Can somebody recomend a good DAB indoor ariel? My flat seems to have poor reception for everything (Mobile Phone, 3G, Freeview). I'm currently using 3 meters of Coax cable with a cheap TV ariel at the end of it, i know this isn't ideal, but it's better than the pink wire one that came with my Marantaz MCR603. However, I still get a lot of breakups and gurgling noises, so I hope there is a better solution.
DAB Indoor Ariel
- Thread starter paddyb
- Start date
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_(The_Little_Mermaid)
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ariel?q=ariel
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Sorry, for my completely unhelpful reply. I just got such a strong mental picture of an indoor Ariel that I couldn't resist. Maybe someone else will be able to give you an answer on suitable aerial/antenna solutions.
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ariel?q=ariel
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Sorry, for my completely unhelpful reply. I just got such a strong mental picture of an indoor Ariel that I couldn't resist. Maybe someone else will be able to give you an answer on suitable aerial/antenna solutions.
I have one of these.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001GXQUHM/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Seems to do the trick, signal strength greatly improved and no more drop outs.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001GXQUHM/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Seems to do the trick, signal strength greatly improved and no more drop outs.
Whoops! Slightly dyslexic, but at least that explains why nothing much came up when I searched the forums for this, thought thsat was odd!
Thanks will have a look at that.
Before I do though, Ive read that a TV aerial (correct spelling I hope!) should work, but having tried pluging it into my external aerial socket, its very poor, I get better results with just the bare coax if positioned correctly. I do however have a satellite connections and a dish outside left by the previous tennents. I haven't got the correct connectors yet, is this worth exploring?
Before I do though, Ive read that a TV aerial (correct spelling I hope!) should work, but having tried pluging it into my external aerial socket, its very poor, I get better results with just the bare coax if positioned correctly. I do however have a satellite connections and a dish outside left by the previous tennents. I haven't got the correct connectors yet, is this worth exploring?
TrevC
Well-known member
Strip back the coax to 86cm and separate the screen and inner. Position the inner conductor vertically upwards, and the screen downwards. That's your aerial.
A TV aerial will only work if it's VHF band III, a UHF one will be hopeless.
A TV aerial will only work if it's VHF band III, a UHF one will be hopeless.
Thanks. Just tried makin g a DIY one as you suggested and managed to cut right through thwe coax. As well as being dyslexic I'm not very good with tools either!
Looks like my TV aerial is UHF, signal is very poor. Any thoughts on trying to connect it to the Satellite dish (will need to order cables or adaptors)?
Looks like my TV aerial is UHF, signal is very poor. Any thoughts on trying to connect it to the Satellite dish (will need to order cables or adaptors)?
TrevC
Well-known member
expat_mike
Well-known member
Just google "diy dab aerial" and you will find several sites with plans, such as:
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/printthread.php?t=105373
http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/printthread.php?t=105373
chebby
Well-known member
paddyb said:
You have an M-CR603.
So run some ethernet between it and your router and use either (a) the built-in internet radio or (b) TuneIn Radio Pro/BBC iPlayer Radio etc. via AirPlay.
There is also FM (that might work better than DAB in your location).
I suggest you try and get an external aerial mast fitted by a good installation company. (If your landlord/local authority/housing co-op - or whatever - agree). This will improve your FM, DAB, TV by an order of magnitude.
Tnanks everyone. I've ordred one of the Philex ones from Amazon, saves messing around with coat hangers etc and looks better to.
Chebby, my 603 is already connected via Ethernet. I've tried internet radio, but think the sound quality is better on DAB (though that could just be me). I mostly listen to Radio 6, so FM is not that much use to me, though I do realise this is the best option where available.
Chebby, my 603 is already connected via Ethernet. I've tried internet radio, but think the sound quality is better on DAB (though that could just be me). I mostly listen to Radio 6, so FM is not that much use to me, though I do realise this is the best option where available.
TrevC
Well-known member
Ok, the Philex aerial has arrived and I've been using it for a couple of days. A great improvement most of the time, but it seems that every few hours the signal rapidly breaks down, nothing for a few seconds, then just as rapidly starts up again. This was happening with what I was using before, but I also got a lot of general intererance as well, so at least that has gone. Any ideas whats causing these occasional break downs?
The only time I have a problem is when my coffee machine is running, which thankfully is quite a short time. Maybe you have something in the house that turns on and off infrequently like a fridge that is chucking out a lot of electrical noise?paddyb said:
hammill said:
Intersting, i'll see if I can pinpoint anything next time this happens. I know the remote of my Topfield PVR interfears with the 603, but apart from that I can't think of anything off the top of my head.
Just resurrecting this thread as I'm still having this problem, even though I've moved house. Its 100% glitch free using either the Philex Aerial or an external one, but every so often it completely breaks down in a squall of distorted, is quiet for a few seconds, then builds up again in the opposite way to which it broke down.
