Boost your TV signal with an indoor aerial
If a rooftop aerial is too costly, too much hassle or just impossible, install one inside
Arooftop TV aerial will give you the best chance of a strong Freeview TV signal, but it’s not always feasible. Besides the cost (around £250 for parts and labour), other factors may prevent you from using one, such as if you live in a flat. They’re also easier to install, and being small and portable, they’re also perfect for use with a TV tuner attached to a laptop. Before buying one, however, it’s important to know how strong Freeview signals are in your area because this will determine what type of aerial you need.
Find your nearest transmitter
Enter your postcode and house number on Freeview’s coverage checker page at www.snipca.com/38922 – the name of your nearest transmitter will appear at the top of the results page. You can then use Google Maps ( https://maps.google. com) to calculate your distance from the transmitter. Enter the name of the transmitter in the search box, then right-click it on the map and select ‘Measure distance’. Next, zoom out (hold down the Ctrl key and scroll your mouse wheel), locate your home address and click it. A line will appear on the map, with the box at the bottom showing the total distance (see 1 in our screenshot below left).
You’ll also need to check whether any hills between you and the transmitter will affect signal quality. Click the Layers box (bottom-left corner of the map), then select Terrain 2 – darker shading indicates hilly areas.
Find the right indoor aerial
If you’re under 10 miles from your nearest transmitter and there are no significant barriers in the landscape, you may be able to make do with August’s DTA240 (£9.30 from www.snipca. com/38931, pictured above right). This is one of the cheapest and smallest indoor aerials around – its stick-like antenna is just 13.5cm tall.
It has a magnetic base, which means you can attach it to the roof of a campervan when on holiday (it’s not weatherproof, however, so you’d need to bring it inside if it rains). Also, the aerial’s 1.5m cable means you may need an extension cable to position it in the optimum location (a 10m cable costs £9 from Argos, www.snipca.com/38924).
If you live further from the transmitter, you’ll need to go for something a bit more expensive, such as One for All’s SV9430 (£26 from Amazon, www.snipca. com/38926). Measuring 270x180x60mm (HXWXD), this curved rectangular panel is much bigger than the August DTA240. Its size – along with the built-in filter that blocks interference from nearby 4G signals – means it’s able to pick up weaker transmitter signals (from up to 15 miles away, according to One for All). It also comes with a 1.5m cable.
However, our favourite indoor aerial is the Rgtech Monarch 50 (£25 from www. snipca.com/38925, pictured in box right), which is essentially a wire mesh inside a thin sheet of plastic. Get the ‘transparent’ version and you can attach it to a window, giving it the best chance of picking up a Freeview signal without blocking light or obstructing your view.
Alternatively, you can insert the aerial into the included stand, though we found the unit’s lightweight design makes it easy to knock over when used this way. Like the SV9430, the Monarch 50 includes
a 4G filter, but it also comes with a 4.5m cable, which gives you greater scope when positioning it. Monarch quotes a maximum range of 50 miles, but you’d need to be in an area of flat terrain to achieve this.
Search for channels
Once you’ve attached it to your Freeview box, angle the aerial so that it’s facing in the direction of your nearest Freeview transmitter (as identified earlier). You then need to retune your Freeview box (set it to scan for available channels). How you do this depends on the make and model of your set-top box.
On a Youview box, go to the Settings menu (press the Youview button on your remote control, then select the cog icon at the top of the screen), then select TV Channels, followed by Retune. This will take a few minutes, after which you’ll see a summary telling you how many TV channels the box has found (see screenshot above right).
If you’re using a TV tuner attached to your computer, you’ll need to retune using the software. On most Hauppauge tuners (such as the Wintv-solo HD - £43 from www.snipca.com/38940), this means clicking the gear icon, Devices, selecting your tuner, then Tuner Setup.
In areas with a strong Freeview reception, you should find the tuning process locates all available channels on the first scan. If some occasionally break up while watching them, make small adjustments to the angle of your aerial.
Most Freeview boxes can display the signal quality in real time, letting you instantly see the impact of small adjustments – on Youview boxes, go to Settings, then TV Signal Quality.
Try a different transmitter
You may find the tuning process doesn’t find any channels. If so, it’s worth taking a look at your neighbours’ rooftop aerials to see in which direction they’re pointing. If they point in different directions to one another, it may indicate there’s more than one transmitter nearby.
You can get more detailed information on nearby transmitters using the map on the UKFREETV website ( www.snipca. com/38927) – click a transmitter (marked with an ‘F’) and you’ll see its area of coverage displayed in green. Don’t ignore transmitters that are further away from your location – depending on the terrain, they may provide a stronger signal than those nearby.
Reposition your indoor aerial to match the direction of the rooftop aerials. You’ll need to retune your Freeview box each time you change the direction of your aerial so your box can receive channels from the new target transmitter.
Reposition your aerial
When positioning your aerial, keep it away from large objects and – if possible – place it near a window. You can also try putting the aerial in your loft - this has the advantage of minimising interference from electrical items in your home. And because it’s higher, it’s more likely to pick up weaker signals. If some rooms in your home have aerial sockets, you’ll probably find there’s an aerial junction box in the loft. This is intended to be connected to a rooftop aerial, but you can also attach your indoor aerial to it, thereby sending its signal to each TV point in your home (see box below left).
Spreading the signal around your home in this way can weaken it, though, so you may need to use a booster box (£12 from www.snipca.com/38928) with the aerial sockets in certain rooms.
Check you’re receiving all available channels
Once you’ve set up your aerial, it’s worth checking that you’re getting all Freeview channels. Each channel is broadcast in one of six frequencies known as ‘multiplexes’ (for the full list of channels and which multiplex they broadcast on, visit www. snipca.com/38929).
Depending on signal strength, your Freeview box may not receive certain multiplexes – and therefore certain channels. To make sure you’re receiving all multiplexes, try tuning into a channel from each one – such as BBC News (channel 231), ITV2 (6), BBC One HD (101), Quest (12) and Yesterday (26). If these channels work, your Freeview box is receiving all multiplexes. If not, try repositioning your aerial (or buying a more powerful one), then retuning your Freeview box as explained above.