We're in a "variable reception" area for Ridge Hill mast, about 20 miles
away. The Humax STB reports a very weak signal on most channels but the
picture is OK for much of the time - the boss would like it to be OK all
the time so I need some advice.
The current aerial is a 16 element Yagi, with a masthead amp and newly
replaced Webro WF100 cable; all connections are good. The house is tall
and the aerial is on a 1m'ish mast attached to a tall'ish chimney
(worryingly, a bit above the lightning conductor!).

It looks like I need to replace the aerial with a higher-gain type so
I'm wondering whether to go for a group A multi-boom type, a Yagi18A, an
XB16A or ... ? Also, the attic has lots of headroom (about 9 feet in the
centre) so, with a higher gain aerial, I'm tempted to try it in the
Attic to make life easier, but have no idea what attenuation the block
walls might cause(?).
All suggestions gratefully received.

On 24/01/2021 18:13, wrote:
We're in a "variable reception" area for Ridge Hill mast, about 20 miles
away. The Humax STB reports a very weak signal on most channels but the
picture is OK for much of the time - the boss would like it to be OK all
the time so I need some advice.
The current aerial is a 16 element Yagi, with a masthead amp and newly
replaced Webro WF100 cable; all connections are good. The house is tall
and the aerial is on a 1m'ish mast attached to a tall'ish chimney
(worryingly, a bit above the lightning conductor!).

It looks like I need to replace the aerial with a higher-gain type so
I'm wondering whether to go for a group A multi-boom type, a Yagi18A, an
XB16A or ... ? Also, the attic has lots of headroom (about 9 feet in the
centre) so, with a higher gain aerial, I'm tempted to try it in the
Attic to make life easier, but have no idea what attenuation the block
walls might cause(?).
All suggestions gratefully received.


try uk.tech.digital-tv!

Bill and others frequent there too.....

In article ,
wrote:
We're in a "variable reception" area for Ridge Hill mast, about 20 miles
away. The Humax STB reports a very weak signal on most channels but the
picture is OK for much of the time - the boss would like it to be OK all
the time so I need some advice.
The current aerial is a 16 element Yagi, with a masthead amp and newly
replaced Webro WF100 cable; all connections are good. The house is tall
and the aerial is on a 1m'ish mast attached to a tall'ish chimney
(worryingly, a bit above the lightning conductor!).

It looks like I need to replace the aerial with a higher-gain type so
I'm wondering whether to go for a group A multi-boom type, a Yagi18A, an
XB16A or ... ? Also, the attic has lots of headroom (about 9 feet in the
centre) so, with a higher gain aerial, I'm tempted to try it in the
Attic to make life easier, but have no idea what attenuation the block
walls might cause(?).
All suggestions gratefully received.

If you're in an area that needa masthead amp , forget a loft aerial.
Also, a bigger (multi-element) might just double the signal you are
gettting. You might do better with a higher gain amplifier. Or go for
satellite

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

On 24/01/2021 18:51, charles wrote:
In article ,
wrote:
We're in a "variable reception" area for Ridge Hill mast, about 20 miles
away. The Humax STB reports a very weak signal on most channels but the
picture is OK for much of the time - the boss would like it to be OK all
the time so I need some advice.
The current aerial is a 16 element Yagi, with a masthead amp and newly
replaced Webro WF100 cable; all connections are good. The house is tall
and the aerial is on a 1m'ish mast attached to a tall'ish chimney
(worryingly, a bit above the lightning conductor!).

It looks like I need to replace the aerial with a higher-gain type so
I'm wondering whether to go for a group A multi-boom type, a Yagi18A, an
XB16A or ... ? Also, the attic has lots of headroom (about 9 feet in the
centre) so, with a higher gain aerial, I'm tempted to try it in the
Attic to make life easier, but have no idea what attenuation the block
walls might cause(?).
All suggestions gratefully received.

If you're in an area that needa masthead amp , forget a loft aerial.
Also, a bigger (multi-element) might just double the signal you are
gettting. You might do better with a higher gain amplifier. Or go for
satellite

I cannot get a decent signal here, so I went the satellite route, i am
totally satisfied with it.

