There is not really anything specific about a digital or an analogue aerial they both do each others job.
If your aerial is the so-called "flying saucer" Status 350, you will be fortunate if it works anywhere either analogue or digital. They do work if conditions are right but they rarely are.
You need to treat yourself to a good directional aerial, a broad band one is better for digital. Those sold for caravans are generally easier to live with from portability and mounting but a good domestic one could be better at picking up marginal signals.
Caravanning being what it is, often in remote areas, then for near 100% chance of a picture, you might what to consider a basic satellite set-up as a sounder investment.
If its the round Status I got a good digital signal in France and UK. I have found that TV's with built in Freeview have got better results that a non digital TV with a digi box.
Try your Status aerial first , we have one on our caravan , but thought it wasn't going to be any good for freeview so took a normal aerial with us , couldn't get any signal on the thing even with a signal finder , tried the the status and got a great picture instantly .
There is no such thing as an analogue tv aerial or a digital tv aerial.
There are a number of unscrupulous people cashing in on the analogue to digital tv changeover to sell people expensive aerials they simply do not need in the majority of cases.
If your tv aerial is in good condition and worked well with analogue tv then there is no reason why it will not work with digital tv.
"Freeview is received through your standard TV aerial. All channels are free to watch, there's no installation or subscription cost, no contract, and no engineer needs to visit." this quote is from here which should hopefully de-mystify the whole thing.
Quote: Originally posted by dave8858 on 11/8/2010There is no such thing as an analogue tv aerial or a digital tv aerial.There are a number of unscrupulous people cashing in on the analogue to digital tv changeover to sell people expensive aerials they simply do not need in the majority of cases.
If your tv aerial is in good condition and worked well with analogue tv then there is no reason why it will not work with digital tv.
"Freeview is received through your standard TV aerial. All channels are free to watch, there's no installation or subscription cost, no contract, and no engineer needs to visit." this quote is from here which should hopefully de-mystify the whole thing.
Nice 1 Dave
You beat me to it, If it's one thing that annoys me it's corporate industries and retailers trying to put their own spin on "new" technology in this case it's so called digital antennas,
There are a lot of people out there that are being ripped off with new antenna installations and it stinks.
We were at a campsite last year with my in laws who were struggling to get a picture and were adamant that they needed a new "caravan antenna" costing in the region of £80, I went to Argos and bought the cheapest one that they sold £14.99 and put it on a metal pole fixed it to their jockey wheel . All of the channels received Job done...
Quote: Originally posted by Max-and-Paddy on 12/8/2010
So what's the difference between these three aerials then - do they all receive digital signals or is one better than another?
Nora
They all get digital TV as do all aerials. They all need a mast.
Wizared comments - "Try your Status aerial first , we have one on our caravan , but thought it wasn't going to be any good for freeview so took a normal aerial with us , couldn't get any signal on the thing even with a signal finder , tried the the status and got a great picture instantly ."
Absolutely agree. We have one of the triangular ones with the built in booster..(just remember to switch it on) and we get excellent digital reception. In fact its even better, and with more stations, than we get at home.
We had very good digital on one site and I thought I would try the spare aerial and pole I used to carry and couldn't pick up anything with it, nor could the signal finder find anything. Waste of money.
Then again many sites have TV hook up so you use their aerials.
We use the Avtex TV with built in freeview (specifically made with caravans in mind) and get a better picture on that than when we used our home portable telly. So you may like to invest in a telly rather than any aerial.
Just try your caravan's aerial before you start spending.
Spoke to one chap on a site about his satellite and he told me that he got some 96 channels. Do you want that many? We rarely watch the dozens of channels we can get via the status other than channels 1-5, so concluded that a satellite would be an expensive way of getting loads of stuff we don't want. But then that's what suits us.
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
Thank you . . . thank you . . . thank you , one and all for sterling advice.
Yes I will try the Status aerial first - but will take the, bought, for previous van (but still in the box) "digital" aerial, with me in case - and if Status works . . . well that's another one for E-Bay. I'll let you know results.
The directional antenna will always win hands down in a lower signal area against an omni directional (flying saucer type) as it points to the transmitter mast and focuses the signal to it's optimum, However it's more tricky to set up as you need a signal finder or time to find the signal manually by turning until the desired result is achieved.
Spoke to one chap on a site about his satellite and he told me that he got some 96 channels. Do you want that many? We rarely watch the dozens of channels we can get via the status other than channels 1-5, so concluded that a satellite would be an expensive way of getting loads of stuff we don't want. But then that's what suits us.
Phil
Saw someone on a site setting up satellite... took him over an hour, then only foreign sites... yes he had 90-odd channels.. none in English, so I presume he had tuned into the wrong satellite....
Meanwhile, I plugged my old stick-one one with three little feet in, chucked it up onto the roof and pointed it roughly in the right direction and got all the freeview channels going. Took me five minutes.. and that was to retune the dvb-t, not to adjust the aerial....
Remember you will have to retune/search for channels every time for every different location. My parents didn't know this and just assumed their tv or aerial didn't work (they had tuned it in at home), until I re-tuned it for them.
"Remember you will have to retune/search for channels every time for every different location. My parents didn't know this and just assumed their tv or aerial didn't work (they had tuned it in at home), until I re-tuned it for them."
Oh dear, bless......they didn't also turn the caravan round and round to get a signal did they?
Phil
------------- If you're not on a fell your wasting your feet and for 2014 it's.......Feb Castleton Mar North Yors Moors; Apr Sutton on Sea; May Thirsk; Jun Clapham/Riverside (Lakes); July Wharfedale; August Crakehall; Sept Knaresborough; Oct Wirral Park/Clitheroe
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Topic: Analogue aerial to digital TV
. I'll let you know results.
