CRAPPY AERIAL!!

[Simbob]

I LIVE IN A FLAT WITH A COMMUNIAL AERIAL AND I HAVE HAD TO RESORT TO PUTTING A WIDE BAND ONE UNDER THE COFFEE TABLE IN THE CORNER OF THE ROOM!I RECIEVE ALL THE CHANNELS OK,BUT EVERY NOW AND THEN THERE IS A GHOSTING EFFECT.DOES ANYONE KNOW OF ANY GADGETS (I'M USING AN AMP AS WELL) THAT I CAN USE TO IMPROVE THE RECEPTION.UNFORTUNATLY I CANNOT HAVE AN EXTERNAL AERIAL DUE TO THE OTHER RESIDENTS BEING TOTAL SNOBS AND DON'T WANT "UGLY METAL" SHOWING!!!

 

[ron_the_rascal]

Signal ghosting or Multipath on analog pictures is classic when you have an aerial in a room where there are plenty of metallic objects for a reflection to bounce off and the only cure is to put the aerial up on the roof as high as possible,clear of obstructions.
I have heard that these housing comittees are notoriuosly bad news but an upgrade to your MATV (Main Antenna T V ) system would be cheap and would benefit everyone. It might be worth trying to persuade the ringleaders that this would also increase the value of their property......greed usually inspires 'em!!
As for using an amp that close to the STB, this would only be of any use if the noise figure( a measure of how much noise an amplifier adds,....the lower the number, the better the amp) of your amplifier is better than the noise figure of the STB, otherwise it could make things worse.
The type of modulation used for the digital signal is known as COFDM and is designed to be particularly resistant to multipath anyway.....so just watch the beeb, ITV etc on the digital FTA channels.

 

[Mr-Maniac]

In continuation of this topic, I got the ghosted image/screeching sometimes. It is a bit worse on Channels 4 & 5 I have noticed. Because am in my house, the Aerial is the one that the previous owner had installed, I have no clue about it. I have visited Maplin yesterday, saw this MaxView booster for about 25 quid. Should I try that ? Or should I rather get a new powerful aerial ? If yes, any suggestions ?

Appreciate the help...cheers m8...

 

[Richardhill]

I'd always consider a signal booster as a last resort.

Check your aerial and compare it with those on sale at Maplin - big aerials are cheaper than you think!

Unless you live in the bottom of a valley or there is masses of concrete right in your signal path, a simple, good quality, aerial installation is to be preferred.

Use low-loss coax, and route it as direct to the aerial as you can. Make sure the ends are terminated properly, with no stray strands of screening showing.

Don't forget to check the direction of the aerial also, in case the previous one got twisted round in high winds.

Once you know that your installation is sound, then you can think about amplifying the signal if required.