Need aerial advice

I have an old indoor antenna. I don't know what type it is, but it's
comprised of a horizontal rod, with a coil of thick wire running around it
from one end to the other.

It was the only antenna I ever needed until relatively recently. However, a
four-storey building has gone up next door (I'm on the round floor), and
apparently, the TV repeater for Sydney's Eastern suburbs (I'm in Rose Bay)
was moved a while ago, (though I don't know that for a fact). What I do know
for a fact is that my TV reception is way worse than it was a very few years
ago. I have _no_ reception of ch. 2. The automatic tune functions of both my
TV and my video recorder fail to find it. The other channels are watchable,
but used to be better.

To try to get around this I bought a digital STB. This has been a big
improvement (I now have two ABC channels!), though sometimes the signal
isn't strong enough and I get horrible pixilation and cracking through the
speakers and, at its worst, the STB freezes and needs to be turned off
(sometimes at the power point).

I have an Arista amplifying antenna which claims 15dB of amplification. It
has rabbit-ears as well as a horizontal picket-fence sort of thing. I have
no idea which way the various components should be oriented in theory, and
in practice, I've had no more success than with the other antenna, and the
Arista is much more fiddly to adjust.

Clearly, I need a better signal, but I live in a block of nine flats and
some people have cable and don't care about the free-to-air reception and I
don't know about the others. I guess I could take a poll of who'd be
interested to pay for better reception, get a quote for putting a real
aerial on the roof, approach the property manager etc., but it all looks a
bit messy.

I've seen indoor antennas in hi-fi store that cost up to $70-80, and claim
stronger amplification. This may help if signal strength is my only problem,
but not if the problem is with the ratio of signal to noise, as it'll just
make everything (including the noise) louder.

So, does anyone have any experience with this problem in general, and any of
these more expensive amplifying indoor antennas in particular?

Or do I have to spring for an aerial on the roof of the block of flats, and
a connection to my ground-floor unit? I hope not.

Thanks in advance,
Steve = : ^ )

"Steve B." <prettygood@everything.com.au> wrote in message
news:BF6AE55B.632EA%prettygood@everything.com.au.. .
> I have an old indoor antenna. I don't know what type it is, but it's
> comprised of a horizontal rod, with a coil of thick wire running around it
> from one end to the other.
>
> It was the only antenna I ever needed until relatively recently. However,
a
> four-storey building has gone up next door (I'm on the round floor), and
> apparently, the TV repeater for Sydney's Eastern suburbs (I'm in Rose Bay)
> was moved a while ago, (though I don't know that for a fact). What I do
know
> for a fact is that my TV reception is way worse than it was a very few
years
> ago. I have _no_ reception of ch. 2. The automatic tune functions of both
my
> TV and my video recorder fail to find it. The other channels are
watchable,
> but used to be better.
>
> To try to get around this I bought a digital STB. This has been a big
> improvement (I now have two ABC channels!), though sometimes the signal
> isn't strong enough and I get horrible pixilation and cracking through the
> speakers and, at its worst, the STB freezes and needs to be turned off
> (sometimes at the power point).
>
> I have an Arista amplifying antenna which claims 15dB of amplification. It
> has rabbit-ears as well as a horizontal picket-fence sort of thing. I have
> no idea which way the various components should be oriented in theory, and
> in practice, I've had no more success than with the other antenna, and the
> Arista is much more fiddly to adjust.
>
> Clearly, I need a better signal, but I live in a block of nine flats and
> some people have cable and don't care about the free-to-air reception and
I
> don't know about the others. I guess I could take a poll of who'd be
> interested to pay for better reception, get a quote for putting a real
> aerial on the roof, approach the property manager etc., but it all looks a
> bit messy.
>
> I've seen indoor antennas in hi-fi store that cost up to $70-80, and claim
> stronger amplification. This may help if signal strength is my only
problem,
> but not if the problem is with the ratio of signal to noise, as it'll just
> make everything (including the noise) louder.
>
> So, does anyone have any experience with this problem in general, and any
of
> these more expensive amplifying indoor antennas in particular?
>
> Or do I have to spring for an aerial on the roof of the block of flats,
and
> a connection to my ground-floor unit? I hope not.

Check out Digital Broadcasting Australia www.dba.org.au - they have *heaps*
of useful information for digital TV reception. Their forums are pretty good
as well. Stronger amplification can actually cause problems with digital.
Sounds odd, but they explain it on the site.

HTH

Tony F

Thanks Tony. I'll have a look.

Steve = : ^ )

tony f said:

>
> "Steve B." <prettygood@everything.com.au> wrote in message
> news:BF6AE55B.632EA%prettygood@everything.com.au.. .
>> I have an old indoor antenna. I don't know what type it is, but it's
>> comprised of a horizontal rod, with a coil of thick wire running around it
>> from one end to the other.
>>
>> It was the only antenna I ever needed until relatively recently. However,
> a
>> four-storey building has gone up next door (I'm on the round floor), and
>> apparently, the TV repeater for Sydney's Eastern suburbs (I'm in Rose Bay)
>> was moved a while ago, (though I don't know that for a fact). What I do
> know
>> for a fact is that my TV reception is way worse than it was a very few
> years
>> ago. I have _no_ reception of ch. 2. The automatic tune functions of both
> my
>> TV and my video recorder fail to find it. The other channels are
> watchable,
>> but used to be better.
>>
>> To try to get around this I bought a digital STB. This has been a big
>> improvement (I now have two ABC channels!), though sometimes the signal
>> isn't strong enough and I get horrible pixilation and cracking through the
>> speakers and, at its worst, the STB freezes and needs to be turned off
>> (sometimes at the power point).
>>
>> I have an Arista amplifying antenna which claims 15dB of amplification. It
>> has rabbit-ears as well as a horizontal picket-fence sort of thing. I have
>> no idea which way the various components should be oriented in theory, and
>> in practice, I've had no more success than with the other antenna, and the
>> Arista is much more fiddly to adjust.
>>
>> Clearly, I need a better signal, but I live in a block of nine flats and
>> some people have cable and don't care about the free-to-air reception and
> I
>> don't know about the others. I guess I could take a poll of who'd be
>> interested to pay for better reception, get a quote for putting a real
>> aerial on the roof, approach the property manager etc., but it all looks a
>> bit messy.
>>
>> I've seen indoor antennas in hi-fi store that cost up to $70-80, and claim
>> stronger amplification. This may help if signal strength is my only
> problem,
>> but not if the problem is with the ratio of signal to noise, as it'll just
>> make everything (including the noise) louder.
>>
>> So, does anyone have any experience with this problem in general, and any
> of
>> these more expensive amplifying indoor antennas in particular?
>>
>> Or do I have to spring for an aerial on the roof of the block of flats,
> and
>> a connection to my ground-floor unit? I hope not.
>
> Check out Digital Broadcasting Australia www.dba.org.au - they have *heaps*
> of useful information for digital TV reception. Their forums are pretty good
> as well. Stronger amplification can actually cause problems with digital.
> Sounds odd, but they explain it on the site.
>
> HTH
>
> Tony F
>
>