On 24/01/2021 18:46, S wrote:
On 24/01/2021 18:13, wrote:
We're in a "variable reception" area for Ridge Hill mast, about 20
miles away. The Humax STB reports a very weak signal on most channels
but the picture is OK for much of the time - the boss would like it to
be OK all the time so I need some advice.
The current aerial is a 16 element Yagi, with a masthead amp and newly
replaced Webro WF100 cable; all connections are good. The house is
tall and the aerial is on a 1m'ish mast attached to a tall'ish chimney
(worryingly, a bit above the lightning conductor!).

It looks like I need to replace the aerial with a higher-gain type so
I'm wondering whether to go for a group A multi-boom type, a Yagi18A,
an XB16A or ... ? Also, the attic has lots of headroom (about 9 feet
in the centre) so, with a higher gain aerial, I'm tempted to try it in
the Attic to make life easier, but have no idea what attenuation the
block walls might cause(?).
All suggestions gratefully received.


try uk.tech.digital-tv!

Bill and others frequent there too.....
Thanks!

On 24/01/2021 18:58, John Towill wrote:


I cannot get a decent signal here, so I went the satellite route, i am
totally satisfied with it.

I have been wondering about that too. Jackdaws have taken to bouncing up
and down on my aerial since I put an anti-nest cap on the (unused)
chimney that they used to nest in.

On 24 Jan 2021 at 21:16:55 GMT, "newshound"
wrote:

On 24/01/2021 18:58, John Towill wrote:


I cannot get a decent signal here, so I went the satellite route, i am
totally satisfied with it.

I have been wondering about that too. Jackdaws have taken to bouncing up
and down on my aerial since I put an anti-nest cap on the (unused)
chimney that they used to nest in.

I doubt if it's coincidence. Intelligent birds, jackdaws.

--
Roger Hayter

"newshound" wrote in message
o.uk...
On 24/01/2021 18:58, John Towill wrote:


I cannot get a decent signal here, so I went the satellite route, i am
totally satisfied with it.

I have been wondering about that too. Jackdaws have taken to bouncing up
and down on my aerial since I put an anti-nest cap on the (unused) chimney
that they used to nest in.

Thats what the shotgun is for.

On Mon, 25 Jan 2021 08:36:24 +1100, cantankerous trolling geezer Rodent
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:

FLUSH the trolling senile asshole's latest troll**** unread

On Sun, 24 Jan 2021 18:13:02 +0000, wrote:


We're in a "variable reception" area for Ridge Hill mast, about 20 miles
away. The Humax STB reports a very weak signal on most channels but the
picture is OK for much of the time - the boss would like it to be OK all
the time so I need some advice.
The current aerial is a 16 element Yagi, with a masthead amp and newly
replaced Webro WF100 cable; all connections are good. The house is tall
and the aerial is on a 1m'ish mast attached to a tall'ish chimney
(worryingly, a bit above the lightning conductor!).

It looks like I need to replace the aerial with a higher-gain type so
I'm wondering whether to go for a group A multi-boom type, a Yagi18A, an
XB16A or ... ? Also, the attic has lots of headroom (about 9 feet in the
centre) so, with a higher gain aerial, I'm tempted to try it in the
Attic to make life easier, but have no idea what attenuation the block
walls might cause(?).
All suggestions gratefully received.


I too would be worried about lightning. The small aerial on the
chimney of my terraced house, lower than the chimney pots, was struck
by lightning, blowing many fuses in the TV and recorders. The
lightning blew the plastic cover off the aerial's terminal block, and
now flaps about in the wind making an annoying clicking noise.

Luckily I'm in a good reception area so installed a loft aerial, which
was fine until the recent use of channel 55 which is outside London's
group A. I now use a small set-top aerial mounted at the top of the
loft.

In your case Freesat is the way to go. I have installed a dish at the
base of a tree at the end of my garden, as it can see over my roof
without being visible in the street.
--
Dave W

On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:

I too would be worried about lightning. The small aerial on the
chimney of my terraced house, lower than the chimney pots,

Isn't this the arrangement on the majority of aerial installations in
the UK?


--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:

In your case Freesat is the way to go.

No Channel Four HD.

Bill

On 24/01/2021 18:13, wrote:
We're in a "variable reception" area for Ridge Hill mast, about 20 miles
away. The Humax STB reports a very weak signal on most channels but the
picture is OK for much of the time - the boss would like it to be OK all
the time so I need some advice.
The current aerial is a 16 element Yagi, with a masthead amp and newly
replaced Webro WF100 cable; all connections are good. The house is tall
and the aerial is on a 1m'ish mast attached to a tall'ish chimney
(worryingly, a bit above the lightning conductor!).

