FM aerials and riggers
 

I got in touch with the only local rigger I could find, and they quoted
me £110 including installation plus £45 labour. I guess the latter means
per hour for anything beyond putting it on the roof (i.e. cabling).
Turns out it is a 40cm circular thing. Sounds to me horribly expensive
for something so mundane.

Precisely what aerial should I be getting? And can anyone recommend a
rigger in Oxfordshire? (I am 15 miles NW.)
--
Nic

FM aerials and riggers
 

In article , Nicolas Hodges
writes
I got in touch with the only local rigger I could find, and they quoted
me £110 including installation plus £45 labour. I guess the latter means
per hour for anything beyond putting it on the roof (i.e. cabling).
Turns out it is a 40cm circular thing. Sounds to me horribly expensive
for something so mundane.

Precisely what aerial should I be getting? And can anyone recommend a
rigger in Oxfordshire? (I am 15 miles NW.)

That for an FM halo is an out and out total rip off. That type of aerial
is a heap of cack. To charge that money for just supply and install for
£155 is unbelievable!. Even if they were putting up a TV system as well
and a very good one at that, it would still be in the expensive side.

Avoid!!!

Sorry I don't know of a rigger in that area but you could e-mail bill
Wright at www.wrightsaerials.co.uk and if HE doesn't know then no one
will!. He's based in Yorkshire but travels almost all over the country,
I suggest you mail him for advice.

If you can't or don't want to put one up outside yourself you'd be
better off spending your loot on a Triax or Antiference available from
www.cpc.co.uk look up under radio aerials this link might work!..


http://custom1.farnell.com/cpc/produ...CPC+Catalogue&
category%5Fname=Audio+Video+%2D+Aerials+%2D+FM+Rad io+Aerials&product%5Fi
d=253186&MSCSProfile=95385A1F52DEA1A229D5B37542054 46456D54717AFA85404D7E
54605933B24FC6DD869B1294A0932029038AFF4F64E0C6B025 AE9B8C7950AC5F7287B02D
0915CDD4F0C160716BC7776439B63709CF167DD11ABA57B380 14A24F82DFE1B3FE8FFADC
2DD87BDDFB2821C70C67FB551768A5C20292282B67F63F2735 5E2E5F2112EEA0ED3E12EC
BF953

and putting it in the loft. Use a good cable CT100 the satellite stuff
and run it by a direct route don't use the aerials or cables supplied by
the DIY sheds, there not of good quality.

Aim your aerial at Beckley (Oxford) the BBC TX for that area..

http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/oxford/oxford-03.asp
--
Tony Sayer

FM aerials and riggers
 

mine aerial was 11.95 like that
"Nicolas Hodges" wrote in message
...
I got in touch with the only local rigger I could find, and they quoted
me £110 including installation plus £45 labour. I guess the latter means
per hour for anything beyond putting it on the roof (i.e. cabling).
Turns out it is a 40cm circular thing. Sounds to me horribly expensive
for something so mundane.

Precisely what aerial should I be getting? And can anyone recommend a
rigger in Oxfordshire? (I am 15 miles NW.)
--
Nic


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FM aerials and riggers
 

Seroxat Mad wrote:

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FM aerials and riggers
 

Seven years ago I paid £40 to install an aerial; I supplied the aerial,
fixing kit and co-ax cable. He had the ladders. So perhaps the quoted
price is not too bad.

Last August, Hi-world did a piece on aerials, a copy may be available from
their subscriptions department. They suggested a Antiferance 3 element VHF
aerial and an All-rounder dipole ( the round element) it all depends on
transmitters.

In this piece, they listed: www.cai.co.uk - trade body for installing
aerials , www.maplin.co.uk and www.maxview.co.uk (links not tested).

There is a company in Brize Norton village called A's who I think do aerial
installation. Also phone Audio T 19 Old High Street, Headington,01865
765961: they should be able to supply a name.

I live in Oxford, off the Iffley road, and am quite happy with my £14-15 (7
years old) 3 element VHF aerial . It picks Virgin FM no sweat.

Hope this helps.

