Cannot recieve signal from bbc

The_Bullman

Hello all,

Just wondering if you guys might have an idea of what i could do about this situation that has been bothering me for years and years. I live in the countryside near the border and for years my neighbours, from a few hundred yards away to a few miles, can recieve the bbc, itv and all the rest. I have been stuck on bog 1 & 2 since birth. Since i am now of the age that i can do things about such injustaces(and since i had to move back home from ntl dublin) i would like to get these channels that i have grown acustamed to.

I am looking for ways to get a signal from 200-500 metres from my house to the tv in the living room. I am not too sure of the distance as i don't know just how far it is but i know that my neighbour about 500m away can get bbc. I was told that this distance is too great for coax cable to run as the signal would be lost, even with boosters.

any ideas anyone.

thanks in advance

Originally posted by The_Bullman

I am looking for ways to get a signal from 200-500 metres from my house to the tv in the living room.
thanks in advance

Your living room is 2-500 metres away from the rest of your house?
What builder was this:D

To answer your question , you would need to explain what is blocking the signal if anything eg, hills, trees , observation tower etc
And let us know even if you have tried a uhf aerial for the transmitter , your neighbours are using.

Mind you the simplest solution of all is just to get Sky digi installed with a bbc card.
Far cheaper than messing with co-ax, amps aerials etc.
mm

lawhec

First of all you don't say whereabouts along the border you are and what exactly it is that means you can't get reception from the BBC transmitters. Without that info I couldn't give you clear suggestions. It might also be possible that there may be an alternative transmitter you can use.

The longest TV coax run I've ever seen is around 90m, this was for an RTE installiation in Tyrone from Carin Hill in Longford - picture was a little grainy but perfectly watchable in all weathers, except for TG4 which was affected by the weather. 200m may be possible but this would have to have a v.good signal from the aerial itself, using a very high gain booster, using high quality CT100/125 aerial cable (at used for satellite TV) and then also possibly using a further indoor amplifier (the type you'd find in Argos). The end result would most likely be a noisy picture, perhaps not worth the expense.

As madman says, try and get Sky Digital receiver then get yer mits on a UK FTV card. The pros of this are that you will get all five UK terrestial channels crystal clear plus the extra BBC Digital channels. The cons are that as with everything with Sky Digital you can't record one channel on the system while watching another. Nevertheless, telling us the location could help with a terrestial setup which could in future be used with the UK DTT setup (that last bit is precautionary as no-one knows yet.)

The_Bullman

Originally posted by madman

Your living room is 2-500 metres away from the rest of your house?
What builder was this:D

i am so confused by this!!


i live in co louth on the dundalk to carlingford road. My signal is being blocked by mountains i am told. The way i see it there is a hill to the north of my house which is probable blocking the signal from the north(actaully the hill would also block the signal from the east too) my neighbours house which is a few hundred metres away can receive the signal because it is slightly more elevated(meaning that it could recieve signals from the east) and the hill to the north has sloped enough to let a signal through from the north.

NorthDown

You mustn't be that many miles away from the RTE Clermont Carn tx then!

Having driven round the Carlingford peninsula a couple of times recently en route to Tain Centre I would say you might be getting BBC FM reception but with lots of static on it. I just wonder with the sea to the south you might not have better luck taking Winter Hill in Lancashire (though its BBC1 is one channel away from Clermont Carn Net2) or even some of the main txs in North Wales.

Up here in Belfast Lough BBC1 Winter Hill makes regular appearances and I've flukily got BBC Wales once and I suspect there must be only sea to your south / south east from the building.

The_Bullman

Originally posted by NorthDown
You mustn't be that many miles away from the RTE Clermont Carn tx then!

...there must be only sea to your south / south east from the building.

you are correct there man. why would you go to the tain?!?

how would i line-up my aerial to pick up this lancashire transmitter.

i may have not made this clear but i havn't got a clue really on how to set up the aerial at all. any other setups have been done by pros. Unfortunatly i was not around to ask about the beeb.. ah well

DMC

Winter Hill or Cumbria will require vast amounts of ironmongery...
Line of sight would be critical in this situation. NorthDown, you jut out just that little bit further and higher than Carlingford

Really, your best bet and most cost effective is to get your hands on a second-hand Sky digibox, with a BBC FTA. That's if don't go for the full package with an Irish subscription.

Originally posted by The_Bullman


i am so confused by this!!


i live in co louth on the dundalk to carlingford road. My signal is being blocked by mountains i am told. The way i see it there is a hill to the north of my house which is probable blocking the signal from the north(actaully the hill would also block the signal from the east too) my neighbours house which is a few hundred metres away can receive the signal because it is slightly more elevated(meaning that it could recieve signals from the east) and the hill to the north has sloped enough to let a signal through from the north.

Now how much higher up than you is your neighbours house?
Also are the elements in their aerial horizontal ie straight line sideways or Vertical , straight line standing up?
If its the latter and pointed East or thereabouts, they are using a relay-possibbly kilkeel??

