We need a new television aerial

[Nearly Retired (I am now)]

TV transmissions in our part of 17 are now digital and our feeble roof aerial on the maison secondaire (which wasn't really much use with the analogue signal) is simply not good enough now.

All my close neighbours have long aerials with 15 horizontal " X "elements on the shaft. I fancy buying one in UK so (a) I might save a few bob and (b) I can get fixing it quickly rather than scouring shops outside the hours of 12 to 14 and never on a Sunday.

The ones I have seen here in UK seem to have around 12 horizontal " X " elements. Does this matter ? Or, do I need to use a French one for the frequencies used.

[Nearly Retired (I am now)]

PS I need to get rid of the hornets' nest in the chimney first ! Is it true they all die off in October / November ?

[Anton Redman]

If the antenna is aimed in the right direecion a € 10 mast head amp may be a cheaper solution

[Théière]

I laughed the other day when I thought of this thread and saw a "Digital" mast head amp [:)]

[JohnM]

Don't get me started again Théière. (But as you've brought it up, :-) my crusade hasn't stopped... I was looking at TV's on Tesco's site last night and couldn't resist asking their help desk to explain the difference between digital and analogue aerials... I eagerly await their reply!)

[Nearly Retired (I am now)]

I don't think a mast head amp is what I need. The existing aerial itself has a square reflector about 300mm x 300mm and the rod is 150mm long at most with one "X" element on it. It always looked a bit sad when compared with the neighbours' ones in the analogue days.

I can get a decent UK one for maybe £15 to £30 and if I'm going to the trouble of building my scaffold tower and then fending off the hornets when I get to the top I only want to do it once.

Any one with an answer to the original question please?

[JohnM]

Just one extra point if you intend buying in the UK and taking it over. TV transmissions cover quite a large spectrum and an aerial that is good for the low end frequencies will not be as good for the higher end (the actual aerial rod is a different length). So they have banded the range (5 I think). You can get multiband aerials, but these are really "in the middle" so they can cope with both the high and low ends (if the signal is strong).

It sounds as if you are in a weak signal area, so you need to ensure that the aerial is matched for the frequency that the TV signal is broadcast on. The aerial is tuned to the signal, a local French supplier would know what frequency you need, you need to find out.

Then do a comparison of the gain (in theory, the more prongs the more it focuses the signal and it "gains" power).

So... correctly tuned and high gain is what you want. (You might also want to pay extra to have the word digital on the box........ NOT)

[Lyza]

We also need a French TV aerial. Our house is in 22 near Callac. Please can anyone give me an idea of how much it will cost together with installation? I have a satellite dish (small) which receives free to air tv  but no access to French TV programmes as reception is poor and affected by the windmills. I pay for my French TV licence and want to make use of it - as cheaply as I can.

Thanks in advance

Lyza

[JohnM]

If your current reception via a (terrestrial) aerial is poor then, to get terrestrial digiatl signals you will probably need a very good quality, high gain, properly tuned aerial and a very tall mast to mount it on. If you then have to add on the cost of a Digital set top box, you may find that the costs are not much different to "French" satellite system. I've seen sets in the DIY sheds that seem to be a reasonable price. Certainly Castorama have a dish and LNB for about 25€ which isn't much more than I paid for a basic aerial (I can see the transmitter a mile away on the other side of the valley).

The cost would be the fitting.... free (ish) if you can do it yourself (Not that difficult, unless you put the dish just too high to feel comfortable on the ladder.... no no no, of course I haven't, I'm perfectly safe.......)

[Lyza]

Thanks for the advice John. You are right, when we bought the house about 10 years ago, we had a huge aerial pole which was unsightly, and we removed. We put on the small satellite dish and could receive UK tv, and initially French TV with a small internal aerial. Nothing since the wind farm.  I  think the idea of  French satellite dish might be the way to go. I don't suppose any one dish would get both French and UK signals would they?

Lyza

[idun]

Is not getting a dish and a french free to air box the answer? Wouldn't that do it?

Or contact the TDF www.tdf.fr or  telephone: 0892 35 09 49

http://www.tdf.fr/69.html contact page

 

These are the people who should know.

 

[JohnM]

I've waited all day in the hope that one of the better informed guys will pop and give an answer to your question about 1 dish doing both French and British. As they haven't... I did see this in the Castorama web site http://www.castorama.fr/store/Tete-de-reception-double-Astra---Hotbird-Optex-PRDm891577.html?isSearchResult=true&navAction=jump I assume this means that with careful adjustment you can use it for both.... but there is a lot of assumption in my answer !

[Lyza]

Well it sounds very impressive - even if it doesn't! Thanks again John

[Anton Redman]

The Castorama LNB has a 6 degree split to deal with 13 and 19 degrees.

You need a 9 degree split to cope with 19 and 28.5 degrees or 31 degreess for Fransta at 3 degrees West and 28.5 degrees East.

http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page2.htm

Solution is a pair of LNBs mounted on a bracket as shown in above catalogue or a pair or dishes.

