The great digital switchover

[sheddy]

Will installing a bigger aerial pull in the missing freeview channels ?

 

[Llama]

Will installing a bigger aerial pull in the missing freeview channels ?

it may help - its all about getting the aerial pointing towards the transmitter, with nothing in the way! - see my link and find out where your local transmitter is

whether that means putting the aerial higher to miss obstructions or just directing in correctly.

A point to note - amplifiers will rarely help IMHO - a bad signal amplified with just be a stronger bad signal

if you have real problems, you may wish to think about freesat - just pay install and free thereafter - you will either need a freesat box or a freesat tv to decode the signal.

 

[Davidc]

We have friends who have never had a TV. The TV snoopers still come round and inspect their house.

The friends mentioned above have now had another two letters (despite the strike) threatening dire consequences if they don't buy a TV licence. As far as I could see the letters don't say <<if you have a TV and don't buy a licence>>, just <<if you don't buy a licence>>.

They're investigating whether there's a law against harrassment and what if any action they can take.

 

[Mr Pig]

The friends mentioned above have now had another two letters threatening dire consequences

I don't think my friends have ever had anything like that. They've got a computer in the livingroom and a TV connected to a DVD player which has been modified so that it can't pick up broadcasts. I lived without a TV for six years. I wrote to let them know that I had got rid of the TV so would not be buying a licence, I never had a visit or a letter or anything. I guess it's just your donald duck.

 

[661-Pete]

Will installing a bigger aerial pull in the missing freeview channels ?

Well, that's what the TV aerial installers will invariably tell you....

If you can save money by putting the thing up yourself, and know how to align it correctly at the transmitter, maybe worth thinking about a high-gain aerial specifically tuned to the digital channels. Otherwise - well it's an expensive upgrade ... perhaps wait till the existing aerial blows down in a gale, as we did...

Incidentally, if you do suffer from poor reception, the picture doesn't break up into 'snow' in the way an analogue signal does. What happens depends on the design of the digital box: sometimes they pixellate the image when necessary. Ours freezes the image and drops the sound for a few seconds. Can be a nuisance, especially when you're recording!