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Indoor aerials

What do you do if you can't use an external aerial for Freeview?

What do you do if you can't use an external aerial for Freeview
Published on by on UK Free TV

We have tested a number of indoor aerials, to investigate how well they work for Freeview reception.

Simple stick



The first is a small 20cm high simple stick aerial, costing a few pounds. This was found to give adequate reception of (16QAM-mode) Freeview channels in strong signal areas, especially outside.

However, unless it can be placed in direct sight of the transmitter an only unsatisfactory signal can be received.

Indoor Yagi

The second form of aerial is of the Yagi design of around 30cm length, costing around 10.

This aerial was slightly better than the simple stick design, largely because it can be directed to point at the transmitter and be positioned horizontally or vertically as required.

However, in poor signal areas the 64QAM channels were not received, and the aerial required good placement to get an uninterrupted Freeview signal.

Indoor Panel aerial

This was found to have around the same reception quality as the Indoor Yagi type, and cost around the same.

Indoor digital aerial with booster



Costing 25-30, the improvement of the signal provided by a modern internal TV aerial. Typically able to boost the signal by 36dB, this type of aerial when well positioned provided stable, uninterrupted Freeview reception on all channels.





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christine gibby
Thursday 14 April 2011 4:26PM
I have a portable humax tv in the kitchen which runs off an indoor ariel as there is no tv point. It is digital, we have just lost bbc 2, so I switched the tv from analogue to digital mode. We recieve perfect bbc channels including bbc freeview channels bout cannot get any itv, channel 4 or 5. The message is no signal or signal scrambled. What do I have to do to recieve all channels? Our other tv, also digital, runs perfectly in another room, but it is plugged into the main wall ariel socket. Thankyou for your help.
Briantist
Friday 15 April 2011 8:11AM
christine gibby: You need a rooftop aerial.
Rosie
Wednesday 20 April 2011 11:37AM
i have a portable tv using an indoor portable ariel now lost all channels due to switchover what o i need to do.
Briantist
Wednesday 20 April 2011 2:22PM
Rosie: A rooftop aerial is required for digital TV reception, and also a digital TV or a Freeview box.
pam
Sunday 8 May 2011 3:58PM Keighley
i can not have a roof top aerial as we are not allowed them on our building any ideas
KMJ,Derby
Sunday 8 May 2011 6:58PM
pam: Are you able to install a loft aerial? Though not recommended for freeview reception you would usually have better results from a loft aerial than one placed in the room which is prone to signal variation caused by people walking about as well as being closer to interference sources in the home. On the plus side The Digital UK postcode checker shows a strong signal from the Keighley transmitter is expected at your location both now and after switchover. Remember to set any aerial for vertical polarisation (rods vertical) when using this transmitter.
pam
Tuesday 10 May 2011 5:00PM Keighley
have a loft aerial for main telly in living room so may need to link in to it for daughters bedroom tv. we had no problems until they started to update the transmiter daughter was able to get all channels on her top box till then. thank you for your reply
Julie
Saturday 14 May 2011 10:13PM
I have a digital TV in my bedroom with built in freeview using an indoor aerial. I could get all the channels perfectly then the other morning they all disappeared saying no signal. I retuned the TV automatically and it recovered most of the channels except for ITV and channel 4 and 5 etc - has something changed in my area which is Nottingham? or do I need another aerial though the one I had was working fine before?
Briantist
Sunday 15 May 2011 4:48PM
Julie: Generally speaking, indoor aerials are not suitable for reliable Freeview reception. You should really connect your set to a rooftop aerial.
Ruth
Tuesday 24 May 2011 9:16AM
Hi, My old kitchen telly (works off indoor aerial standing on top of it) is dying so I want to buy a new Free View or Free Sat TV to replace it so we're ready for the digital switch over. There is no link to the roof top aerial in the kitchen (nearest link is 3 rooms away where we have SKY too). Is it the height of a rooftop aerial that's important or being outside? Could something on the patio (on a hanging basket hook) be as effective or not? Or am I better to focus on working on getting the signal through from the sitting room? We're renting our house so we're limited in what we can do.
Les Nicol
Tuesday 24 May 2011 11:42AM
Ruth - Dependent om where your SKY dish is located it may be an easier option to bring a feed cable from that to a "Freesat" receiver in the kitchen. Your options may be more complex by virtue of you residing in a rented property. Probably best to consult the factor/rental agency beforehand if this means bringing wires through walls etc.
Tim Bain
Wednesday 1 June 2011 4:39PM
If you struggle to get freeview and have a laptop or PC with a decent intenet connection you could always use www.tvcatchup.com link icon TVCatchup - Never Miss A Show Again to watch digital channels you need to register but it's free to use. :)
Briantist
Thursday 2 June 2011 7:54AM
Tim Bain: Yes, that's why there are links to it on every page in the Watch Live right hand panel...
jane
Sunday 12 June 2011 5:35PM
i use a indoor aerial on my tv in bedroom. Bedroom is attic. Cant install outdoor aerial. Which type indoor aerial do u suggest for freeview. Im in mansfield.
Briantist
Monday 13 June 2011 8:25AM
jane: Indoor aerials are unsuitable for Freeview reception. You might be able to get a large aerial to work in a loft space, but I can't really say without a postcode.
Marion Dunn
Monday 13 June 2011 9:34AM
I have a digital TV in my bedroom with built in freeview using an indoor booster aerial. I could get all the channels perfectly then the other morning when I tried to retune, they all disappeared and get a message saying "no signal". I am in Central Scotland.

