Hi all
husband wants to know what would be the best indoor aerial for digital.
thanks

I use the same little aerial I used for analogue TV. The only difference is that digital reception is much better :)

purple said:

Hi all
husband wants to know what would be the best indoor aerial for digital.
thanks

just pop down to Hardly Normal or JB and have a chat to the staff.. tell them how much you want to pay and they will give you a recommendation.

TBH, it’s less about the aerial (signals in most metropolitan areas are pretty good) and more about the digital tuner (which will either be an inbuilt one in your TV or a stand alone box)

Whatever indoor antenna worked for analogue should be ok for digital, if you live in an area with reasonable reception.

I live in an area with poor reception, I use one of those flat panel models from Dick Smith. Seems to work well for most channels, apart from ABC.

party_pants said:

Whatever indoor antenna worked for analogue should be ok for digital, if you live in an area with reasonable reception.

I live in an area with poor reception, I use one of those flat panel models from Dick Smith. Seems to work well for most channels, apart from ABC.

You need to tune the antenna to the ABC the others will sort themselves but the ABC in the main must still be using older tech.

roughbarked said:

party_pants said:

Whatever indoor antenna worked for analogue should be ok for digital, if you live in an area with reasonable reception.

I live in an area with poor reception, I use one of those flat panel models from Dick Smith. Seems to work well for most channels, apart from ABC.

You need to tune the antenna to the ABC the others will sort themselves but the ABC in the main must still be using older tech.

No.

party_pants said:

roughbarked said:

party_pants said:

Whatever indoor antenna worked for analogue should be ok for digital, if you live in an area with reasonable reception.

I live in an area with poor reception, I use one of those flat panel models from Dick Smith. Seems to work well for most channels, apart from ABC.

You need to tune the antenna to the ABC the others will sort themselves but the ABC in the main must still be using older tech.

No.

Yeah, of course I’m likely incorrect but in the bush the antenna only has to get a bit offline and the ABC disappears while all the other stations work.

party_pants said:

roughbarked said:

party_pants said:

Whatever indoor antenna worked for analogue should be ok for digital, if you live in an area with reasonable reception.

I live in an area with poor reception, I use one of those flat panel models from Dick Smith. Seems to work well for most channels, apart from ABC.

You need to tune the antenna to the ABC the others will sort themselves but the ABC in the main must still be using older tech.

No.

roffle.

roughy, tv stations transmit on a set frequency, it doesn’t change. If you are having trouble receiving a certain channel you don’t “tune” the antenna, you need to amplify the signal.

diddly-squat said:

party_pants said:

roughbarked said:

You need to tune the antenna to the ABC the others will sort themselves but the ABC in the main must still be using older tech.

No.

roffle.

roughy, tv stations transmit on a set frequency, it doesn’t change. If you are having trouble receiving a certain channel you don’t “tune” the antenna, you need to amplify the signal.

So you buy a box?

Hanging off the antenna half drunk doesn’t cut it any more?

Here are some examples of indoor tv antennas

non amplified indoor tv antenna

amplified indoor tv antenna

> I use the same little aerial I used for analogue TV. The only difference is that digital reception is much better :)
> Whatever indoor antenna worked for analogue should be ok for digital, if you live in an area with reasonable reception.

No and no.

I live in a great area for TV reception (direct line of sight to transmitters) and even then both the indoor aerials that worked with analogue failed miserably for digital. And that was even before they cut the power to the digital transmitters to the minimum that they could. I’m having serious trouble getting reliable digital reception from proper outdoor antennas, and that’s even after calling Mr Antenna to fix up one of the outdoor antennas that an electrician installed wrongly.

In summary, don’t even think of using any sort of indoor aerial for digital TV, it isn’t going to work.

At work, our rooms have a direct line of sight to a TV transmitter tower, so signal strength is pretty good.

There, i’ve used LCD and LED TVs, and set-top boxes ( i have an STB on my desk, which i just use for SBS Chill, Double J, and ABC Jazz, but i’ve also used STBs with RGB-input projection systems there).

I’ve had great results in the ‘facing’ rooms with an el cheapo rabbit ears antenna from the discount shop. All stations, just fine.

On the other hand, my office is on the far side of the building from the tower. Signal there was dreadful, rabbit ears no good. Bought a 250mHz-2500mHz phased array antenna from the shop at the rubbish tip for $7.00. Set that up on the upstairs verandah, coax to office, Chill, Double J, Jazz, all a-ok now.

So a wire coat hanger doesn’t work now?

bob(from black rock) said:

So a wire coat hanger doesn’t work now?

Radio and tv reception can vary in different places and this applies everywhere

I can move my horizontal dipole on FM radio just a few centimeters and can begin to lose a station, moving it around some more and I loose the station altogether, generally once you are at rooftop level or above radio and tv signals get better, tv and radio signals, certain buildings or hills can block or interfere with radio and tv reception

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_and_FM_DX

television and radio signals are normally limited to a maximum “deep fringe” reception service area of approximately 40–100 miles (64–161 km) in areas where the broadcast spectrum is congested, and about 50 percent farther in the absence of interference.

bob(from black rock) said:

So a wire coat hanger doesn’t work now?

Yes Wire coat hangers can work and the right conditions

thank you :)
I’ll show him this thread tomorrow

I had an indoor amplified rabbit ears model, perched high on the curtain rail, which worked fine but needed adjusting for change of channels. It fell off the perch and broke.

I got a flat panel as a replacement, found it worked for every channel apart from ABC. Still looking for a solution to the ABC problem. These days I’m just going on iView. Might not even be needed.

I used to have an indoor digital antenna and found the tv was prone to interference from other electrical devices in the house being turned on or off, the fridge being opened, the washing machine. An outdoor digital antenna fixed that problem