From experience of lightning damaged aerials and houses it appears not
to make any difference how high the aerial is relative to the lightning
conductor or anything else. Lighting rarely strikes the aerial direct;
if it does it's fairly obvious because you can't find the aerial or the
cable the next day. Most lighting damage to aerials is caused by a
strike to the building.


It looks like I need to replace the aerial with a higher-gain type so
I'm wondering whether to go for a group A multi-boom type, a Yagi18A, an
XB16A or ... ?

Heavy/big aerials need a strong fixing, and they need to be well away
from masonry or anything else.

Also, the attic has lots of headroom (about 9 feet in the
centre) so, with a higher gain aerial, I'm tempted to try it in the
Attic to make life easier, but have no idea what attenuation the block
walls might cause(?).

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
no please don't put it in the loft.

I suggest you check the aerial alignment and make sure it isn't near
anything, then fit a masthead amp of moderate gain (at the aerial) and
see what happens. Even if you change the aerial you'll need a masthead amp.

Blakes:

Proception proMHD11M 1-Way UHF Medium Gain Masthead Amplifier; 1 Input;
1 Output-16dB

PROPSU11F 1-Way F-Type Inline Power Supply; 1 Input; 1 Output-12v 100mA

Bill

On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:

In your case Freesat is the way to go. I have installed a dish at the
base of a tree at the end of my garden, as it can see over my roof
without being visible in the street.


Council houses used to be identified (allegedly) by them having a
satellite dish attached ...

--
Adrian C

On 25/01/2021 02:30, williamwright wrote:
On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:

In your case Freesat is the way to go.

No Channel Four HD.

Bill

Sky Free to Air. I have my Enigma2 box set for Sky FTA channels with the
7 day EPG obtained over the air from the Sky IEPG channel - although I
could fetch the dame data over the internet.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

williamwright wrote:
On 24/01/2021 18:13, wrote:
We're in a "variable reception" area for Ridge Hill mast, about 20
miles away. The Humax STB reports a very weak signal on most channels
but the picture is OK for much of the time - the boss would like it to
be OK all the time so I need some advice.
The current aerial is a 16 element Yagi, with a masthead amp and newly
replaced Webro WF100 cable; all connections are good. The house is
tall and the aerial is on a 1m'ish mast attached to a tall'ish chimney
(worryingly, a bit above the lightning conductor!).

From experience of lightning damaged aerials and houses it appears not
to make any difference how high the aerial is relative to the lightning
conductor or anything else. Lighting rarely strikes the aerial direct;
if it does it's fairly obvious because you can't find the aerial or the
cable the next day. Most lighting damage to aerials is caused by a
strike to the building.


It looks like I need to replace the aerial with a higher-gain type so
I'm wondering whether to go for a group A multi-boom type, a Yagi18A,
an XB16A or ... ?

Heavy/big aerials need a strong fixing, and they need to be well away
from masonry or anything else.

Also, the attic has lots of headroom (about 9 feet in the
centre) so, with a higher gain aerial, I'm tempted to try it in the
Attic to make life easier, but have no idea what attenuation the block
walls might cause(?).

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
no please don't put it in the loft.

I suggest you check the aerial alignment and make sure it isn't near
anything, then fit a masthead amp of moderate gain (at the aerial) and
see what happens. Even if you change the aerial you'll need a masthead amp.

Blakes:

Proception proMHD11M 1-Way UHF Medium Gain Masthead Amplifier; 1 Input;
1 Output-16dB

PROPSU11F 1-Way F-Type Inline Power Supply; 1 Input; 1 Output-12v 100mA

Bill

With an antenna that nice, and at that distance, why isn't
this "just working" ?

That's my first question.

Maybe there's some on-axis multipath ?

Paul

Well loft space is probably a non starter as weather problems will be
magnified when you get wet roves or snow. I'm not up in the modern ways of
aerials, but if the signals are fringe, you might not be able to do much
better without other issues happening, like co channel from other places
during lift conditions making the reception worse.
Brian

--

This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
wrote in message
...
We're in a "variable reception" area for Ridge Hill mast, about 20 miles
away. The Humax STB reports a very weak signal on most channels but the
picture is OK for much of the time - the boss would like it to be OK all
the time so I need some advice.
The current aerial is a 16 element Yagi, with a masthead amp and newly
replaced Webro WF100 cable; all connections are good. The house is tall
and the aerial is on a 1m'ish mast attached to a tall'ish chimney
(worryingly, a bit above the lightning conductor!).

