TV aerials

[robsusiecuttlefish]

Morning guys.

 

We wish to replace our bulky 'household' TV aerial ~ can anyone suggest an effective replacement for digital coverage ~ preferably non-directional?

 

Rob & Susie

[fastcarmiracledrug]

Morning guys.

 

We wish to replace our bulky 'household' TV aerial ~ can anyone suggest an effective replacement for digital coverage ~ preferably non-directional?

 

Rob & Susie

HI WE HAD A TV AERIAL BUT GOT FED UP LEAVING IT IN THE TREES ,THEN HAD SUITCASE SAT DISH (RUBBISH) WE NOW HAVE AN OLD METAL SKY DISH AND ITS GREAT YOU CAN GET THEM AT LOCAL TIPS OR BOOT SALE FOR ABOUT 5 QUID

[WotEver]

We swear by our Maxview Omnimax an example here but others have scoffed at our choice

 

We've received a signal with the Omnimax where a 'standard' TV aerial on a 6 ft pole gave us nothing but mush. However others (those who scoffed) told us that their experience was the reverse and they'd chucked their Omnimax in favour of a standard aerial.

 

Maybe it's akin to the pump out vs cassette argument

 

Tony

[churchward]

We swear by our Maxview Omnimax an example here but others have scoffed at our choice

 

We've received a signal with the Omnimax where a 'standard' TV aerial on a 6 ft pole gave us nothing but mush. However others (those who scoffed) told us that their experience was the reverse and they'd chucked their Omnimax in favour of a standard aerial.

 

Maybe it's akin to the pump out vs cassette argument

 

Tony

I am no fan of omni-directional Ariel's myself. On 3 boats and a motor home I have yet to see one work other than show a very snowy picture even with a signal booster. I don't think any one of them was the model you show though. I don't think it is a cassette v pump out situation as the results are there for all to see as it were rather than subjective however it may depend on where you normally cruise and the strength/weakness and type of signal from the transmission mast. A lot of issues I have found over time with bad signal is to do with condition of the coax cable and how it has been fitted to the plugs. just one of the out fine wires touching the centre core or any other bad contact will cause picture problems.

 

On our boat we use a directional Ariel but a log periodic one. This has a long slender shape without the need for any other extension a the back of the Ariel that make it difficult to store. Ours is clipped to the under side of the cratch plank at the front. Here is an example of a similar ariel

 

http://www.roadpro.co.uk/retail/product_de...BLE&id=1084

 

We also use a signal finder to home-in on the best signal (saves on the "right a bit, left a bit" shouting to set it up!) and I have kept the amplifier from our old omni-directional ariel but it is not always needed. We can get good analogue and good digital most places.

Edited September 2, 2009 by churchward

[Grasshopper]

We swear by our Maxview Omnimax an example here but others have scoffed at our choice

 

Tony, you are not alone. I too swear by mine. Picks up digital TV & FM radio fine. And no monkeying about having to move it.

 

But one thing I have learnt is that there is a HUGE difference in the quality of terrestrial digital receivers. A RoadPro 12v one got virtually nothing (despite working fine at my house) but the one built into the Sony TV that I now use when on the boat pulls in every channel available.

 

So the aerial is only half the equation. Probably the RoadPro would have worked OK with a good directional aerial but the Omnimax can also work fine if it is teamed with the right receiver.

[mudslide]

We swear by our Maxview Omnimax an example here but others have scoffed at our choice

 

We've received a signal with the Omnimax where a 'standard' TV aerial on a 6 ft pole gave us nothing but mush. However others (those who scoffed) told us that their experience was the reverse and they'd chucked their Omnimax in favour of a standard aerial.

 

Maybe it's akin to the pump out vs cassette argument

 

Tony

I have to join the scoffers , I spent 80 quid on mine , it needs a 240 volt connection for the signal booster and I get better reception from a coathanger.

It's taking up room in the cupboard so if you want to make an offer and pick it up (Derby) , it's yours.

Hey ! I'd swap it for a spare cassette

[WotEver]

it needs a 240 volt connection for the signal booster...

 

Don't think it's an Omnimax then. They come with 12V boosters and (certainly for the last 20 years) always have.

 

T.

[nb Innisfree]

They are great with a decent strength signal but with a weak one directional aerial beats it.

[mudslide]

Don't think it's an Omnimax then. They come with 12V boosters and (certainly for the last 20 years) always have.

 

T.

It is 12v , hasn't been used for 3 years

[dor]

I use an Omnimax and get great reception on digital and analogue. Need an omni as we are usually on the triple point between three areas so moving a few miles can put you into a different area.

 

Reception does depend a lot on the TV's tuner though. In the past I've always used a booster. With my newish tv, a "cello", it gets a good signal with no booster where my last Toshiba tele would pick up nothing with a booster.