Paul


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FM aerials and riggers
 

In article , Paul Hopkins
writes
Seven years ago I paid £40 to install an aerial; I supplied the aerial,
fixing kit and co-ax cable. He had the ladders. So perhaps the quoted
price is not too bad.

No sorry, that price quoted to the OP is outrageous for one of those
Halo things unless there was other work involved which was not
mentioned...

Last August, Hi-world did a piece on aerials, a copy may be available from
their subscriptions department. They suggested a Antiferance 3 element VHF
aerial and an All-rounder dipole ( the round element) it all depends on
transmitters.

Yes it does, but that All rounder or Halo thing has a negative gain
figure its not much better than a bit of wire in the back of your tuner.
I wouldn't expect a hi-fi mag to know didley squat about aerials
either...or some of the writers or "insultants" they employ...

In this piece, they listed: www.cai.co.uk - trade body for installing
aerials

Almost as bad as some of their members...

, www.maplin.co.uk and www.maxview.co.uk (links not tested).

Wouldn't give a Maxview aerial house room:(

Stick with Antiference or Triax, at least they make some effort to match
the balanced di-pole to the unbalanced feeder cable and four elements or
greater!....

--
Tony Sayer

FM aerials and riggers
 

Paul Hopkins writes
Seven years ago I paid £40 to install an aerial; I supplied the aerial,
fixing kit and co-ax cable. He had the ladders. So perhaps the quoted
price is not too bad.

I've since seen the same thing listed including aerial and full
installation for £65...

Last August, Hi-world did a piece on aerials, a copy may be available from
their subscriptions department. They suggested a Antiferance 3 element VHF
aerial and an All-rounder dipole ( the round element) it all depends on
transmitters.

In this piece, they listed: www.cai.co.uk - trade body for installing
aerials , www.maplin.co.uk and www.maxview.co.uk (links not tested).

www.cai.org.uk

They led me to Banbury Aerials:

http://www.banburyaerials.co.uk/

Yell also offered these people (also CAI accredited):

http://www.pro-tecaerials.co.uk/

I don't know if CAI accreditation means anything, but I feel a bit more
confident going to them than picking someone at random from the
phonebook.

Thanks for the tips.
--
Nic

FM aerials and riggers
 

On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 08:56:09 +0100, Nicolas Hodges
wrote:

Paul Hopkins writes
Seven years ago I paid £40 to install an aerial; I supplied the aerial,
fixing kit and co-ax cable. He had the ladders. So perhaps the quoted
price is not too bad.

I've since seen the same thing listed including aerial and full
installation for £65...

Last August, Hi-world did a piece on aerials, a copy may be available from
their subscriptions department. They suggested a Antiferance 3 element VHF
aerial and an All-rounder dipole ( the round element) it all depends on
transmitters.

In this piece, they listed: www.cai.co.uk - trade body for installing
aerials , www.maplin.co.uk and www.maxview.co.uk (links not tested).

www.cai.org.uk

They led me to Banbury Aerials:

http://www.banburyaerials.co.uk/


I looked at their web site, and the first picture on the gallery page
looks like a mechanically unsound installation. I may be maligning
them, but I would have thought that simple leverage would have that
antenna ripped off the building in the first high wind.

Any real installer here care to comment?

d

Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

FM aerials and riggers
 

In article ,
Paul Hopkins wrote:
Last August, Hi-world did a piece on aerials, a copy may be available
from their subscriptions department. They suggested a Antiferance 3
element VHF aerial and an All-rounder dipole ( the round element) it all
depends on transmitters.

Those round things may have made sense if you needed an omni in the days
when VHF transmissions were only horizontally polarized, but these days
all are vertical or mixed for mobile reception, so a vertical dipole is
better.

--
*The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

FM aerials and riggers
 

In article , Don Pearce
writes
On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 08:56:09 +0100, Nicolas Hodges
wrote:

Paul Hopkins writes
Seven years ago I paid £40 to install an aerial; I supplied the aerial,
fixing kit and co-ax cable. He had the ladders. So perhaps the quoted
price is not too bad.

I've since seen the same thing listed including aerial and full
installation for £65...

