Hairy Al questions.

[colinicky]

Originally Posted by machiavelli

Heathfield is the main transmitter. Eastbourne is a fill in for a dead spot. Hastings is a possibility as well. Have a look and see where the neighbours aerials are looking or try them all.

I don't know you or were you live so no insult intended here ,but from Finless's mothers house to Hastings (St Pauls ) transmitter is uphill & through the hill as well .The other Hastings (Old Town) transmitter is also tucked down behind a hill on the other side of hastings .

Bryan just a thought but can you see Dungeness or Dover from Mums ?

[Finless]

Originally Posted by colinicky

A digital aerial will work for an anolgue tv & with a freeview set top box & with a digital ready tv .

If you can get a good signal from Heathfield yes (Horizontal polarisation, ie flat ) but there may be things in the way so Eastbourne may be better (vertical polarization ie upright )

There is a website that you can select a transmitter ,enter your postcode & it then gives you a compass bearing to point the aerial along but I have lost the link to it

That's what I was looking for. I found a site that gave GPS positions.

Also, I found this site - BBC - Help receiving BBC TV and radio - Television aerials factsheet from which I have extracted this:-

Aerials for digital terrestrial TV (DTT)
DTT transmissions use the same UHF channel numbers (21-68) as analogue TV, so you can usually use the same aerial. However, some new digital transmitters broadcast channel numbers from more than one group.

It says Channels 31 to 68 on the packaging so I should be OK.

All I've got to do now is get the lid off the connector on the aerial without breaking it. It has 3 plastic prongs/lugs(?)/things that poke through the base plate and lock it on. The plastic is hard and not easy to push back through.

[colinicky]

Bryan
If you put the aerial up at Mums & point it at the left hand side of the school buildings over the valley (used to be called Saxon Mount) that should give you Heathfield .When are you doing it ? If you want a hand give me a shout .
Send me a link to the GPS site you found please

[Finless]

Woohoo. Got it apart without causing too much damage to the plastic casing.

I'm wondering whether to the seal the casing with clear silicone 'caulk' when I put it back together? You'd think they would fill the inside of the connector with some 'gel' to prevent the ingress of water?

[machiavelli]

Originally Posted by colinicky

to Hastings (St Pauls ) transmitter is uphill & through the hill as well .The other Hastings (Old Town) transmitter is also tucked down behind a hill on the other side of hastings .

I live in the North West (served by Winter Hill) so my knowledge of the geography of the south coast is a bit lacking. Those hills probably cast the shadow making Hastings and Hastings Old Town necessary. I agree, Hastings won't help if it's behind a hill.

[machiavelli]

Originally Posted by Finless

I'm wondering whether to the seal the casing with clear silicone 'caulk' when I put it back together? You'd think they would fill the inside of the connector with some 'gel' to prevent the ingress of water?

Certainly seal the case as well as you can. I wouldn't be so sure about filling the case with anything though - anything you put in there will be a dielectric. But anything is better than coax full of water.

[Finless]

Originally Posted by colinicky

I don't know you or were you live so no insult intended here ,but from Finless's mothers house to Hastings (St Pauls ) transmitter is uphill & through the hill as well .The other Hastings (Old Town) transmitter is also tucked down behind a hill on the other side of hastings .

Bryan just a thought but can you see Dungeness or Dover from Mums ?

Well, on TV occasionally.

I think all the neighbours aerials are pointed att Heathfield BUT they have all been there for years so maybe a newer transmitter might give a better signal?

TBH, it doesn't matter too much. The aerial is for the TV in the kitchen and is on to provide some entertainment during dinner as my Dad doesn't ever erally speak (unless to ask for something) because of his Alzheimer's. The picture doesn't need to be fantastic quality (although it would be nice after having gone to the trouble of getting up onto the chimney stack).

[Finless]

Originally Posted by colinicky

Bryan
If you put the aerial up at Mums & point it at the left hand side of the school buildings over the valley (used to be called Saxon Mount) that should give you Heathfield .When are you doing it ? If you want a hand give me a shout .
Send me a link to the GPS site you found please

Colin,

I should be OK as I am fitting the aerial pole to the old fixinf system and it is just a case of tightening a few U bolts. Thanks V much for the offer / greatly appreciated.

I can't find the site at the moment but:-

Telly Aerial :: Digital Terrestrial Television in the UK and Europe

Find out how to receive Freeview at postcode TW123YR | ukfree.tv - independent digital television and switchover advice, since 2002

[Finless]

Well, I finished (sort of) today. Itold SWMBO I would be back in about an hour and turned up 5 hours later. My Mum's respose to my moving the aerial and "is it better" was a standard "it's alright" .

I had a slight problem in that I put the aerial up in the vertical plane when it should have been horizontal. She has v/good BBC 1&2, an OK ITV and a v/good Channel 4 but I couldn't get Channel 5.

Guess which channel she wanted the most?

[colinicky]

so which transmitter are you pointing at ? did you change it to horizontal then ?