Help Before I Buy

egal

I live in the west side of Omagh (Tamlaght Road area) and get my RTE from Clermont Carn - signal not great, but not too bad most of the time; British channels from Brougher.

My question is this. If I were to get a cheap Freeview box from Argos - the Sagem (say) - would it be sensitive enough to give me satisfactory reception of Brougher digital channels? And, since my aerial would be plugged into the Sagem (as I understand it), would it allow the RTE analogue signals to pass through?

lawhec

I live in the west side of Omagh (Tamlaght Road area) and get my RTE from Clermont Carn - signal not great, but not too bad most of the time; British channels from Brougher.

My question is this. If I were to get a cheap Freeview box from Argos - the Sagem (say) - would it be sensitive enough to give me satisfactory reception of Brougher digital channels? And, since my aerial would be plugged into the Sagem (as I understand it), would it allow the RTE analogue signals to pass through?

1. The Sagems are not renowned as sensitive boxes but are not reckoned to be the worst either.
2. Fire your postcode into the Postcode checker ( http://www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/coverage.html ) and see what it gives. It may return that you won't get all or any channels but this is quite a conservative checker. I've seen people whose postcode gives back "no channels" who get all of them grand. Within Omagh itself most multiplexes are usually OK although the UTV/Channel 4 multiplex appears weaker than the rest.
3. Yes, the RTÉ analogue signal will pass through the set-top box. Even if it doesn't have a modulator, it will still have a "RF loop through" to connect to a TV for analogue signals.

Word of caution however - Freeview & DTT boxes are not covered by the 16 day no quibble money back offer that Argos usually give.

egal

Many thanks, Northern Correspondent. You wouldn't happen to be an aerial installer by any chance. Maybe you could help me with my RTE reception. If so, please send me a private message.

lawhec

No, not an installer myself. While Argos at the Showgrounds does have cheap set-top boxes available, independent retailers like Steels or the DAC in the town will usually be happy enough to let you take the box back for a refund if it doesn't work out.

egal

O.K. Thanks again.

egal

I didn't buy the Sagem after all. I decided to spend an extra £10 and get the Goodmans, mainly for the flexibility of the second scart socket. And now I would appreciate some advice regarding connection.

My set-up is as follows:

TV - 2 scarts
Sky digibox - 2 scarts
Freeview box - 2 scarts
VCR - 2scarts
Comag "Porty" FTA satellite receiver (19E) - 2 scarts

When I got the Freeview box a few days ago I disconnected the Comag and substituted the Freeview box, connecting it in the same way that the Comag had been connected.

I'm not quite sure how everything slots together but the effect is as follows. Sky appears on E1; Freeview appears on E2; VCR playback appears on E2.
I can record from Sky (TV has to be switched on) and I can record from Freeview (TV does not have to be switched on). Of course, I can also record the analogue terrestrial channels using the UHF channel numbers since the aerial lead is connected to Freeview box, then to VCR, then to TV.

I now want to be able to connect the Comag back into the system. I didn't try it because I was afraid of doing harm, but I notice that there is a free scart on the Freeview box. Could I simply connect the Comag to this? Do scarts work both ways - in and out - or are some input only and others output only? Bear in mind I don't want to do damage and I don't want a set-up that is dangerous. Oh, and I don't need to be able to record from the Comag.

Thanks.