indoor aerials for TVs

[jasonhanger]

does anyone know whether there are any indoor TV aerials that actually work well

[Buenchico]

Sorry, but you're never going to get an indoor aerial which works well anywhere other than very close to the transmitter. I've studied aerial design and I've had plenty of practice testing out so-called 'wonder solutions' to receiving signals without an external (or loft-mounted) aerial. While the ones with integral amplifiers (about �20 from Maplin Electronics) are slightly better than the basic models, it's technically impossible to get decent results from anything small enough to sit on top of your TV.

Chris

[smorodina]

It's actually dependent on location more than anything. Even in a strong signal area, inside a room there are many objects that can cause ghost reflections that distort and reduce the reception. Also the leads on indoor aerials tend to be very short which means you can't move them far. Find out where the transmitter is - if the signal is passing through several walls and rooms or other houses you have little chance of a good picture. If all your neighbours have large roof aerials on long poles you are probably in a poor reception area and have little chance with an indoor aerial. Otherwise, if you can find a position for the aerial where the signal only has one wall to cope with, you have a better chance. I have had excellent reception from indoor aerials, but it really doesn't make much difference which type. We used to use a screwdriver as an aerial to test some installations and even with that it's possible to get a watchable picture. Best thing to do is get an extension aerial lead and experiment with the position around the room.