It looks like I need to replace the aerial with a higher-gain type so I'm
wondering whether to go for a group A multi-boom type, a Yagi18A, an XB16A
or ... ? Also, the attic has lots of headroom (about 9 feet in the centre)
so, with a higher gain aerial, I'm tempted to try it in the Attic to make
life easier, but have no idea what attenuation the block walls might
cause(?).
All suggestions gratefully received.

What trash the aerial and the roof at the same time? :-)

Actually 20 miles does not seem that far away to get such a crap signal,
there has to either be a poor lobe your way, or something substantial in the
way, I'd have thought.
Brian

--

This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Rod Speed" wrote in message
...


"newshound" wrote in message
o.uk...
On 24/01/2021 18:58, John Towill wrote:


I cannot get a decent signal here, so I went the satellite route, i am
totally satisfied with it.

I have been wondering about that too. Jackdaws have taken to bouncing up
and down on my aerial since I put an anti-nest cap on the (unused)
chimney that they used to nest in.

That's what the shotgun is for.

Yes he did not say what amp he was using already, if its an unknown one,
might be a good thing to try a well tested one in case he is getting
interference from out of band signals which might explain the most of the
time it works issue.
Brian

--

This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"williamwright" wrote in message
...
On 24/01/2021 18:13, wrote:
We're in a "variable reception" area for Ridge Hill mast, about 20 miles
away. The Humax STB reports a very weak signal on most channels but the
picture is OK for much of the time - the boss would like it to be OK all
the time so I need some advice.
The current aerial is a 16 element Yagi, with a masthead amp and newly
replaced Webro WF100 cable; all connections are good. The house is tall
and the aerial is on a 1m'ish mast attached to a tall'ish chimney
(worryingly, a bit above the lightning conductor!).

From experience of lightning damaged aerials and houses it appears not to
make any difference how high the aerial is relative to the lightning
conductor or anything else. Lighting rarely strikes the aerial direct; if
it does it's fairly obvious because you can't find the aerial or the cable
the next day. Most lighting damage to aerials is caused by a strike to the
building.


It looks like I need to replace the aerial with a higher-gain type so I'm
wondering whether to go for a group A multi-boom type, a Yagi18A, an
XB16A or ... ?

Heavy/big aerials need a strong fixing, and they need to be well away from
masonry or anything else.

Also, the attic has lots of headroom (about 9 feet in the
centre) so, with a higher gain aerial, I'm tempted to try it in the Attic
to make life easier, but have no idea what attenuation the block walls
might cause(?).

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
please don't put it in the loft.

I suggest you check the aerial alignment and make sure it isn't near
anything, then fit a masthead amp of moderate gain (at the aerial) and see
what happens. Even if you change the aerial you'll need a masthead amp.

Blakes:

Proception proMHD11M 1-Way UHF Medium Gain Masthead Amplifier; 1 Input; 1
Output-16dB

PROPSU11F 1-Way F-Type Inline Power Supply; 1 Input; 1 Output-12v 100mA

Bill

On 24/01/2021 18:51, charles wrote:
If you're in an area that needa masthead amp , forget a loft aerial.
Also, a bigger (multi-element) might just double the signal you are
gettting. You might do better with a higher gain amplifier. Or go for
satellite

Most TVs have plenty of gain these days.

if you have crap signal to noise the only thing that will improve it is
a bigger aerial.

Boosting **** just leads top bigger **** and/or being overloaded with ****.




--
New Socialism consists essentially in being seen to have your heart in
the right place whilst your head is in the clouds and your hand is in
someone else's pocket.

On 24/01/2021 18:58, John Towill wrote:
I cannot get a decent signal here, so I went the satellite route, i am
totally satisfied with it.

I did similar when in a steep valley. Freesat is slightly better than
freeview, if ugly as sin



--
Canada is all right really, though not for the whole weekend.

"Saki"

On 25/01/2021 10:17, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 24/01/2021 18:51, charles wrote:
IfÂ* you're in an area that needa masthead amp , forget a loft aerial.
Also, a bigger (multi-element) might just double the signal you are
gettting. You might do better with a higher gain amplifier. Or go for
satellite

Most TVs have plenty of gain these days.