Also have TV with Freeview box in another bedroom with same booster aerial which I was able to retune sucessfully a few days earlier.
Mike Dimmick
Monday 13 June 2011 2:56PM
Marion Dunn: Try removing or turning down the booster.
jane
Monday 13 June 2011 7:21PM Mansfield
brian bought a one for all indoor aeeial from argos 46 digital aerial as thought with being elect powered it would work. Got nowhere i can have loft aeeial. Connected freeview box . Cant get to work. Without though norm tv work post code ng18 5 sl. Help
jane
Monday 13 June 2011 7:35PM Mansfield
its a up to 45db what ever that means
alan wood
Friday 17 June 2011 2:07PM
I have a sky dish and was wondering if i could link that to my tv in the bedroom to receive a freeview signal, the tv in question has a built in freeview and we are 3 mile from idle moor transmitter
Ian
Thursday 23 June 2011 11:17AM
I live in Falkirk area my TV set is Techika 19" with built in Freeview + DVD (Tesco)we are covered by Blackhill trans using indoor Arial plugin SLX digitop with built in booster. In May this system received over 90 Freeview channels with no problems now only get 24 channels and no terrestrial TV.I have tried retuning several times, unplugging system any ideas what is wrong
Nick Gibbs
Friday 24 June 2011 1:04PM
Hi

I have just erected a summerhouse and want to have TV in there. I'd rather not run coax cable all the way down the back garden (most of it is paved). Am I best finding a way or would an outdoor ariel work?

Thanks
Mark A.
Friday 24 June 2011 1:33PM Haywards Heath
First just try it with an indoor aerial.
If your summerhouse has a window pointing towards the transmitter, put it there.
Your summerhouse may not be strong enough to support a big out door aerial, but a small waterproof one should be ok.
If your summerhouse is a long way from your house you will lose some of the signal down a long coaxial cable and will need an aerial amplifier.

Another option would be to use a satellite dish. I use one I got from Maplin that is meant to be used with a caravan.
christine symonds
Sunday 26 June 2011 8:13PM
have been getting all channels in my bedroom untill today and for some reason im just getting bbc channels now,,,please help dont know what to do !!!
BARRY
Tuesday 12 July 2011 10:01AM
hi, im going camping in the north west of scotland (gairloch).looking to take a tv with us what aerial would i need to get to watch free view?
thanks BARRY
jb38
Tuesday 12 July 2011 12:41PM
Barry: Reception as one would expect can be very iffy up in these areas, however if you are spending time in Gairloch itself then all you need to receive the local Badachro transmitter is a standard log periodic aerial, as indeed is used by many caravan & camper vans, with the signal from the aforementioned transmitter blasting in according to the trade predictor based on the local Post Office.

