Hi all,

Ever the cheapskate, while next door has ground-to-roof scaffolding up
I'm going to ask nicely if they mind me popping up onto the roof to
sort out my TV aerial which is on our shared chimney. From what I can
see from ground level, our existing aerial is a rusty thing which long
predates our tenure of the house. It works (mostly), but it would
definitely be a good idea to replace it with something a bit newer
while there's scaffolding up before it stops working.

I'm just mulling over how best to fix a new aerial to the chimney.
It's a very wide chimney. It looks to be about five feet by two feet
in cross section. This sort of lashing arrangement is the official way
to do it
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec.../sd3084/p29194
but it's not clear whether that's supplied with enough cable for my
chimney, and anyway, it would be a pretty awkward one-man job to do,
and I don't think I can persuade anyone else to join me on the
rooftops. So I'm thinking of using this sort of thing instead, which I
would just bolt straight to the chimney, probably using multi montis
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec.../sd3084/p69098
Would that be wrong? I can't see why, but I guess they make the
chimney lashing kit for a reason.

Cheers!

Martin

Martin Pentreath wrote:
Hi all,

Ever the cheapskate, while next door has ground-to-roof scaffolding up
I'm going to ask nicely if they mind me popping up onto the roof to
sort out my TV aerial which is on our shared chimney. From what I can
see from ground level, our existing aerial is a rusty thing which long
predates our tenure of the house. It works (mostly), but it would
definitely be a good idea to replace it with something a bit newer
while there's scaffolding up before it stops working.

I'm just mulling over how best to fix a new aerial to the chimney.
It's a very wide chimney. It looks to be about five feet by two feet
in cross section. This sort of lashing arrangement is the official way
to do it
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec.../sd3084/p29194
but it's not clear whether that's supplied with enough cable for my
chimney, and anyway, it would be a pretty awkward one-man job to do,
and I don't think I can persuade anyone else to join me on the
rooftops. So I'm thinking of using this sort of thing instead, which I
would just bolt straight to the chimney, probably using multi montis
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec.../sd3084/p69098
Would that be wrong? I can't see why, but I guess they make the
chimney lashing kit for a reason.

Cheers!

Martin
Tony Sayer will be along in a minute to tell you exactly what is right.

But my wet finger experience says I have seen a lot of cronky ****e
hanging sideways, and you need bloody good secure mounts to take wind
load. So two of whatever you decide spaced far apart and a long pole,
is where its at.

Martin Pentreath wrote:

I'm just mulling over how best to fix a new aerial to the chimney.
It's a very wide chimney. It looks to be about five feet by two feet
in cross section. This sort of lashing arrangement is the official way
to do it

When I re-did my aerials a few years back, I used this ratchet strap
system, it was easy as a one-man job, and the new mast while carrying
three aerials was sturdier than the original lashed wire mast carrying one.

http://www.blake-uk.com/stackstrap.aspx

In article ,
Andy Burns wrote:
Martin Pentreath wrote:

I'm just mulling over how best to fix a new aerial to the chimney.
It's a very wide chimney. It looks to be about five feet by two feet
in cross section. This sort of lashing arrangement is the official way
to do it

When I re-did my aerials a few years back, I used this ratchet strap
system, it was easy as a one-man job, and the new mast while carrying
three aerials was sturdier than the original lashed wire mast carrying one.

http://www.blake-uk.com/stackstrap.aspx

Known to many people here I'm sure, but there are some photos for the
OP of what not to do on this site
http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/roguesgallery/view.shtml

Nick
--
Serendipity: http://www.leverton.org/blosxom (last update 29th March 2010)
"The Internet, a sort of ersatz counterfeit of real life"
-- Janet Street-Porter, BBC2, 19th March 1996

Martin Pentreath wrote:

Hi all,

Ever the cheapskate, while next door has ground-to-roof scaffolding up
I'm going to ask nicely if they mind me popping up onto the roof to
sort out my TV aerial which is on our shared chimney. From what I can
see from ground level, our existing aerial is a rusty thing which long
predates our tenure of the house. It works (mostly), but it would
definitely be a good idea to replace it with something a bit newer
while there's scaffolding up before it stops working.