And have had for ages. The older Panasonics in Manchester would easily
pull in the Welsh TV in a sidelobe of the antenna when they were
nominally pointed towards Winter Hill in the WNW.

It became a big problem shortly after digital switchover when the signal
became stronger and was found first. Some sets putting the first found
in the main channel positions.

if you have crap signal to noise the only thing that will improve it is
a bigger aerial.

Boosting **** just leads top bigger **** and/or being overloaded with ****.

Certainly nothing beats starting with a better signal. If TDTV reception
in your locality is so poor I would go for satellite instead. You get a
bunch of other channels some of them interesting that way too.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:
What trash the aerial and the roof at the same time? :-)

Actually 20 miles does not seem that far away to get such a crap signal,
there has to either be a poor lobe your way, or something substantial in the
way, I'd have thought.
Brian


That was my conclusion about the description too.

With the distance and the kit involved, "it shoulda worked".

Paul

On 25 Jan 2021 at 10:17:18 GMT, "The Natural Philosopher"
wrote:

On 24/01/2021 18:51, charles wrote:
If you're in an area that needa masthead amp , forget a loft aerial.
Also, a bigger (multi-element) might just double the signal you are
gettting. You might do better with a higher gain amplifier. Or go for
satellite

Most TVs have plenty of gain these days.

if you have crap signal to noise the only thing that will improve it is
a bigger aerial.

Boosting **** just leads top bigger **** and/or being overloaded with ****.

A masthead amplifier can improve signal to noise ratio a little because of
cable loss. A small effect, but if the aerial is nearly good enough it can be
worthwhile.

--
Roger Hayter

On 25/01/2021 02:57, williamwright wrote:
On 24/01/2021 18:13, wrote:
We're in a "variable reception" area for Ridge Hill mast, about 20
miles away. The Humax STB reports a very weak signal on most channels
but the picture is OK for much of the time - the boss would like it to
be OK all the time so I need some advice.
The current aerial is a 16 element Yagi, with a masthead amp and newly
replaced Webro WF100 cable; all connections are good. The house is
tall and the aerial is on a 1m'ish mast attached to a tall'ish chimney
(worryingly, a bit above the lightning conductor!).

From experience of lightning damaged aerials and houses it appears not
to make any difference how high the aerial is relative to the lightning
conductor or anything else. Lighting rarely strikes the aerial direct;
if it does it's fairly obvious because you can't find the aerial or the
cable the next day. Most lighting damage to aerials is caused by a
strike to the building.


It looks like I need to replace the aerial with a higher-gain type so
I'm wondering whether to go for a group A multi-boom type, a Yagi18A,
an XB16A or ... ?

Heavy/big aerials need a strong fixing, and they need to be well away
from masonry or anything else.

Also, the attic has lots of headroom (about 9 feet in the
centre) so, with a higher gain aerial, I'm tempted to try it in the
Attic to make life easier, but have no idea what attenuation the block
walls might cause(?).

No no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
no please don't put it in the loft.

I suggest you check the aerial alignment and make sure it isn't near
anything, then fit a masthead amp of moderate gain (at the aerial) and
see what happens. Even if you change the aerial you'll need a masthead amp.

Blakes:

Proception proMHD11M 1-Way UHF Medium Gain Masthead Amplifier; 1 Input;
1 Output-16dB

PROPSU11FÂ* 1-Way F-Type Inline Power Supply; 1 Input; 1 Output-12v 100mA

Bill
Thanks Bill.
I already have a masthead amp - an elderly Maxview - but I've no idea
what its gain is. Why do you suggest a medium gain amp rather than high
gain?
I forgot to say that I'd checked the the aerial alignment and it's
accurate within about 5 degrees.
"Message received" about installing in the attic; I've found some data
suggesting 8-10dB attenuation so clearly that's a non-starter. I'd
wanted to try it because a 3-section ladder isn't enough to get to the
bottom of the mast so it needs a roof climb on 80 year-old clay tiles
with a pitch of 60 degrees.

It seems that I've managed to improve the situation by retuning with the
aerial unplugged and then doing it again with the aerial connected. I
don't understand why this might have helped but if it solves the issue I
might just accept it.

In article , Paul
wrote:
Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:
What trash the aerial and the roof at the same time? :-)

Actually 20 miles does not seem that far away to get such a crap
signal, there has to either be a poor lobe your way, or something
substantial in the way, I'd have thought. Brian


That was my conclusion about the description too.

