quality Terrestrial antenna with good signal capturing ability..

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Dkeeper

132 posts

Master Geek

#305975 17-Jun-2023 23:10

Looking for a quality Terrestrial antenna with good signal capturing ability..

I am purchasing a new TV which has a Terrestrial input only. In order to save using one of my TV HDMI ports I thought I might utilize this T2 connection and put up a Terrestrial antenna.. However, here in Waihi Beach I am in a spot where Terrestrial reception is hard to pull in and have only ever seen 1-2 people in the area manage it. Everyone else uses Satellite. (also my internet is week and gets mixed results even playing TVNZ+)

I know that with Satellite LNB's you can get some that have a better ability to pull in a signal (not sure if that is an LNB dB rating) So I am thinking that some rooftop Terrestrial antennas might also be better at pulling in weak signals.

Can anyone recommend a good rooftop terrestrial antenna for this purpose?

Cheers,

Gordon

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1554 posts

Uber Geek

#3091302 17-Jun-2023 23:39

no idea about what the signal is like where you are located but this is designed for poor signal areas

https://www.freetv.co.nz/product/306852

edit: looking at freeview coverage maps - no transmission sites seem to reach Waihi Beach

fe31nz

1228 posts

Uber Geek

#3091303 17-Jun-2023 23:45

You really need to get in a professional installer for bad reception areas. They have proper test equipment to see what the reception is like and will recommend a suitable antenna (if there is one that will work).

Dkeeper

132 posts

Master Geek

#3091310 18-Jun-2023 01:05

Thought I might give it a go and use an installer if needed. So this is why I thought to ask about a good antenna for poor or marginal areas.

Or get the recommended antenna type and suggest it to the installer in advance.

Tinkerisk

4224 posts

Uber Geek

#3091312 18-Jun-2023 05:31

I made myself a passive antenna with this calculation tool and with the wire from clothes hangers from the dry cleaner. It works perfectly.

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Jase2985

13457 posts

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#3091316 18-Jun-2023 07:26

https://matchmaster.net.nz/

throw you address in there and see what it pops out with, should should you if there are any obstructions in the way

Bung

6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3091322 18-Jun-2023 08:27

farcus:
edit: looking at freeview coverage maps - no transmission sites seem to reach Waihi Beach

The Tauranga map isn't as bad as the Te Aroha one but apart from Athenree it is very patchy. If none of the neighbours have aerials it isn't promising, if they do it might show which transmitter site they are aiming at.

tweake

2391 posts

Uber Geek

#3091344 18-Jun-2023 11:58

farcus:

no idea about what the signal is like where you are located but this is designed for poor signal areas

https://www.freetv.co.nz/product/306852

edit: looking at freeview coverage maps - no transmission sites seem to reach Waihi Beach

i would have to find the spec but i doubt thats a high gain aerial. way way to small.

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tweake

2391 posts

Uber Geek

#3091347 18-Jun-2023 12:08

Dkeeper:

Looking for a quality Terrestrial antenna with good signal capturing ability..

I know that with Satellite LNB's you can get some that have a better ability to pull in a signal (not sure if that is an LNB dB rating) So I am thinking that some rooftop Terrestrial antennas might also be better at pulling in weak signals.

Can anyone recommend a good rooftop terrestrial antenna for this purpose?

Cheers,

Gordon

i would recommend a tv with sat input.

if neighbours don't have aerials, then its unlikely it will work well. but it does pay to note what aerial they have in case its owner installed and they installed whatever.

low signal areas need a pro. to many factors in it, plus terrestrial can have problems latter due to signal shift. this is why satellite is the preferred option. sat is cheaper, easier and more reliable in poor quality areas.

satellite dishs get better signals with increasing size of the dish. the bigger the dish the less chance of rain fade. there may be better quality lnb's, i havn't looked. however be wary of high output lnb's. if you design the system for that output, then you replace the lnb the system may not work properly. we used to have issues with some of the sky's high output lnb's (early digital days), which can cause reception problems because they overloaded the tuner. just use a standard lnb and get a decent size dish.

Bung

6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#3091352 18-Jun-2023 12:37

tweake:
farcus:

no idea about what the signal is like where you are located but this is designed for poor signal areas

https://www.freetv.co.nz/product/306852

edit: looking at freeview coverage maps - no transmission sites seem to reach Waihi Beach

i would have to find the spec but i doubt thats a high gain aerial. way way to small.

How big do you think it has to be? We bought a similar aerial with same number of elements because the transmitter was 60km away. Our LG currently reports 97% signal strength, 100% quality. Not a calibrated meter but we probably could have used a smaller aerial.

tweake

2391 posts

Uber Geek

#3091361 18-Jun-2023 13:10

Bung:
tweake:

i would have to find the spec but i doubt thats a high gain aerial. way way to small.

How big do you think it has to be? We bought a similar aerial with same number of elements because the transmitter was 60km away. Our LG currently reports 97% signal strength, 100% quality. Not a calibrated meter but we probably could have used a smaller aerial.

for me this is typical high gain https://www.alkris.co.nz/product/39-91-element-uhf-antenna but again i would need specs to be sure. plus required amps as well.

60km is not all that far, but also line of site makes a lot of difference. low signal areas can be down in valleys or 100+km's away (tho it depends on which transmitter). granted my experience is analog. i have my doubts many would bother with high gain aerials these days as those who needed those big aerials, simply went to sat. so "high gain" becomes a marketing term rather than actually being high gain.

Behodar

10501 posts

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#3091363 18-Jun-2023 13:19

Yep, my parents' place is 120 km from the transmitter and they use a 91-element aerial. That Matchmaster site given above recommends a satellite dish instead!

Dkeeper

132 posts

Master Geek

#3091483 18-Jun-2023 15:21

Wow, you guys are great and thank you for all the good input. That MatchMaster page is a real gem as well.

I plan to upgrade my older Sony 1K 42" TV (with Satellite input) to the Sony XR48A0K 48" OLED TV (with Terrestrial input only) Thinking of freeing up one of the HDMI inputs on the A90K (can you ever have enough inputs..) and thus the antenna.

Picking the Sony A90K due to its likely ability for upscaling my thousands of older data sources like LD's and DVD's.

Will still run a set top satellite receiver box for the occasional hunt of wild feeds, as they can be fun and very informative.

I may have this wrong but is the terrestrial feed a better quality signal than standard satellite?

So I will pass my findings onto a professional installer and thank you once again for all the good oil on antennas.

Gordon

Dkeeper

132 posts

Master Geek

#3091484 18-Jun-2023 15:23

typo.. that was a Sony XR48A90K

farcus

1554 posts

Uber Geek

#3091496 18-Jun-2023 15:52

Dkeeper:

I may have this wrong but is the terrestrial feed a better quality signal than standard satellite?

yes. Freeview uhf is HD 1080i

Satellite SD

Jase2985

13457 posts

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#3091500 18-Jun-2023 16:06

you could see if you could find a TV with both inputs

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