NewNiceMrMe Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Anyone know of a REALLY good standalone TV aerial (plug straight into the back of a 15" TV? See, dilemma. 4 TV's, all wired into main aerial(s x 2). However, a recent new TV for daughter has lead to a spare TV (her old one) which the wife wants to put in the kitchen. Kitchen is fully tiled and quite recently re-fitted so I don't want to mess it up by dragging another aerial socket into it. Plus, she'll want to move it in 6 months - I know what she is like. So, I bought a £11.99 aerial at Comet - and it is poo. Hardly any picture at all. Does anyone know of any really good ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chav Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 get a signal booster. a 10-15db booster will give you a much better picture for a single tv from a mobile aerial they can only amplify the signal they receive of course, if there's hardly any picture at all then maybe theres a reception problem where you've located it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin M Posted January 24, 2005 Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 good standalone TV aerial No such thing I'm afraid. You'll need to feed the set from a proper source. An amp will ony amplify the crap the set top antenna is already picking up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 24, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2005 Hmm, someone at work said this. Damn it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 Daft question here M3ME, but could you not use a video sender? I know most only accept SCART, but some I've seen offer a standard COAX input which would work. Not sure if that's what you're after mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 I don't even know what one is! This is a bog-standard £110 portable TV mind you. One my 13 yr old daughter has had for the last 3 years. The picture in the kitchen is appalling - you can't make out anything. Yet, move it upstairs in the room above the kitchen, picture perfect (that is without the wall socket). Could be interference from items in the kitchen perhaps, but it really is the worst picture I've ever seen - it's as if there is no aerial plugged in at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustynuts Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 Video sender. A radio operated device for watching a video on a separate tv in another part of the house. It takes the output signal from the video and transmits it to the receiving unit which is connected to the tv in question and "Voila", remote video! It should be possible to use this system to run the aerial signal rather than the video signal as Sparky says. It'll need some investigation, maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rustynuts Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 Found this with a quick search. Seems to do what you want from just a cursory examination. No time atm, got to go to work. Anyone else take a look at this, see what you think? web page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 Good find. That should do it M3ME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 That looks interesting but the more the price creeps up the more I think I should perhaps seek to run an extension from the main aerial as discreetly as I can and perhaps mount it under a upper kitchen cupboard or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chav Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 [ QUOTE ] That looks interesting but the more the price creeps up the more I think I should perhaps seek to run an extension from the main aerial as discreetly as I can and perhaps mount it under a upper kitchen cupboard or something. [/ QUOTE ] we run extra feeds from the dish/aerials to different rooms of the house under the gutters. keeps it discrete and saves have wires all around the house Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waylander Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 i have used a bog standard £10-20 signal booster with good results argos are currently doing a special for a "dual input" booster for £7.99 [single booster is £14!] i bought one but havent coonnected this up to the portable in the bedroom yet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UBM Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 We got a signal booster - it's tops! Just a cheapo from Argos several years ago! The portable indoor aerial works well in the marital chamber too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chav Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 [ QUOTE ] An amp will ony amplify the crap the set top antenna is already picking up. [/ QUOTE ] but actually.... amplication acts a multiplier. if (signal > noise) at the start (so some kind of picture is visible), then signal2/noise2 will be greater than signal1/noise1 so the picture will be improved signal boosters work very well for the price. they are also good for freeview as that uses a standard analogue signal to send the DVB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin M Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 if (signal > noise) at the start (so some kind of picture is visible), then signal2/noise2 will be greater than signal1/noise1 so the picture will be improved A TV will have a perfectly good signal amplifier at the first stage of reception. Noise in a TV picture is interpreted as fuzz or interference on the screen. The decoder won't know what is picture or noise with a poor signal to noise ratio. In your example the signal to noise ratio is unchanged. In some cases of weak signal then the booster will work but I have never been impressed using them this way. They work much better at aerial level boosting the signal before it runs down cables to the rooms rather than trying to suck a picture out of the ether. You could use an aerial backwards on the end of the booster to relay the signal to the TV. Main aerial > booster > small aerial Point the small aerial towards the loop aerial on the back of the TV (even through walls) and you may find it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupramax Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 [ QUOTE ] The portable indoor aerial works well in the marital chamber too! [/ QUOTE ] The mind boggles rather too much info there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted January 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 I almost wrote that myself earlier and then thought...nah, it must just be me that reads it that way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chav Posted January 25, 2005 Report Share Posted January 25, 2005 [ QUOTE ] A TV will have a perfectly good signal amplifier at the first stage of reception. [/ QUOTE ] TV's/Videos and set top boxes dont have good quality amplifiers.... We applied a booster to the freeview box in one of the bedrooms, the signal strength tripled (as reported by the freeview setup screens)... it was a 10db booster. there used to be signal break up on ITV/ITV2, this has gone completely now, and all channels are faultless even in bad weather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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