Digital Freeview TV Aerial Forums

b6x

Hi all.

Anyone have any experience of this type of TV aerial for Freeview reception? >>

safariboy

I think that this is unlikely to work in most camp sites. The signal strength is often quite low.
You need a directional broadband aerial. A good amplifier helps. But if the signal in is rubbish no amplifier can improve it.
With digital I have found that low cost amplifiers can make reception worse, but the one that came in our present van works well.
There is nothing special about digital except that you do need coverage over the whole of the band. This is normal with any aerial sold for a motorhome or caravan.

GerryD

A magnetic aerial will be no good at all. You wither have an aluminium or fibre glass roof. The magnetic aerial also requires a good flat steel surface to give it a ground plane.

If you don't want to drill a hole in the roof then use an external aerial mounted on a demountable mast that can be clamped to your ladder. Then you can have a status amplifier inside the van. I use this arrangement and it works well. Just have to point the aerial in the right direction.

bhewart

GerryD

rickwiggans

Hi bhewart,
I'm not going to tell you how I know - you'll just have to trust me on this. There are issues with the transmission pattern from Winter Hill. Theoretically, it should be transmitting roughly equally in all directions, but it isn't. In certain directions there is nearly no signal. No consolation right now, but it should improve. I could tell you how I know this, but then I'd have to kill one of us!!

Rick

Velvettones

we got one of those aerials with our freeview dongle, advice on net was throw in bin and buy a worthwhile one

our status aerial (old round one) works fine for digital, we just use that now

rowley

I didnt find the Status flying saucer very good, but have been impressed with the directional Status.

falken

We've found the stick aerials to be pretty poor. The best we found was the Thomson but I think they've stopped manufacturing them. Omni-directional aerials work fine when there's a good signal but a directional aerial is much better for weaker signals.
Of course the biggest problem with directional aerials is knowing which way to point the things!

Regards
Doug

theboadacea