Matter of fact space permitting, you could even take a simple set top aerial and still get satisfactory results, but the aerial mentioned was suggested as its suitable for covering various situations.
John
Tuesday 26 July 2011 8:25PM
HELP. My son has just moved to a student house in Reading postcode RG13PB. His bedroom does not have an aeriel point connection to the roof top aeriel and the landlord will not install one. He tried an indoor aeriel but it couldnt find even one channel? It was a 45db aeriel.
Can you suggest anything please? Do you think an indoor aeriel should have worked? His TV has built in freeview.
I would be very gratful for any advice.
Mazbar
Tuesday 26 July 2011 9:23PM Ormskirk
John the only solution could be to ask the landlord if your son can fit an aerial at his own expence. If he can get a local aerial man not an 0800 number or ask the landlord who he uses for his aerial work. Hope this helps
jb38
Tuesday 26 July 2011 9:26PM
John: Well, on looking at the reception possibilities (using trade view) for the post code mentioned I would say its very doubtful if any reception would be possible using an indoor aerial of any sort, the nearest station I can see being Hannington @ 17 miles away on a bearing of 232 degrees from his location.

If he has a room of his own with a "South facing window" then one of these inexpensive portable Satellite kits would work indoors provided he could sit the dish tripod facing out of the unopened window, other than that there really isn't much that can be done, as is not until February 2012 onwards that the possibilities reception "might" start to improve.

By the way, these Satellite kits referred to plugs into the TV's rear scart socket.
jb38
Tuesday 26 July 2011 9:34PM
John: Just noticed Mazbar's reply, and agree insomuch that the landlord has nothing to lose if a tenant volunteers to pay for the aerial himself.
John
Tuesday 26 July 2011 9:37PM
Thanks for your replies jb38, which satellite kits are you referring to? Can you recommend one please?
Thanks
John
Briantist
Wednesday 27 July 2011 7:49AM
John: I think he's referring to these -
TV & Satellite : Free-to-Air Satellite : Free-to-Air Satellite Kits : Maplin Electronics
.
jb38
Wednesday 27 July 2011 8:02AM
Briantist / John: Yes, thanks Briantist, that's the type of kits I was meaning, or even the one that Aldi has in stock now and again, the dishes supplied with these are a bit on the small side for use in Northern parts of the UK (Scotland) as far as ease of alignment is concerned, but no problem in Southern areas.
Julie
Thursday 28 July 2011 4:26PM
I have a Technika DTV in my bedroom with a SLXA amplified set top aerial (roof or attic aerial not an option) on which the reception is brilliant on most channels except film4 in the evening; unless a taxi stops outside or there are people metal detecting on the beach 50 yards away where upon I lose the signal on pretty much every channel. What can I use to filter the reception to prevent this?
Briantist
Friday 29 July 2011 7:45AM
Julie: If you want reliable Freeview reception, use a rooftop aerial. Indoor aerials are not suitable for stable Freeview reception.
Julie
Friday 29 July 2011 9:19PM
Quite so Briantist but as a roof top aerial is not an option available to me an Indoor aerial it must be. Do you know if there is something I can use to filter out occasional localised interference? The amplifier is set to low but it does make all the difference to a non-amplified aerial.
jb38
Saturday 30 July 2011 9:40AM
Julie: Mentioning your location would have been of assistance in determining what strength of signal you are liable to be receiving, but in answer to your question there really any form of filter you can use to help eliminate localised interference.

The only two things you can do is, "if" your rooms window faces in the direction of the transmitter then site the aerial at the window using an extension lead, and secondly, make sure that the aerial is orientated in the correct polarity for the transmitter, horizontal or vertical as the case may be, find this out by looking at roof aerials nearby.

The transmitter that you receive from "may" still be on low power prior to switchover, but as aforementioned this being where knowledge of your location (post code) would have enabled this to have been found out.
jb38
Saturday 30 July 2011 9:44AM
julie: correction > really "isn't" any....
Jm F
Saturday 30 July 2011 10:54AM
Julie: There are filters available for reducing e.g. taxi interference - "Google TVI filter" to see what the simple ones are like. For proper filtering, Vision make a V25-101.
There's a complication though for your setup - the filter needs to go between the aerial and any amplifier (to prevent input overload and subsequent distortion in the amp). With your SLx aerial, you can't insert the filter in the correct location, and adding the filter after the amplifier won't work (amplifier will still overload).
You could consider a non-amplifier set-top aerial (e.g. Telecam TCE2000) connected to a filter and then have a separate amplifier.
I've yet to see an amplified set-top aerial that incorporated a decent filter.
jb38
Saturday 30 July 2011 3:10PM
Jm F: Yes, you are quite correct about that type of filter, but the reason I didn't mention it was because that any filter no matter what its intended for, can have the effect of slightly reducing the signal that's wanted going through it at the same time as suppressing the one that isn't wanted, and although under normal reception circumstances this could safely be disregarded, however in Julie's case her reception doesn't give the impression of being very good in the first place I didn't want to suggest anything that would be liable to reduce it further.

