Best Outdoor TV aerials for receiving high definition freeview (Granada region, UK)

[Wigley Woggled]

Hi Folks,

This is our first purchase of a dedicated outdoor TV aerial for freeview.
There seems to be so many options: number of elements, different shapes etc., quite overwhelming!
Do you have any advice on which specific aerials would suit? We live in the North West of England.

We've been advised to purchase a wide band, high gain aerial suitable for receiving from the below transmitters.

Kind regards,

Dave Markham.

 

[winston2010]

Without knowing your location and which of those transmitters you are aiming to receive it is impossible to advise.

But in most locations a log periodic aerial is ideal. A local aerial installer would know (hopefully) what to use in your area.

 

[John]

I faffed around for a number of years trying to get the right aerial and booster combination to feed 3x freeview sets in the house
Was about to drop another £50 on a bigger better aerial, when I decided to see how much the local guy would be instead
£85 later I had a perfectly aligned new loft aerial with no boosters feeding all 3 tvs a perfect signal
Should have done it years ago

 

[Rodders53]

Location (postcode of shop, school, pub, church) within 100m or so of your home would allow more accurate advice.
I could triangulate from that list of possible transmitters but can't be bothered at this precise moment.

40km from Winter Hill might need more gain than a log periodic can give without masthead amplification? Additional directivity may be a benefit, too?

Aerials - A.T.V. Poles, Brackets, Clamps & Aerials is worth reading for background info and the ATV aerial choice especially.

Avoid contract aerials with the pressed rectangular plate reflectors at all costs.

 

[Wigley Woggled]

Thanks all for your replies. I've been advised by Freeview chat line that Winter Hill, 40 km away, is my local transmitter despite others on the list being nearer but perhaps from Winter Hill there is a better line of sight me being on the eastern edge of the Cheshire plain. He also suggested a wide band high gain aerial. Perhaps any will do?
We're having a new roof installed and the roofer said he'd fit a new aerial but I don't want him fitting the wrong one, hoping that any fitted would give me some future proof. I could buy the right one for him to fit while his scaffolding is up. New cabling might be worth investing in as ours is circa 1960's as is our current aerial. We do receive Freeview but 2 or 3 of the more obscure channels are a bit hit and miss.
By contract aerials I assume you mean mass produced ones, those from Amazon? Or worse those made in China with 5G built in!
Nearest location SK12 1EU.

High gain - will too many elements be detrimental say greater than 32 ? Double reflector or single? Horizontal or vertical polarisation - where do I find this information as it doesn't seem to be given on Freeview web page.
Thanks for your link to A.T.V., that looks like lengthy bedtime reading followed by an algorithm marked exam and pain killers! I'm not sure I'll be even more confused but at least I'll pick up tips.

Perhaps I'd be better having one installed while the scaffolding is up!

 

[winston2010]

I faffed around for a number of years trying to get the right aerial and booster combination to feed 3x freeview sets in the house
Was about to drop another £50 on a bigger better aerial, when I decided to see how much the local guy would be instead
£85 later I had a perfectly aligned new loft aerial with no boosters feeding all 3 tvs a perfect signal
Should have done it years ago

Many people seem to automatically go for boosters when they are not necessary as in your case. Your problem was probably overloading.

 

[winston2010]

Thanks all for your replies. I've been advised by Freeview chat line that Winter Hill, 40 km away, is my local transmitter despite others on the list being nearer but perhaps from Winter Hill there is a better line of sight me being on the eastern edge of the Cheshire plain. He also suggested a wide band high gain aerial. Perhaps any will do?
We're having a new roof installed and the roofer said he'd fit a new aerial but I don't want him fitting the wrong one, hoping that any fitted would give me some future proof. I could buy the right one for him to fit while his scaffolding is up. New cabling might be worth investing in as ours is circa 1960's as is our current aerial. We do receive Freeview but 2 or 3 of the more obscure channels are a bit hit and miss.
By contract aerials I assume you mean mass produced ones, those from Amazon? Or worse those made in China with 5G built in!
Nearest location SK12 1EU.

High gain - will too many elements be detrimental say greater than 32 ? Double reflector or single? Horizontal or vertical polarisation - where do I find this information as it doesn't seem to be given on Freeview web page.
Thanks for your link to A.T.V., that looks like lengthy bedtime reading followed by an algorithm marked exam and pain killers! I'm not sure I'll be even more confused but at least I'll pick up tips.

Perhaps I'd be better having one installed while the scaffolding is up!

Roofers are not the people to fit aerials any more than an aerial installer would install a new roof. My neighbour got a builder to put an aerial up while he was on the roof. He pointed it in completely the wrong direction.

Never seen a made in China aerial with 5G built in! Just as well as it would not get COM7.

There are no 32 element aerials, max is around 21. Anything greater means someone has counted the elements twice or even 4 times.

Too many elements is better than too few as you can always add an attenuator. But the bigger the aerial the more windage and strain on the fixings.

In your list of likely transmitters under aerial group the second and forth letter is either H or V. This means horizontal or vertical.

Indeed get one installed now but get a proper aerial installer with a signal meter to do it.

 

[John]

Many people seem to automatically go for boosters when they are not necessary as in your case. Your problem was probably overloading.

nope, my problem was in that my aerial was receiving no signal when plugged into his meter.
i had probably broken a connection when faffing around

 

[Rodders53]

READ my link to ATV aerials it explains all about aerial types.

Poynton, Stockport area: Wolfbane predicts 50 dBuV/m and clear line of sight (local obstructions notwithstanding). Justin (ATV) would probably recommend a Yagi 18 K group or a log 36 (although Winter Hill is now group A for almost all muxes, an A group aerial would probably lose the temporary COM7 on frequency ch 55).

New cable: use all copper satellite grade type Webro WF100, Philex/Labgear PF100, Triax TX100 or CAI listed. Stuff labelled CT100 from Toolstation is also all-copper, but not listed.

An aerial needs fixing properly with the correct pole, and brackets to suit (wall/chimney/ ???). Justin's site covers that, too.

You need to consider if the aerial is to service one TV in one room or more sets in more rooms. It may well require active (amplified) distribution if more than one or two. It's common practice to get the aerial into the lost space to distribute to other rooms from there (via internal or external cable routes - or both) as it's normally best to amplify as near to the aerial as practical.

 

[VisionMan]

As your in the Granada region you'll need a high gain aerial. Thats basically it.

 

[winston2010]

As your in the Granada region you'll need a high gain aerial. Thats basically it.

Why do you say that? Winter Hill is one of the higher power transmitters.

 

[VisionMan]

As your in the Granada region you'll need a high gain aerial. Thats basically it.

Why do you say that?

Because when the digital change happened that was the only type of aerial where I could receive all the signals.

 

[winston2010]

Because when the digital change happened that was the only type of aerial where I could receive all the signals.

Because you were in an area where you could not receive all signals does not mean everyone in the Granada region were in such an area.

 

[VisionMan]

Because you were in an area where you could not receive all signals does not mean everyone in the Granada region were in such an area.

Ah. I take your point.

 

[Wigley Woggled]

Well thanks guys for all your useful information. Quite involved or could be.
I'm away on a break for a few days so I'll use the opportunity to read up the ATV information, thanks Rodders!

Freeview suggest high gain wide band from where I am so I'll start from there.
Thanks again guys!