Arcadian Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 (Bruce has suggested that I should repost this here) ========================================== I was given a present of a set-top box this summer for use in our motorhome. Little did I know how difficult it is to align our Status S530 aerial with 0.92m mast for Freeview. Fortunately it is a Technomatic combo box and I can use a Multimo satellite dish for all the main channels except 4 and 5. Alignment of the Multimo dish is child's play compared with aligning the Status for Freeview. Only twice have I succeeded in receiving Freeview and that was after alignment using analogue reception first! After a lot of internet searching and practical experience while touring (including trying to use the set-top box signal strength meter), I have these conclusions. 1. On most of the camping sites I visit (among hills, mountains or woodland in Scotland) Freeview is not an option. It's probably not an option with a high-gain 18-element dipole aerial either! 2. Web sites giving guidance on TV reception while touring are geared to Sky and not to Freeview or free-to-air (satellite). A notable exception is to be found here: http://tinyurl.com/ytdpsy 3. When analogue TV is switched off, Freeview signals will be increased making for better reception. However, even then aerial alignment will be difficult in many areas. In the run up to the analogue TV shut-down, it is time that the caravanning clubs, magazines and forums produced some practical documentation on this topic. Come on Out&AboutLive, give a lead and provide some permanent information available from a link on the Home Page! Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 bump One for you Bernie :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Way2Go Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 I'm not sure that it's as difficult as you think it is.I got Freeview with my new motorhome back in March and have had numerous trips away in it this year. I've never had any trouble getting a signal (except one CL) or tuning it in.I have the Status directional aerial on an extension pole which I can tune from inside, lovely. As a starting point I have a quick look to see where everyone else is pointing and follow suite.It then usually return a dozen or so channels and if I find one or two of them 'drop out' I fine tune the direction. Works a treat.W2G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 You might find the following site useful, if you have the grid reference or postcode of where you are going to be. http://www.wolfbane.co.uk click on the "UK digital TV reception predictor" link. Availability, predicted strength, compass bearing, channel numbers aerial polarity all set out. The equivalent analogue link is also useful. As per your experience, it will often be better to align using an analogue signal (from the same transmitter) first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 This was discused some time back with no result, since then I have sent emails to a couple of outlets and a mag about signal meters for DTT but they have not replied, there is a meter availible for around £400 that I think will do the job but I'm not paying that, I'll send another email to Whatsat see if they reply this time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred grant Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 tis funny me ansums but fred is better than any aerial we av used. i gets fred to stand on the roof of our motorhome and do a twirl. wherever the best reception was is the direction to point the aerial. it works ten times out of eleven. fred cant go wrong. us gets sum funny looks tho, and be careful when the roof is slippy as us dont want an accident. all the best from alice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadian Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 Thanks for this W2G. In which areas have you received Freeview easily? Are they relatively flat/rolling? Take a look at this map of the predicted Freeview coverage after switch-over: http://tinyurl.com/24m5ww [url={http://tinyurl.com/24m5ww}][/url]. With Freeview transmissions at around half-power at the moment, the "blank" areas are even more widespread. I also have a look to see the alignment of other aerials on site but it's sod's law that most of them are Sputnik-type! Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadian Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 Hi there! I know about the wolfbane site. However, I tour and seldom know where I will stay before I leave home. So, postcode predictors are of no use to me. You mention the alignment for analogue method that I have used; but what do we do when analogue is no more? Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadian Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 LOL, I saw the ad for the £400 meter too! That's more than my whole TV setup cost! It's a pity that the sat-seeker gizmos don't work for terrestial digital signals. