"Choppy" saorview reception

mrcheez

I have a Samsung TV with a built-in Saorview tuner.

The tuner only appears to pick up Saorview when there is a co-ax cable attached, and even then only when the cable is plugged into a co-ax plug on my wall.

The problem is that it frequently stutters, almost as bad as this:

Is the problem likely to be:
- the co-ax cable (it is a cheap 5m one)
- or the TV location (it's behind a thick wall)
- or the general reception in my area (north Dublin)

?

Former Former

You need to attach an aerial. The co-ax is acting as sort of an aerial, but that's not really what it's designed for, hence the rubbish picture.

Start off with a cheapo indoor aerial from Dealz, see does that work, most locations in Dublin should be OK with indoor aerial, but you might need a small outdoor one.

mrcheez

Former Former wrote: »

You need to attach an aerial. The co-ax is acting as sort of an aerial, but that's not really what it's designed for, hence the rubbish picture.

Start off with a cheapo indoor aerial from Dealz, see does that work, most locations in Dublin should be OK with indoor aerial, but you might need a small outdoor one.

Could I get a very minimalist TV aerial that plugs into the co-ax cable, and position it near to the co-ax wall socket (5m away from the TV) ?

Just that the cabling around the mounted TV is pretty much set now and a bit of a chore to add more cables to the back.

Thurston?

mrcheez wrote: »

Could I get a very minimalist TV aerial that plugs into the co-ax cable, and position it near to the co-ax wall socket (5m away from the TV) ?

What's the wall socket for? Does the cable feeding it not at least lead somewhere (like the attic) where an aerial could be installed?

mrcheez

Thurston? wrote: »

What's the wall socket for? Does the cable feeding it not at least lead somewhere (like the attic) where an aerial could be installed?

I *think* the cable runs underground (was there when I bought the house) as there was a community satellite dish deal in the area years ago.

There's no cabling in the attic that I can see.

Could I plug the co-ax cable into an aerial device and position it in a hidden location? I just don't want to plug anything into the TV at present.

Former Former

If you're in an estate, it is most likely a Virgin Media connection.

mrcheez wrote: »

Could I plug the co-ax cable into an aerial device and position it in a hidden location? I just don't want to plug anything into the TV at present.

Yes, you can run the cable from the TV to wherever you can position the aerial.

I have one of these;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/TV-Radio-Antennas/One-All-SV9021-Amplified-Antenna/B001R545GW/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1492597862&sr=1-3&keywords=loop+tv+aerial

The base is hinged so it's wedged in behind the TV and I get perfect signal (in west Dublin); if you have a one-inch gap between TV and wall you could give it a go, but it may not work for you. If you're getting something even using a co-ax cable, it would indicate you are getting a decent signal.

mrcheez

Former Former wrote: »

If you're in an estate, it is most likely a Virgin Media connection.



Yes, you can run the cable from the TV to wherever you can position the aerial.

I have one of these;
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/TV-Radio-Antennas/One-All-SV9021-Amplified-Antenna/B001R545GW/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1492597862&sr=1-3&keywords=loop+tv+aerial

The base is hinged so it's wedged in behind the TV and I get perfect signal (in west Dublin); if you have a one-inch gap between TV and wall you could give it a go, but it may not work for you. If you're getting something even using a co-ax cable, it would indicate you are getting a decent signal.

Not bad. I take it that doesn't need a power supply?

I'll see if there's something like that in Dealz.

eamondunphy

not sure if i'm in the right section, my parents have an amiko mini combo box and when trying to scan it for channels in the terrestrial section, only 3 channels come up rte 1, be3 and rte junior , all 3 channels are very stuttery so are unwatchable.

My dad tells me that the white cable from the aerial is connected to the box, but could it just be a coaxial like mentioned above?

I havent seen the cable so am just taking his word for it.

He says its an aerial, as he gets the normal 15/16 analogue channels that come through like in the old days.

Do they need an aerial?

The Cush

Is there an aerial on the roof, it may be an MMDS aerial for the now defunct Chorus/UPC/Virgin Media wireless cable TV service or is it a connection to the local cable TV network? Where are they located, the Dublin cable network carries these analogue channels.

They require a UHF aerial pointing at their nearest recommended Saorview transmitter - https://www.saorview.ie/en/get/coverage, one of these depending on the transmitter.

eamondunphy

Thanks, it seems that my dad was wrong and that he doesn't have an aerial on the roof, so looks like we need to see which is the best option, an internal one.

Prefer a tidy internal but don't know how successful they are

blue_blue

I have one of these in an apartment block and it works fine.

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1070929/Trail/searchtext%3EAERIAL.htm

mrcheez

blue_blue wrote: »

I have one of these in an apartment block and it works fine.

http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1070929/Trail/searchtext%3EAERIAL.htm

Wall mountable too, nice.

Bit pricey though, maybe can pick up on Amazon.

eamondunphy

Thanks I picked one up last night and works perfectly, thanks for the help!!