I haven't been able to pinpoint any extraneous circumstances, it seems completely random. Now that I've moved house (albeit still in the same town), I'm wondering if its a fault with the receiver?
I would like to get some clarity on this as it I really don't think this should be happening and I fear that this amount of noise and distortion is not good for my speakers or receiver.
I haven't been able to pinpoint any extraneous circumstances, it seems completely random. Now that I've moved house (albeit still in the same town), I'm wondering if its a fault with the receiver?
I would like to get some clarity on this as it I really don't think this should be happening and I fear that this amount of noise and distortion is not good for my speakers or receiver.
paddyb said:
Anyone got any feedback on this? I've switched over to internet radio for the time being as I'm worried about it damaging my system, but I'm keen to find out if this is caused by a faulty unit or some other reason? Anybody heard of a problem like this before? According to various websites, I live in a good reception area for most stations.
chebby
Well-known member
Indoor DAB reception is a very fickle thing. Even in a supposedly 'good' reception area the radio might be better in certain rooms (even in different parts of the same room sometimes) and it can still vary depending on thickness of walls, materials the walls are made of, and on which storey of the house you use the radio.
The safest bet is always a decent external roof aerial.
The safest bet is always a decent external roof aerial.
Its already connected to an external aerial of some kind. It's a socket next to the labelled DAB along with satellite (which I don't use, but the dish is still up) and a standard TV aerial (which works fine) I didn't install it myself, it was there when I moved in.
I'm on the top floor of a 3 story block, looking out over fields. If there were constant blips and breakups I would put it down to reception, but its flawless 99% of the time and then it will suddenly break up completely. I also had the same result with an indoor aerial in various positions, including by a window.
I'm on the top floor of a 3 story block, looking out over fields. If there were constant blips and breakups I would put it down to reception, but its flawless 99% of the time and then it will suddenly break up completely. I also had the same result with an indoor aerial in various positions, including by a window.
chebby
Well-known member
What can I say? DAB is ####.
Your "flawless 99 percent of the time" beats the heck out of what Ofcom and the BBC define as 'good' by DAB standards. In fact it would pobably qualify as 'freakin amazing' if they had such a category.
Your "flawless 99 percent of the time" beats the heck out of what Ofcom and the BBC define as 'good' by DAB standards. In fact it would pobably qualify as 'freakin amazing' if they had such a category.
Well I’ve been very impressed since switching to internet radio. When I last compared it to DAB on Radio 6, I thought DAB was better, but now I think internet has the edge. The only problem is that my broadband speed isn’t very good and i’ve already noticed a few minor dropouts. When I started uploading a large file to dropbox, it was hopeless. So that’s not a perfect solution.
I would have thought that if what I was experiencing with my DAB was a common occurrence, there would be a lot more about it in forums and there would be some sort of commonly used term for it. Is it possible that the Marantz could be faulty? Do other receivers show this kind of behaviour? Or are there any external/environmental factors that could be interfering with it (I’m near a hospital)?
I would have thought that if what I was experiencing with my DAB was a common occurrence, there would be a lot more about it in forums and there would be some sort of commonly used term for it. Is it possible that the Marantz could be faulty? Do other receivers show this kind of behaviour? Or are there any external/environmental factors that could be interfering with it (I’m near a hospital)?
daveh75
Well-known member
paddyb said:
If you're on ADSL then your upstream is going to be 1.2Mbps at best and some ISPs cap it at 448Kbps by default, (though will usually uncap it by request) so easy to saturate if you're uploading large files, and saturating your upstream will cause speed/stability issues on your downstream.
So for reliability,, i would suggest not uploading large files while trying to stream, or if you must, then firstly I would check and see if your upstream is capped, and request its uncapped if it is, and get a router that allows you to either prioritise ACKs (Acknowledgments) or do some form of QoS on the upstream
daveh75 said:
Thanks, that might explain it. I'm with Plusnet and a quick google does indeed indicate that upload speeds are likely to be capped, but a request or firmware update on my modem should resolve this. I had noticed that uploads had slowed down a lot since moving, but hadn't realised it would also affect download speeds. I had awalys thought that upload caps were there so that there was more bandwidth for downloading. I'll do some speed tests and investigate further when I'm a home later.
Done some spped tests and it is definitely capped at 448kbps. Have requested it to be removed. Looks like Plusnets "Unlimted" contract is about as accurate as the BBC's definition of "good" DAB service!
daveh75
Well-known member
Well to be fair 'unlimited' applies to usage not speed (even though obviously everybodys usage is limited by line speed) and ofcom are fine with the usage of 'unlimited' provided there is no rate limiting/throttling.
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