Question:
I'm in rented accomodation and the external aerial is pretty appalling. I've got cable, but now I've got a Tivo want to be able to watch one channel and record another, so want a decent reception from the telly.
I've also got a Toshiba 36" telly, so needs a decent strength. Any suggestions?
Or what about one that'll work with an old ITV Dig box?
Thanks.
You may want to put the word "aerial" in the thread title - it doesn't make much sense at the moment.
Duh! Thanks! :nuts:
Well if the external aerial does not get a good signal its highly unlikely that an indoor aerial will produce a watcheable picture.
The best idea would be to buy an amplified indoor aerial from Argos, then you can always take it back if the picture isn't good enough for you ;)
It's just a crappy old external aerial, and the landlord's not interested in changing it ('cos he doesn't have to watch it!)
It's not a modern one; a decent one would get a really good reception, so I'm just wondering if a powered interal one would do a decent job of it.
I'll have a look in Argos when I can get hold of a catalogue.....
I am pretty sure that if you connect the cable box up to the TV using the RF lead (RF OUT of digibox and RF IN on the TV) you can tune BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Chan 4 as NTL still broardcast these in anologue format as well. No channel 5 but still the pic quality is quite good.
You will have to re-tune the TV as they are on different frequencies to most transmitters, but it should work.
Cool! I didn't realise that! Thanks! :clap:
No, it doesn't. :(
Just bumped this back up as I've changed the topic.
I have an old ITV Dig box that can give me all the terrestrial channels if fed a strong enoughh signal.
Anyone suggestfully using in indoor (powered) aerial with a digital tv box? Any recommendations?
Thanks....!
The Antiference Silver Sensor, as recommended to me by some people on http://ww.avforums.com is excellent. I use it in conjunction with my netgem i-Player, and it provides an excellent picture. It costs about £15 delivered.
HTH.
Where did you get it from?
i-player? What's that? Is it like a portable?
The Netgem i-player is reputedly the best Freeview box out there (in speed, picture quality , lack of lock-ups). Then its got lots of extra features.
It can also access the internet on your TV ( even using your own unmetered ISP) , access your email , you can also connect printers, certain USB devices ( you can connect a USB hard drive with MP3's on and play them through your TV for example). You can even connect to broadband !!!
Having a modem built in means it can update its software for new features much more easily than other freeview boxes too.
After reading up on freeview boxes and finding by far the most praise being pointed towards the Netgem - i checked out what the fuss is about. Now i'm seriously tempted to get one myself.
http://www.netgem.com/main/productoverview.xml
Its slightly more expensive than most other freeview boxes at £109 or £119 with a wireless keyboard (these prices at 24-7electrical.com ).
Originally posted by Emanef
Anyone suggestfully using in indoor (powered) aerial with a digital tv box? Any recommendations?
Thanks....!
OneForAll do an amplified indoor aerial (the SV9100). It has a 38dB gain which is the highest I've seen quoted. Should be available in either Comet Currys/Dixons.
I bought a Oneforall aerial in Curry's today. A 42dB gain for £30 but it's no good.
Damn, back to square one.....!
Guess you're going to have to "bite the bullet" and get your landlord's permission to upgrade the external aerial. As a matter of interest, do you know which transmitter it's aimed at, or do you know which channel numbers you've got ?
I use a Maxview Contour Plus set top aerial with my ITV Digi box in the bedroom. It's battery powered and was about twenty quid or thereabouts. I think I picked it up from B&Q or Homebase.
It does the job for me, but I might be in a better reception area than you if you can't get a picture with the OneForAll aerial.
I've just had a look in the roof and the aerial's in there. It's a manky old thing, and the main telly it connected to that, so I could get a loft aerial instead (and just take it with me when we move.
Are they any good, in comparison to external aerials?
What sort of thing should I go for?
"In a nutshell" - not as good as an external aerial as there is some attenuation to the signal through the tiles/slates particularly if they are wet. However, you could replace the original "manky" old aerial with a decent high gain one aimed accurately at your main transmitter. You could also give it some extral "welly" by adding a masthead amplifier as near to the aerial as you can and powering that up with a plug in power supply downstairs. Also try and mount the loft aerial away from any metal water tanks etc.