I'm just mulling over how best to fix a new aerial to the chimney.
It's a very wide chimney. It looks to be about five feet by two feet
in cross section. This sort of lashing arrangement is the official way
to do it

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec.../sd3084/p29194
but it's not clear whether that's supplied with enough cable for my
chimney, and anyway, it would be a pretty awkward one-man job to do,
and I don't think I can persuade anyone else to join me on the
rooftops. So I'm thinking of using this sort of thing instead, which I
would just bolt straight to the chimney, probably using multi montis

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec.../sd3084/p69098
Would that be wrong? I can't see why, but I guess they make the
chimney lashing kit for a reason.

Cheers!

Martin

If you bolt on, you will need super strong anchors - and, worse, you throw
all the load (a lot in wind - and worse still, it's a dynamic load as the
mast wobbles in the wind) onto on eor two bricks which are at risk of
dislodging.

If the cable is not long enough, I feel fairly sure it could be spliced
longer with camble clamps.

--
Tim Watts

It happens that The Natural Philosopher formulated :
Martin Pentreath wrote:
Hi all,

Ever the cheapskate, while next door has ground-to-roof scaffolding up
I'm going to ask nicely if they mind me popping up onto the roof to
sort out my TV aerial which is on our shared chimney. From what I can
see from ground level, our existing aerial is a rusty thing which long
predates our tenure of the house. It works (mostly), but it would
definitely be a good idea to replace it with something a bit newer
while there's scaffolding up before it stops working.

I'm just mulling over how best to fix a new aerial to the chimney.
It's a very wide chimney. It looks to be about five feet by two feet
in cross section. This sort of lashing arrangement is the official way
to do it
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec.../sd3084/p29194
but it's not clear whether that's supplied with enough cable for my
chimney, and anyway, it would be a pretty awkward one-man job to do,
and I don't think I can persuade anyone else to join me on the
rooftops. So I'm thinking of using this sort of thing instead, which I
would just bolt straight to the chimney, probably using multi montis
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec.../sd3084/p69098
Would that be wrong? I can't see why, but I guess they make the
chimney lashing kit for a reason.

Cheers!

Martin
Tony Sayer will be along in a minute to tell you exactly what is right.

But my wet finger experience says I have seen a lot of cronky ****e hanging
sideways, and you need bloody good secure mounts to take wind load. So two of
whatever you decide spaced far apart and a long pole, is where its at.

A lashing kit is the way to do it. The lashing kit will help reinforce
the chimney, whereas drilling and fixing will certainly weaken it.
Renew the coax too, but I prefer to run my coax to just inside the loft
space to a socket, then have a separate feed down from there - just
makes it a bit easier to swap antennas. If you can, run the coax down
via an inside route rather than draped down an outside wall - it will
last much longer.

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

In article 56dff3b0-f342-4954-ba21-b18a76e19ca1
@e8g2000vbz.googlegroups.com, says...
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec.../sd3084/p29194
but it's not clear whether that's supplied with enough cable

Well - buy two. It's not like they're expensive.

As for fitting being a two-man job - not if you use enough gaffer tape
to hold it still while you get it done up!

Personally I wouldn't use multimonties, I'd always worry that the slight
fretting from the wind might make it gradually wear away at the holes.
The compression of plastic plugs would seem more secure on a vibrting
tugging aerial bracket.

--
Skipweasel - never knowingly understood.

In message
,
Martin Pentreath writes
Hi all,

Ever the cheapskate, while next door has ground-to-roof scaffolding up
I'm going to ask nicely if they mind me popping up onto the roof to
sort out my TV aerial which is on our shared chimney. From what I can
see from ground level, our existing aerial is a rusty thing which long
predates our tenure of the house. It works (mostly), but it would
definitely be a good idea to replace it with something a bit newer
while there's scaffolding up before it stops working.

I'm just mulling over how best to fix a new aerial to the chimney.
It's a very wide chimney. It looks to be about five feet by two feet
in cross section. This sort of lashing arrangement is the official way
to do it
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec...xing+Kit+Chimn
ey/d190/sd3084/p29194
but it's not clear whether that's supplied with enough cable for my
chimney, and anyway,

You could always ask them

it would be a pretty awkward one-man job to do,
and I don't think I can persuade anyone else to join me on the
rooftops. So I'm thinking of using this sort of thing instead, which I
would just bolt straight to the chimney, probably using multi montis
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec...xing+Kit+Wall/
d190/sd3084/p69098
Would that be wrong? I can't see why, but I guess they make the
chimney lashing kit for a reason.

