Hi everyone. I could do with Some advice about what is the best TV Ariel in a poor signal as area. I don't want to attach it to my van as it is vintage so would be mounted on a pole. I would appreciate any advice as there are soooo many .😁
Ariel/dish
- Thread starter Kimmylou
- Start date
I have not used a stand alone aerial for some years and then only the one model so never had the chance to compare. Possibly the best advice I can give is look at the price and spec. You tend to get what you pay for so the cheap ones will be just that.
Yes agree...I have looked into it and I just don't want to spend alot and not get the results. It's always good to hear from someone who has had this issue on a site and done the legwork and solved it 👍 thanks for the response anyway
Caravan TV reception suffers from lack of height, compared to domestic aerials. In areas with poor terrestrial TV signal, you're better using a satellite receiver and dish.
This might be suitable Image 630 Digital Antenna System
The complete Antenna kit includes to many to put down
lmage 430 Atenna UHF /VHF
Ground Spike
Attachments
I don’t fully agree with Roger. Height could be a factor but since the age of digital terrestrial TV, signal coverage and strength have vastly improved.
I would suggest that you make up your own from domestic TV parts. (Much cheaper than those supplied for caravans). A logarithmic type are smaller and easier to store. If the jockey wheel is easy to remove you can get poles to fit in there.
John
I would suggest that you make up your own from domestic TV parts. (Much cheaper than those supplied for caravans). A logarithmic type are smaller and easier to store. If the jockey wheel is easy to remove you can get poles to fit in there.
John
Thanks all...I have considered a satalite receiver...will this pick up signal better than digital...do they need power too.? As for making up my own I really don't have the skills 🙄
Log periodic aerials are normally only used in good signal areas - for poor signal areas, a High Gain X-type is needed but they're cumbersome to store in a caravan!
Hi Kimykou,
You'll probably need a satellite box which will need power.The dish itself or rather the LNB gets it's power from the satellite box.
You'll need a compass and probably a satellite finder and remember you need "line of sight" with the satellite,unlike terrestial TV which does'nt need "line of sight"
You can get HD set top boxes as well as non HD boxes
If your TV has a built in satellite decoder then you are way along the road to using that system.
All it then requires is a quality coax cable to a dish, where the dish has its own built on LNB, an electronic bit and some mounting usually here a tripod.
Whilst the dish's LNB requires power this is generated in the TV's decoder and sent down the cable probably without many users ever knowing about that feature.
Here in the UK if the dish can "see" the satellite you can get a first rate signal; there can be issues with trees blocking its view, otherwise everywhere here it will work. They don't need to be up on poles as coming down an extra few feet after travelling thousands of miles is totally irrelevant.
For UK channels only a small dish is needed here, and is easier to set up.
Larger dishes are required to enjoy home TV on the continent, and even doing that can become impossible if too far away from the UK.
Setting it up to "see" the satellite seems challenging for some, but I struggle to understand why. Where I have helped they have failed to be systematic in their basic approach.
All it then requires is a quality coax cable to a dish, where the dish has its own built on LNB, an electronic bit and some mounting usually here a tripod.
Whilst the dish's LNB requires power this is generated in the TV's decoder and sent down the cable probably without many users ever knowing about that feature.
Here in the UK if the dish can "see" the satellite you can get a first rate signal; there can be issues with trees blocking its view, otherwise everywhere here it will work. They don't need to be up on poles as coming down an extra few feet after travelling thousands of miles is totally irrelevant.
For UK channels only a small dish is needed here, and is easier to set up.
Larger dishes are required to enjoy home TV on the continent, and even doing that can become impossible if too far away from the UK.
Setting it up to "see" the satellite seems challenging for some, but I struggle to understand why. Where I have helped they have failed to be systematic in their basic approach.
Just as an alternative thought, we recently bought an indoor ariel for use in a bedroom, it needs to be within 40 miles of the transmitter, cost £25 from amazon, looks like a piece of oblong black plastic with a cable that plugs in aerial socket on the television, tuned in the television and over 100 channels pin sharp, couldn't believe it worked so well, can't see any reason why it wouldn't work in a caravan
One additional challenge might be if the caravan had an aluminium body, which is less likely a feature of one's home.
