Do I need a tv aerial

[Russell griffiths]

Being that I’m a caveman, can I get standard tv channels from one of the companies that supply things like Netflix and stuff. 

 

Do i I have to have a tv aerial?

 

im struggling to think of where to put a tv aerial 

 

i really dont want one on my roof, can you get a super version that goes in the loft. 

 

Can i I get free view channels down the BT cable that supplies my internet ?

 

oh god more stuff to think about. 

 

 

 

[recoveringbuilder]

Our aerial is in the loft with a signal booster 

[joe90]

Yes I am a Luddite too, I put my aerial in the loft but don’t have foil backed insulation and it works well. Depends on the signal strength where you are I guess. I keep seeing adverts for television series on various “other” channels so one day I will have to join the 21st century. ?

[ProDave]

I have a tv aerial and a satellite dish so I have 2 sources of "ordinary" tv.

 

We do have a firestick and very occasionally watch something in iptv, but it just seems so "wrong" to routinely be using what is supposed to be a data service for such high bandwidth use.  And in any event, internet connections are too unreliable and rely on lots of services working. A dish or tv aerial is likely to give you a more dependable robust reception in times of trouble.

[Ralph]

I don't want an areal on the roof and as the roof is metal can't put it in the loft. I'm planning on putting a satellite dish for Freesat on my garage and running cables back. I think that should get me all the channels I want and it's less of an eyesore. 

[ToughButterCup]

58 minutes ago, Russell griffiths said:

Being that I’m a caveman,... Do i I have to have a tv aerial?

...

 

I'm as much a caveman as the next BuildHubber. No aerial. 

Just CAT6 from the switch and WiFi.   Probably overkill if all you do is listen to the Archers innit...

[Adrian Walker]

8 minutes ago, ToughButterCup said:

 

I'm as much a caveman as the next BuildHubber. No aerial. 

Just CAT6 from the switch and WiFi.   Probably overkill if all you do is listen to the Archers innit...

I think Building Regs says you must have a aerial or provision for one.

[ToughButterCup]

3 minutes ago, Adrian Walker said:

I think Building Regs says you must have a aerial or provision for one.

Thanks for the nudge. The hole in the wall is ready and waiting..... bit of a cold bridge but , what the Hell.

Edited April 14, 2021 by ToughButterCup

[joe90]

42 minutes ago, Adrian Walker said:

I think Building Regs says you must have a aerial or provision for one.

Never heard that before, with this digital age is that not out of date (if true?).

[markc]

3 minutes ago, joe90 said:

Never heard that before, with this digital age is that not out of date (if true?).

me neither

[TonyT]

Can you not take the aerial cable somewhere else?

 

Inside a garage?

out on a perimeter fence, but cable underground?

[joth]

Didn't we just do this?

 

 

[ProDave]

1 hour ago, Adrian Walker said:

I think Building Regs says you must have a aerial or provision for one.

A cable from a socket to a coil of cable in the loft seems enough for the mass house builders.  Is BC going to fail a house for no aerial?

[Construction Channel]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01HD653WS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_CQ3BMNH9B7629HYTMVMK

 

I have a product similar to this just under my soffit. Works fine for the normal free view channels. Gets most the hd ones as well 

[Temp]

6 hours ago, Russell griffiths said:

i really dont want one on my roof, can you get a super version that goes in the loft. 

 

A lot depends on where you are in relation to the transmitter and what the terrain is like between your house and the transmitter. Sometimes you need a massive aerial on a tall mast and sometimes a short length of wet string in the living room will do.

 

Try entering your postcode here and it will tell you which transmitter you should point at and likely signal strength. If it recommends several transmitters then check what the terrain/trees/buildings are like in those directions. Usually the first or nearest is the best choice.

 

https://www.freeview.co.uk/corporate/detailed-transmitter-information

 

If your insulation isn't foil covered (or its at joist level) then i would try a cheap aerial in the £20 range from  Toolstation or screwfix. That way if it doesn't work you haven't lost much. In general the weaker the signal the larger the aerial you need. Having one that is too big is better than too small.

 

I would mount it on a short mast on some plywood and stick some bricks on it. Use a compass to get it pointed in roughly the right direction. Then use the signal strength and quality bar graphs on your TV set up menu to fine tune the position and direction. Now we are all digital you can't really rely on the picture quality to set up the aerial. It might appear perfect but one rain shower later its unwatchable. Best use the signal strength and quality displays in a TV or PVR. Mark the outline of the plywood on the floor boards when happy in case it gets knocked.

 

If you can't get a strong signal with good quality or there are other issues then you can try a different/bigger more expensive aerial but at some point its better to spend money to get a professional to sort it. Especially if the problem is technical, for example interference from another transmitter.

 

It is rare to need an amplifier. Thats because a bigger aerial is almost always better than a small aerial and an amplifier.  Amplifiers amplify noise as well as the wanted signal. If you want multiple TV points  the use a "TV Distribution Amplifier" these have just enough gain to correct for losses introduced by splitting the signal multiple ways.