IF you're going to do a proper job, I would get two kits spaced as far
apart as possible, to give the mast more stability in windy conditions

--
geoff

On 20/03/11 21:48, John Rumm wrote:
On 20/03/2011 19:16, Martin Pentreath wrote:
Hi all,

Ever the cheapskate, while next door has ground-to-roof scaffolding up
I'm going to ask nicely if they mind me popping up onto the roof to
sort out my TV aerial which is on our shared chimney. From what I can
see from ground level, our existing aerial is a rusty thing which long
predates our tenure of the house. It works (mostly), but it would
definitely be a good idea to replace it with something a bit newer
while there's scaffolding up before it stops working.

I'm just mulling over how best to fix a new aerial to the chimney.
It's a very wide chimney. It looks to be about five feet by two feet
in cross section. This sort of lashing arrangement is the official way
to do it
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec.../sd3084/p29194

but it's not clear whether that's supplied with enough cable for my
chimney, and anyway, it would be a pretty awkward one-man job to do,
and I don't think I can persuade anyone else to join me on the
rooftops. So I'm thinking of using this sort of thing instead, which I
would just bolt straight to the chimney, probably using multi montis
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec.../sd3084/p69098

Would that be wrong? I can't see why, but I guess they make the
chimney lashing kit for a reason.

Lashing with a cable is preferable since it spreads the load over the
whole chimney, rather than just a couple of bricks.

Go for a decent galvanised bracket like:

http://cpc.farnell.com/blake-uk/cb9-...sed/dp/AP00943

rather than the nasty pressed steel things. If the cable is not long
enough, just order an additional lashing kit:

http://cpc.farnell.com/blake-uk/k6-f...kit/dp/AP00984


and loop them together.

If working alone on a large chimney, I normally take a couple of cable
rods with a magnet on the end up with me. That way you can lob the cable
round the chimney and onto the roof, and then retrieve the end with the
rods. Fold the clips on the corner brackets round the cable to keep them
in place - tighten up a bit and then slide them into place with the rods.


I used something much more like those. However presumably it depends on
the size of the aerial and pole. My aerial is a Blake DMX10A and it is
on a 8 foot Larger diameter pole. As I live in an area where the digital
TV signal is weak I had to use a large aerial and mount it high up.
Choosing the right aerial was the biggest challenge!

--
Michael Chare

If working alone on a large chimney, I normally take a couple of cable
rods with a magnet on the end up with me. That way you can lob the
cable round the chimney and onto the roof, and then retrieve the end
with the rods. Fold the clips on the corner brackets round the cable
to keep them in place - tighten up a bit and then slide them into
place with the rods.

Or if (like me) you don't fancy your skills with 6-foot fishing rods on
a pitched roof you could contemplate using a stack strap:

http://www.blake-uk.com/stackstrap.aspx

I've only used it once but they have been around a few years now and
there's loads of folks with more experience (here or in
uk.tech.digital-tv).

--
Robin
PM may be sent to rbw0{at}hotmail{dot}com

Apologies for duplicating the inf. Nick Leverton posted last night. For
some reason known only to Highwinds his and a gaggle of other posts
arrived only after I replied to John Rumm's later post. Heh ho, perhaps
it's time I started using Astraweb as my primary rather than backup
server.

--
Robin
PM may be sent to rbw0{at}hotmail{dot}com

On Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:01:09 +0000 (UTC), Nick Leverton wrote:

In article ,
Andy Burns wrote:
Martin Pentreath wrote:

I'm just mulling over how best to fix a new aerial to the chimney.
It's a very wide chimney. It looks to be about five feet by two feet
in cross section. This sort of lashing arrangement is the official way
to do it

When I re-did my aerials a few years back, I used this ratchet strap
system, it was easy as a one-man job, and the new mast while carrying
three aerials was sturdier than the original lashed wire mast carrying one.

http://www.blake-uk.com/stackstrap.aspx

Known to many people here I'm sure, but there are some photos for the
OP of what not to do on this site
http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/roguesgallery/view.shtml

Nick

and a lot of good stuff on he
http://www.aerialsandtv.com/

also see:
http://www.paras.org.uk/
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

In article , The Natural Philosopher
scribeth thus
Martin Pentreath wrote:
Hi all,

Ever the cheapskate, while next door has ground-to-roof scaffolding up
I'm going to ask nicely if they mind me popping up onto the roof to
sort out my TV aerial which is on our shared chimney. From what I can
see from ground level, our existing aerial is a rusty thing which long
predates our tenure of the house. It works (mostly), but it would
definitely be a good idea to replace it with something a bit newer
while there's scaffolding up before it stops working.

