TV reception.....

Hey all,

Some of you may know i just knocked out a dividing wall in my place to open a living room up (looks fantastic BTW, you would never know it was there:D ) but with the removal of the wall my TV reception has gone from bad to worse...... a fix for my dodgy reception is long overdue anyway.

I will need to install an outside aerial but am weighing up the pros and cons of DIYing it.

Do you think it is worth getting the pros in to do it (ie run the cables, install sockets and get a decent aerial/positioning etc) or do you think you can do just as good a job DIY for a lot less? ie using components etc from bunnies or the equiv?

Just after a little feedback...

Cheers
Joel

Make sure you use RG6 cable. That is the standard for Digital TV.RG-11 for longer (+30 m) runs, as it has less loss, but more cost.

How do you feel about dancing around on your roof?

Personally, that's a job I'd leave to the pros. Manly because I'd want to be sure that everything worked properly and lets face it you aren't going to pay the antenna guy until it does.
Whereas you might end up spending a lot of time stuffing around because you've never done it before and still not end up with good reception.

That said, it's not rocket science either.

I'd just prefer to have the peace of mind of knowing I could call someone to come and fix it if somehow it stuffed up.

Had one installed last year. The bloke took up some sort of ghost-busters equipment and danced around while it whirred and hummed. From all that he determined what aerial would be best for the signal strength/quality and the best spot & height to install it. Have to say he did a good job. Chasing the cable was the hard part.

We got the pros to do and have great reception.

Another thing you might want to consider is whether you want multiple points eg lounge, kitchen, bedroom etc - better to think about it now and get it done properly.

Cheers

It's not difficult as long as you're not afraid of heights and have a good ladder. But if you're at all concerned to climb 2 1/2 stories( like I did ) then don't do it and get a professional in.

Rewired the original antenna from one point to four points ( with splitters ) in the house and installed an extra antenna to an additional two points. Used a compass to line up the second with the original antenna.

If you are doing it yourself use a compass to check the direction of the antennas in your street to work out optimum orientation, saves a lot of fiddling about.


Peter.

Thanks for the feedback all.....

Given all that I think I will just pay someone to do it.... not cause Im afraid of heights (spent most of last weekend installing gutterguard, what a PITA that job is!) just cause I wouldnt sure on the right orientation for the aerial (or the right type for that matter)....

those who have had one installed of late.... what would you expect a fair price to be?

Cheers
Joel

How long is a piece of string?
Nobody realy wants to pay for a TV antenna. But remember a good instalation will outlast many TV's.
It depends very much on the situation & the desired result.
I've been out of the domestic antenna business for some time but, there have always been & always will be those who will tell you $129 or something rediculous. I don't believe you can do a dillegent job with decent hardware for a basic instalation in a good reception area for less than $250.
Extra points, amplifiers, taller masts....... a hard job with lots of goodies could easily go $600-800 :eek:
You need to talk to a good installer.
cheers

We have a good line of sight to Black Mountain (we are high up in the suburb) and got a number of points put in. I believe it cost in the order of $250 to $300 mark. Have never regreted it as we have great reception.

If you live in one of the suburbs that dont have good reception - you might pay more. A phone call mentioning yoiur suburb and whether you have line of sight to one of the towers (depends where you live) should give you an indication of cost.

Cheers

Joel, we just went through the "what to do" bit and decided on a satellite dish.
The dish we got for nothing from a house re-locator. They are about $20 from a salvage yard. The decoder box was $200 new (Topfield), the cable was about $20, the Free To Air card was $120 and I did the installation myself. I thought it would be a matter of try it first then pay someone, but it actually went fairly well. The only difficult part was lining up the dish, but with the aid of a military compas, a protractor and the wife watching the TV set and yelling to me we had it done in under 30 minutes.
We are really happy with our decission as we get loads of radio stations that we have never had access to before and the obvious perfect picture. There is also the benefit of Time Shifting. If I want to watch something at a different time I just tune in to another state. (SBS and ABC only)
Just food for thought....

I Love a Happy Ending.

Doesn't it make you feel good when you say "Bugger it. I'll give that a go!" ?

I try and say that once a weekend. I mostly get it right, but every now and again it goes "pear-shaped". That's life, I guess.

Good on ya.

My roof.

Dear Ptrott
what an interesting idea. Can you provide further details? Nothing illegal with your idea?
George

George, there isn't really much more to tell. Caravaners have been watching Sat. TV with dishes on their vans for years. As long as you but the Free To Air (Optus Aurora) card from a licensed retailer there is nothing ilegal about it. It is there for the public to view, and listen to.
http://users.bigpond.net.au/goldway/tvsatellite.htm
Check out the above web site for some info. There is plenty more on the net if you search.
If you want to set up the dish yourself this calculator will help http://www.satsig.net/ssazelm.htm