TV aerial reccomendations

[Ron Lowe]

Hi, all.

I have a legacy indoor attic aerial right now, an old Group A job. Technically, it's no good for Ch5 ( Ch67 here ) or most of the digital multiplexes ( up to Ch52 )

However, I get away with it because the local main transmitter ( Durris ) is only 14km away, very clear line-of-sight. It dominates the view from my living room window, I can see the full mast, bottom to top. There's no multi-path either. So a damp piece of string would work OK for me.

We have an attic conversion coming up, and I need to move the aerial. I'd like to make a decent job of it, and plan to put up a decent external aerial, possibly FM and DAB ones too. It will need to be a wideband ( group W ) for the time being. I don't need high gain, nor do I need extreme directionality to cancel multi-path. ( in fact, high gain woud prolly saturate device inputs! )

From my initial googling, basic models by

Antiference XG10:

?productId={3BA3978E-865B-4925-8BCE-937908E87968}&Tab=0Or Blake or Televes would probably fit the bill.

Is there any clear winner in this category?

I was also considering a distribution system like the Triax DDU

{7B4B88CA-78D9-46CB-8645-561513D1A9FD}&Tab=0Any comments on that? The Triax website looks like they produce competent gear.

[kim]

(kim)

[Ron Lowe]

OK, that's a good start. So what *do* I want?

[Brian Gregory [UK]]

I'd continue with a loft aerial if it really is working well enough. It will last much much longer than an outdoor aerial.

[Lurch]

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:21:00 -0000, "Ron Lowe" mused:

The Triax QR10 is a decent 'no frills' aerial. I've personally had no trouble with them in this decent reception area. Your excellent sounding reception are should prevent no problems for it.

[Ron Lowe]

I can't, I won't have a loft :-)

[tony sayer]

In article , Ron Lowe writes

Either Antiference or Triax both good makes I personally prefer the Triax myself..

As to FM get anything apart from the useless Halo things!....

[mike]

"Ron Lowe" wrote in news:45d20ac9$0$763$ [e-mail]:

Notwithstanding the good advice offered above, could I suggest you take your query to uk.tech.digital-tv, speciall in view of your digital needs.

mike

[Ron Lowe]

Indeed. That's why it's x-posted there.....

[Marky P]

You also shouldn't rule out a Log Periodic aerial. Low gain, but much more even response across the whole UHF band than a standard wideband aerial. They're reasonably priced too.

Marky P.

[EricP]

I thought they were high gain and that was the point of them?

I mean you can get a signal on a coat hanger, but it has the gain of a dead hamster.

[Ron Lowe]

Yes, I'd wondered about them.

They certainly look rather sleek and elegant, but I don't really understand their application. As you say, they are not high-gain, but AIUI, they are very directional, and so are good in high signal strength areas, but where rejection of multi-path is important. Using an array of them to null out off-axis signal can improve multi-path rejection even further. Would that be a fair summary, or am I way off beam?

Since I don't have any multi-path issues, perhaps their benifit is lost on me.

I also don't have a good handle on what gain is appropriate for my situation. I really don't know what would saturate the distribution amp, and what would be reasonable. I'd need either some signal strength meter or local knowledge to glean this. And I don't know a local installer who I'd trust to ask. I probably need to start looking at what the neighbours have on their roofs, assuming ( big assume! ) they have been installed by competent installers.

[mike]

"Ron Lowe" wrote in news:45d220e2$0$756$ [e-mail]:

I don't understand things like x-posting :-)

All it seems to do is bring in garbage from unwanted sources, which is why my newsreader is set up to almost bar it..

mike

[mike]

mike wrote in news:Xns98D6E4FD78DB7mikenosuchcouk@130.133.1.4:

Ooh, look my post turned up here, too.

Another reason I don't like x-posting; I could be inviting flames from all over.

I know, I should look at the headers; frankly I prefer to look at the post

;-)

mike

[Piers James]

I expect the Triax distribution amp is fine. It looks identical to the Proception Starbox

that I have, or the equivalent Labgear HDU681. I think they are all much of a muchness.

Snip

{7B4B88CA-78D9-46CB-8645-561513D1A9FD}&Tab=0>> Any comments on that?

[Frank Erskine]

The advantages of log-periodic aerials are their broad frequency response and their excellent front-back ratio. They aren't very directional at all however (apart from the f/b ratio), so may be useless for certain multi-path issues. You really have to have an idea of local problems, and be prepared to experiment. In RL, aerials are more of an art than a science.

[charles]

Not high gain; 8dB gain. Point of them: Same gain across the whole uhf band, very good front/back ratio,

[charles]

A log periodic has a wide front lobe, so is not normally classed as 'very directional'. They do have an exceptionally good front/back ratio - so are very good at rejecting unwanted signals from the back and sides.

[EricP]

Ah. Cheers. might look at one then.

[Bill Wright]

You need a log periodic, The Blake 26 element one is very good.

Bill