Indoor Aerial Booster

[Vapin' Joe]

I've just got a Youview box from PlusNet. It tuned in ok but the all ITV channels and a few of the minor ones have not appeared. Apparently ITV has a weaker signal than the Beeb and mine is showing at about 75% at the aerial (Although the TV itself gets everything and a previous Youview box from Talk Talk did too).

I was thinking about one of those indoor boosters to up the signal. Anyone tried one and did it work or are they just junk?

 

[Drago]

You'll make a greater gain upgrading the aerial than boosting a marginal signal (and also boosting any interference). A high gain log periodic is pretty cheap these days.

 

[ColinJ]

If the TV is ok and the previous box was then I reckon your aerial signal should be fine. 75% sounds like a pretty good digital signal strength. Youview support say that sub-50% signal strength is when problems are likely.

Are you sure that there isn't a different problem? See if THIS helps.

 

[accountantpete]

Check your local details here (eg Winter Hill for me) and identify the mux that you are not receiving.

https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Winter_Hill

 

[SD1]

They are crap. Noticed no difference at all. Better aerial or move it higher up. Think I would go for a better aerial as first option.

 

[Andy_R]

You'll make a greater gain upgrading the aerial than boosting a marginal signal (and also boosting any interference). A high gain log periodic is pretty cheap these days.

radio ham?

 

[raleighnut]

We had new aerials fitted at the time of the digital switchover beginning, trouble was although they were fine (excellent in fact) as soon as the switchover was completed and they turned the signal up to full (from 50% initially then 75% til full strength once all the analogue was switched off) we had trouble and have to run an in-line attenuator. Anything over 50% on a channel is fine for A1 reception.

 

[swee'pea99]

If you can get reasonably close to the aerial, you'd be far better off fitting a masthead booster. They really do make a big difference.

 

[slowmotion]

I put a semi-professional aerial amplifier in the loft about ten years ago. It boosts the signal from the aerial ( three metres up above on the chimney) and sends it to three different sockets about the house. It works really well. It's powered by a spur from the upstairs ring main that I dangled down an unused chimney. If you can, talk to an independent aerial/satellite contractor, not the idiots who are trying to sell you some kind of an AV lifestyle package.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

We have one and it works really well. We didn't spend a lot on it but did make sure it was a reasonable quality one. Without it we only pick up around ¾'s of what we get with it, including some of the major channels, though I think it is the BBC we don't get without it. Unlike you, our TV didn't pick up any of the channels though.

I have to confess to having just purchased it from Homebase, but we had previous experience of them so had an idea on what we wanted.
We also notice instantly (well as soon as someone tried to watch the TV which is not actually that often in this house) if it has been turned off of unplugged!

 

[Chris S]

I had a similar problem:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/why-can-i-get-some-freeview-channels-but-not-others.177315/

I got around it by putting my aerial on top of the middle of my TV for most stations and slightly to one side for the BBC ones.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

I got one for £15 in a local TV shop. I'll report how it performs when I hook it up.

 

[ColinJ]

I had indoor aerial problems myself but I just gave up on Freeview and went Freesat instead! (We only get Freeview 'Lite' here anyway so I wouldn't get many channels even with a decent aerial.)

 

[jonny jeez]

Tried a few, none have ever worked (my signal is around 68%, according to one box).

New aerial, problem sorted.

Also check your connections, to the aerial ...not the box...make sure they are all properly fitted and don't have strands of insulation spilling out all over the place.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Check you have an aerial which can receive all the MUX's. In this part of the world I must use the most broadband aerial available.