I'm just mulling over how best to fix a new aerial to the chimney.
It's a very wide chimney. It looks to be about five feet by two feet
in cross section. This sort of lashing arrangement is the official way
to do it
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec...it+Chimney/d19
0/sd3084/p29194
but it's not clear whether that's supplied with enough cable for my
chimney, and anyway, it would be a pretty awkward one-man job to do,
and I don't think I can persuade anyone else to join me on the
rooftops. So I'm thinking of using this sort of thing instead, which I
would just bolt straight to the chimney, probably using multi montis
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Elec...it+Wall/d190/s
d3084/p69098
Would that be wrong? I can't see why, but I guess they make the
chimney lashing kit for a reason.

Cheers!

Martin
Tony Sayer will be along in a minute to tell you exactly what is right.

Umm.. Well that lashing kit is only for very small installations just a
small Yagi TV aerial and nothing else, and a short stub mast pole.
Usually the wire supplied will fit most stacks.

If you need a longer pole there are bigger lash kits around and there is
what is known an as double lash kit which will take a much bigger load
still.

Only drill into the chimney brickwork if all else fails other wise the
brickwork will fail too!, unless it is a big chimney of the 6 or more
pot type.

Make sure the lashing wire is done up tight and the corner plates are in
position. It is a very good way of doing the job I sometimes think more
old stacks are held together with them than otherwise;!.

The strap type is OK bit more awkward to fix up but the most important
thing is ONLY DO THIS WORK if you feel confident working at that height
and you have a means of access to get around the far side of the stack.

Make sure to use a new cable preferably of the Satellite grade type its
not that expensive and done will it will last for years. Also try to
avoid the cheap contract type aerial sold by the sheds. You can get
decent makes like Triax, Antiference and Blakes online. Its worth
spending a few bob on it will server you well for years done right..


But my wet finger experience says I have seen a lot of cronky ****e
hanging sideways, and you need bloody good secure mounts to take wind
load. So two of whatever you decide spaced far apart and a long pole,
is where its at.

As with anything the wire will fail or loosen over time thats what
usually causes this sort of thing plus very poor workmanship .
Bill Wrights website will show you what can and does go wrong;!..
--
Tony Sayer

However do you not have the same problem of how you get it round a
wide stack when you only have access from one side - there must still
be a free end to retrieve?


I managed it using a lassoo technique - ie make a very big loop then
throw it over the stack. But I'm sure it helped that it was calm and
dry and the pots weren't tall. I can't see it working if the wind's
against you or you are faced with tall pots. (It'd be like those hoopla
stalls at the fairs.) I'll pass on that in the hope Tony Sayer, Bill
Wright et al. will answer. But possibly using a rod to retrieve one
end is still easier than positioning the cable and corner pieces?

--
Robin
PM may be sent to rbw0{at}hotmail{dot}com

In article , Robin
scribeth thus

However do you not have the same problem of how you get it round a
wide stack when you only have access from one side - there must still
be a free end to retrieve?


I managed it using a lassoo technique - ie make a very big loop then
throw it over the stack. But I'm sure it helped that it was calm and
dry and the pots weren't tall. I can't see it working if the wind's
against you or you are faced with tall pots. (It'd be like those hoopla
stalls at the fairs.) I'll pass on that in the hope Tony Sayer, Bill
Wright et al. will answer. But possibly using a rod to retrieve one
end is still easier than positioning the cable and corner pieces?


Well thats how it can be done the lasso method, you then tie the wire up
temp like then make your way around to the other sides to fix up the
corner plates then tighten the bracket properly .. hence the warning
don't do this unless your quite confident that you have access etc..

You still need to see where you are as the plates have to be on the
brick with the wire, and the strap if used has to be on the brick too.

