What price for an aerial installation?
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV In responses to the guideline I posted about how much having a new aerial fitted should cost, Ian Grice posted: "£40-£50? Every aerial fitter I contacted wants at least £150+VAT considering you can get a class 3 aerial for under £10 and a class 2 for under £15 and cable is 40p a metre why are they charging so much for 30 minutes work?"
OK, for some places putting up a TV aerial is hard work, such as multi-story properties. As many people will simply be exchanging a Group A, B, C/D, E or K aerial for a wideband type, often without changing the supporting pole or cable, a high price cannot be justified.
I am concerned that some companies will exploit vulnerable groups (such as the elderly).
So, I what prices have you been quoted for aerial installations? What price have you paid for installation?
Do you know of any companies to avoid? Do you know of any companies that are good value for money?
Or do you work for a great aerial installation company?
Help with TV/radio stations?
Sunday, 12 August 2012
S
Stephen P7:00 PM
jubaer
UK digital TV reception predictor
This place thinks a set-top will do - and they are conservative. 74 dB is a strong signal - but you may be in a hollow or behind an obstacle.
What do you do for TV now?
Try a bit of wire into the central coax connector - or a wire hanger (the famous "Sketchley loop antenna").
| link to this comment |
Monday, 13 August 2012
J
Jubaer12:07 AM
Stephen P, I currently have Sky installed in my living and dining rooms. The reason for an aerial was because I wanted to buy a new tv for my bedroom. I will try the hanger trick and see if it works.
I didn't understand that wolfbane website when I entered my postcode. I'm going to buy an indoor aerial and see what happens.
| link to this comment |
Jubaer: I have one of these Labgear aerials:
Set Top Aerial Labgear | eBay
Obviously whether a set-top aerial will work depends on the location.
Ideally, it needs to be on the side of the building that faces the transmitter. Your chances of good reception are reduced the more the signal has to go through bricks and mortar and other objects.
| link to this comment |
J
Jubaer4:22 AM
Dave Lindsay, since my room is a loft bedroom I guess it has to pass to less layers of bricks right? I hope it does work though, I used to use a set top aerial a couple of years before the switch over and it was quite good with hardly any noise.
| link to this comment |
Jubaer: It does, but if the aerial has to be pointed through others' roof-spaces, then that isn't good.
| link to this comment |
J
Jubaer4:07 PM
I've tried using the hanger in the coaxial port but nothing happened
| link to this comment |
S
Stephen P7:48 PM
Jubaer - just read the Crystal palace line
Field dBV/m - strength of signal 74 is high
Distance miles
(Compass) Bearing degrees, N=0, S=180 W=270 so 222 is SW.
So you need to point SW. Ideally through a window. Tiles better than bricks UNLESS you have an aluminium foil in the lining.
Do you have a SW facing window? With sight to C Pal?
| link to this comment |
Ron Lake
11:07 PM
11:07 PM
Jubaer, Do you have an old hifi tuner aerial laying about anywhere, the type that has a coil of wire wrapped round a plastic former. If so, fix a coax plug to the two tails coming off it and try this in your TV. I use two of them in different rooms and they work really well when you consider that I live in a bungalow and the adjacent buildings between me and Emley Moor are all two storey houses.
| link to this comment |
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
J
Jubaer1:44 AM
stephen p, i don't have any SW windows, that's where the neighbours house is- my windows face NW and SE.
Ron Lake, no unfortunately not.
| link to this comment |
I
Ian8:09 AM
Jubaer, get yourself a 'benchmarked' aerial.
Where you live you will only require a 10 element aerial but since Blake's make the only 10 element which is benchmarked, and I personally don't like it, I'd opt for a 'Triax SG18W'.
If you are going to fit to your central 8 pot stack you may need an additional lashing wire as the standard one supplied with the lashing kit may not be long enough, especially as you probably don't know the correct way of making off the 'J' bolts.
Joining 2 lashing wires is an art in itself as I am sure every rigger visiting here will tell you, you'll need to get all the slack out before you even think of tightening the 'J' bolts otherwise you'll end up with a sloppy lashing and a leaning aerial.
If you are fitting it to the smaller side stack the extra lashing wire will not be required.
My shopping list would be, SG18w, 9 Lashing kit, (a 9 covers 3 bricks, better than the 6 which only covers 2 bricks), 6 x 1.25 alloy mast plus benchmarked cable. Id also purchase an attenuator.
Difficult to know what the value of the attenuator should be being as the levels can only be measured once the aerial is installed, although without measuring equipment you will not be able to do that.
Id guess and say that a 12dB attenuator might suffice, although you may need an 18dB one.
If you are going to get a company to install it, research their details first.
Be careful of 0800 numbers, look up their details at Companies House to see they are where they say they are, lots pretend to be local and are not.
Be careful of those who do not advertise complete addresses, like North Circular Road, Barking with no number or house name, these really are not there; they do it to make themselves look local.
Use the Royal Mail website to check an address, see if it realty exists and who trades from it.
Be careful of the ones which claim we have installers in your area daily these tend to be sitting in a van waiting for each call to come in and pounce when you are most vulnerable.
Be careful of the ones which claim that an aerial only cost £69 fitted because with some that is correct, it is just the aerial, the mast, lashing and cable is an extra. They assume that they will be fitting to existing equipment.
| link to this comment |
Select more comments
Your comment please