Analog terrestrial TV aerial advice (D7)

TM

First post in this forum so apologies if any or all of this is covered already but I did browse/search and could not find answers. If necessary just post links to existing info.

I'm looking at ditching cable and using a DIY FTA satellite and analog terrestrial setup instead. Probably nothing strange in that? However I'm a little unclear on the analog terrestrial side of things.

While I realise that external would be better I am hoping to use an internal/attic mounted antenna if possible (assuming that a basic set top antenna is not sufficient).

I'm Stoneybatter area and I presume that the transmitter of interest is Three Rock - is this correct? I think that I'm about 8-10 miles from this and should have clear line of sight in case that matters?

Are all the relevant channels (RTE1/2, TV3, TG4, C6 - other?) on UHF so that a single UHF antenna will suffice rather than a separate or combined VHF one?

Can anybody suggest the technical specs of a suitable antenna or, better still, identify which in the Maplin or Argos catalogs might suit (just to check the details even if shopping around might get a better deal) bearing in mind the preference for attic mounting if possible?

Is there anything else I need to know?

Thanks in advance for your patience/assistance!

byte

Hi, I'll attempt answering some of your queries, as I'm not in Dublin.

If you have clear LoS to Three Rock, then an aerial may work in the attic. Best thing here would be trial and error - if its not good enough in attic, it may need to go outdoors.

All transmissions from Three Rock are UHF, so no VHF aerial neccessary.

I was going to suggest a Grouped aerial, but it would seem that while 3 of the channels are Group A (Ch29, 33, 35), TG4 is Group C/D (Ch55).

So, for convenience, I suggest a Grid (aka Colour King) aerial which is wideband. link

You would need to put it into the attic just as you see it in the picture, and not longways (the elements need to be horizontal for 3Rock)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Rock_Mountain

TM

Thanks byte - very helpful. I looked at the Wikipedia page on Three Rock earlier but missed the details of the broadcast channels...

I wasn't even aware of UHF groups but just read up briefly on them. I guess that a group A aerial would be better (narrower "focus"? not sure of the terminology ) than wideband?

BTW - Channel 6 is not listed on the Wikipedia Three Rock page. Anybody know the details?

byte

Grouped aerials do usually work better than the grids. In your case you'd need two (a Group A and Group C/D), and an A/E Combiner to combine the 2 together. Grid would do your job though, and easier to work with.

Channel 6 is not broadcast from Three Rock, it's only on cable and satellite. I don't even think it's on the DTT trial, though open to correction on that.

TM

Thanks again.

Why would the Grid work better than a "standard" (?) shaped (Yagi?) UHF antenna that is supposed to cover all channels/groups?

byte

Have to be honest and say I've never used a wideband Yagi, as I prefer grouped.

I'd just think a grid would be easier to hang in the attic, and they're easy to get.

TM

OK - thanks again for all the advice.