tv ariels

[damian]

hi can anyone help?
i have a freeveiw box that i want install for my mum in her house .the questions are
1 do i need a new ariel on the roof (the one she has is in the loft}
2 is it worth getting an expensive one .will it make any difference.
cheers damian

[Neil]

I live in the b32 of brum cant have a freeview box signal not good enough so we had cable.
ask at local tv shop for their advice

[Paul McNamara]

Damian,

it depends a lot on where your mother lives. If you check out her postcode here:

http://www.dtg.org.uk/retailer/coverage.html

it will tell you if she is able to receive signals. If you are in a very strong signal area then the existing arial in the loft may be good enough but if you are in a weak signal area then it would be best to get the arial put onto the roof (the roof itself attenuates the signal). Since you would then be changing the arial position anyway, I would install one of the arials specifically designed for Digital TV.

However, since you already have the digibox, the first thing I would do is to actually install it without changing the arial and see if you get reception. If it works fine without pixellating then leave it as it is. If it works but pixellates then change the arial. If it doesn't work, and the postcode checker says it should then again, an arial change. If it doesn't work and the postcode checker says it shouldn't then just remove the digibox.

Hope that helps

Paul