Non Roof-mounted Aerial Options For Saorview

super_freddie

Hi,


We have a satellite dish with Freeview, working fine. We also have rabbit's ears (with booster) for Saorview but the reception has always been poor and in recent weeks, it's terrible.


We're in a rented house without an aerial and won't be able to have one put up I think. So what are my options? I can get access to the attic so one thing I could do is combine the rabbit's ears with an old wireless sender I have somewhere (I think) ... but I reckon that could still be unreliable, although having the ears located in a higher location (attic) would give some improvement I think.


Any ideas? I've done some web searches but it's been pretty inconclusive...


Thanks,
super_freddie

beauf

Not sure why you find it inconclusive.

AFAIK you can put an ariel in the attic or near the dish. Run the Saorview down the same cable.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=73712605

Though maybe it would be easier/cheaper to put an aerial in the attic and run a separate cable.

http://www.satellite.ie/acatalog/Attic-and-Outdoor-digital-tv-aerial.html

The Cush

If you can't install the aerial outside, the attic would be the next best option provided the signal is good enough in there. It'll have to be wired direct to the TV point. If there's a TV point on the wall near the TV it may already be wired to a central point such as the attic.

If you can test one of these basic contract UHF aerials in the attic - http://www.tvtrade.ie/tv-and-radio-aerials/uhf-aerials.html

super_freddie

Thanks beauf. I'll investigate the first option. Second option would appear to be a non-runner due to requirement to run an extra cable, which I don't want to do.


Would a wireless sender work with the attic aerial?


super_freddie.

The Cush

super_freddie wrote: »

Would a wireless sender work with the attic aerial?

No, the aerial has to wired direct to the TV.

winston_1

super_freddie wrote: »

Hi,


We have a satellite dish with Freeview, working fine. We also have rabbit's ears (with booster) for Saorview but the reception has always been poor and in recent weeks, it's terrible.


We're in a rented house without an aerial and won't be able to have one put up I think. So what are my options? I can get access to the attic so one thing I could do is combine the rabbit's ears with an old wireless sender I have somewhere (I think) ... but I reckon that could still be unreliable, although having the ears located in a higher location (attic) would give some improvement I think.
Ok

Any ideas? I've done some web searches but it's been pretty inconclusive...


Thanks,
super_freddie

You can't get Freeview with a satellite dish. Freeview is the UK terrestrial service only receivable with an aerial. Maybe you are getting Freesat or free to air satellite.

So called rabbits ears are VHF aerials for DAB or FM radio, completely unsuitable for UHF Saorview. Boosters on indoor aerials are a waste of time, money, and electricity as they are designed to overcome the loss on a long length of cable which you don't have on an indoor aerial. You cannot put a wireless sender on an aerial, well you can but it won't do anything.

So your options. You are allowed a satellite dish but not an aerial, why?
Put a proper UHF aerial in the loft and run a coax lead down to your TV.
Or if satellite is allowed but not an aerial consider a Saorsat system, but very much more costly than an aerial in the loft and less channels.

super_freddie

winston_1 wrote: »

You can't get Freeview with a satellite dish. Freeview is the UK terrestrial service only receivable with an aerial. Maybe you are getting Freesat or free to air satellite.

So called rabbits ears are VHF aerials for DAB or FM radio, completely unsuitable for UHF Saorview. Boosters on indoor aerials are a waste of time, money, and electricity as they are designed to overcome the loss on a long length of cable which you don't have on an indoor aerial. You cannot put a wireless sender on an aerial, well you can but it won't do anything.

So your options. You are allowed a satellite dish but not an aerial, why?
Put a proper UHF aerial in the loft and run a coax lead down to your TV.
Or if satellite is allowed but not an aerial consider a Saorsat system, but very much more costly than an aerial in the loft and less channels.

Thanks for the clarifications.


My rabbit’s ears say UHF / VHF.


Not so much a case of can use satellite / can’t use aerial as “can use what’s there already and that happens to be satellite.” I’ve looked at the Saorsat option and it really seems to be as a last resort.


So from what I can figure out my options are

• Get a better UHF indoor aerial than the One For All one that I have. Mount it free-standing in the TV room in some way. Lowest cost and least work option but may not give sufficient improvement.
• Attic aerial, piggyback on the existing satellite dish cabling. Would need to use some kind of combiner gizmo at the TV end and would also probably need to cut the cable in the attic to get the signal from the aerial onto the cable. Need to investigate this further.
• Attic aerial and try to feed its output to some kind of central point in the attic that will feed to the TV point in the TV room. Assumes that this TV point is different to the one used for satellite. If not, we’re back ti the scenario described in 2. above.
• Saorsat (last resort).

Importantly, there appears to be no option that transmits wirelessly from aerial to any kind of receiver that can be directly connected to TV.


Is the above pretty much it?


Thanks,


super_freddie.

The Cush

If the Saorview signal is good enough in the attic and the satellite cables run through the attic then one of these combiners/splitters at each end of the cable should do the job - http://www.tvtrade.ie/alltrade-tv-aerial-and-satellite-combiner.html

super_freddie

Thanks Cush :-)


Looking at the description of the combiner / splitter, it appears to be F-type connectors on all of the connections. Will I need an F-type to Coax adaptor so that I can run the feed from the Saorview aerial into the RF / 75 ohm input port on the TV?


Cheers,
super_freddie

The Cush

super_freddie wrote: »

Looking at the description of the combiner / splitter, it appears to be F-type connectors on all of the connections. Will I need an F-type to Coax adaptor so that I can run the feed from the Saorview aerial into the RF / 75 ohm input port on the TV?

A short length of cable with an F-connector at one end and a standard co-ax connector at the other end.