To the OP, if you go satellite then get a 60-65cm ovoid dish, or if you are going into Europe and have the space a 80-85cm ovoid dish. The 'Sky' dishes are specifically designed to 'only just' work in the UK and are the equivalent of a 43cm ovoid dish (Zone 1) or a 55cm ovoid dish (Zone 2.) As has been said a signal meter is useful as it makes finding the satellite rather quicker. If you have an Android phone download (free) Satellite Director which will show you, using the compass and camera, exactly where the sat is in the sky - so you can avoid trees etc.
Get a decent lightweight tripod - doesn't need to be tall, satellite will work at ground level if it can 'see' the required part of the sky! Konig advertised on eBay are very good, and you will need three decent pegs to make sure it won't blow over. If you buy your dish in the UK replace the nuts on the U-bolts with wing nuts - it makes erection so much easier and quicker. You will also need two 10mm spanners (the type with open on one end and ring on the other) to be able to adjust the vertical tilt (known as elevation), and a Pozi/Phillips screwdriver to release the screws holding the LNB to adjust the rotation of the LNB (known as skew.)
Finally, don't bother buying expensive kit. If you have a Cash Converters somewhere near you can buy a Sky box for well less than £20 including a remote, mains lead and guarantee. If you are lucky it will still have a viewing card in the slot which will allow you to watch the local stations in the correct numeric positions. You will not be able to record with this kit, so even consider getting a multi-room box which is much smaller/cheaper/lighter but does the same job. Note all of these units are mains powered. If you want to record you will need two lengths of cable between the dish and the satellite box and a twin output LNB, and you will need to get a Freesat recorder.
Get a decent lightweight tripod - doesn't need to be tall, satellite will work at ground level if it can 'see' the required part of the sky! Konig advertised on eBay are very good, and you will need three decent pegs to make sure it won't blow over. If you buy your dish in the UK replace the nuts on the U-bolts with wing nuts - it makes erection so much easier and quicker. You will also need two 10mm spanners (the type with open on one end and ring on the other) to be able to adjust the vertical tilt (known as elevation), and a Pozi/Phillips screwdriver to release the screws holding the LNB to adjust the rotation of the LNB (known as skew.)
Finally, don't bother buying expensive kit. If you have a Cash Converters somewhere near you can buy a Sky box for well less than £20 including a remote, mains lead and guarantee. If you are lucky it will still have a viewing card in the slot which will allow you to watch the local stations in the correct numeric positions. You will not be able to record with this kit, so even consider getting a multi-room box which is much smaller/cheaper/lighter but does the same job. Note all of these units are mains powered. If you want to record you will need two lengths of cable between the dish and the satellite box and a twin output LNB, and you will need to get a Freesat recorder.
Thanks for all your posts
I feel a bit confused by it all..i am a bit of a see it n build it girl so maybe I should see what people are using on the site I am going to be on for the next season. 👍I was really looking for a recommendation. X
I feel a bit confused by it all..i am a bit of a see it n build it girl so maybe I should see what people are using on the site I am going to be on for the next season. 👍I was really looking for a recommendation. X
Okay then, you said initially it was a poor signal area, but are others using aerials?
If so then despite the "poor" signal it is at least viable, so should be no different for you.
The easiest, with the best gain readily purchased is an Image 440 LINK, probably with one of its mast pole options mentioned on that website.
Used together with a signal booster if needed, my choice being a Fringe one LINK. Or this one Ebay
The "Easy Tune" , the more expensive features a useful but not vital array of LEDs that help find the best direction to point the aerial, the much cheaper "Easy Boost" does not have that feature but otherwise works as well, the TV will quickly let you know about aerial direction.
When on site, or better still on houses near, check it there are more aerials used "horizontal" or "vertical", and follow the trend with yours.
There are undoubtedly very much cheaper options but this is decent kit well made for our usage, at a price.