Unfortunately when you are close to a hill - signal blocked out totally.
The more distance between you and the hill , the more of the signal escapes to you .

But really your best bet is the digibox and bbc card.
Kills the fun putting up the iron mongery though.
mm

NorthDown

I'm not so sure Damien...
The parents live very close to the sea but i always got an STV signal down there from Darvel. Indeed there was usually some signs of TG4 too. Up where i am now I have loads of height but have only once in 4 years managed to get STV Darvel here. On the south side of Carlingford you've no land between you and and an English / Welsh tx (save the IoM and it's far enough away not to concern us).
My understanding is obstructions are always the problem - eg mountain / trees etc - so surely pointing the direction which has no obstructions would be best?

As to why I was at the Tain I had to take a class on residential there - sadly I couldn't see Clermont Carn from there.
You don't know if they've finally built the new transmitter up there?

The_Bullman

DamoDMC as regards the ironmongary that shouldn't bee too much a problem as the brother works in a steel place and i also know the way around a welder if need be. I would rather not get a sky package yet. no reason, just call me stubborn

Now how much higher up than you is your neighbours house?
Also are the elements in their aerial horizontal ie straight line sideways or Vertical , straight line standing up?
If its the latter and pointed East or thereabouts, they are using a relay-possibbly kilkeel??

Madman, my neighbours house is only about 15-20 feet higher than my one.
from looking at the aerial it seems to be lined up horizontally, in a northerly direction. I was talking to my mother about it and she says that there is a gap in the mountain to suit my neighbour. i dunno what to make of this, she has been known to be horribly wrong in the past.

i actually don't live in Carlingford. i live on about halfway from the roundabout to greenore(maybe 2/3rds) i can see the sea from my house.

how high above sea level would my metal skills have to be to get a signal??

Again it's hard to answer, unless seen.
Have you ever had anyone try an aerial at your house for BBC and ITV? and if so, did they get anything at all??
For twin aerials,mast, amps , cables, labour etc-to get a professional to do the job(which in your case I'd have to say would be a good idea as they would know immediately whether reception might be possible)
The cost would be probaby a minimum of four or five hundred Euro, depending on how high you had to go.

When we say get a bbc card and Sky dig receiver-It does not involve a subscription to Sky.
But to get one would cost significantly less than the ironmongery solution and reception guaranteed.
mm

Richard

Originally posted by NorthDown
I'm not so sure Damien...
The parents live very close to the sea but i always got an STV signal down there from Darvel. Indeed there was usually some signs of TG4 too. Up where i am now I have loads of height but have only once in 4 years managed to get STV Darvel here.

Hi NorthDown - whereabouts are you? Here in BT19 at my parents' house, we've never been able to get the Irish channels, though in the past few years I have seen an incredibly fuzzy TV3 a few times from Louth so imagine the correct aerial pointing in the correct direction would work.

We can generally get fuzzy though often watchable pictures from Cambret Hill and Sandale - though again - a better positioned aerial would do wonders. Border is the strongest, though Channel 5 would be the best if they hadn't though to put the lower powered Black Mountain TX (near Divis) on the same channel.

I got STV one summer - though I'm not sure where from. Presumably Darvel like you. The same summer I also got BBC NW and BBC NE & Cumbria. Never got Granada which I'd hoped for, though I think some of the NW TXs take BBC NW and Border. It was nice to see both sub-regions and, during good weather, both Teletext variations.

As to why I was at the Tain I had to take a class on residential there - sadly I couldn't see Clermont Carn from there.
You don't know if they've finally built the new transmitter up there?

Is that the tx on the main road from the border to Dundalk. I haven't seen anything new up there....

NorthDown

Richard

I'm also in BT19 - you can call anytime and you'll see some sort of weak RTe1 colour signal - sometimes woeful, sometimes just about watchable. I'll give something away that I'm near the DENI building. Parents BT20 - in the roofspace before I moved out was getting TG4 in colour on indoor aerial with booster. Have a friend in the town in Bt19 who has very good RTE - it can be found and I've spotted one or two RTE aerials in other spots of the town - N'ards road near r'bout on the side of Mormon church - street between it and Rosemary Park Baptist have a look down!!!
I think it might be better to contact outside the forum - try posting to me on forum and I'll speak on phone / let you see what recpetion I have, or contact Damien who if he reads this I'm sure will give you my email address - he knows me reasonably well and doesn;t believe me to be an axe murderer anyway!

Friend in BT19 has super Border, my Border not so good but good BBC1/2/C4 from Cambret Hill.

DMC

Originally posted by NorthDown
.....or contact Damien who if he reads this I'm sure will give you my email address - he knows me reasonably well and doesn;t believe me to be an axe murderer anyway!

I heartily endorse this event/product/person.

Private messages, (PM's) are a good tool here too.