Cable Forum - View Single Post - Aerial help for Terrestrial DTV please...

**Chris** · 08-10-2006, 18:28

All TV transmitters in the UK operate within certain sections of the available UHF spectrum. The sections are assigned to transmitters in such a way that no transmitter interferes with the broadcasts from any of its neighbouring transmitters. The chunk of the UHF spectrum assigned to any given transmitter is denoted by a letter. When buying a TV aerial, you need to know the code letter of your local transmitter, and then when you go to the TV shop, buy an aerial with a matching letter. Aerials - large, rooftop ones, certainly - have a colour-coded plastic bung in their nose that corresponds to their code letter.

Frequency group C/D broadcasts on UHF channels 48-68 and the appropriate aerial's colour code is green. Full details here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/facts...factsheet.html

Digital and analogue transmissions from the same transmitter may be broadcast from different frequency groups - hence the usual advice, if you want to receive both analogue and digital signals from the same aerial, is to get a 'wideband' aerial, that receives signals across all channels (21-68, code letter W, colour black). However there would be no point getting a wideband aerial for a digital-only USB receiver, so follow its advice and go get yourself a C/D aerial. Any high street stockist will understand what you're asking for, as would any online retailer.

If you want to doube-check what channel group your rooftop aerial is receiving, without going on your roof and peering at the end of it, go to the Wolfbane analogue transmitter database here:

http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tva.exe?

Put in your postcode and it will tell you what your local transmitter is, where it is, and what its analogue channel group is. There is also a digital database here if you're interested:

http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?

---------- Post added at 18:28 ---------- Previous post was at 18:17 ----------

Edit

Horizontal / Vertical simply denotes which way you hang it on your wall - with the metal bars lying horizontally or vertically. Normally, any aerial you buy will be able to hang either way up. This information is mainly to help you erect rather than buy it.

Main transmitters are polarized to emit vertical waves, smaller local fill-in transmitters emit horizontally, so you position your aerial to match.

08-10-2006, 18:28	#2
Chris Trollsplatter Cable Forum Team Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: North of Watford Services: Humane elimination of all common Internet pests Posts: 38,607	Re: Aerial help for Terrestrial DTV please... All TV transmitters in the UK operate within certain sections of the available UHF spectrum. The sections are assigned to transmitters in such a way that no transmitter interferes with the broadcasts from any of its neighbouring transmitters. The chunk of the UHF spectrum assigned to any given transmitter is denoted by a letter. When buying a TV aerial, you need to know the code letter of your local transmitter, and then when you go to the TV shop, buy an aerial with a matching letter. Aerials - large, rooftop ones, certainly - have a colour-coded plastic bung in their nose that corresponds to their code letter. Frequency group C/D broadcasts on UHF channels 48-68 and the appropriate aerial's colour code is green. Full details here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/facts...factsheet.html Digital and analogue transmissions from the same transmitter may be broadcast from different frequency groups - hence the usual advice, if you want to receive both analogue and digital signals from the same aerial, is to get a 'wideband' aerial, that receives signals across all channels (21-68, code letter W, colour black). However there would be no point getting a wideband aerial for a digital-only USB receiver, so follow its advice and go get yourself a C/D aerial. Any high street stockist will understand what you're asking for, as would any online retailer. If you want to doube-check what channel group your rooftop aerial is receiving, without going on your roof and peering at the end of it, go to the Wolfbane analogue transmitter database here: http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tva.exe? Put in your postcode and it will tell you what your local transmitter is, where it is, and what its analogue channel group is. There is also a digital database here if you're interested: http://www.wolfbane.com/cgi-bin/tvd.exe? ---------- Post added at 18:28 ---------- Previous post was at 18:17 ---------- Edit Horizontal / Vertical simply denotes which way you hang it on your wall - with the metal bars lying horizontally or vertically. Normally, any aerial you buy will be able to hang either way up. This information is mainly to help you erect rather than buy it. Main transmitters are polarized to emit vertical waves, smaller local fill-in transmitters emit horizontally, so you position your aerial to match.