Many people use satellite services to provide their TV programmes, but in the UK we have a very good terrestrial TV service - Freeview. There are some areas where the signal level is low but thankfully in our area the signal is very good.
The nearest TV Transmitter to Rayne Gardens is the Sudbury Mast, located between Sudbury, Suffolk and Bures, Suffolk, quite close to Braintree, Essex.
The two transmitter masts are located off Upper Road, picture below. (From Google Maps)
These provide powerful signals to the surrounding area.
The Freeview channels from the transmitter are listed below.
To get the best reception any loft aerial should be pointed at the transmitter, the direction from the Rayne Gardens Development is shown below.
Because of the proximity to the transmitter and the relatively unobstructed path a medium gain aerial is all that is required for those on the elevated parts of the development, but those on the lower lying parts may need a higher gain aerial.
A Philex 14 Element TV Aerial is shown below. (Medium Gain)
However this will only provide sufficient signal for one TV and if multiple TVs are to be fed from this aerial then an aerial amplifier is needed.
If there is no mains power in the loft, as is often the case, the amplifier can be power fed from one of the rooms with a TV.
An amplifier of this type is the “Wolsey WFAV 425 LTE 4 Way Variable Gain Masthead Amplifier with Power Supply Kit”. (Amazon)
However is power is available in the loft then a simple amplifier can be used.
On the Rayne Gardens Development TV cables are provided to many rooms, with the main area having multiple outlets to allow for both satellite receiver and Freeview aerial connection.
This arrangement will often mean that around six cables arrive in the loft area, typically.
3 for the main plate in lounge (Two for the satellite TV, one for Freeview)
1 for a second ground floor area
1 for the main bedroom
1 for a secondary room
All cables in the loft are of “Coaxial” construction, and fitting these with a connector is easy once a simple procedure is followed. A YouTube video explaining the procedure can be found at this location.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s21ZwTA3FIk
It is recommended that F-Connectors are used as these are easily fitted to the coaxial cable and adaptor can be used to adapt these to the common TV RF Connector where required. (F-Connector to TV RF Connector, adaptor – B&Q or similar)
If only one TV is to be fed the aerial can be connected directly to the coaxial cable feeding the room plate, but it is best to included connectors between the loft cable and a short length of coaxial cable fitted to the aerial as these allow testing and the future use of an amplifier if required. (An F-Connector to F-Connector adaptor will be needed – B&Q or similar)
Please note that the cables in the loft area should not be cut back, as a small additional length can be coiled and this will have negligible effect on the signal strength.
The TV aerial will generally be supplied with a simple diagram explaining how to terminate the coaxial cable, this generally with a “saddle and screw” arrangement.
Note: Locating the correct cable, in the loft, can be achieved through “trial and error” but ideally a meter should be used on the “ohms” scale and a short circuit applied at the room socket TV connection. (The cable showing a very low ohms reading will be the cable coming from the TV socket).
Finally,
To those who have never installed an aerial this can look difficult but once the connections have been mastered it is very straight forward and anyone can do it.
Also many newer style TVs actually have a signal strength measurement within their menu system so the signal can easily be checked.
If your TV has never been connected to the Sudbury transmitter (most transmitters have their channels on different frequencies) then you should run through the TV's automatic digital aerial setup procedure with the aerial connected and directed towards Sudbury. The TV will automatically find and store all the channels it can detect, something which takes two or three minutes.