Last August, Hi-world did a piece on aerials, a copy may be available from
their subscriptions department. They suggested a Antiferance 3 element VHF
aerial and an All-rounder dipole ( the round element) it all depends on
transmitters.

In this piece, they listed: www.cai.co.uk - trade body for installing
aerials , www.maplin.co.uk and www.maxview.co.uk (links not tested).

www.cai.org.uk

They led me to Banbury Aerials:

http://www.banburyaerials.co.uk/


I looked at their web site, and the first picture on the gallery page
looks like a mechanically unsound installation. I may be maligning
them, but I would have thought that simple leverage would have that
antenna ripped off the building in the first high wind.

Any real installer here care to comment?


That "does" look flimsy!, perhaps they just glued it in place to look
pretty!.

Neither of those seem to have heard of a multi element FM aerial. I
still reckon the OP might just as well do the job himself with a multi-
element in the Loft, try to keep it as high as possible and as far away
from pipes etc as you can and I still reckon you'll have a better end
result:-))

At least they were honest enough to say that the Halo abortion was for
strong signal areas only!.

Prices for the TV aerials look expensive ish:(..

--
Tony Sayer

FM aerials and riggers
 

tony sayer writes
Sorry I don't know of a rigger in that area but you could e-mail bill
Wright at www.wrightsaerials.co.uk and if HE doesn't know then no one
will!. He's based in Yorkshire but travels almost all over the country,
I suggest you mail him for advice.

I have done just that - thanks for the tip.
--
Nic

FM aerials and riggers
 

Don Pearce writes
On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 08:56:09 +0100, Nicolas Hodges
wrote:

Paul Hopkins writes
Seven years ago I paid £40 to install an aerial; I supplied the aerial,
fixing kit and co-ax cable. He had the ladders. So perhaps the quoted
price is not too bad.

I've since seen the same thing listed including aerial and full
installation for £65...

Last August, Hi-world did a piece on aerials, a copy may be available from
their subscriptions department. They suggested a Antiferance 3 element VHF
aerial and an All-rounder dipole ( the round element) it all depends on
transmitters.

In this piece, they listed: www.cai.co.uk - trade body for installing
aerials , www.maplin.co.uk and www.maxview.co.uk (links not tested).

www.cai.org.uk

They led me to Banbury Aerials:

http://www.banburyaerials.co.uk/


I looked at their web site, and the first picture on the gallery page
looks like a mechanically unsound installation. I may be maligning
them, but I would have thought that simple leverage would have that
antenna ripped off the building in the first high wind.

Any real installer here care to comment?

Having just been looking through Bill Wright's Rogue's Gallery - really
frightening some of it - this photo you've pointed out looks rather
familiar... So that is CAI accreditation? No thanks.

I've emailed Bill Wright to see if he has a local recommendation. Having
read through the Rogue's Gallery I can see he will point me in the right
direction if he can.
--
Nic

FM aerials and riggers
 

Hi,

In message , Don Pearce
writes

I looked at their web site, and the first picture on the gallery page
looks like a mechanically unsound installation. I may be maligning
them, but I would have thought that simple leverage would have that
antenna ripped off the building in the first high wind.

I thought the same, but looking more closely I think it's a trick of
the photo - at first glance I thought the aerial was supported by the
guttering bracket, but now I'm not so sure. I think the aerial supports
may not be visible.

Either way, it's not a great advert for an installer!


Any real installer here care to comment?

That counts me out (too scared of heights).

For some real horror stories, the 'rogues gallery' at Wright's is worth
a look. http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/roguesgalleryview.html. As Tony
pointed out, there are some proper cowboys in the trade.

--
Regards,
Glenn Booth

FM aerials and riggers
 

On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 14:21:16 +0100, Glenn Booth
wrote:

I thought the same, but looking more closely I think it's a trick of
the photo - at first glance I thought the aerial was supported by the
guttering bracket, but now I'm not so sure. I think the aerial supports
may not be visible.

Either way, it's not a great advert for an installer!

