Antenna Installation....

[PaulB_]

Hey guys, first and foremost my budget doesn't allow for DStv, and I have no plans to get any equipment for OVHD or anything, and there still decent enough stuff on SABC 2, and 3. The rest I just stream.

I am staying in Lansdowne, Cape Town. The building I am staying, in parts face the Tygerberg, however my room has a direct line of sight out of my window to the Constantiaberg.

I have recently got sick and tired of moving an antenna around, to get better reception, and I was given an old Ellies braaigrid style UHF antenna, that was screwed to the building, disconnected. I have since stuck it in my window facing the constantiaberg, and turned it to the right polarization, and suddenly all the UHF channels come in beautifully on my 32" LCD TV. However the same can't be said for the VHF channels (SABC 1, and 2), and even the scrambled M-Net picture. I know I will need a VHF antenna, as well as this UHF antenna. I know all the tygerberg channels are all in UHF, and I can see the picture on those frequences, however the picture is snowy, and not clear at all. A booster may fix it, but I know that I need to see it, and I have no plans to get on the roof, so it has to be at my window. Where can I get a VHF antenna, around the Southern Suburbs, that is affordable. Was looking at the Ellies section today, at PnP, and even China Town, in Ottery today, nothing.

anyone know where I'd be able to get a VHF antenna, to fix this?

Thanks

 

[ponder]

I know my post is not gonna help at all but what do you actually wanna watch on sabc? There's nothing on sabc or dstv for that matter that I'd bother to stress about. Just curious.

 

[PaulB_]

Soapies, SABC3's music concerts, top billing, Noot Vir Noot/Musiek Roulette, all shows like that..

 

[AdrianR]

That black set-top Ellies antenna you get, the one for indoor use, is pretty good too. You get a booster with it, which is adjustable, and with it, I've been able to pick up VHF and UHF from Constantiaberg in Gordons Bay pretty well (nice pictures). Tygerberg is quite snowy, you're right.

Other than that, you will need a good VHF antenna unfortunately, one of the blue ones or a log periodic. They are rather indispensable when you are seriously looking for good VHF pictures, and unfortunately also, work best when pole mounted outside, with no trees and buildings in the line-of-sight to the transmitter. I've seen VHF pictures are particularly sensitive to ghosting when there are trees and buildings, and ghosting is almost always present when you use the antenna indoors (because the signal is bouncing off of surfaces).