Free View Aerial and Booster Advice

[Zak33]

Blimey I get a lot done to report to you lot in one weekend.

Sair was getting some SUPERB advice from you guys on Freeview and this is the outcome.

Started with a Loft Aerial (about 20 elements, small back plate) and a 4 way booster.

Got BBC stuff, but ITV was bad.

Went to B&Q and got a 43 element aerial. Half price sale £14 Learned a bit about them, in building it (the metal cross pieces dont actually touch the metal mast, they are on plastic mounts) and got up in a hot hot loft.

Fitted it to a new position, to leave the old one there for quick comparison and got a cack signal.

Both pointed through the far wall, but the new one was pointing through the wooden joists too. Worse signal than the old one

Realised I had fitted the reciever element (the one nearest the back EXCLUDING the metal grill plates , and this one has the wires going in) backwards. Notice it on the box, looked, un clipped, re clipped other way around.

Better signal, nothing to get excited over.

HOWEVER.. went back to my house, and got MY TV booster (3 years old, £12) and put it on instead of Sair's 6 year old £50 one.

BINGO. We're in. Sorted.

Fantastic reception, lots of new channels and all for a £14 aerial and a £12 booster.

SO, in essence, I KNOW you're not SUPPOSED to use a booster, but if you do, MAKE SURE ITS A MODERN ONE.

In the same way as PC's and CD players, and Car Amps etc etc have all got better in the last few years, WHY DIDN'T ZAKKY THINK OF THE BOOSTER TECHNOLOGY?

There ya go....hope it helps.

and thanks to you all for your help last week.

[Rave]

That's a good tip dude. I tried to get my wife's nan's telly in her static caravan working with my digital box on Saturday. Total failure with or without the booster. My usual trick of waving a coat hanger about proved nothing other than that the signals really are very weak there- her analogue is just about watchable with the booster. It's a shame, if it worked I was going to flog her my box for £40 and put it towards a spiffy new Humax PVR, or maybe one of those Goodmans boxes with integrated DAB.

Rich :¬)

[Zak33]

you need a 30 metre steel pole mate...and you KNOW that is the truth

[Rave]

Originally Posted by Zak33

you need a 30 metre steel pole mate...and you KNOW that is the truth

Funny you should say that mate, because her son-in-law (my wife's uncle-in-law if you will) was at one point a ham radio enthusiast and there is indeed a hooooooooge great mast lying beside their shed (her static caravan is in their garden).

Rich :¬)

[Zak33]

now THAT is a coincidence

one that might need ..... taking advatage of

[Sair33]

....THEN I went back to B&Q to buy my OWN booster, so Zak could have his back... I got a 2 room one (labelled as £16, but was also on offer at 50% off so was only £8!!) and now the reception is EVEN BETTER!!!
Just goes to show that newer technology really is a lot better, even than things only a few years old.

Fantastic, and an unexpected bargain too

[Stoo]

Yup, boosters tend to degrade after a while too, unless you're a) lucky or b) have an industrial strength one (Guess which one we have at home, we can get Belgian TV if the weather is good )