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadian Posted October 4, 2007 Author Share Posted October 4, 2007 Apologies. The URL I gave in my original post does not work. Please try this: http://tinyurl.com/ytdpsy [url={http://tinyurl.com/ytdpsy}][/url] Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 4, 2007 Share Posted October 4, 2007 Arcadian - 2007-10-04 7:44 PM LOL, I saw the ad for the £400 meter too! That's more than my whole TV setup cost! It's a pity that the sat-seeker gizmos don't work for terrestial digital signals. Martin I don't think there's any reason a modded version shouldn't work, maybe a different condenser or risistor here and there and a battery for power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Way2Go Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Arcadian - 2007-10-04 7:35 PM Thanks for this W2G. In which areas have you received Freeview easily? Are they relatively flat/rolling?We got good reception from all these locations:-Chipping Norton (Glos), Southam (Warwick), Morton-in-Marsh (Glos), Axminster (Somerset), 'Waterrow' (Somerset), Southam (Warwick - different site), Pershore (Worchester), Calais, The Rhine (four different locations), Wadhurst (E.Sussex), Norman's Bay (E.Sussex), Hayling Island (Hants), Ringwood (Hants).The sites varied from open land with views to surrounded by trees. Obviously the quality of reception will vary from area to area, as indeed the number of channels, but I never thought it was ever anything to worry about.Hope this helps.W2G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadian Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 Way2Go - 2007-10-05 7:41 AMArcadian - 2007-10-04 7:35 PM Thanks for this W2G. In which areas have you received Freeview easily? Are they relatively flat/rolling?We got good reception from all these locations:-Chipping Norton (Glos), Southam (Warwick), Morton-in-Marsh (Glos), Axminster (Somerset), 'Waterrow' (Somerset), Southam (Warwick - different site), Pershore (Worchester), Calais, The Rhine (four different locations), Wadhurst (E.Sussex), Norman's Bay (E.Sussex), Hayling Island (Hants), Ringwood (Hants).The sites varied from open land with views to surrounded by trees. Obviously the quality of reception will vary from area to area, as indeed the number of channels, but I never thought it was ever anything to worry about.Hope this helps.W2G Hello again.As I suspected, you have had good Freeview reception in the southern half of England (where I have also had success). Reception in the Rhine valley surprises me!Have a look at this map http://www.ukfree.tv/txlist.php . As you can see, Freeview transmitters are sparse in Scotland and northen England which is where I do most of my touring. This map http://www.ukfree.tv/maps.php?c=10 shows the expected reception areas for BBC when the transmitters are on full power in 2011 and shows many 'blank' areas. At present the 'blank' areas are much bigger - hence my problems!Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadian Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 colin - 2007-10-04 9:11 PM Arcadian - 2007-10-04 7:44 PM LOL, I saw the ad for the £400 meter too! That's more than my whole TV setup cost! It's a pity that the sat-seeker gizmos don't work for terrestial digital signals. Martin I don't think there's any reason a modded version shouldn't work, maybe a different condenser or risistor here and there and a battery for power. Hi Colin. Though not an electronics wizard, the same thought had occurrred to me. I wonder when someone will market one. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadian Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 colin - 2007-10-04 9:11 PM Arcadian - 2007-10-04 7:44 PM LOL, I saw the ad for the £400 meter too! That's more than my whole TV setup cost! It's a pity that the sat-seeker gizmos don't work for terrestial digital signals. Martin I don't think there's any reason a modded version shouldn't work, maybe a different condenser or risistor here and there and a battery for power. P.S. I found this on the Satcure website: "Why can't I use a satellite meter? An LNB produces several hundred millivolts of signal because it has an inbuilt amplifier. An aerial produces only a few microVolts of signal at a much lower frequency. So a satellite meter is not compatible." Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Way2Go Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Reception in the Rhine valley surprises me! They weren't English programs :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 So far this seems best bet http://www.tracsat.co.uk/catalog/digiair-aerial-meter-p-223.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigal55 Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Arcadian - 2007-10-04 1:50 PM (Bruce has suggested that I should repost this here) ========================================== I was given a present of a set-top box this summer for use in our motorhome. Little did I know how difficult it is to align our Status S530 aerial with 0.92m mast for Freeview. Fortunately it is a Technomatic combo box and I can use a Multimo satellite dish for all the main channels except 4 and 5. Alignment of the Multimo dish is child's play compared with aligning the Status for Freeview. Only twice have I succeeded in receiving Freeview and that was after alignment using analogue reception first! After a lot of internet searching and practical experience while touring (including trying to use the set-top box signal strength meter), I have these conclusions. 1. On most of the camping sites I visit (among hills, mountains or woodland in Scotland) Freeview is not an option. It's probably not an option with a high-gain 18-element dipole aerial either! 