It may not be that high, but the wallop when you hit the ground can put
you out of action for quite some time .. or longer;!....
--
Tony Sayer

In message on Mon, 21 Mar
2011 00:50:40 +0000
John Rumm wrote:


Yup you can get away with flimsy on small aerials, however its still
worth going for a decent quality galvanised one.


Looking at a great many chimneys round here, I would beg to differ ...

--

Terry

In article ,
Andy Burns wrote:
I'm just mulling over how best to fix a new aerial to the chimney.
It's a very wide chimney. It looks to be about five feet by two feet
in cross section. This sort of lashing arrangement is the official way
to do it

When I re-did my aerials a few years back, I used this ratchet strap
system, it was easy as a one-man job, and the new mast while carrying
three aerials was sturdier than the original lashed wire mast carrying one.

http://www.blake-uk.com/stackstrap.aspx

Second that. I have a long mast with three aerials, and a sat dish all
supported by one of these, round a four chimney stack. They are also much
easier to install for one not used to such things. Seems to be well
galvanised too - mine is several years old but still looks good.

--
*Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
John Rumm wrote:
However do you not have the same problem of how you get it round a wide
stack when you only have access from one side - there must still be a
free end to retrieve?

Loop it and feed over the top? May not be possible, of course. Or use some
garden wire, etc, and tape it to that. The possibilities are endless. ;-)

--
*Middle age is when it takes longer to rest than to get tired.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

http://www.blake-uk.com/stackstrap.aspx

Second that. I have a long mast with three aerials, and a sat dish all
supported by one of these, round a four chimney stack. They are also much
easier to install for one not used to such things.

Yes, I wasn't confident that I knew how to make-off the lashing wire
properly and didn't want to risk it blowing down, but there's no doubt
with the ratchets.

Seems to be well
galvanised too - mine is several years old but still looks good.

Yes, I did go for the 14" bracket rather than the one pictured, seems
they do an in-between 9" size now too.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Second that.

Still on the topic of aerials ... was it you that fitted a "decent"
aerial for in-car DAB reception? If so, what's a ball-park figure and
any web site pointers to what actually constitutes "decent"?

In article ,
Andy Burns wrote:
Second that.

Still on the topic of aerials ... was it you that fitted a "decent"
aerial for in-car DAB reception? If so, what's a ball-park figure and
any web site pointers to what actually constitutes "decent"?

It's a roof mounted DAB, FM and AM aerial - active, with two amps, one for
DAB one for everything else. I've just looked for the make but can't find
it. Came from the makers in Wandsworth. Cost about 100 quid - but that was
several years ago. They might well be cheaper these days. Tony Sayer is a
better bet for knowing suppliers - IIRC he told me about this one.

--
*If we weren't meant to eat animals, why are they made of meat?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:17:10 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Andy Burns wrote:
Second that.

Still on the topic of aerials ... was it you that fitted a "decent"
aerial for in-car DAB reception? If so, what's a ball-park figure and
any web site pointers to what actually constitutes "decent"?

It's a roof mounted DAB, FM and AM aerial - active, with two amps, one for
DAB one for everything else. I've just looked for the make but can't find
it. Came from the makers in Wandsworth. Cost about 100 quid - but that was
several years ago. They might well be cheaper these days. Tony Sayer is a
better bet for knowing suppliers - IIRC he told me about this one.

A few years ago I fitted a gable-end external dipole aerial for DAB
and have been disappointed occasionally _because_ of its good
reception during anomalous propagation high-pressure ('lift'
conditions) - the bedside DAB wireless set with its prety naff
telescopic aerial working reasonably well whilst the main Rx was wiped
out by co-channel stations.
Obviously the BBC national SFN was fine; co-channel enhancing
reception :-)

--
Frank Erskine

Frank Erskine wrote:

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

was it you that fitted a "decent"
aerial for in-car DAB reception?

It's a roof mounted DAB, FM and AM aerial - active, with two amps, one for
DAB one for everything else. I've just looked for the make but can't find
it. Came from the makers in Wandsworth. Cost about 100 quid

Thanks, is the basic design like this, or some sort of upturned porridge
bowl on the roof?

http://www.dabonwheels.co.uk/uploade...016V%20DAB.gif

A few years ago I fitted a gable-end external dipole aerial for DAB

I have a chimney mounted one which provides excellent reception, 15/15
bars on the tuner's signal strength display (96% signal quality for the
BBC national MUX and 100% quality for the one carrying local BBC station).

and have been disappointed occasionally
Obviously the BBC national SFN was fine; co-channel enhancing
reception :-)

And 95% of the time that's the only MUX I listen to.