[alan_fincher]

My view on whether an "omni" like the Omnimax will work is that it depends far, far more on where you are, than the quality of the tuner in what you are connecting it to.

 

We have one, (albeit a fairly old one), mounted on a 6 foot pole, and known on board as "Gandalf's staff".

 

Much of the time it is totally utterly useless, and no amount of retuning of the TV will get a decent picture.

 

At other locations it's picture perfect, (and a handy backup to a cheap satellite system, if there isn't a clear view of the satellite).

 

It (almost) entirely depends where you are, where the transmitter is and how powerful, and on terrain in between.

 

No "omni" can possibly do as well in a poor signal area as a decent directional yagi or log-periodic type antenna, correctly pointed, and erected at a similar height - that's simple physics that cannot be argued with.

 

If the 'omnis' work for you where you want them to, then count yourself lucky, but if they do not, replace the antenna, not the tuner or set.

 

EDITED to add.....

 

If those egg whisks were really capable of the same performance everywhere as 6 feet lumps of aluminium with dozens of elements on it. then why don't our houses all have nice little Omnimax antennas on the chimney, rather than those great monstrosities we do have installed. The reason we stick all that metal up there is that it is by far the best way of plucking the best possible signal out of thin air.

Edited September 2, 2009 by alan_fincher

[dor]

f those egg whisks were really capable of the same performance everywhere as 6 feet lumps of aluminium with dozens of elements on it. then why don't our houses all have nice little Omnimax antennas on the chimney, rather than those great monstrosities we do have installed.

1: why pay £80 when a decent directional aerial can be picked up for £20 and:

2: as a rule, houses don't move around.

[alan_fincher]

1: why pay £80 when a decent directional aerial can be picked up for £20 and:

2: as a rule, houses don't move around.

Fair points, although you'll be lucky to only get charged £20 for the hardware if somebody else goes up the chimney for you. (They'll usually supply somthing a great deal longer lasting than the £20 offer in argos).

 

It probably wasn't worth making that extra point then, ( ), but the fact remains an Omni can never pull out weak signals like a directional antenna.

 

At our last address, where the Hemel "Bedmond" transmitter was direct line of sight, you could get a perfect colour picture on a minimal indoor antenna. On the other hand, the not overly large directional array on the roof so swamped the TV with signal that it needed two attenuators in series to reduce it to the point it could cope.

 

On a boat few will be in anything like that kind of signal strength, and most will need a good antenna to get reasonably pictures at many of the locations they moor at. I know an Omnimax can work perfectly - equally I know the same one will fail completely at the next night location - position is all.

[RobinR]

This has been addressed many times before. Searching "aerial" within this section finds this, this and this as starters. For the Suitcase Satellite, search "suitcase" which finds, for example, this. Searches will frequently find answers to your questions.

[Guest]

I was given an Omnimax some years ago and it has no 12v booster, so assume it is very old. I mounted it a magmount off a broken CB aerial. Works a treat in good signal areas (analogue and digital), bit dodgy in weaker areas. I didn't rate it at first, but since discovered that the plug was not fitted correctly. I have a big aerial and pole but rarely need to bother with it. I swear our little old Roadstar CRT 12V telly would work with a coat hanger.

As an aside I got a digital box from Asda (own brand) which had a 12Vdc power supply. Icut the lead and wired it to the 12V on the boat. Has worked faultlessly all summer, engine running doesn't seem to have hurt it. I think it was under 20 quid.

Edited September 2, 2009 by Guest

[Keeping Up]

Tony, you are not alone. I too swear by mine. Picks up digital TV & FM radio fine. And no monkeying about having to move it.

 

But one thing I have learnt is that there is a HUGE difference in the quality of terrestrial digital receivers. A RoadPro 12v one got virtually nothing (despite working fine at my house) but the one built into the Sony TV that I now use when on the boat pulls in every channel available.

 

So the aerial is only half the equation. Probably the RoadPro would have worked OK with a good directional aerial but the Omnimax can also work fine if it is teamed with the right receiver.

I agree too. We use an Omnimax with its booster into a Sony TV and it works most of the time, even when other TV sets wouldn't get anythying. I use a signal finder too, if I find the Omni won't get anything; firstly to tell me that there's no point trying anything else and secondly of course to find which way to point my other aerial, which is a Labgear indoor set-top aerial. It's only got about 6 elements so it's only about a foot long and it packs away in a cupboard when not in use. It's not intended for outdoor use, but after several years it's still working fine.

[steelaway]

I was given an Omnimax some years ago and it has no 12v booster, so assume it is very old. I mounted it a magmount off a broken CB aerial. Works a treat in good signal areas (analogue and digital), bit dodgy in weaker areas. I didn't rate it at first, but since discovered that the plug was not fitted correctly. I have a big aerial and pole but rarely need to bother with it. I swear our little old Roadstar CRT 12V telly would work with a coat hanger.