PS. If possible invest in some decent low loss double screened
co-ax cable to act as a replacement downlead.
PPS Maxview do a free Broadcast Reception guide booklet.
Tel: 01553 811000 website: www.maxview.ltd.uk
Thanks.
I went to B&Q on the way home from work last night and bought a Maxview high gain aerial for use in weak areas. I set it up last night (and got myself locked out the flat for three hours after accidentally cutting the neighbours tv cable!) This has improved it (without using any boosting), but I'd rather add a booster in there at some point to strengthen it.
I had a look on the Maxview site, and I'd rather use a masthead amplifier (like someone mentioned above), and was looking at the MHA23U/S. How are these powered? Do I just need to run a line into the roof? Will this give a better boosted signal than one plugged into the wall behind the telly (it would allow me to boost more than one in one go)
Getting there!
Thanks....!
Hi again,
OK, you need to power the masthead amp with a dedicated power supply. Maxview make one to suit the amp. No you don't need to run a separate wire to the masthead amp. Basically it plugs into a mains socket and it has two connectors (F type like you get on a satellite receiver). One of these connectors you connect to the aerial outlet socket, (that is the one you'd normally connect your TV to). The other connector is taken to whatever AV equipment you have daisy chained up to your TV i.e. VCR or whatever. It sounds strange but the 12 Volt power to the masthead amplifier is fed via the centre conductor of the length of co-ax which you have taken from the PSU to your aerial outlet. So an ideal layout would be for your mains socket(s) to be relatively close to wherever your aerial socket is located. This would allow the length of coax from the PSU to the aerial outlet to be as short as possible. In answer to your second point, yes a masthead amp is betterd and can therefore tolerate some loss via the downlead to the TV. In other words you are not trying to boost an already degraded signal which has had to travel all the way via the downlead. As regards the PSU, it would be best if you got the Maxview one, (MHP1). There is a short length of coax supplied with the PSU. One end has a male F connector and the other end has a regular male coax connector. Don't know if you could get it from B&Q as I got my one from Maplin. Wherever you get it from, make sure you get a couple of spare F connectors. Hope this helps. Good luck.
I've also got a Toshiba 36" telly, so needs a decent strength. Any suggestions?
Or what about one that'll work with an old ITV Dig box?
Thanks.
Answers:
You may want to put the word "aerial" in the thread title - it doesn't make much sense at the moment.
Answers:
Duh! Thanks! :nuts:
Answers:
Well if the external aerial does not get a good signal its highly unlikely that an indoor aerial will produce a watcheable picture.
The best idea would be to buy an amplified indoor aerial from Argos, then you can always take it back if the picture isn't good enough for you ;)
Answers:
It's just a crappy old external aerial, and the landlord's not interested in changing it ('cos he doesn't have to watch it!)
It's not a modern one; a decent one would get a really good reception, so I'm just wondering if a powered interal one would do a decent job of it.
I'll have a look in Argos when I can get hold of a catalogue.....
Answers:
I am pretty sure that if you connect the cable box up to the TV using the RF lead (RF OUT of digibox and RF IN on the TV) you can tune BBC1, BBC2, ITV and Chan 4 as NTL still broardcast these in anologue format as well. No channel 5 but still the pic quality is quite good.
You will have to re-tune the TV as they are on different frequencies to most transmitters, but it should work.
Answers:
Cool! I didn't realise that! Thanks! :clap:
Answers:
No, it doesn't. :(
Answers:
Just bumped this back up as I've changed the topic.
I have an old ITV Dig box that can give me all the terrestrial channels if fed a strong enoughh signal.
Anyone suggestfully using in indoor (powered) aerial with a digital tv box? Any recommendations?
Thanks....!
Answers:
The Antiference Silver Sensor, as recommended to me by some people on http://ww.avforums.com is excellent. I use it in conjunction with my netgem i-Player, and it provides an excellent picture. It costs about £15 delivered.
HTH.
Answers:
Where did you get it from?
i-player? What's that? Is it like a portable?
Answers:
The Netgem i-player is reputedly the best Freeview box out there (in speed, picture quality , lack of lock-ups). Then its got lots of extra features.
It can also access the internet on your TV ( even using your own unmetered ISP) , access your email , you can also connect printers, certain USB devices ( you can connect a USB hard drive with MP3's on and play them through your TV for example). You can even connect to broadband !!!