I was hoping mobile coverage might be acceptable, but so far have been
rather disappointed.

In article , Dave Plowman (News)
scribeth thus
In article ,
Andy Burns wrote:
Second that.

Still on the topic of aerials ... was it you that fitted a "decent"
aerial for in-car DAB reception? If so, what's a ball-park figure and
any web site pointers to what actually constitutes "decent"?

It's a roof mounted DAB, FM and AM aerial - active, with two amps, one for
DAB one for everything else. I've just looked for the make but can't find
it. Came from the makers in Wandsworth. Cost about 100 quid - but that was
several years ago. They might well be cheaper these days. Tony Sayer is a
better bet for knowing suppliers - IIRC he told me about this one.


More than likely this lot. Give 'em a ring if your unsure at all which
version U want...


http://www.panorama.co.uk/
--
Tony Sayer

In article , Frank Erskine
scribeth thus
On Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:17:10 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
Andy Burns wrote:
Second that.

Still on the topic of aerials ... was it you that fitted a "decent"
aerial for in-car DAB reception? If so, what's a ball-park figure and
any web site pointers to what actually constitutes "decent"?

It's a roof mounted DAB, FM and AM aerial - active, with two amps, one for
DAB one for everything else. I've just looked for the make but can't find
it. Came from the makers in Wandsworth. Cost about 100 quid - but that was
several years ago. They might well be cheaper these days. Tony Sayer is a
better bet for knowing suppliers - IIRC he told me about this one.

A few years ago I fitted a gable-end external dipole aerial for DAB
and have been disappointed occasionally _because_ of its good
reception during anomalous propagation high-pressure ('lift'
conditions) - the bedside DAB wireless set with its prety naff
telescopic aerial working reasonably well whilst the main Rx was wiped
out by co-channel stations.
Obviously the BBC national SFN was fine; co-channel enhancing
reception :-)


That seems to be the experience of a lot of people, the subject of co-channel
interference. A single dipole isn't too good at rejecting other signals unlike
a multi element array. Course the aerial inside may well be sufficient anyway
so any extra is not required and may well cause problems..
--
Tony Sayer

In article , Andy Burns
scribeth thus
Frank Erskine wrote:

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

was it you that fitted a "decent"
aerial for in-car DAB reception?

It's a roof mounted DAB, FM and AM aerial - active, with two amps, one for
DAB one for everything else. I've just looked for the make but can't find
it. Came from the makers in Wandsworth. Cost about 100 quid

Thanks, is the basic design like this, or some sort of upturned porridge
bowl on the roof?

http://www.dabonwheels.co.uk/uploade...016V%20DAB.gif

A few years ago I fitted a gable-end external dipole aerial for DAB

I have a chimney mounted one which provides excellent reception, 15/15
bars on the tuner's signal strength display (96% signal quality for the
BBC national MUX and 100% quality for the one carrying local BBC station).

and have been disappointed occasionally
Obviously the BBC national SFN was fine; co-channel enhancing
reception :-)

And 95% of the time that's the only MUX I listen to.


I was hoping mobile coverage might be acceptable, but so far have been
rather disappointed.

I think a lot of people would say that DAB is a disappointment in general..
--
Tony Sayer

In article ,
Andy Burns wrote:
It's a roof mounted DAB, FM and AM aerial - active, with two amps,
one for DAB one for everything else. I've just looked for the make
but can't find it. Came from the makers in Wandsworth. Cost about 100
quid

Thanks, is the basic design like this, or some sort of upturned porridge
bowl on the roof?

http://www.dabonwheels.co.uk/uploade...016V%20DAB.gif

It's a basic short whip aerial - looks just fine on my quite old car.

Thanks to Tony, I'd guess it's this one:-

http://www.panorama.co.uk/uk/products/dab_am_fm.html

You'd need to contact them for a price. At the time I bought it, Blaupunkt
supplied the same one - at a premium.

