Right. For the first time in my life I've just bought a TV. It is a digital one, and I think it has an integral freeview box thingy.

I don't have a TV aerial socket in my flat, so presumably I need some sort of aerial that will clutter the place up. What sort roughly, please?

Any advice you can give will reduce my frustration when I walk into Currys.

Thanks 🙂

You are best getting a local bloke out the yellow pages to come and fit one for you. Not sure of cost depends on your property etc.
Currys wont be interested and you will need a proper aerial as oppose to any indoor thingy you would get from Currys.

Indoor aerials are apparently rubbish for freeview unless you have a really strong signal to begin with. If you don't want to get something installed, you'll need somethign with an amplifier built in I suppose, perhaps something you can stick on a window outside perhaps? Or somethign directional?

Lots of options – Maplin is a good place for this but they may not be able to give you great advice.. but they might 🙂

Rented flat, I don't think I can mess about fitting an aerial. Will an indoor one definitely be hopeless? London, the wretched signal ought to be OK…

(buying the TV may have been a horrible error…)

(buying the TV may have been a horrible error…)

Take it back, there's still time. There's nothing on anyway…

Rented flat, I don't think I can mess about fitting an aerial. Will an indoor one definitely be hopeless? London, the wretched signal ought to be OK…

I have never seen a decent signal from anything but an external aerial.
If it doesnt have one it is probably the last dwelling that doesnt! I cant see the landlord objecting because I am sure it will only add value not detract.

I want to see the election! After that I suppose it won't be much use though… 🙂

Do you have broadband?

Not necessarily – I've had one work before but didn't quite get all the stations – and that was with the crappy un-amplified stick thing that came with a USB dongle. Depends where you live.

Strong signal area?
Are you high up?
Line of sight to a transmitter from a window?

If you were willing to pay for an aerial to be fitted, a landlord might look kindly on it since it'd add to the value and rentability of a place. We had Sky installed once on that basis.

Failing that, just hook a computer up to the telly and watch everything online (a whole nother thread for that though.. I've done some research..)

Hmm. Thanks surfer. That's sounding like a PITA. 🙄 🙂

EDIT: I'm getting broadband, supposedly 7mb.

PITA

?

I want to see the election!

I refer the gentleman to my earlier post

What have you gone and done that for? 😯

I wanna live like the Common People,
I wanna do whatever Common People do…

I've had a TV for years, but I was given it by a Swiss gentleman. And in the process of getting unmarried I rather left it in situ. 🙂

Smart move. Have you a loft space? you could get a big one up there (insert your own joke here) Talk to the landlord though, but I bet he won't be too bothered about an aerial.

Isn't Ton the man to talk to about this?

Use this:

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/postcodechecker/

and see if you have strong signal. You may well be able to use an indoor aerial.. like I say, I've managed before.

Its really is more of a black art than a science
The postcode checker above won't help much in the cities

If you're in the middle of a lot of tall buildings, the signals will be bouncing around all over the place & coming in from different angles & at slightly different times.
Most decent aerials [even some indoor ones] have decent rejection of unwanted signals, the trick is to align it on a good feed & digital makes this a right ball ache at times.
Given the cost & inconvenience of have a proper antenna installed & your requirement for a short term solution, an indoor aerial seems to be the way to go [although it may not work]

Have a look around you & see which way other aerials are pointing & start there
Tune the TV & see what you get – If you get nothing, turn it 45 degrees & tune again
Half this again if you need to so the the aerial is between the two points you've already tried
If all that fails, try it 45 degrees in the opposite direction from where you started etc. etc.

You must re-tune after each move

Have fun 🙂

If you have a SE facing window, one of these is easier to align

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_13988.htm

http://tx.mb21.co.uk/

I know the above link may go into way to much detail but could be worth a try.

Working on the Digital Swap myself and not due in London until next year!

By way of update, I have an indoor aerial with an amplifier, which is producing more channels than I care about, mostly with a sharp picture. It doesn't exactly enhance my otherwise elegant and uncluttered living quarters, but it does allow me to watch moving pictures.

Many thanks for all the advice. 🙂