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| Band III |
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| L-band |
Remember Gravity and work safely at heights
Gravity can kill! If you install an outdoor antenna yourself, remember to work safely. Better still, get an experienced professional to do it for you. A well-installed aerial should last for years and could save you money in the long run. In the UK, a local reputable rigger can be found from the website of the industry body, the Confederation of Aerial Industries.
During this period of digital switch-over, aerial riggers are busy and there are rich pickings for cowboys. Beware of advertisements that use the CAI logo. The trader may not actually be a member. Refer to the CAI website first to find a local member. The CAI even maintains a register of rogue traders known to be using their logo without permission. One of the best ways to pick an installer is to check the outdoor aerials on neighbouring properties. You yourself will be able to tell the difference between a neat professional installation and shoddy work. Ask your neighbours who installed theirs. |
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The laws of physics!
The laws of physics don't change just because it's "digital". Whether you're receiving HD Radio or ATSC, indoors or outdoors, the only way to ensure good reliable reception is to feed your receiver with a good signal. If you're using a small portable receiver with a telescopic antenna, then your options are limited. You'll need to find the position in your home that produces the strongest signal. Your home is a breeding ground for clicks and splats. Most refrigerators, freezers, airconditioning units, water heaters, washing machines, etc. can produce substantial amounts of radio interference as they switch themselves on an off. But if you have a receiver with a socket for an antenna, then resist the temptation to connect it to a wire coat hanger and get yourself a good outdoor antenna. Not only will you find a stronger signal up there, but it will be further away from the sources of all those nasty "splats". |
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| DAB
("original flavour") |
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| DAB+ |
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| DMB Radio
(aka DMB-A) |
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Antennae for DAB/DAB+/DMB
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Let's make one thing perfectly clear before we go any further:- There is no such thing as a digital aerial. An aerial, or antenna, is designed to work over a range of radio frequencies, and it doesn't matter one bit (get it?) whether the signal on that frequency is digital or analogue. A "DAB aerial", so-called, is quite simply one which works best at frequencies between 174 MHz and 240 MHz, or as it is known "Band III". Outwith that range, you will probably find the aerial has less gain and its directional properties will be unpredictable. Some aerials may be more finely tuned and be optimised for a narrower range of frequencies. For example, it would be possible to construct an antenna whose peak performance lay between 218 MHz and 230 MHz (the frequencies currently in use in the UK). But there's nothing specifically digital about that. It's the MHz that matter. |
Antiference
A British company that proudly boasts of existing almost as long as there have been transmitters at Alexandra Palace.
Website: www.antiference.tv
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Blake DAB omni
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Sponsored links to sellers...
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175 .. 230 MHz
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United Kingdom
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Hama
Founded in 1945 and based in Monheim, Bayern, Hama has a prolific range of photographic and electronic accessories.
Global Website: www.hama.de/
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Hama Freeview and DAB Antenna
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Sponsored links to sellers...
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A simple omnidirectional ROD aerial for TV & Freeview and DAB.Frequency range: B III (174 - 230 MHz) and B IV (470 - 862 MHz).Supplied with 1m connection cable with coaxial plug.
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Ireland
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Deutschland
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France
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United Kingdom
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Televes
Spanish company based in Santiago de Compostela and founded in 1958, the year that Spanish TV broadcasts began.
Global Website: www.televes.es/
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Televes 1050
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Sponsored links to sellers...
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3-element DAB antenna
Optimised for 190 - 232 MHz
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United Kingdom
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Triax DAB omni
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Sponsored links to sellers...
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Single-element omnidirectional DAB antenna
Optimised for 217-240MHz
Because of the way that DAB works, where signals arriving from more than one transmitter from more than one direction act constructively on reception rather than destructively, in many situations, particularly in towns and cities, this antenna will suffice.
Download the Product Guide from the Triax website.
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United Kindom
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Triax DAB 5-element
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Sponsored links to sellers...
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5-element DAB antenna
Optimised for 217-240MHz
If you are in a marginal signal area, for example on the edge of the area covered, you may need more gain to acquire a workable signal. Alternatively, if you are in a good signal area for your local multiplex, but discover that you have marginal reception of a neighbouring area's multiplex, you could improve the distant signal by directing this antenna towards it and probably still receive an acceptable local signal.
Download the Product Guide from the Triax website.
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Danmark
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United Kindom
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I'd be grateful to receive information about other antennae.
carey@wohnort.org
© 2010 wohnort media
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