Having a modem built in means it can update its software for new features much more easily than other freeview boxes too.
After reading up on freeview boxes and finding by far the most praise being pointed towards the Netgem - i checked out what the fuss is about. Now i'm seriously tempted to get one myself.
http://www.netgem.com/main/productoverview.xml
Its slightly more expensive than most other freeview boxes at £109 or £119 with a wireless keyboard (these prices at 24-7electrical.com ).
Answers:
Originally posted by Emanef
Anyone suggestfully using in indoor (powered) aerial with a digital tv box? Any recommendations?
Thanks....!
OneForAll do an amplified indoor aerial (the SV9100). It has a 38dB gain which is the highest I've seen quoted. Should be available in either Comet Currys/Dixons.
Answers:
I bought a Oneforall aerial in Curry's today. A 42dB gain for £30 but it's no good.
Damn, back to square one.....!
Answers:
Guess you're going to have to "bite the bullet" and get your landlord's permission to upgrade the external aerial. As a matter of interest, do you know which transmitter it's aimed at, or do you know which channel numbers you've got ?
Answers:
I use a Maxview Contour Plus set top aerial with my ITV Digi box in the bedroom. It's battery powered and was about twenty quid or thereabouts. I think I picked it up from B&Q or Homebase.
It does the job for me, but I might be in a better reception area than you if you can't get a picture with the OneForAll aerial.
Answers:
I've just had a look in the roof and the aerial's in there. It's a manky old thing, and the main telly it connected to that, so I could get a loft aerial instead (and just take it with me when we move.
Are they any good, in comparison to external aerials?
What sort of thing should I go for?
Answers:
"In a nutshell" - not as good as an external aerial as there is some attenuation to the signal through the tiles/slates particularly if they are wet. However, you could replace the original "manky" old aerial with a decent high gain one aimed accurately at your main transmitter. You could also give it some extral "welly" by adding a masthead amplifier as near to the aerial as you can and powering that up with a plug in power supply downstairs. Also try and mount the loft aerial away from any metal water tanks etc.
PS. If possible invest in some decent low loss double screened
co-ax cable to act as a replacement downlead.
PPS Maxview do a free Broadcast Reception guide booklet.
Tel: 01553 811000 website: www.maxview.ltd.uk
Answers:
Thanks.
I went to B&Q on the way home from work last night and bought a Maxview high gain aerial for use in weak areas. I set it up last night (and got myself locked out the flat for three hours after accidentally cutting the neighbours tv cable!) This has improved it (without using any boosting), but I'd rather add a booster in there at some point to strengthen it.
I had a look on the Maxview site, and I'd rather use a masthead amplifier (like someone mentioned above), and was looking at the MHA23U/S. How are these powered? Do I just need to run a line into the roof? Will this give a better boosted signal than one plugged into the wall behind the telly (it would allow me to boost more than one in one go)
Getting there!
Thanks....!
Answers:
Hi again,
OK, you need to power the masthead amp with a dedicated power supply. Maxview make one to suit the amp. No you don't need to run a separate wire to the masthead amp. Basically it plugs into a mains socket and it has two connectors (F type like you get on a satellite receiver). One of these connectors you connect to the aerial outlet socket, (that is the one you'd normally connect your TV to). The other connector is taken to whatever AV equipment you have daisy chained up to your TV i.e. VCR or whatever. It sounds strange but the 12 Volt power to the masthead amplifier is fed via the centre conductor of the length of co-ax which you have taken from the PSU to your aerial outlet. So an ideal layout would be for your mains socket(s) to be relatively close to wherever your aerial socket is located. This would allow the length of coax from the PSU to the aerial outlet to be as short as possible. In answer to your second point, yes a masthead amp is betterd and can therefore tolerate some loss via the downlead to the TV. In other words you are not trying to boost an already degraded signal which has had to travel all the way via the downlead. As regards the PSU, it would be best if you got the Maxview one, (MHP1). There is a short length of coax supplied with the PSU. One end has a male F connector and the other end has a regular male coax connector. Don't know if you could get it from B&Q as I got my one from Maplin. Wherever you get it from, make sure you get a couple of spare F connectors. Hope this helps. Good luck.
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