I would appreciate any answers which will help me with my aerial.



After being at a friend's house at the weekend and seeing the quality of
picture and sound he got with Freeeview I would like to get it in my house.



I have checked reception predictor and for analogue the results are Group B,
Horizontal, 12 miles at 28 degrees antenna suggestion Amplified extra high
gain.

For digital the numbers are Group B, Horizontal, 12 miles at 28 degrees
antenna suggestion standard.



Our main aerial is on a gable about 10ft from the ground, it is 10 element
and the elements are crosses with horizontal bars at the end. This aerial
feeds an internal booster and then goes to various rooms in the house, the
analogue picture is reasonable.



I was concerned that our aerial is pointing towards the edge of a sandstone
house which is about 50m away and there are some trees around this house.



Checking angles off a digital OS map our (boosted ) aerial to the edge of
the sandstone house is 27degrees. There we have another gable where I could
put a new aerial which is 29 degrees to the sandstone house, which with the
transmitter at 28 degrees is one degree clear (provided all calculations are
accurate).



My initial questions a



1. Is my existing boosted aerial likely to give good digital reception? Or
will the sandstone house and nearby trees present a problem.

2. Can I put an aerial in the attic (slate roof)?

3. What type of aerial should I get if I need a replacement when I need
Amplified extra high gain for analogue and standard for digital, we are
likely to be using both for some time.



Thanks



Ian.

"nicoll" wrote in message
...

I would appreciate any answers which will help me with my aerial.



After being at a friend's house at the weekend and seeing the quality of
picture and sound he got with Freeeview I would like to get it in my
house.



I have checked reception predictor and for analogue the results are Group
B,
Horizontal, 12 miles at 28 degrees antenna suggestion Amplified extra high
gain.

For digital the numbers are Group B, Horizontal, 12 miles at 28 degrees
antenna suggestion standard.



Our main aerial is on a gable about 10ft from the ground, it is 10 element
and the elements are crosses with horizontal bars at the end. This aerial
feeds an internal booster and then goes to various rooms in the house, the
analogue picture is reasonable.



I was concerned that our aerial is pointing towards the edge of a
sandstone
house which is about 50m away and there are some trees around this house.



Checking angles off a digital OS map our (boosted ) aerial to the edge of
the sandstone house is 27degrees. There we have another gable where I
could
put a new aerial which is 29 degrees to the sandstone house, which with
the
transmitter at 28 degrees is one degree clear (provided all calculations
are
accurate).



My initial questions a



1. Is my existing boosted aerial likely to give good digital reception? Or
will the sandstone house and nearby trees present a problem.

2. Can I put an aerial in the attic (slate roof)?

3. What type of aerial should I get if I need a replacement when I need
Amplified extra high gain for analogue and standard for digital, we are
likely to be using both for some time.


You haven't said which transmitter site it is, but if you are getting a good
signal from the analogue service then the chances are that you will get at
least some of the digital MUXes. You can certainly do better than the
existing aerial - go for a good quality 18 element Group B - (not a wideband
type since these give a bit less gain and in your case you don't need the
extra bandwidth) - with low-loss cable. It's always better to have more
aerial gain and less amplier gain.

The new aerial will have less beamwidth (= more directional), so you will
need to align it more carefully. You would also do well to get it up
higher than 10 feet. If the trees are deciduous you may find the signal is
better in winter than in summer.

- Arthur

Have you tried your postcode here http://www.dtg.org.uk/index.html for an
initial indication of coverage, and recommended transmitter?

"nicoll" wrote in message
...

I would appreciate any answers which will help me with my
aerial.
snip
1. Is my existing boosted aerial likely to give good digital
reception?

Probably, but the only way to be sure is to try it.

Or
will the sandstone house and nearby trees present a problem.

All the houses around me are sandstone, including those in the
path of my transmitter, which is about the same distance.

2. Can I put an aerial in the attic (slate roof)?

Yes, though it will reduce the signal strength. A higher-gain
aerial might compensate. Again, my own is under a slate roof -
medium gain wideband.

3. What type of aerial should I get if I need a replacement
when I need
Amplified extra high gain for analogue and standard for
digital, we are
likely to be using both for some time.

I'm surprised you need to amplify at only 12 miles from the
transmitter - is this not just for distribution to multiple
outlets? Possibly your transmitter is not a high-power one.
Retail outlets tend to sell only wideband aerials. For a Group
B, you would need to go to a specialist outlet, professional
installer or mail-order.