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TV Aerials


Traveller

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I really do not get TV ariels but clearly our's is not doing what it should. Have had situations where one day the TV will pick up 40 odd channels and the next day zilch and that is whilst at our home mooring so nothing changes. Have also seen it just pick up a dozen or so channels but none of them are viewable - they keep breaking up. Why is this? Any ideas? And what sort of Ariel is best for digital TV. We currently have a Maxview Omnimax with booster.

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23 minutes ago, Traveller said:

I really do not get TV ariels but clearly our's is not doing what it should. Have had situations where one day the TV will pick up 40 odd channels and the next day zilch and that is whilst at our home mooring so nothing changes. Have also seen it just pick up a dozen or so channels but none of them are viewable - they keep breaking up. Why is this? Any ideas? And what sort of Ariel is best for digital TV. We currently have a Maxview Omnimax with booster.

Whenever this is said somebody always comes along and says 'well I have no problem with mine' but I will say it any way. This is the root of your problem as it sounds like you are on the fringes of reception and the best solution would be a good directional aerial. The Omnimax is best in strong signal areas even with a booster.

 

Look for a log periodic type and use an app. to find the direction of the transmitter or look to where local housing (or indeed other boats) are pointing their aerials.

 

Just one example but they are readily available.

 

https://tinyurl.com/y5jmrn26

Edited by The Happy Nomad
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1 minute ago, Mad Harold said:

Check the ariel connections are tight.

If the signal has been interrupted,the tv may have lost it's memory.

Try re-tuning from the menu.

Yes good point, worth trying before spending more dosh.

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I lost all my channels a couple of weeks ago, and thought it was the aerials and/or cables :( 

 

Turned out there had been a complete "upgrading" of the local transmissions, (Winter Hill I think), so there has been a couple of weeks where not all channels have been available. Even when it was all sorted I was still missing a couple of channels, (Dave and Really). This even though I had retuned several times.

 

Anyway, I eventually discovered that there are 2 ways of retuning on my Samsung TVs, one of which discards all existing channels, and retunes from scratch. Using this, I now have all the channels, (as far as I can tell).

 

If all has been good for a while, and things have gone wrong over a very short space of time, it could be worth doing one of these full resets. I'd guess the method will be different on different TVs but, if you're looking for it, hopefully it will be obvious.

 

Worth a try. As has already been said, it's free!! :)

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7 minutes ago, Richard10002 said:

I lost all my channels a couple of weeks ago, and thought it was the aerials and/or cables :( 

 

Turned out there had been a complete "upgrading" of the local transmissions, (Winter Hill I think), so there has been a couple of weeks where not all channels have been available. Even when it was all sorted I was still missing a couple of channels, (Dave and Really). This even though I had retuned several times.

 

Anyway, I eventually discovered that there are 2 ways of retuning on my Samsung TVs, one of which discards all existing channels, and retunes from scratch. Using this, I now have all the channels, (as far as I can tell).

 

If all has been good for a while, and things have gone wrong over a very short space of time, it could be worth doing one of these full resets. I'd guess the method will be different on different TVs but, if you're looking for it, hopefully it will be obvious.

 

Worth a try. As has already been said, it's free!! :)

On our Hitachi the options are.

 

Re tune manual

 

Re tune automatic.

 

and 

 

First time installation.

 

The last one clears out all the old stored channels and re-installs everything.

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35 minutes ago, The Happy Nomad said:

Whenever this is said somebody always comes along and says 'well I have no problem with mine' but I will say it any way. This is the root of your problem as it sounds like you are on the fringes of reception and the best solution would be a good directional aerial.  

 

https://tinyurl.com/y5jmrn26

In which case the weather will have an effect even on the same day/evening

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The signal levels involved are very small. Boosters have their place, but if the signal is weak and dirty, the output is stronger but still as dirty.  As said above, Omni aerials are handy, particularly in areas where there's good signal strength from a single transmitter, but for weaker signal areas, or where there are signals from multiple transmitters, the log periodic is your friend. Take note of the transmitter polarisation, so you know whether to mount your aerial in the horizontal or vertical axis.

 

Whatever your aerial, any moisture or poor connections in the aerial run will cause intermittent signal quality issues if not complete signal failure. If you take down your aerial, don't leave your disconnected coax cable outdoors where it can get damp, and protect any outdoor connection boxes, etc. 

