Another TV aerial question
Discussion
Hi,
By my own admission I'm not really a techy person so hence this question.
We are having to replace our terrestrial TV aerial which is currently attached externally to the chimney. Our loft has been converted and is well insulated. Does anybody know if there is a small but powerful aerial which will fit within an eave cupboard of that loft space, and be able to work correctly?
Any advice is appreciated.
By my own admission I'm not really a techy person so hence this question.
We are having to replace our terrestrial TV aerial which is currently attached externally to the chimney. Our loft has been converted and is well insulated. Does anybody know if there is a small but powerful aerial which will fit within an eave cupboard of that loft space, and be able to work correctly?
Any advice is appreciated.
The signal strength within a roofspace will always be lower than outside at the same height.
So placing an aerial within the roofspace will always be a more difficult proposition.
Can't give an answer as to whether it will work reliably for your situation, however the size (length) of your current aerial (and those of your neighbours) may give an idea of how strong the signal is in your area.
Perhaps post a picture of your current set up.
So placing an aerial within the roofspace will always be a more difficult proposition.
Can't give an answer as to whether it will work reliably for your situation, however the size (length) of your current aerial (and those of your neighbours) may give an idea of how strong the signal is in your area.
Perhaps post a picture of your current set up.
Depends on where you are relative to the transmitter.
Many places you can get away with an indoor aerial sniffing a bit of signal that leaks through a window after bouncing off a nearby building.
Foil-lined insulation can be quite a barrier though.
It's easier to try it and see than analyse it adequately!
Internet only is an option that works for lots of people, but personally we still run a hard disk recorder from a satellite dish and record about half of the little that we watch. We're in a blind spot for terrestrial digital, apart from a local repeater which only had a few channels last time I looked.
Many places you can get away with an indoor aerial sniffing a bit of signal that leaks through a window after bouncing off a nearby building.
Foil-lined insulation can be quite a barrier though.
It's easier to try it and see than analyse it adequately!
Internet only is an option that works for lots of people, but personally we still run a hard disk recorder from a satellite dish and record about half of the little that we watch. We're in a blind spot for terrestrial digital, apart from a local repeater which only had a few channels last time I looked.
Everything you need to know including specific product recommendations should be covered here: https://www.aerialsandtv.com/knowledge/aerials/lof...
Many thanks for your replies!
To explain my thinking, the gable end of the cottage gets hammered by the weather, and it's stone and lime mortar built. Over the years we've had many damp issues from that gable end and we know that was the case prior to us owning it. After doing lots of work on the gable end, including replacing the chimney twice and repointing twice, we've got it to a point where we can't realistically improve on it, although there are still some damp issues.
As mentioned, the aerial is on that chimney, and the aerial itself is ok and worked fine, but the cable from it went brittle and fell away in a storm, hence it will probably all need to be replaced.
The issues arise with that cable and it's route into the house via the gable end. We can't see where it entered the gable end, but we do know it was there somewhere. We are unable to use a ladder against a big part of the gable end as there is conservatory / sun room beneath it.
Running a new cable anywhere other than the gable end would be a bit of a bodge, and we are not touching the leadwork around the chimney.
Things are complicated further by the loft conversion (using foil backed insulation) so we are unable to see where it enters, from the inside.
We were therefore trying to think if there was a way to do away with the need for an external aerial.
Thanks again for the replies and we will look into everything mentioned!
To explain my thinking, the gable end of the cottage gets hammered by the weather, and it's stone and lime mortar built. Over the years we've had many damp issues from that gable end and we know that was the case prior to us owning it. After doing lots of work on the gable end, including replacing the chimney twice and repointing twice, we've got it to a point where we can't realistically improve on it, although there are still some damp issues.
As mentioned, the aerial is on that chimney, and the aerial itself is ok and worked fine, but the cable from it went brittle and fell away in a storm, hence it will probably all need to be replaced.
The issues arise with that cable and it's route into the house via the gable end. We can't see where it entered the gable end, but we do know it was there somewhere. We are unable to use a ladder against a big part of the gable end as there is conservatory / sun room beneath it.
Running a new cable anywhere other than the gable end would be a bit of a bodge, and we are not touching the leadwork around the chimney.
Things are complicated further by the loft conversion (using foil backed insulation) so we are unable to see where it enters, from the inside.
We were therefore trying to think if there was a way to do away with the need for an external aerial.
Thanks again for the replies and we will look into everything mentioned!
In had our aerial fitted in the loft. All the neighbours have massive structures and that didn’t appeal. The installer fitted a signal booster and it’s perfect 99% plus of the time. Just occasionally the signal is a bit weak in certain weather conditions but it doesn’t bother us. The installer will check signal strength and advise.
mkjess123 said:
Things are complicated further by the loft conversion (using foil backed insulation)
What you've got in the loft with all that Kingspan-type insulation then is a big Faraday cage, perfect for blocking RF signals. Now you want to put an aerial - an RF signal receiving device - into that space. I now stream all TV (both Freeview and Subscription) using an EE Pro TV Box which can also record. With the same box I could also connect to my aerial but choose not due to it's in the attic and has always been a bit weather dependant!.
So out of interest those that say "you get less channels by streaming" (which is true) what channels would you actually miss to drop the aerial? I can't think of one!
So out of interest those that say "you get less channels by streaming" (which is true) what channels would you actually miss to drop the aerial? I can't think of one!
dickymint said:
I now stream all TV (both Freeview and Subscription) using an EE Pro TV Box which can also record. With the same box I could also connect to my aerial but choose not due to it's in the attic and has always been a bit weather dependant!.
So out of interest those that say "you get less channels by streaming" (which is true) what channels would you actually miss to drop the aerial? I can't think of one!
You can also record more channels with that box at the same time via the aerial than you can by streaming So out of interest those that say "you get less channels by streaming" (which is true) what channels would you actually miss to drop the aerial? I can't think of one!
A new aerial instal should be around £150-200, just get someone in to advise and carry out the work.
If you want more help enter your details on here and post up the detailed results. https://www.freeview.co.uk/corporate/detailed-tran...
Best redact your postcode etc.
If you want more help enter your details on here and post up the detailed results. https://www.freeview.co.uk/corporate/detailed-tran...
Best redact your postcode etc.
Edited by megaphone on Monday 24th February 07:30
Edited by megaphone on Monday 24th February 07:32
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