As an aside I got a digital box from Asda (own brand) which had a 12Vdc power supply. Icut the lead and wired it to the 12V on the boat. Has worked faultlessly all summer, engine running doesn't seem to have hurt it. I think it was under 20 quid.

 

 

In a similar vein.

Has any body any views on which TV (with built in Freeview) is the best at recieving digi stations.

We have had 3 new TV this year and not one can pick up all the stations that our old £20 digibox can find.

 

Alex

[dor]

I've got a 'Cello' which came from Comet. I'm really impressed with what it picks up on figital with an Omnimax & no booster. Far, far better than my previous Toshiba which struggled to get analogue, let alone digital. 19" with built-in DVD for £159 a few months ago.

[Grasshopper]

Has any body any views on which TV (with built in Freeview) is the best at recieving digi stations.

 

Well based upon mine & Allan's experience above, I would say Sony. But they don't come cheap. Although I picked up mine reconditioned so it wasn't too bad.

 

my other aerial, which is a Labgear indoor set-top aerial. It's only got about 6 elements so it's only about a foot long and it packs away in a cupboard when not in use. It's not intended for outdoor use, but after several years it's still working fine.

 

That's interesting. One of the reasons that I stick with the Omnimax is that only having a 26 foot boat, storage space is at a premium. But that sounds like a useful back up.

[Billypownall]

Morning guys.

 

We wish to replace our bulky 'household' TV aerial ~ can anyone suggest an effective replacement for digital coverage ~ preferably non-directional?

 

Rob & Susie

This months Motor Boats Monthly have done a detailed test of eight antennas to see which offers the best signal for on board television. The best by far appears to be the Status 315 at £88. Some of the others were pretty poor and the Omnimax did not do very well either.

[WotEver]

The best by far appears to be the Status 315 at £88.

 

If you google around the various caravan/motorhome forums they rarely have anything good to say about the 315. Most folk appear to end up replacing them with the Status 530/5 (around £110 instead of £90).

 

Tony

[Speedwell]

I need to replace my indoor aerial on the roof. At the moment a normal log type aerial seems favourite but has anybody any experience of the "Image" type of aerial ? They look rather like a plastic fish with too many fins and seem to be getting quite popular.

Arthur

[Tony Brooks]

I need to replace my indoor aerial on the roof. At the moment a normal log type aerial seems favourite but has anybody any experience of the "Image" type of aerial ? They look rather like a plastic fish with too many fins and seem to be getting quite popular.

Arthur

 

I have one because it is directional and hangs flat against the inside of the hull. I use it in conjunction with a 12v aerial amplifier/splitter with the aerial on top of a 12 ft extending painters pole. Over about two months of summer cruising I only failed to get at least a watchable analogue signal once and that was by the junction on the Caldon. For perhaps 3/4 of the time I got a good digital signal.

 

 

You do have to keep an eye on house aerials so you know when to swap it from horizontal to vertical polarisation.

[nb Innisfree]

I have one because it is directional and hangs flat against the inside of the hull. I use it in conjunction with a 12v aerial amplifier/splitter with the aerial on top of a 12 ft extending painters pole. Over about two months of summer cruising I only failed to get at least a watchable analogue signal once and that was by the junction on the Caldon. For perhaps 3/4 of the time I got a good digital signal.

 

 

You do have to keep an eye on house aerials so you know when to swap it from horizontal to vertical polarisation.

 

I have knocked up a swivel mounting for our log periodic to change polarisation, I have often seen boat aerials aligned horizontally when in a vertical area.

[Nickhlx]

On ours we have an aerial that looks like a flying saucer, approx 12" diameter and 3" thick in the centre, tapering down at the edges to about an inch or so thick.

 

I have to admit it does pull in the signal really quite well, although "instinct" would say its a big compromise compared to a bigger colinear (vertical). I don't know the make but will look and report next time I go to the boat. I do know though that it is entirely passive ( doesn't have a pre-amp built in).

 

For pulling in the best signal at terrestrial TV frequencies, there is nothing to beat a big Yagi - preferably not wideband as this reduces gain compared to a monoband, but having a big yagi for each band is not practical, so nearly everyone would opt for a wideband as a compromise.

 

So, for receiving terrestrial services, either analogue or digital, I would suggest for most purposes that a GOOD omnidirectional "flying saucer" type for stronger signal strength areas, and a GOOD big ( i.e. long / expensive) wideband yagi, on a pole as high as you can tolerate, ( take down when moving) with a preamp, for icing on the cake, is going to be all you can reasonably do - and use a quality satellite co-ax as the feeder for lowest loss.

 

Nick