2. Web sites giving guidance on TV reception while touring are geared to Sky and not to Freeview or free-to-air (satellite). A notable exception is to be found here: http://tinyurl.com/ytdpsy 3. When analogue TV is switched off, Freeview signals will be increased making for better reception. However, even then aerial alignment will be difficult in many areas. In the run up to the analogue TV shut-down, it is time that the caravanning clubs, magazines and forums produced some practical documentation on this topic. Come on Out&AboutLive, give a lead and provide some permanent information available from a link on the Home Page! Martini think the signal strength is variable at the moment, i live with a line of sight of the isle of wight transmitter, yesterday while preparing the m/home for the weekend i had the the t.v. on, just to make a noise etc, suddenly nothing, retuning, thumping etc, nothing 1hr later all ok, i get the same with a dab radio, conspiratory theory, digital still is not up to speed in all areas despite what we are told Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dizzy Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 Hi, We have a ten year old status arial we bought a £10 freeview box and get hundreds of chanels all over but could'nt get anything in S.Ireland only two chanells thus dvd box was usefull keep smiling (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadian Posted October 6, 2007 Author Share Posted October 6, 2007 Way2Go - 2007-10-05 3:08 PM Reception in the Rhine valley surprises me! They weren't English programs :-)That makes sense!Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadian Posted October 6, 2007 Author Share Posted October 6, 2007 dizzy - 2007-10-06 12:17 PM Hi, We have a ten year old status arial we bought a £10 freeview box and get hundreds of chanels all over but could'nt get anything in S.Ireland only two chanells thus dvd box was usefull keep smiling (lol) Have you tried in Scotland? Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadian Posted October 6, 2007 Author Share Posted October 6, 2007 colin - 2007-10-05 8:02 PM So far this seems best bet http://www.tracsat.co.uk/catalog/digiair-aerial-meter-p-223.html That's a better price! Thanks for your research. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadian Posted October 6, 2007 Author Share Posted October 6, 2007 bigal55 - 2007-10-05 9:22 PM Arcadian - 2007-10-04 1:50 PM (Bruce has suggested that I should repost this here) ========================================== I was given a present of a set-top box this summer for use in our motorhome. Little did I know how difficult it is to align our Status S530 aerial with 0.92m mast for Freeview. Fortunately it is a Technomatic combo box and I can use a Multimo satellite dish for all the main channels except 4 and 5. Alignment of the Multimo dish is child's play compared with aligning the Status for Freeview. Only twice have I succeeded in receiving Freeview and that was after alignment using analogue reception first! After a lot of internet searching and practical experience while touring (including trying to use the set-top box signal strength meter), I have these conclusions. 1. On most of the camping sites I visit (among hills, mountains or woodland in Scotland) Freeview is not an option. It's probably not an option with a high-gain 18-element dipole aerial either! 2. Web sites giving guidance on TV reception while touring are geared to Sky and not to Freeview or free-to-air (satellite). A notable exception is to be found here: http://tinyurl.com/ytdpsy 3. When analogue TV is switched off, Freeview signals will be increased making for better reception. However, even then aerial alignment will be difficult in many areas. In the run up to the analogue TV shut-down, it is time that the caravanning clubs, magazines and forums produced some practical documentation on this topic. Come on Out&AboutLive, give a lead and provide some permanent information available from a link on the Home Page! Martini think the signal strength is variable at the moment, i live with a line of sight of the isle of wight transmitter, yesterday while preparing the m/home for the weekend i had the the t.v. on, just to make a noise etc, suddenly nothing, retuning, thumping etc, nothing 1hr later all ok, i get the same with a dab radio, conspiratory theory, digital still is not up to speed in all areas despite what we are told Alan, I was in the IoW (South coast) in September and failed to get Freeview. But one of my few successes has been in Hants. You are right, Freeview is certainly not up to speed yet and will not be until the old analogue system is switched off. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 You might try switching the TV on Digital, selecting any known channel (I use BBC1), then from the menu choose signal strength. It shows two bar type percentage readings (even with no signal) and you just wiggle and twist the aerial until both the signal strength and signal quality readings are at their highest. And best of all it don't cost nowt and don't need setting up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 starspirit - 2007-10-06 8:04 PM You might try switching the TV on Digital, selecting any known channel (I use BBC1), then from the menu choose signal strength. It shows two bar type percentage readings (even with no signal) and you just wiggle and twist the aerial until both the signal strength and signal quality readings are at their highest. And best of all it don't cost nowt and don't need setting up! If you move from one transmitter area to another you have to retune digital, at moment you can tune in on analogue then align arial to get best signal then tune in DTT, when analogue is switched off how do you get arial fine tuned enough to retune DTT? as if you are a little way out you often get nothing, thats when a meter is needed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.