As I'm pretty handy (more handy than pretty), been asked to install aerials for some friends.
Thought I'd practice on my place 1st (as the cables need replacing).
The current aerial I have gets digital fine, so need some advice.
Have scanned the Hills catalog. Do I need to install "digital" antennas or a analogue one that will pick up both?
Located in Sydney (lower Nth shore).
I need to invest in tools, so is compression or crimping the way to go?
Best place to buy?
Any other suggestions would be appreciated?
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For the main North Shore Sydney transmitters, you should only install antennas designed for VHF channels 6-12 and band 4 UHF. Antennas primarily designed for analogue are designed to receive bands 1 & 2 (eg: channels below channel 6 eg: ABC Ch 2 analogue) and FM radio.
Strong signals on those frequencies can cause errors in the digital data stream.
Such low-band antennas are also prone to picking up impulse noise interference, which is a digital-signal killer.
Overloading signals will have the same result as insufficient signal strength and quality... no reception.
Reflected/multipath signals which are seen as ghosting on analogue, present as high BER & low MER on digital
Selecting the correct antenna and locating the ideal antenna mounting location is determined by signal measurements with an accurate digital field strength meter/spectrum analyser, which measures the digital channel power, pre & post viterbi and reed solomon error correction, noise margin, bit error ratio and modulation error ratio.
Installing antennas for digital TV reception is largely a professional job these days, requiring specialised equipment and the knowledge and experience to use it.
DIY can be very hit & miss with digital, as it's basically perfect reception, breaking up, or no reception at all.
Last edited by mtv; 16-08-09 at 04:36 PM. Reason: typo correction
what happened to the good old days when you could sling a coat hanger out the window?
Looks like I've got some thinking to do.
Thanks
Is there a particular brand of antenna to look for when buying or are they all pretty equal?
Thanks in advance.
When I moved here in december last year I enquired at the local tv antenna installer on the options for digital. They told me there is a local transmitter for abc and sbs only and nothing else. Having gotten digital from Mt Sugarloaf at my previous address which was in a very poor signal area and further than here I asked about that, they so no, impossible. They wouldnt even do a site survey, they said it was impossible.
So me hating the it cant be done attitude put up my antenna from my old place, a 91 element yagi, on a 15m pole with kingray amp and rg6 cable and had a look. result: very very strong signal, with 100% signal quality which only drops when there are huge wind gusts, i very rarely get any type of pixelation, when i do its blowing a gale. And they said it cant be done So much for its impossible. And yes the local antenna man does have very flash equipment, but his attitude sucks, like I said he wouldnt even do a site survey. Ive also heard reports that he hasnt even shown up for jobs. So I get prime, prime HD, SC10, ONEHD, NBN, NBNHD and GO all in digital, the rest of the town gets only SBS and ABC in digital, and have to settle for a poorly retransmitted analogue signal for the others, dont get any of the HD channels or ONE or GO. ha!
Now one other person in town has the same antenna on a similar height mast in town, i wonder if he drove past my place and saw mine or also doesnt like the it cant be done attitude and did it himself
So, theres no harm in trying
Last edited by Jason_dinAlt; 31-08-09 at 09:26 AM.
Absolutley. Just goes to show, installers are not all equal.
I had a similar story from a customer in Katoomba.... Three different installers told him it was not possible to receive digital at his location.
After my installation, he now gets perfect reception from Sydney.
OSIRUS (31-08-09)
Jason, you fellow wouldnt have any Rellies out my way by chance??
Twice I had arranged for just a site survey which I was quite happy to pay what he quoted for the job,wrote it down in his appointment book and NOTHING !!
But for one (MTV) who went out of his way, both in Time and Distance,to find a 'sweet spot' for me I would most likely be still stumbling about as I would never have picked where the antenna needed to go.
I had to laugh at Paul's comment about the coat hanger when I remember a workmate telling me he had attatched the old 300 ohm lead to the gauze of the flyscreen door and got a reception, circa 1960, B&W of course.........Bikewheels, Coat Hangers, if it was metal, it was tried.
seriously in the old vhf analog days you could do that, i used to get best result with the flyscreen frame, but only if i held it and kept my left arm over the back of my head at a certain angle and my right foot on my left knee lol
gordon_s1942 (01-09-09)
TV repair shop who is also a Hills dealer in Newcastle, opposite the bowling alley in Mayfield $90 I think, somewhere around that much, it was definately less than $100
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