aerials - again :-(

[Sparks]

I was asking to see if it went to a splitter, booster etc..!

Sparks...

[tony sayer]

In article , PJO writes

Really?, On what do you base that statement?.

Well I'd very much hope that no one would connect it to the mains be rather silly don't you think. Good job you live in a strong signal area by the sound of it. Others are not so lucky!..

Quite.

Well good for them then. Trouble is a lot of so called aerial riggers are no more clued up that the average DIY'er ,mores the pity!.

Well you can obtain good makes such as Antiference and Triax form

and from some good wholesale outlets the DIY shed ones aren't that much cop from what I've seen of then:-(

Pity the original poster can't post a few pictures somewhere as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. In case you haven't seen it here's what"not" to do, courtesy of Mr aerial himself, Bill Wright!.

[tony sayer]

Sometimes but not always. To be awkward here in Cambridge the main station is sandy heath in Bedfordshire some 18 miles distant which provides good analogue and DTV in the area. Unfortunalty the channel 5 transmitter is a very low power thing on a different transmit aerial system and it is aimed the opposite direction to Cambridge!. So Cambridge has its own channel 5 relay from Madingley a few miles outside Cambridge and on a different heading but the same aerial group but for most people another aerial is required!......

[Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics)]

Antiference TC range are not fitted with baluns.

[PJO]

My own knowledge, experience and the knowledge and experience of colleagues.

Yes, it would be really silly. Rather like your sacrasm here really.

Yes, quite.

Agreed BUT surely you stand more of a chance when you can "talk" to a proper supplier and purchase the recommended product. Try phoning screwfix and asking for advice on signal propogation!

[tony sayer]

In article , PJO writes

Well FWIW the day job involves designing aerial systems for receiving and transmission, and I can tell you that small amounts of metal in the wrong places can and do upset things quite badly sometimes, and at less than the chances you've quoted!.

Not at all most of what you have there is too closely spaced and I presume that the ommni is perhaps one of those halo things or do you have a turnstile arrangement?.

Regretfully because Joe Public will spend a fortune on his telly etc they will be dammed if they will spend any money on a good aerial system or if they do then its the "best price" that will always win and that usually means the ones straight out of rouge traders!.

So Joe has bought it upon himself to some extent!.

Works fine for me?..

[RichardS]

Nope, very much a live link and quite a gem.

Suspect you, or your ISP, have DNS or connectivity issues....

-- Richard Sampson

email me at richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk

[Phil Addison]

Is it pointing the right way - this page will tell you

Addison The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at NOSPAM from address to reply

[PJO]

Well IIHTT and WWHYT for whatever reason.

[Colin Wilson]

Can`t remember how it was sealed (it did have some sort of tape on it but I just chopped it at the LNB rather than piddling about) but I think it was about 6 years old.

[Colin Wilson]

At the moment it goes via the video, through a signal amp (to split the signal to a feed upstairs) and then to the TV.

I`ve fed it direct to the TV and the picture is the same as the "long" route above

Yeah... what should I expect from a length of co-ax i`d guess at being about 20m long (cheap-ass satellite installer lashed it across the roof of the house and down the wall) - it`s a standard terraced house with 1st floor to give you an idea of height / length

Are you just suggesting a simple resistance test between inner and sheath (to see if its shorted) ?

ISTR it has a 500V megger built in as well, but i`m not sure what the insulation should normally handle

[Colin Wilson]

Yeah, the previous aerial I lashed up there before xmas (only an 8 element) was mounted at the end behind the reflector, and the bracket it sat on only protrudes from the wall by about 8"

With the clamp in its "per instructions" position the reflector prevented me swinging the aerial in the right direction as it hit the wall :-} (at a guess it should point about 20-30 degrees away from the wall at the twig end)

[Colin Wilson]

accuracy - the whole estate points the same way...

[Colin Wilson]

[Colin Wilson]

Yeah that`s the bugger

[Simon Gardner]

First suggestion - rewire. If it's "analogue dish" cable it's getting on a bit.

[Chris Oates]

where I live ch5 comes from a different xmitter than the rest - you have a high gain aerial but it's highly directional...you also don't say what your receiver is - TV or Freeview box ...if Freeview you need an appropriate wideband aerial for your area - similarly for TV possibly

does the aerial come in two parts - if so remove the front elements & see if it's better

[Chris Oates]

poke in the eye with a sharp stick might stop them doing stupid things like this

[Colin Wilson]

TV (i`m getting to be a luddite in my old age - nothing digital in here)

It does, but why would removing the front elements improve on the 8 element I just took down ? :-}

[John Rumm]

Because too much signal can swamp the input circuit of the TV causing a poor picture in much the same way to little can.