--
*Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

tony sayer wrote:

Andy Burns scribeth thus

I was hoping mobile coverage might be acceptable, but so far have been
rather disappointed.

I think a lot of people would say that DAB is a disappointment in general..

I was hoping to get more consistent reception with DAB, rather than
improved audio quality[1], in car FM is generally fine, but R5L on AM
suffers from fading and distant stations interfering, from time-to-time
and place-to-place.

[1] We are only talking about in-car listening here, but I do notice an
annoying sort of "quantisation" noise on DAB stations, that varies from
a metallic hissy ringing noise, to a mush that rises and falls with the
speech and silence - I certainly don't notice that at home on DAB, so it
could just be another shortcoming of the car's audio system in general.

Anyway, thanks for the link, inexplicably I have a shark's fin aerial on
the roof already (car doesn't have GPS or mobile phone and the AM/FM/DAB
aerials all appear to be within the glass) so I might investigate
replacing that with a dedicated DAB aerial.

In article ,
says...
I think a lot of people would say that DAB is a disappointment in general..

I was hoping to get more consistent reception with DAB, rather than
improved audio quality[1], in car FM is generally fine, but R5L on AM
suffers from fading and distant stations interfering, from time-to-time
and place-to-place.

I wasn't intending to buy a DAB radio, but a broken one came up on
Freegle so I had it and fixed it.

Stationary in the kitchen, it's better than the FM radio it displaced,
though it uses a lot more power. My main gripe with it is that there are
plenty of cheap under-cabinet FM radios, but no DAB such that I can
find.

When I run out of other things to do, I'll rebox it leaving just a power
switch and a volume switch normally accessible.

--
Skipweasel - never knowingly understood.

In article ,
Andy Burns wrote:
I think a lot of people would say that DAB is a disappointment in
general..

I was hoping to get more consistent reception with DAB, rather than
improved audio quality[1], in car FM is generally fine, but R5L on AM
suffers from fading and distant stations interfering, from time-to-time
and place-to-place.

I can only speak for the radio I have - Blaupunkt with the expensive
aerial, but round and about London, DAB reception is miles superior to FM.
On the stations I listen to. The actual audio quality ok too for in a car.

--
*Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article , Andy
Burns scribeth thus
tony sayer wrote:

Andy Burns scribeth thus

I was hoping mobile coverage might be acceptable, but so far have been
rather disappointed.

I think a lot of people would say that DAB is a disappointment in general..

I was hoping to get more consistent reception with DAB, rather than
improved audio quality[1], in car FM is generally fine, but R5L on AM
suffers from fading and distant stations interfering, from time-to-time
and place-to-place.

[1] We are only talking about in-car listening here, but I do notice an
annoying sort of "quantisation" noise on DAB stations, that varies from
a metallic hissy ringing noise, to a mush that rises and falls with the
speech and silence - I certainly don't notice that at home on DAB, so it
could just be another shortcoming of the car's audio system in general.

Might be that the car's audio system is showing up the DAB shortcomings.
Its an olde out of date codec, ( bit like a 286 PC) thats not at all
good at low bitrates like those in use nowadays. Better codecs exist but
we're stuck with the current system.. And that doesn't look like
changing any time soon whereas other countries are implementing
DAB + which uses the AAC codec which is much better at lower bit
rates...

Anyway, thanks for the link, inexplicably I have a shark's fin aerial on
the roof already (car doesn't have GPS or mobile phone and the AM/FM/DAB
aerials all appear to be within the glass) so I might investigate
replacing that with a dedicated DAB aerial.

--
Tony Sayer

In article , Dave Plowman (News)
scribeth thus
In article ,
Andy Burns wrote:
I think a lot of people would say that DAB is a disappointment in
general..

I was hoping to get more consistent reception with DAB, rather than
improved audio quality[1], in car FM is generally fine, but R5L on AM
suffers from fading and distant stations interfering, from time-to-time
and place-to-place.

I can only speak for the radio I have - Blaupunkt with the expensive
aerial, but round and about London, DAB reception is miles superior to FM.
On the stations I listen to.

Should be the number of Transmitters in use for it;!..

The actual audio quality ok too for in a car.


--
Tony Sayer

In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
I can only speak for the radio I have - Blaupunkt with the expensive
aerial, but round and about London, DAB reception is miles superior to
FM. On the stations I listen to.