I've just had a much closer look, and yes, what appears to be the
antenna bracket is in fact just the guttering support. The antenna is
nowhere near the guttering - it is fixed to some other part of the
roof in the background. So maybe it is OK, and maybe it isn't - we
can't see.

d
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com

FM aerials and riggers
 

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
In article ,
Paul Hopkins wrote:
Last August, Hi-world did a piece on aerials, a copy may be available
from their subscriptions department. They suggested a Antiferance 3
element VHF aerial and an All-rounder dipole ( the round element) it all
depends on transmitters.

Those round things may have made sense if you needed an omni in the days
when VHF transmissions were only horizontally polarized, but these days
all are vertical or mixed for mobile reception, so a vertical dipole is
better.


I use a home-made vertical dipole in the loft with the feeder taking a
few turns around a ferrite ring to act as a balun before feeding
standard 75R co-ax, and it works very well here by the river Trent just
west of Nottingham.

I do get lots of multi-path when an aircraft on its approach into the
East Midlands Airport flies over though!

The home made dipole is based on some cut-to-length copper-plated steel
aerial rods (tapered tubes) from Anchor Surplus (or rather, Anchor
Supplies as it now is), with the central insulating and mounting section
based on glass-fibre extrusions from my local B&Q DIY depot.
--
Chris Morriss

FM aerials and riggers
 

In article , Dave Plowman (News)
wrote:
In article , Paul Hopkins
wrote:
Last August, Hi-world did a piece on aerials, a copy may be available
from their subscriptions department. They suggested a Antiferance 3
element VHF aerial and an All-rounder dipole ( the round element) it
all depends on transmitters.

Those round things may have made sense if you needed an omni in the days
when VHF transmissions were only horizontally polarized, but these days
all are vertical or mixed for mobile reception, so a vertical dipole is
better.

Maybe I am out of date. However I had thought that the VHF/FM transmissions
were 45deg slant or circular. Hence either vertical or horizontal might do
in a good area. The advantage of vertical is that it gives 'omni' in the
horizontal plane.

Slainte,

Jim

--
Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scot...o/electron.htm
Audio Misc http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/AudioMisc/index.html
Armstrong Audio http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/Audio/armstrong.html
Barbirolli Soc. http://www.st-and.demon.co.uk/JBSoc/JBSoc.html

FM aerials and riggers
 

In article , Jim Lesurf jcgl@st-
and.demon.co.uk writes
In article , Dave Plowman (News)
wrote:
In article , Paul Hopkins
wrote:
Last August, Hi-world did a piece on aerials, a copy may be available
from their subscriptions department. They suggested a Antiferance 3
element VHF aerial and an All-rounder dipole ( the round element) it
all depends on transmitters.

Those round things may have made sense if you needed an omni in the days
when VHF transmissions were only horizontally polarized, but these days
all are vertical or mixed for mobile reception, so a vertical dipole is
better.

Maybe I am out of date. However I had thought that the VHF/FM transmissions
were 45deg slant or circular. Hence either vertical or horizontal might do
in a good area. The advantage of vertical is that it gives 'omni' in the
horizontal plane.


Yes it does for reception. For quite some while now most all BBC main
systems have radiated Mixed i.e. Vertical and Horizontal components.

A few of the smaller commercial stations use vertical only, and IIRC
somewhere in the country there is a station that still is Horizontal
only!.

Mike Browns excellent Transmitter gallery site has a bit on this...

http://tx.mb21.co.uk/gallery/wrotham/mixedpol.asp


and more about various types of transmission system aerials.

http://tx.mb21.co.uk/features/recognition/vhf-fm.asp
--
Tony Sayer

Bancom Communications Ltd U.K. Tel+44 1223 566577 Fax+44 1223 566588

P.O. Box 280, Cambridge, England, CB2 2DY E-Mail

FM aerials and riggers
 

"Don Pearce"

wrote
I looked at their web site, and the first picture on the gallery page
looks like a mechanically unsound installation. I may be maligning
them, but I would have thought that simple leverage would have that
antenna ripped off the building in the first high wind.

Any real installer here care to comment?


Looks like a cowboy job. Should have fitted the bracket to the brickwork