Nothing to stop her trying it though if she chooses!


Ian
Saturday 30 July 2011 8:40PM
Hey Julie,
Have you got a south facing garden or somewhere you could hide a freesat dish, film 4 available on that for free and it would stop you having an aerial on the roof, strange some people complain about an aerial and not a dish and visa versa

Might be worth looking into

All the best ian
Ryan
Monday 1 August 2011 9:32PM
I have freeview and I get most channels but not ITV1 (I get 3,4 and 2+1). I really want ITV1 as the rugby world cup will be on it and I'm a kiwi!

I live in a flat in East London (Westferry) and there is no chance the landlord will be putting an outdoor aerial in so I need to rely on an indoor aerial.

Can you please recommend what indoor aerial would give me the best chance of picking up ITV1?
Briantist
Tuesday 2 August 2011 8:23AM
Ryan: Indoor aerials are very unreliable for Freeview reception, but I would also check for www.ukfree.tv link icon Single frequency interference | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
Jan Harbidge
Tuesday 23 August 2011 11:30AM Leigh-on-sea
Hi, can someone help me with this please? I currently have a small HD ready tv in the spare room; it's connected to an AC adaptor via a DC in plug at the rear of the TV which is then plugged into the mains. It is also plugged into a small digital indoor aerial. The reception is poor but it's only a spare Tv and it does not bother me that much, however,because I have just upgraded a TV I tried plugging in the newer Hitachi HD ready TV but this one does not have the DC in portal and when just using the TV mains plug and the digi indoor aerial I receive a blue screen; showing no signal. There is not an option for the DC in Ac adaptor to be plugged in. Is that essential? I only want to use it as a spare as it has an integral DVD player which is why I want to use it. What am I doing wrong? Thanks. Jan
louiza
Friday 2 September 2011 9:43PM Ilkley
If i buy a digi box for my telly in the bedroom will it work if my ariel is not external, can i buy an ariel for my bedroom which is at the top of the house to help boost the signal thanks...
KMJ,Derby
Friday 2 September 2011 10:34PM
louiza: Indoor aerials are always a bit hit and miss, but it is worth a try. You will have to buy a digibox anyway to view anything on an analogue telly after the analogue transmitters are switched off. You are predicted to be able to have good reception from the Wharfedale transmitter after 7th September 2011 on Mux BBCA (the BBC channels), and from 21st September 2011 on Mux D3+4 (ITV1&2, C4, C5 etc) If you have a window facing East at which you can point the aerial, it should help with reception.
eddie
Thursday 8 September 2011 5:35PM
our flat screen tv in the kitchen worked okay before with an indoor arial and a booster. Now that analogue's been switched off in Nottinghamshire, so have all the channels despite trying to retune. What do we need to do to get them back?
jb38
Thursday 8 September 2011 8:49PM
eddie: It all depends on whether or not the TV you have is dual standard, that is capable of analogue as well as Freeview (digital) reception.

The other important factor as far as Freeview reception is concerned is your location, preferably in the form of a post code so that your reception possibilities can be checked on.
Pow
Thursday 15 September 2011 11:20AM
Hi, I have a samsung 932mw monitor that works as a tv, where i live both of the other tvs have indoor aerials and work ok, i would like to know what do i need to set it up n get freeview and if an internal aeria will do for it, thanks
Achilleas
Saturday 1 October 2011 11:58AM London
Good morning all. I live in Central London and receive of BBC1,BBC2, ITV1 and Ch4 but not Ch5. This probably means that the aerial looks at Crystal palace which from what I have gathered it does not transmit Ch5? I also do not receive any Freeview channels despite having a new tv. Its a Logik one with a build in freeview tunner. Is changing the aerial going to solve this problem or I can recieve freeview with boosted indoor aerial? a new tv will help? Thanks in advance
jb38
Saturday 1 October 2011 12:55PM
Achilleas: The trade predictor on your code indicates that you should be able to have good reception from Crystal Palace, unless that is you are in an area noted locally as being a black spot for reception.

What type of aerial are you using, or more importantly where is it installed?



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