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Where to buy/try an indoor aerial locally?

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We're thinking of getting an indoor aerial and freeview PVR to replace cable, but I've read that it's a good idea to test the indoor aerial (with the TV) to make sure it works in your living room.  Does anyone know of a place in Sheffield that sells these and lets you try them out and return them if you don't get good reception?

 

Thanks.

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Argos etc? You can usually get a full refund.

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Asda ,b&m home bargains all sell them 

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Argos. And they're good on returns because I've tried and returned them in the past because they've been rubbish.

Edited by alchresearch

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1 hour ago, adamf said:

We're thinking of getting an indoor aerial and freeview PVR to replace cable, but I've read that it's a good idea to test the indoor aerial (with the TV) to make sure it works in your living room.  Does anyone know of a place in Sheffield that sells these and lets you try them out and return them if you don't get good reception?

When checking out any ariel, even if you get a good picture and sound, go into settings on your Freeview box and find the section that deals with signal strength and picture quality. Have a look at the %ages shown there, particularly on the ITV channels (ITV1 and Channel Four) as they tend to be weak in our area.

 

Unlike analogue TV which degrades as the signal strength degrades, a digital picture will be fine even with quite low signal strength (20% or less) but will then pixelate massively, freeze or disappear altogether if the signal strength drops just a couple of % below that.

 

Also get your pointing right. Sheffield is served by either Emley Moor to the north or Crosspool to the west.

 

Use this tool to find transmitters in your area and which compass direction to point the ariel.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/receptionsearch

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54 minutes ago, alchresearch said:

Argos. And they're good on returns because I've tried and returned them in the past because they've been rubbish.

Thanks for the tip.

 

I see that Argos sells just the "One for All" brand, some of which are in the Which "don't buys" list.  But some of them are in the "best buys" list too.

22 minutes ago, Top Cats Hat said:

When checking out any ariel, even if you get a good picture and sound, go into settings on your Freeview box and find the section that deals with signal strength and picture quality. Have a look at the %ages shown there, particularly on the ITV channels (ITV1 and Channel Four) as they tend to be weak in our area.

 

Unlike analogue TV which degrades as the signal strength degrades, a digital picture will be fine even with quite low signal strength (20% or less) but will then pixelate massively, freeze or disappear altogether if the signal strength drops just a couple of % below that.

 

Also get your pointing right. Sheffield is served by either Emley Moor to the north or Crosspool to the west.

 

Use this tool to find transmitters in your area and which compass direction to point the ariel.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/receptionsearch

Thanks for the tips.

Edited by adamf

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6 minutes ago, adamf said:

I see that Argos sells just the "One for All" brand, some of which are in the Which "don't buys" list.  But some of them are in the "best buys" list too.

The problem with customer ariel reviews is that if you live in a good reception area you will say "This ariel is great" and give it *****" If you live in a poor reception area you will say "This ariel is rubbish" and give the same ariel *.

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If you want to shop with a local business and get (probably) better advice then try the electrical guy on the wicker next to the grocers. 

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Dont mess about with indoor ariels they are rubbish. Get a proper outdoor ariel  fitted plenty of 

fitters on here and they dont cost much. Give over bodging not worth it . 

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Do you have a loft?  A regular aerial mounted inside the loft could be an alternative if you don't fancy paying for a new outside aerial to be fitted.

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1 hour ago, alchresearch said:

Do you have a loft?  A regular aerial mounted inside the loft could be an alternative if you don't fancy paying for a new outside aerial to be fitted.

I  live in a bungalow and have three aerials fitted inside the loft (there are four rooms with seperate TV points fitted)...all done by myself.....all bought off e-bay.....the reception i receive is excellent..never had a problem ..i am in S26

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3 hours ago, alchresearch said:

Do you have a loft?  A regular aerial mounted inside the loft could be an alternative if you don't fancy paying for a new outside aerial to be fitted.

Interesting -- I'll look into that too.

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