The Asta refered to in the Castorama page in not the satellite cluster which transmits Sky / English language TV

[Martin963]

Satellite is probably the way to go to circumvent your windfarm problems,   but free to air satellite  for French TV is NOT the answer.    You will get few channels,  and not get even the basic channels (TF1 etc).

If you want the same TNT channels as are available terrestrially the choice is FRANSAT or TNTsat.    Both are fairly similar but broadcast from different satellites.   Both need a (supplied) decryption card used in a specific receiver but these are NOT subscriptions,   once you've bought it it lasts "for ever",  with the proviso that there is a small (€15) charge every four or so years to replace the card.

So sadly you're looking at €100 minimum for a Fransat or TNTsat box,  another €40 ish for dish and fittings and cable,   and then the fixing up costs unless you do it yourself.

The only exception is if you are content with JUST France 2/3/5/Parliament and overseas,   (which is what your licence actually funds!) in which case a free to air receiver and a dish on Atlantic Bird 3 (the same satellite as Fransat) would get you those few channels,    in which case your box costs come down to nearer €60.

Getting an aerial put up that solves the windfarm is likely to be just as expensive,  as has been mentioned,  and may still not work properly the whole time.

I doubt TDF would tell you anything other than to consult an "antenniste" - they're not really a "public facing" company.

Do you have any near neighbours?   How do they get TV?

  

[JohnM]

How come there are 2 different suppliers, is it like the situation in the UK 20 years ago and, will the equivalent of the firm with the squarial be bought by the other in the near future? (So glad I didn't get the squarial, I was tempted). Which do you think is future proofed best?

[pachapapa]

[quote user="JohnM"]How come there are 2 different suppliers, is it like the situation in the UK 20 years ago and, will the equivalent of the firm with the squarial be bought by the other in the near future? (So glad I didn't get the squarial, I was tempted). Which do you think is future proofed best?


[/quote]

Fransat.

So glad you didn't ask why![:D]

[pachapapa]

And an HD decoder may cost a tad more; a HD 3D Ready decoder perhaps even more.[;-)]

http://www.darty.com/nav/achat/hifi_video/satellite/recepteur_tnt_par_satellite/aston_simba_hd_tntsat.html

 

[JohnM]

Is that a "think" or a "hope" that Fransat is best future proofed? I.e..... is Fransat the one you've bought and are praying that you've backed the right horse?

Looking at a comparison chart on totalsat there doesn't seem to be much to choose between them. TNTsat seems to have a lot more bonus channels in other languages, but it says that Fransat will not require the card to be changed in 4 years.... not that it really bothers me, my terrestrial is a good strong signal and the box from Casino was cheap, so Ill stick with that.

[Martin963]

I can't remember the full ins and outs but the provision of a duplicate satellite service of TNT is somewhere enshrined in French law,  or at least in government policy.

For TNTsat it is of course a slight case of the Trojan Horse,   to get Canalsat decoders ("Canalready" boxes) into homes,   which of course can then be "upgraded" with a new card to become paying Canalsat subs.

Fransat I think is the one the government would be keen to keep going if push came to shove,   but with both having more and more users I doubt either is about to cave in to the other.   It would cost more to persuade people to move their dishes than it would to keep both services going,   and there's nothing in it for the operators to acquire each others' viewers as there's no income stream....

But I don't know for certain!

[Nearly Retired (I am now)]

Thanks JohnM,

(for the post a couple of pages back.....

....."It sounds as if you are in a weak signal area, so you need to ensure that the aerial is matched for the frequency that the TV signal is broadcast on. The aerial is tuned to the signal, a local French supplier would know what frequency you need, you need to find out...."

Very much taking note of your informed advice and taking a view on the later posts about satellite TV etc. I think I'll abandon the intended purchase of an aerial in UK and bite the bullet and speak with a local French TV shop and buy what they recommend.

I must be honest we usually watch UK TV on the Sky dish but do miss the odd look-in at French TV so I'll happily spend €50 or whatever on the correct aerial. We'll try first using a redundant UK Terrestrial Digital Box.

Then it's a case of climbing the scaffold tower and fitting the aerial on the old mast used by the earlier tiddly one.

Any idea about dealing with hornets?

[JohnM]

Will they die off in the next couple of weeks??

[Deepdale]

...........I must be honest we usually watch UK TV on the Sky dish but do miss the

odd look-in at French TV so I'll happily spend €50 or whatever on the

correct aerial. We'll try first using a redundant UK Terrestrial Digital

Box................

I suspect you'll find as I did this summer, that a normal wide-band UK terrestrial aerial, (circa £10-£15), and a simple Freeview box  (£25 or less) will work very well in France, enabling you to pick up TNT without any problems.

[idun]

N R said:

I must be honest we usually watch UK TV on the Sky dish but do miss the odd look-in at French TV

 

There is always TV5 Monde on 799 on your Sky. Francophile tv.  The France 2 Journal de 20H is shown at 20H30 french time. We watch it and other french progs regularly. You'll find such gems as Thalassa too, if you like that sort of thing bien sur!

[Lyza]

Thank you all for your help. Sorry for the delay but am now in France - on dial up connection - another frustration. I will investigate all possibilities suggested, and thanks once again.

Lyza