With the distance and the kit involved, "it shoulda worked".

Paul

there might be a hill in the way. 20 miles west of Ridge Hill is a bit that
way

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

On 25/01/2021 11:22, Roger Hayter wrote:
On 25 Jan 2021 at 10:17:18 GMT, "The Natural Philosopher"
wrote:

On 24/01/2021 18:51, charles wrote:
If you're in an area that needa masthead amp , forget a loft aerial.
Also, a bigger (multi-element) might just double the signal you are
gettting. You might do better with a higher gain amplifier. Or go for
satellite

Most TVs have plenty of gain these days.

if you have crap signal to noise the only thing that will improve it is
a bigger aerial.

Boosting **** just leads top bigger **** and/or being overloaded with ****.

A masthead amplifier can improve signal to noise ratio a little because of
cable loss. A small effect, but if the aerial is nearly good enough it can be
worthwhile.

cables may introduce loss, but not much noise.

So I still say that masthead amps have had their day. Only place for an
amp is to feed multiple aerials but that's a distribution amp



--
The New Left are the people they warned you about.

On 25/01/2021 02:30, williamwright wrote:
On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:

In your case Freesat is the way to go.

No Channel Four HD.

Bill

Yeah I really miss "Come dine with me" in HD.

On 25/01/2021 11:57, Andy Bennet wrote:
On 25/01/2021 02:30, williamwright wrote:
On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:

In your case Freesat is the way to go.

No Channel Four HD.

Bill

Yeah I really miss "Come dine with me" in HD.

that's what i-player and a smart tv is 4


--
I would rather have questions that cannot be answered...
....than to have answers that cannot be questioned

Richard Feynman

On 25/01/2021 11:59, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 25/01/2021 11:57, Andy Bennet wrote:
On 25/01/2021 02:30, williamwright wrote:
On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:

In your case Freesat is the way to go.

No Channel Four HD.

Bill

Yeah I really miss "Come dine with me" in HD.

that's what i-player and a smart tv is 4



I just poke up with the low res. version.

charles wrote:
In article , Paul
wrote:
Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:
What trash the aerial and the roof at the same time? :-)

Actually 20 miles does not seem that far away to get such a crap
signal, there has to either be a poor lobe your way, or something
substantial in the way, I'd have thought. Brian


That was my conclusion about the description too.

With the distance and the kit involved, "it shoulda worked".

Paul

there might be a hill in the way. 20 miles west of Ridge Hill is a bit that
way


If you had the TVfool website available for your area,
it accepts lat,long,elevation, and gives a prediction of
signal level.

https://i.postimg.cc/FKgRDjFY/fun-with-tvfool-com.gif

The left-most circle shows what a really rural (fringe)
situation looks like. The user in that case, there's only
about one station available, so no need for a rotator for
the antenna.

The rest of the picture, the right-most circle and the
table, belong together.

The right-most circle is for a user in Toronto. The
row of dots at 265 degrees, has the number "20" on the
right, and that is the closest number to the center
of the dartboard. The signal level for channel 20, is
-8.3dbm. Propagation is LOS (line-of-sight). Even a rabbit
ears will pick up that station.

Entries further down in the table, 2edge and tropo, involve
more speculative transmission modes.

If there was a hill in the way, TVFool automatically notches
out reception blocked by hills, or rates them as "available
by tropospheric scattering".

Without putting any antenna up, you automatically get some idea
of the challenge ahead. The dart board on the left, the rural
one, now that's going to take a fancy solution to get any signal.

I don't know if anyone has cloned the TVFool stuff to work with
other areas.

Paul

On 25/01/2021 11:59, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 25/01/2021 11:57, Andy Bennet wrote:
On 25/01/2021 02:30, williamwright wrote:
On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:

In your case Freesat is the way to go.

No Channel Four HD.

Bill

Yeah I really miss "Come dine with me" in HD.

that's what i-player and a smart tv is 4


You'll struggle to find "Come dine with me" on iPlayer though.

On 25/01/2021 06:14, Adrian Caspersz wrote:
On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:

In your case Freesat is the way to go. I have installed a dish at the
base of a tree at the end of my garden, as it can see over my roof
without being visible in the street.


Council houses used to be identified (allegedly) by them having a
satellite dish attached ...

And a new(-ish) car outside (or 2 or 3).

