I need a new external aerial for my Humax 9150 - what should I be looking for?

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I need a new external aerial for my Humax 9150 - what should I be looking for?

(4 posts)

kirthgersen

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Just found this forum whilst searching for a reason for my 9150 locking up last night - it's been a great help - thanks a lot.

Anyway, dunno if this is the correct place for my question, as it's not STRICTLY Humax-related, but here goes, anyway...

My new place has two aerials on the roof - one on the front of the chimney to serve the front of the house and one on the back (for the back of the house) - but the bracket's come off that one and it's currently lying loose on the slates.

There's only one aerial lead coming off the front aerial, and I'm using that quite happily with my 9150 at the moment, but I want to get the other aerial fixed for Xmas and, whilst that's happening, run three more aerial leads off the aerials for three other TVs in the house (we have 3 9150s and one Freeview TV)...

Anyway - that was my plan, but a mate has just told me that I'm wasting my time paying to have the old aerial put back up (both the aerials look OK, but they're 20+ years old) as once the Digital Switchover is complete, I won't be able to use "normal" aerials - I'll need "special" digital ones... also, I mightn't be able to run 4 TVs off the two aerials anyway, as the signal strength will be "split"...

My local transmitter is Storeton and seems to be quite strong at the moment, but I'm wondering - could my mate be right? Might I need a special digital aerial in a couple of years to keep getting the Storeton signal? If that's the case, I won't bother refixing my current "normal" aerials...

| Fri 16 Dec 2011 0:09:28 #1 |
FenderBender

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Hi and welcome.

My recommendation is to fit a single digital aerial to your roof, then run it to a distribution amplifier in your loft.

The Triax Unix 52 is a good quality aerial, and you could go for something like a 4-way distribution amplifier. This particular one has adjustable attenuation, so you can set it for the correct signal strength. If you're thinking of future expansion, you could go for the 6-way or 8-way version.

Note you would need to find a 240v power source for the amp.

edit:// Looking at the specs for Storeton you need a group K aerial mounted vertically (i.e. on its side). The only place I can find this type is here, but there's no picture.

You are closer to Winter Hill than I am (65 miles) but I get a decent signal from there with a couple of amps in the loft. Can you get a signal from Winter Hill, which requires a C/D aerial (e.g the Triax) mounted horizontally?

| Fri 16 Dec 2011 7:47:18 #2 |
kirthgersen

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Hi - Thanks for the response.

> Can you get a signal from Winter Hill

I live in Liverpool (L18) and according to the digitaluk.co.uk/postcodechecker page, Winter Hill is my "alternative" transmitter - the reason I didn't select that transmitter to tune my 9150 to was (a) it said Storeton was my "most likely" one and (b) because it mentioned "minus" numbers in the results and I wasn't sure how to enter a "minus" channel number when doing a manual channel search on the Humax.

But that's obviously just out of my own ignorance - according to the page, the signal strengths from Winter Hill seem fine at "99" throughout the range of channels for my postcode - although I can't check personally because my current aerial is pointing Storeton-way so that's the only signal strength I can attest to...

> Note you would need to find a 240v power source for the amp

This is where I'd struggle - apart from the unavailability of any power sources in the loft, even if I could run a cable down to an upstairs bedroom to plug in, I'd have difficulty - it's an old house, and there are only about 8 sockets in total up there, and these are already heavily over-subscribed. At some future date, when finances are a bit better than they are now, I obviously need to get some re-wiring done and extra sockets installed...

Let's say that - for now - I can't set up anything that requires a power source... am I going to have problems with just one/maybe two aerial(s) and FOUR TVs?

And is my mate right that when he says:

(a) a "normal" (analogue/older) aerial - (or even TWO, if I fix the other one up) - won't work with Freeview after 2014 - meaning I will DEFFO need a digital one upon completion of the DSO?

(b) the signal gets split with just one (or even two) aerial(s)? I thought if you had one aerial on the roof, you could just run four individual lines off it, and each would carry a decent strength signal...? I'm guessing from your mention of a "4-way distribution amplifier" that my previously-mentioned "ignorance" (which seems to know no bounds) could again be at work here...

| Fri 16 Dec 2011 12:54:01 #3 |
grahamlthompson

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Lack of power is no obstacle. Masthead amplifiers use power sent up one of coax connections.

Example

http://www.tvaerials.com/product.aspx?productid=1382

However check if your 9150 box has built in amplifier power out. Pretty sure it does so you just need the amplifier and connect the aerial lead to the 9150 first, after turning on the option.

| Fri 16 Dec 2011 13:18:03 #4 |