Last edited:
The problem with digital TV's can be very similar to mobile phones, where location can be absolutely key to reception and moving sometimes just a matter of inches can make the difference between a usable signal or not.
Where I live now, I have a high gain roof aerial, and in line signal boosters, and even that can be disturbed when birds sit on the aerial. All the mobile phone operators tell me I live in a strong signal area, I can just about send and receive text messages on most networks, but only one provider is stable enough for voice calls and we can only use them when we are close to a window on one side of the house.
Where I used to live only half a mile from where I am now, and in my old house the TV would work with literally just an unfolded paperclip in the aerial socket, and in the old analogue days I'd even get multi-path ghosting so I had to fit an attenuator - with just a paperclip!
Its all about location.
Where I live now, I have a high gain roof aerial, and in line signal boosters, and even that can be disturbed when birds sit on the aerial. All the mobile phone operators tell me I live in a strong signal area, I can just about send and receive text messages on most networks, but only one provider is stable enough for voice calls and we can only use them when we are close to a window on one side of the house.
Where I used to live only half a mile from where I am now, and in my old house the TV would work with literally just an unfolded paperclip in the aerial socket, and in the old analogue days I'd even get multi-path ghosting so I had to fit an attenuator - with just a paperclip!
Its all about location.
We have the same issue however we now use the wifi for calls from our mobiles. Also does not eat into your allowance. Maybe you should consider doing the same?
Terrestrial TV for us is a big NO NO unless we have a very high gain aerial which will unfortunately point straight into flats that are between us and the transmitter. We are right on the boundary for the transmitter.
The OP mentions a vintage caravan, but does not state the age and whether it has an existing aerial. To them it may be a vintage caravan, but it may be a late 1990s model so not really vintage?
I may be wrong, but I think talk of satellite dishes etc is not an area that the OP wants to delve into at this stage. The pole and aerial is probably the best option but the TV may require a digi box to work.
Vintage I mean 1972 carlight casalette. So yes I don't want to attach anything to her. But where I am going to keep her this year is awful for a signal. Other vans have dishes and Ariel's.
As I mentioned I want to get the best option first time not buy and buy again 🙄
As I mentioned I want to get the best option first time not buy and buy again 🙄
Kimmylou, welcome to the forum, This is interesting to myself, TV's with Sattelitte decoders,
I am still working my way through our Videos,
I am still working my way through our Videos,
Yes I've been there and done that when visiting the site the last two summers so now covid permitting I am to get there as much as I can between now and Xmas..it is the only thing that I need to sort😁👍
Unfortunately, there are no guarantees anything is going to work, just options to improve your chances.
Technically, if your location allows a clear view towards the South, South, East, through 140>150 degrees, then using a satellite system "will" work.
If unfamiliar with setting it up then there will be challenges but that's all, you or another will get it to work. If the TV has its own built in satellite decoder, then it becomes IMO a more attractive solution.
Terrestrial TV success has more technical challenges but is easier set up though no guarantied success.
The "tuner" inbuilt in TVs vary in performance, some will require more signal strength from the aerial than others.
You will improve your chances with an aerial with higher gain, basically higher gain aerials are the bulkier longer elaborate type.
Unfortunately, some spots are uniquely more signal dead than others not far away where overall the signal is poor.
It is most probable an amplifier will be needed, the Fringe brand is a good one.
The aerial I identified earlier was as higher gain as IMO is practical to go for and has complimentary mounting options, without you moving into rigging up a domestic market array where even higher gains could be achieved.
There will inevitably be a bit of suck it and see, no one will be able to guarantee any particular terrestrial kit will work, though the more elaborate higher gain versions improve the chances. However, it could simply be an over complication, if your pitch turns out to be a relatively sweet spot.
The terrestrial aerial is more likely to be something easy to put away from thieves if left unattended for days, in that resetting up is so much easier.
It might help to know the TV model you have.
If the caravan is on a permanent pitch, why not pay the extra and get an engineer to set up a satellite dish for you using an old Sky+HD box. It would be a one off payment and you will be sorted.
Facebook
Twitter