Should be the number of Transmitters in use for it;!..

So you're criticising it for doing the job it was designed for? ;-)

--
*A nest isn't empty until all their stuff is out of the attic

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article , Dave Plowman (News)
scribeth thus
In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
I can only speak for the radio I have - Blaupunkt with the expensive
aerial, but round and about London, DAB reception is miles superior to
FM. On the stations I listen to.

Should be the number of Transmitters in use for it;!..

So you're criticising it for doing the job it was designed for? ;-)


It wasn't designed to be in use the way it is;!..

--
Tony Sayer

In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
In article , Dave Plowman (News)
scribeth thus
In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
I can only speak for the radio I have - Blaupunkt with the expensive
aerial, but round and about London, DAB reception is miles superior to
FM. On the stations I listen to.

Should be the number of Transmitters in use for it;!..

So you're criticising it for doing the job it was designed for? ;-)


It wasn't designed to be in use the way it is;!..

IIRC, one of the original remits was to improve mobile reception. And
round here, it does.

--
*Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article , Dave Plowman (News)
scribeth thus
In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
In article , Dave Plowman (News)
scribeth thus
In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
I can only speak for the radio I have - Blaupunkt with the expensive
aerial, but round and about London, DAB reception is miles superior to
FM. On the stations I listen to.

Should be the number of Transmitters in use for it;!..

So you're criticising it for doing the job it was designed for? ;-)


It wasn't designed to be in use the way it is;!..

IIRC, one of the original remits was to improve mobile reception. And
round here, it does.

Well thats your corner of the UK Dave and the reception around Balham
seems to be dire so you tell us but out here its fine.

Yes it was intended to improve reception but it doesn't seem to improve
the original audio that much;!..
--
Tony Sayer

In article ,
tony sayer wrote:
IIRC, one of the original remits was to improve mobile reception. And
round here, it does.

Well thats your corner of the UK Dave and the reception around Balham
seems to be dire so you tell us but out here its fine.

I'm talking about round London - not just one suburb. More noticeable in
the City etc where there are high buildings and narrow streets.

Yes it was intended to improve reception but it doesn't seem to improve
the original audio that much;!..

As you well know the original data rate was reduced for whatever reasons -
exactly the same as later happened with digital TV.

--
*A person who smiles in the face of adversity probably has a scapegoat *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

tony sayer wrote:

[DAB] was intended to improve reception but it doesn't seem to improve
the original audio that much

I was hoping it would do the former, and not expecting it to do the latter.

I've found that the car already has diversity aerials for DAB (as well
as AM/FM) and they are within the rear glass and already an amp
connected to the aerial coax cables, so now wondering if the aerial that
was mentioned might not be the most suitable, perhaps a passive roof
mount instead?

In article ,
Andy Burns wrote:
tony sayer wrote:

[DAB] was intended to improve reception but it doesn't seem to improve
the original audio that much

I was hoping it would do the former, and not expecting it to do the
latter.

I've found that the car already has diversity aerials for DAB (as well
as AM/FM) and they are within the rear glass and already an amp
connected to the aerial coax cables, so now wondering if the aerial that
was mentioned might not be the most suitable, perhaps a passive roof
mount instead?

My BMW E39 has a pair of aerials in the rear window and diversity
reception - but that doesn't work as well as an ordinary aerial on FM or
AM. Not tried it on DAB.

I guess DAB aerials have a different impedance from normal car aerials, so
unless your system has a dedicated DAB output, an adaptor may not work too
well.

The roof aerial I've mentioned is active. The amp for the DAB side is
powered via the DAB lead - the one for AM/FM requires a 12v feed.

--
*Work is for people who don't know how to fish.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

I guess DAB aerials have a different impedance from normal car aerials, so
unless your system has a dedicated DAB output, an adaptor may not work too
well.

That's what I'm worrying about, feeding an amp into an amp sounds like a
bad idea, and if it already has an amp on the existing aerials, the
signal level improvement won't be as much as I'd hoped (assuming the
existing amp provides reasonable gain) and how would the receiver cope
with one of its diversity inputs higher than the other?

The roof aerial I've mentioned is active. The amp for the DAB side is
powered via the DAB lead

Yes, I noticed.

It's all starting to sound like a suck it and see exercise (and possibly
good money after bad).