Which Transmitter?... Aerial

Helium

I'm 38km (good line of sight) from Mt.Leinster , Aerial group (B). Polarization - Horizontal.

28km from Arklow (lot of terrain) , Aerial group (A). Polarization - Vertical.

Think Mt.Leinster is my best option, but what would be best Aerial for job? and would I need an amp for that distance?

Tried an old aerial that's in attic but can only pick up analogue. Did pick up DTT but pics were frozen/broken up.

Would appreciate any advice, Thanks in advance.

lucernarian

Can you put up the aerial outside?

Arklow is a non-runner. You'll need a group B aerial unless RTE see sense and change the allocated frequencies.

Also, can you describe what cable is in use? E.g. how long is it, what type of cable is it, is there any foil shielding underneath the outer insulation or just copper strands? And are there any joins or splits?

Peter Rhea

Where is the attic aerial pointed, is it VHF or UHF?

Without knowing the exact conditions at your location it's hard to recommend anything.
Hiring a competent installer can work out cheaper than expensive trial & error.

can you post your rough location?
Mt leinster looks your best bet can you see it? even though,nothing between you and it is higher,you'd have a problem if you were in the lee of an immediate hill between you and it.
Is forth an option for you?

An attic aerial loses up to 20 db's compared to outside so would work a whole lot better outside.
A pic of the aerial would help.

Helium

Thanks for all replies guys!

Was going to go with new aerial on roof plus new cable.Fairly competent at DIY so was just wondering what type of aerial would you recommend and would I need an amp with it.

Like I stated have clear line of sight to Mt Leinster but it is nearly 40 km away.I'm in a bungalow but on an elevated site.
(Near Rathdangan West Wicklow BTW)

lucernarian

If the DTT signal is being detected in the first place, moving the aerial outside will provide more than enough signal gain. Using the old aerial would work fine so long as the point where the cable is connected is waterproof.

I don't know what aerial type you're using currently or what cable is there so I can't tell if you will gain much signal by replacing the cable or by replacing the aerial.

A masthead amp shouldn't be necessary unless the aerial signal is going to be split to a number of TVs. Once again, I can only guess at this without knowing how long the cable will be.

I agree with the above...as long as the old aerial is uhf,not vhf.
By the way,you might also try for kippure (ch54) and even cairn hill (ch47)there.
I know cairn hill comes in around hollywood.But if it was me only I'd be trying those from a curiosity point of view.

For you mt leinster is your man I'd say.You shouldn't need a masthead amp.

What was the old aerial previously used for? there used be a lot of vhf aerials in that area.I'm suspecting it might be vhf,you see.

Can you take a picture of it and upload it to www.img.ie and post a link to the image here?

Helium

Once again thanks! but will be replacing old aerial not even worthy of a photo , so recommendations on a suitable one would be appreciated. (Was only used to recieve analogue on other tv if there was clash Re: soaps/sport on Sky)

Basically anything to the North or East of me is all mountains so Mt. Leinster is obvious choice but thought distance might require an amp. That's why I thought I'd ask you superior beings on your thoughts. So what is a good make/model aerial to meet my needs. Thanks!!!

lucernarian

Why won't you answer the various questions in this thread?! The answer very much depends on how good the old aerial and cable was. It's a relative measure, you don't need a good aerial per se when all you need is a 2 or 3 dB gain in signal. You'll get more than that just by putting the aerial "unworthy of a photo" outside! How big is the aerial and is it a UHF or VHF aerial?


I suspect getting the cheapest Group B UHF aerial you can find and putting it outside at roof level will be perfectly adequate for use outside. You can always get a Unix 52 aerial for example which is a good aerial but it's your call if you want to throw your money away on overspeccing! And of course larger aerials mean bigger eyesores and stouter ironmongery to keep the aerial up.

I also cannot advise on a masthead amp if you don't say how long the cable will be, what type of cable you will use and if it will feed more than one TV/STB.

Yeah a uhf wideband grid for about 30 euro would do the trick too,something sturdy.
If you're down in arklow,you'll get one in brennans at castlepark.
Requisite length of good cable then and an aerial plug.
A distribution amp and more cable if you want it in a few rooms rather than splitters.

Helium

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah a uhf wideband grid for about 30 euro would do the trick too,something sturdy.
If you're down in arklow,you'll get one in brennans at castlepark.
Requisite length of good cable then and an aerial plug.
A distribution amp and more cable if you want it in a few rooms rather than splitters.

Thanks a million Deleted User, frequently down in Arklow so will call in, never knew about that place.

http://www.img.ie/4ba80.jpg

@ To Be Confirmed
Yeah so that's what's in the attic with red plastic caps either end. Is it worth trying on roof? Probably need 30 - 35ft cable ( recommendations gratefully accepted ) only for 1 TV. I see now what you're getting at about old aerial and not answering specifics about it Sorry!

Thats a contract group A aerial.
It won't work too well at that distance for a group B mt leinster saorview...but it might,stick it outside and see.
Otherwise Ring Brennans first and see if they have a grid aerial,it's a while since I was in there looking for one.They are in the castlepark carpark opposite the garda station,fire station,Health centre etc.

0402 32870

Alternatively,order online :

http://www.tvtrade.ie/wide-band-grid-uhf-aerial.html

Helium

Deleted User wrote: »

Thats a contract group A aerial.
It won't work too well at that distance for a group B mt leinster saorview...but it might,stick it outside and see.
Otherwise Ring Brennans first and see if they have a grid aerial,it's a while since I was in there looking for one.They are in the castlepark carpark opposite the garda station,fire station,Health centre etc.

0402 32870

Alternatively,order online :

http://www.tvtrade.ie/wide-band-grid-uhf-aerial.html

Thanks again Deleted User you've been very helpful.