Help! How to get DTT in an apt in Dublin

alida62

As a complete novice to DTT, any advice for how to get DTT in a ground floor apartment in ballsbridge. Have a balcony but outdoor aerial would want to be discrete as prob not encouraged by management company. Hope to be moving out of here at some stage next few months so want something that I can take with me. My tv is an LG 32LG5050-2D so not sure what it has or hasnt got in terms of MPeg etc. Would be it worth getting someone out to advice and install or is that unneccessary. Am reasonably technical, I think!! thanks

Badgermonkey

Calling out an installers unnecessary, DIY.

Buy this as your LG's an older model, don't think it'll have the necessary tuner onboard:

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5322783/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CHome+entertainment+and+sat+nav%7C14419512/c_2/3%7Ccat_19780832%7CDigital+boxes+and+services%7C14419633.htm

Buy a cheap indoor aerial, place it beside a window and given you're location, you should pick up Saorview without difficulty.

alida62

ok thanks. I supppose what i really want to know is how to get a decent reception. its not until end next year anyway that the Saorview thing comes into play so its not so much me wanting to get HD as wanting to know if i the free channels are likely to be ok without me having to pay UPC for cable as i dont watch tv that much. i will try out some options like with a cheap uhf aerial and i may be back for more advice!! :0)

Badgermonkey

Saorview officially launched in spring 2011.

It's a free service and available to most everyone in Ireland via an aerial and iDTV or set-top box. No subscription is necessary to UPC or Sky etc.

www.saorview.ie

An outdoor aerial is always preferable but as you mentioned you're on the ground floor and moving soon, cheapo indoor would seem optimal.

Rambo

Badgermonkey wrote: »

Saorview officially launched in spring 2011.

It's a free service
www.saorview.ie

This is not a free service its payed from your TV licence

ardmacha

If you get decent reception of analogue channels with an indoor aerial then that will probably suffice for digital too. Then all you need is a tuner box, most likely.

Badgermonkey

Rambo wrote: »

This is not a free service its payed from your TV licence

And the NeverEnding Story had a running time of a mere 94mins

icdg

Badgermonkey wrote: »

And the NeverEnding Story had a running time of a mere 94mins

It felt never ending.

Can we concentrate on helping the OP rather than debating how free Saorview is?

Tony

I wonder would it be possible to make an aerial from coax cable and suspend it either side of your balcony in the direction of 3 rock . What you do is strip back the outer sheath and then separate the braid from the centre conductor an spread them apart like a Captal letter T . Will not cost you much to try it out if you fancy a bit of DIY

Sam Russell

Tony wrote: »

I wonder would it be possible to make an aerial from coax cable and suspend it either side of your balcony in the direction of 3 rock . What you do is strip back the outer sheath and then separate the braid from the centre conductor an spread them apart like a Captal letter T . Will not cost you much to try it out if you fancy a bit of DIY

If you are going to try this, make the lengths about 8 inhes long, and horizontal - maybe tape them to a piece of wood or a plastic ruler. Point it towards where you imagins 3rock to be. I]By that, the lengths are at right angles to the direction of the transmitter.[/I Do not put it directly on the ground, unless it is a timber floor, but try it in many positions. You will be surprised where it will work and where it will not.

Booms

Just to clarify - for CH55 that should be about 8 inches in total - 4 inches each side.
(I'm open to correction on this )

Tony

Booms wrote: »

Just to clarify - for CH55 that should be about 8 inches in total - 4 inches each side.
(I'm open to correction on this )

4,8 or 16 will work each side Longer the better

Booms

I'll try that!:)

homer911

Badgermonkey wrote: »

Calling out an installers unnecessary, DIY.

Buy this as your LG's an older model, don't think it'll have the necessary tuner onboard:

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/5322783/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CHome+entertainment+and+sat+nav%7C14419512/c_2/3%7Ccat_19780832%7CDigital+boxes+and+services%7C14419633.htm

Buy a cheap indoor aerial, place it beside a window and given you're location, you should pick up Saorview without difficulty.

Argos wants €35 for a HDMI cable!! :eek:

Booms

there's a HDMI cable already in the box.
No Scart cable, though.

Maybe they've got it wrong and they think they're selling a scart cable for €34.99:eek:

lucernarian

Tony wrote: »

4,8 or 16 will work each side Longer the better

I've done a little looking into antenna design theory and I came to the conclusion that a half-wave dipole is the most optimal length for any given dipole, though the "5/8 wavelength" ratio kept cropping up in some circumstances. I forget the details.

There's a lot of designs for grid aerials on the web, albeit written for an american audience. I'm not sure if you would need to adjust the dimensions much to use it for Saorview in Dublin: http://uhfhdtvantenna.blogspot.com/

Tony

Lord help us if Watty spots this thread

Sam Russell

In my post earlier, I mentioned a dimension of 8 inches (200mm). I meant that to be the overall width of the horizontal element. I may have not explained myself clearly. I normaly use a coathanger wire bent as a folded diploe which works well, and has an overall dimension of 8 inches, by about 1 inch. I then use about 4 inches of paralel wire, half inch apart.

winston_1

Tony wrote: »

4,8 or 16 will work each side Longer the better

NO. 4 represents a 1/2 wave dipole correctly matched to 75 ohms. 8 represents a full wave dipole which is a total mismatch. 16 is a 2 wave dipole also mismatched. 12 would be OK at a 3/4 wave dipole.

Tony

winston_1 wrote: »

NO. 4 represents a 1/2 wave dipole correctly matched to 75 ohms. 8 represents a full wave dipole which is a total mismatch. 16 is a 2 wave dipole also mismatched. 12 would be OK at a 3/4 wave dipole.

We are talking about a made up piece of coax antenna here . I seriously doubt if he/she is planning on doing any transmission. Get over yourself

STB

The original poster will never come back...... probably thinks they are a bunch of weirdos over on the tech forum....

All he needed was a small powered aerial on the window cill.

winston_1

Tony wrote: »

We are talking about a made up piece of coax antenna here . I seriously doubt if he/she is planning on doing any transmission. Get over yourself

No need to be so rude. I was just stating fact.

Tony

STB wrote: »

The original poster will never come back...... probably thinks they are a bunch of weirdos over on the tech forum....

All he needed was a small powered aerial on the window cill.

Yep thats for sure , I think some people here missed the posts intended to be slightly humouous. Another thread turns into a train wreck

winston_1 wrote: »

No need to be so rude. I was just stating fact.

Rude? This coming from a guy who opens his post with the capitals NO ! (the equivalent on the internet of shouting) Please tell me you meant the number 4 ?