewindow If that makes any difference at all?