On 25/01/2021 09:39, Paul wrote:
williamwright wrote:

no no no no please don't put it in the loft.

I suggest you check the aerial alignment and make sure it isn't near
anything, then fit a masthead amp of moderate gain (at the aerial) and
see what happens. Even if you change the aerial you'll need a masthead
amp.

Blakes:

Proception proMHD11M 1-Way UHF Medium Gain Masthead Amplifier; 1
Input; 1 Output-16dB

PROPSU11FÂ* 1-Way F-Type Inline Power Supply; 1 Input; 1 Output-12v 100mA

Bill

With an antenna that nice, and at that distance, why isn't
this "just working" ?

That's my first question.

Maybe there's some on-axis multipath ?

Â*Â*Â* Paul

Or original 'builders coax' is full of water and/or
corroded from chimney emissions ?.

On Mon, 25 Jan 2021 02:30:48 +0000, williamwright
wrote:


On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:


In your case Freesat is the way to go.


No Channel Four HD.

Bill


True, but actually it's available in non-Freesat mode, with now&next
info not the full week's EPG.
--
Dave W

On 25/01/2021 13:07, Andrew wrote:
On 25/01/2021 06:14, Adrian Caspersz wrote:
On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:

In your case Freesat is the way to go. I have installed a dish at the
base of a tree at the end of my garden, as it can see over my roof
without being visible in the street.


Council houses used to be identified (allegedly) by them having a
satellite dish attached ...

And a new(-ish) car outside (or 2 or 3).


And the 80 inch TV viewable from the street.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 25/01/2021 11:26, wrote:

"Message received" about installing in the attic; I've found some data
suggesting 8-10dB attenuation so clearly that's a non-starter. I'd
wanted to try it because a 3-section ladder isn't enough to get to the
bottom of the mast so it needs a roof climb on 80 year-old clay tiles
with a pitch of 60 degrees.

Also the main problem with a LARGE high gain aerial may be positioning.
While you loft may have headroom the pointy bit is tapers to nothing so
you could end up with the aerial being closer to the floor of the loft.

I've had success in a medium reception area with a short, 1m (ish) long
log periodic aerial mounted up high in a loft space - followed by a low
(ish) gain amp.


--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

In article , Andrew
writes
On 25/01/2021 06:14, Adrian Caspersz wrote:
On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:

In your case Freesat is the way to go. I have installed a dish at the
base of a tree at the end of my garden, as it can see over my roof
without being visible in the street.

Council houses used to be identified (allegedly) by them having a
satellite dish attached ...

And a new(-ish) car outside (or 2 or 3).

And a 75" TV on the wall.
--
bert

On 25/01/2021 13:46, alan_m wrote:
On 25/01/2021 13:07, Andrew wrote:
On 25/01/2021 06:14, Adrian Caspersz wrote:
On 25/01/2021 00:01, Dave W wrote:

In your case Freesat is the way to go. I have installed a dish at the
base of a tree at the end of my garden, as it can see over my roof
without being visible in the street.


Council houses used to be identified (allegedly) by them having a
satellite dish attached ...

And a new(-ish) car outside (or 2 or 3).


And the 80 inch TV viewable from the street.


And the recent 'how to get a council house' TV series
where the council housing officer said she regularly
takes prospective tenants on a viewing, who turn the
property down because their TV or sofa won't fit.

In article ,
wrote:
We're in a "variable reception" area for Ridge Hill mast, about 20 miles
away. The Humax STB reports a very weak signal on most channels but the
picture is OK for much of the time - the boss would like it to be OK all
the time so I need some advice.
The current aerial is a 16 element Yagi, with a masthead amp and newly
replaced Webro WF100 cable; all connections are good. The house is tall
and the aerial is on a 1m'ish mast attached to a tall'ish chimney
(worryingly, a bit above the lightning conductor!).

It looks like I need to replace the aerial with a higher-gain type so
I'm wondering whether to go for a group A multi-boom type, a Yagi18A, an
XB16A or ... ? Also, the attic has lots of headroom (about 9 feet in the
centre) so, with a higher gain aerial, I'm tempted to try it in the
Attic to make life easier, but have no idea what attenuation the block
walls might cause(?).
All suggestions gratefully received.

Look at how neighbours have done it? Ask if it works OK? You can usually
tell when someone has gone for the very best results, rather than just
taking what the average aerial company (Bill excepted) supplies.

--
*Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups *

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