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?
Monday, 30 January 2012
What happened to the days of reading books and of course the radio if you can get reception lol
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c/s GBXZ6:32 PM
Steve P: yes and no, 300m line length from the exchange but on faulty (aluminium) cables so up up is about 600kb/s and down is ok to 800/1400 or so depending on -Max or ADSL2+. ADSL2+ shows a lot of wandering in speed, ADSL1-Max is much more stable. I'm trained to around CCNP/CCIE standard (though not current) so there's not much more that can be done there. No 'cable' or 'fibre' for 20 miles. It's the sync dropouts (caused by the aly underground BT cable that bugger up the 'internetTV' idea, we get about 10-20 a day on a good day, 50-60 on a bad. BTOR have washed their hands awaiting a new pull of cable along the street.
I also "work" from home so anything that fill my personal pipe is unwanted.
Dave: it's not for me - I'm getting nagged (incessantly)
UHF or nuthin haha
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Steve P11:18 PM
Do you mean 600 only or 6000 peak?
We get the latter despite Al cables and very ratty wiring. At one place there is a nest of wires and no idea which is in use and which not!
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Tuesday, 31 January 2012
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c/s GBXZ11:31 AM
Steve P: sorry 6000 kb/s peak sync, max throughput depends on time of day and ISP of course (I've been through a few ISPs here over the years). The internet TV option is really a non-starter, I have to pull quite large disk images to work on and they're usually d/l'ded at peak TV viewing times. (thank the Gods for wget)
BT are a mess these days, the repeated cutbacks have left them with a lot of dodgy and undocumented plant and they can't blame the cowboys!
I'm suppose I'm really asking "Is there a off-the-shelf option for this extreme case? If so how much?"
### Summary - 10 miles from Chatton, 70metres from Tetra base, no view of any relevant sats at all. External antennae AND cabling (!) prohibited by feudal tenancy agreement. HUGE high masonry building blocking view of Chatton. Current analogue signal is below the Noise+Tetra. Internet TV not an option. Other half wants channel-hopping telly. MUST be UHF-over-the-air option in loft I think, all other avenues are dead-ends. ###
Anyone here tried GaAsFET amps or large-scale stacking? Is there anything available off-the-shelf? DIY is feasible, I'm an RF guy with 25 years experience and UHF/SHF design skills. I know (all to well) it won't be easy, especially from 560-700+MHz
with that level of Tetra close by (physically as well as in spectrum terms).
I haven't watched TV since Swap Shop myself, so I'm also p!zz3d off about the whole scheme right now.
PS: If any "normal" customers are reading this, it's a perfect illustration why you pay good money to expert riggers. Cowboys are 2-a-penny. Knowledge costs. So does pro kit.
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c/s GBXZ11:36 AM
Steve P: whoops, that should have been downstream speed is about 6000kb/s and upload is maxed at the 800-odd or 1500-odd depending on ADSL-Max, ADSL2, ADSL2+ etc and premium upload options depending on contract. (The Mole echo looks like a complete mess). Sorry for confusion.
But like I say above, TV and Internet won't mix due to work internet commitments (and the frequent dropouts).
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Steve P1:39 PM
Couled you find somewhere to put an antenna and a repeater?
Have you approached those responsible for interference re the Tetra?
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Wednesday, 1 February 2012
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Malcolm Martins11:20 PM
Norwich
I had my aerial swing round in the wind.
Broadland aerials came round the same day and fitted a new aerial(the old one was still giving a good signal even though it was pointing 180 degrees the wrong way) and charged £100 + v.a.t. It took half an hour.
A week later and I no longer have stations
1 to 10.The signal strength is good, I have
all the rubbish stations.Can anyone explain this please?
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Malcolm's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
Thursday, 2 February 2012
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Malcolm Martins11:18 AM
Norwich
I have solved the problem of why I could not get the main channels, but could get junk channels.I have disconnected the amplifier which I have had for many years, and was needed originally to run 4 outlets.It seems as if the signal, which was switched to digital recently, has now been boosted so much that an amplifier is no longer needed.The signal with an amplifier was too strong, and although it was working when the new aerial was fitted, at 70db signal strength,the signal strength is now more.
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Malcolm's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
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Trevor7:20 PM
Malcolm Martins: Oh I would have rung me at"Broadland Aerials" We did arrive the same day you called us as an aerial just hanging could have proved dangerous. We also suggested removing your water filled mast head that was upside down and replacing with a passive outdoor splitter as your signal was so strong with the new aerial.This you declined and insisted on using the water filled amp and also your rusty loose bracket.I would have appreciated a call from you informing me of your signal problems rather than post my company name without giving us a chance to respond.As i attended the job and can confirm that it was your intention to buy as little equipment as possible and i even suggested you take time and think about the install and call us back but you decided to have work done on the day.
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