 

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Get a log periodic aerial [sic] £13.49 from Screwfix.

 

linky to the product

 

Find out where your nearest transmitter is, and find its bearing from your home mooring (Google Earth does this). For example, ours is 350° (or 10° west of due north). Get a cheap compass and point the aerial in the right direction.

 

You may need the signal booster, but if the transmitter is fairly close you might be better off without it. It wasn't necessary at our old mooring, it is at the current one.

 

If you are out cruising, look at the Nicholsons Guide or an OS map, work out which way the boat is pointing, and adjust accordingly.

3 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

>>Aerial will work better than a washing powder.:giggles:

 

Or a Shakespearian character...

 

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      Assuming UK and US are using the same or similar Bands I have been battling a similar problem at my home. We are well within range and I have tried a couple of aerials. Work great for a couple of months and then we have reception issues. Nothing changes and no problem can be found.

 

Swap out for a better aerial and same thing. Works great for a while and then receptions degrades, we loose some channels and then we star seeing random breaks in the signal for no apparent reason. Then it improves and is fine for a while.

 

I have done a lot of reading and one thing I have found is that digital signals are more sensitive to obstructions and changes in weather than the old analog signals. Apparently my problem is not rare but not common either. Only advice I have found is a better aerial and since we are moving (House) not to long I just live with it.

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13 hours ago, Kudzucraft said:

I have done a lot of reading and one thing I have found is that digital signals are more sensitive to obstructions and changes in weather than the old analog signals

I have known instances where the direct signal from the transmitter is obstructed by,  for example, a big hill but the reflected signal from maybe the next hill is good enough to provide a usable signal. If your TV can display both signal strength and quality, it will often be characterised by very poor quality even if the strength is adequate. The reflected signal however may vary according to many factors including the state of the vegetation on the hill, as well as of course the weather; and if two separate reflections are competing for the honours of supplying you with your signal then what you get could vary considerably with time.

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Agree all of the above...

We've been cruising much of the system for 30+ years (and that doesn't mean we know nothing / out of date/ stuck in our ways). However some truths are self evident:-

You can't get a mobile or TV signal in a lot of places.

Signals are subject to absorbtion by vegetation or buildings in the line of sight between you and the transmitter.

Sometimes you can get a connection via satellite if terrestrial TV doesn't work.

A good sized sat: dish - or even a flat 'dish' is much better.

 

An omnidirectional aerial is of marginal utlility abd needs an amplifier as well. The DO NOT work (but should do) in fringe areas (like Henley-actually) where the local transmitter has the 'other' presentation (forgottten the correct term).

We carry a 20 element terrestrial aerial and a satelitte dish and the appropriate freeview / freesat receivers.

As a resilt there are very few places where we can't get a picture BUT only moor where we think we can get a connection.

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Like Traveller we here are badly effected by time of year, trees, foliage, atmospheric conditions, aircraft in and out of Stansted airport. The only aerials that are effective here are the big wide band jobs mounted as high as possible. On calm days in the winter when all the leaves have shed from the trees I can auto tune well over a 100 TV and radio stations. During the summer I'm lucky to tune. 20. Sat dishes and absolute waste of time.

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22 minutes ago, Keeping Up said:

I have known instances where the direct signal from the transmitter is obstructed by,  for example, a big hill but the reflected signal from maybe the next hill is good enough to provide a usable signal. If your TV can display both signal strength and quality, it will often be characterised by very poor quality even if the strength is adequate. The reflected signal however may vary according to many factors including the state of the vegetation on the hill, as well as of course the weather; and if two separate reflections are competing for the honours of supplying you with your signal then what you get could vary considerably with time.

Weather has a huge impact on the transmission of radio signals in the vhf/uhf range, the higher the frequency the more variation with weather. If the signal changes as the OP is saying, almost certainly on the fringe of good/poor reception and one of the omidirectional small boxes ain't going to hack it. As said above a simple log periodic for less than £20 is the answer. Easy if it is for your home mooring. The OP can come and borrow mine to try it if he wants (if he is near Rugby) as we now get all our TV via 4G.

Edited by Dr Bob
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