Local TV via aerial transmission - still available?

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thebears
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Re: Local TV via aerial transmission - still available?

Post by thebears »

Just to be clear, this TV requirement is not for me personally, it's for a Thai helper at the house. It doesn't matter what limited range of channels it can receive, the more mindless and least educated TV content the better, I would think!
hin
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Re: Local TV via aerial transmission - still available?

Post by hin »

That one does show Red, white and yellow AVI plugs for connection to the TV. Make sure your Tv does have the same. Like VincentD pointed out, most newer TVs have gone to HDMI and discontinued them

With coax it is important on outdoor connrctions that they are well sealed so water does not penatrate and get under the coax jacket
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Re: Local TV via aerial transmission - still available?

Post by VincentD »

Well just went to take a peek at the antenna, it's on her sister's place next door. Tiny thing about a foot and a half long and less than half as wide. Think UHF. Hin, you still have an att meter? Reminds me of the days I had a large inverted 'V' with balun in the back yard about 4 meters across.. But that was more than thirty years ago. Tried to attend one session of the Thai Amateur Radio Society, back in circa 1988, and made a note that it was only a 'privilieged few' who had access.. Never went back.
You can buy the black 3M sealing tape from most hardware places but if the connection is reasonably sheltered I've found it not necessary.
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hin
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Re: Local TV via aerial transmission - still available?

Post by hin »

Never belonged to Amateur Radio Society. Those guys seem to just want to talk about their rigs and antennas and who they jabbered with. Had my license mostly because I was cruising the world. Tall masts with 9/16” stays so they were a nice inverted “V” and perfect ground plane as it was a steel boat on salt water. Strongest signal in the fleet. Sold the boat but still have lots of stuff - in boxes under my bed - marine, VHF, HF, 2 meters, antenna tuner, etc. etc. etc. If there are any licensed hams around here it can be had cheap. My license still currant but now unused ‘WB7 RIE’.

Would be interesting to learn the outcome of this discussed dilemma. Like mentioned, TV has never interested me much but the darker antenna in his picture looks like it has UHF capability. I wud think good Tv reception = one shot expense but long term benefit, probably appreciated as much or more than a pay raise. Entertain the guy, then he will think he is happy. Works for wives and gf’s too.
thebears
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Re: Local TV via aerial transmission - still available?

Post by thebears »

Just a final report back, for the benefit of anyone else who might need to know. I went to Big Kiang, half way between Hua Hin and Cha-am and the staff member was really knowledgeable. She informed me that there are two principle types of receiver, namely (1) a receiver box only suitable for a satellite dish with screw-in receiving cable connector, (2) receiver box known as DVB-93 for a conventional aerial antenna with push-on receiving cable connector.

I purchased the DVB-93 and it works perfectly with the old aerial antenna and coax cable which were previously being used for analogue TV. Pictures are attached.

There is a long list of channels available and picture quality is exceptionally good. I found it was necessary to use the default setting of "powered antenna", because if I turned this off, it didn't work. There was no need to use the old signal booster from the previous analogue installation. It turned out to be a good decision, because I didn't need to use a dish and the device only cost Bt 600.
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hin
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Re: Local TV via aerial transmission - still available?

Post by hin »

looks good. Your news and footwork will be helpful and appreciated by other people who already have an antenna. Altho my preference would be satellite its no trouble at all to just slip that box into your existing setup and digital should receive a cleaner better signal than what you had before. The Big Kiang box looks superior to the Taiwatsadu one, more connection options, altho on zooming it can be seen they each do have HDMI in addition to (red, white and yellow plugs
thebears
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Re: Local TV via aerial transmission - still available?

Post by thebears »

hin wrote: Tue Aug 07, 2018 8:33 am looks good. Your news and footwork will be helpful and appreciated by other people who already have an antenna. Altho my preference would be satellite its no trouble at all to just slip that box into your existing setup and digital should receive a cleaner better signal than what you had before.
Yes, indeed. If it were for myself, I would perhaps have been keener to install a compact dish and dispense with the ugly aerial system on top of the building. However, I had a reason for installing this unit and for reusing the existing aerial antenna, because it is for a domestic worker and I didn't want him to get the impression that he could dictate what sort of TV system I would get -- that's what was clearly beginning to happen.

Initially I had planned to use a spare satellite dish attached to another building, which isn't in use. I didn't realise until a day or two ago, that when I had been away from home recently, the worker had taken the liberty of asking a Thai electrician to visit the house to see if a digital box in conjunction with the existing aerial antenna could be used, without clearing this with me first, but in fact the local electrician was unable to get it to work anyway. He hadn't noticed that in the past, someone had wired together the two separate coax cables from a spare satellite dish and aerial antenna into one booster box. A digital receiver would not have worked as a result of this, but Thai people always think they know best!

Incidentally, I have found a document which arrived in the post during April this year. It sets out that the analogue TV system is to be discontinued and therefore how to set up a digital replacement, using the exact system I have purchased. I had forgotten completely about this document but I have scanned and attached it herewith!
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