Help with TV/radio stations?
Saturday, 4 June 2011
J
Joe Croft11:31 AM
Swansea
AA.Aerials Swansea.
Disgusting he should be locked up .
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Joe's: mapJ's Freeview map terrainJ's terrain plot wavesJ's frequency data J's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Monday, 15 August 2011
G
Gareth5:59 PM
As a retired telecomms engineer, I am amazed that so many huge, ugly so-called "digital" aerials are springing up on roofs all over Cardiff. Some of them look like fringe aerials to me and have HUGE reflector elements at the rear, with crossed-directors. To my mind, they are a complete overkill, bearing in mind most of the city is within line of sight of the local transmitter at Wenvoe, which is just 3 or 4 miles away. I live in a small valley within the city, and can get a full strength signal on my PVR using a simple set-top Yagi aerial. What's going on here???
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Gareth: Yes, that is correct they are overkill, but before switchover Wenvoe only broadcast most of the multiplexes at 5kW - compared to today's 100kW/50kW. It is likely that people went for the larger aerials back when the signal was weak.
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Tuesday, 16 August 2011
M
Mike Dimmick4:51 PM
Gareth: Unfortunately many installers aren't worth the name - they don't have the right equipment or the right training. Even at 5kW there was plenty of signal (some transmitters intended to cover an area of a few miles, such as Nottingham or Sheffield, have far less than this even after switchover).
A high-gain aerial leads to a good chance of intermodulation problems if you're that close to the transmitter. A high-power analogue signal actually does much less damage to a digital signal through intermodulation than a high-power digital signal does to itself or to other digital signals. They're probably suffering with break-up problems that would be easily corrected with an attenuator.
Technically, Wenvoe required a Group K or wideband aerial before switchover, and the wider the response bandwidth, the more elements are typically required. The 'X'-type directors and active element have a wider bandwidth and more gain than a plain dipole does, so higher gain can be achieved from fewer elements than an equivalent plain Yagi, but there's not a lot in it.
A Group B still has substantial gain down at C30, one 18-element Yagi was measured at 8.3 dB on C30 and 10 dB on C34, so the difference of 3 dB between the power output on those two multiplexes probably offset the lower gain from the aerial.
The higher-gain aerial is usually more directional as well, which could be an advantage with nearby sources of interference, but as I say, best to couple it with some attenuation to offset the gain!
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G
Gareth5:41 PM
Thanks for the responses guys. Strangely enough, the new high gain aerials have been put up in recent weeks/months, well after the digital switchover. I have no gripe with "overkill", but some of them look so awful, especially on small bungalows! I wish more people would realise they don't need these ugly beasts! Oh well....
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Sunday, 30 December 2012
Ron Lake:
I have noticed over the last 12 months theres less and less of the out of town boys coming to my neck of the woods.
In my opinion it was the biggest con of the decade.
The media in general can take all the brownie points for putting it on the plate for all the sharks of this world to have a good old feed.
My phones at the change over period were going non stop from customers so worried that they wouldnt be able to receive TV reception on there old equipment.
It wasnt just the shady aerial riggers that were taking advantage of the situation it was also retailers, both large and small, some not that well known and others that have been on the go for years.
Thinking about it quite seriously, if I had personaly took advantage of all the work offered to me directly through my workshops I would have had to employ and train six maybe more aerial installers, which together with public employers liabilty, extra vans ladders, meters, and tools, and together having to make extra profits on top run into alot of money which has to come from somewhere (The customer).
The point im trying to make is, its easy for me to be honest and up front to a customer far as works required because ive always got more work coming in than I can handle.
If I didnt have the work to cover my exspenses then I would proberly be making a rod for my own back.
I won't mention business by name but theres a few that I know actually ceased contracting aerial and satellite work out and then employed staff to do the job after sending them on one of those tick tick courses lol, sorry I always have a giggle when thinking about some poor old customer who gets drawn in by the tick.Theres another one but dont want to get drawn into size does matter politics
Love to know what hands on experience the teachers there have had and have givin to there pupils, because what ive seen, a few of them should be on watch dog, not for ripping people off, but for dangerous installations and over all bad workmanship.
You cant blame the lads because they have never had the chance to be properly trained working along side riggers thats been in the game for years
Its a bit like the sparky saying.... Anyone with a little common sense can make a bulb switch on/off, but wether its safe and done correctly is another story.
Alot will say, ahh but things are different now what with digital reception.
I totaly agree with them, things have never been so easy as what they are now, what with the terestrial transmitters kicking out 100kw instead of 10kw,and alot more of them. Didnt have repeaters in them days,also you now have Satellites kicking out 50watts and upwards up against the 5watts that we old ones were used to back in the mirror vision days needing a 1.6-2m dishs, yes maxwell was in the satellite market years before murdoc, he was feeding cable TV in parts of London.
After saying that the mechs of fixing still should remain the same, its just on a smaller scale.
I know my spelling is poor haha
Regards
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Wednesday, 9 October 2013
M
Michael9:05 AM
does anyone know anything about action aerials? I am thinking of applying for a job!
But I have concerns as it is commision based & I have a feeling that the only way people make a living it to sell customers exras that they neither need or want! ( amps ect).
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Sunday, 28 September 2014
R
robert stevenson9:05 AM
I totally agree .who really needs a 52 element or 32 element or 18 element aerial
Remember use a good reliable independent installer all the time.
Large aerials should now not be required to receive freeview. If your installer is wanting to fit one off these then he is either being truthful or is ripping you off.
Freeview signals here in northern Ireland are very strong.
A small log periodic is great and my personal choice for my customers works great even in the roofspace .
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