DIGITAL TV ANTENNA: single OR double POLARIZATIONS?

[TheThunderbird]

Gents,

I find those little mushrooms and plates, providing for omnidirectional, single polarization, quite unsatisfactory.

Has anyone tried the vertical/horizontal polarization domes, for digital broadcasting?

I don't mean SAT TV.domes (> 3,000$)

[Pete7]

You may have noticed that many of these have a booster which requires 12v supply. So that's good isn't it that the manufacturer boosts the signal? well not really, it needs a booster because the antenna is rubbish to start with and the 12v supply to the booster just another thing you can do without on a yacht.

Instead why not use a yagi aerial, which is directional, doesn't need a booster and therefore doesn't need 12v etc. It is flexible enough to generally work at anchor but a shift in tides might cause a problem and need redirecting.

Ours looks like this and cost £5 from e bay. Its mounted on the spinnaker track on the mast just above head height. It gives a really good picture without the need for boosters etc.

One other point, the UK switched to digital signals about 4 years ago. Once the aerial needed to be horizontal, now they need to be vertical which most folk don't realise so go and buy a booster rather than just turn the aerial on its side for the best reception.

Pete

[Dockhead]

I use the Glomex amplified one, the one which looks like a flying saucer. It was installed as part of the original build of my boat.

I don't watch TV much, but sometimes like to hear a human voice when I spend an extended period on board alone.

The Glomex system works great with digital TV and radio everywhere in Northern Europe (at least). I like especially the digital radio -- you can get BBC and NPR even in places like Finland, with very high quality. BBC World Service TV in full HD.

Great for keeping up information overload even on the boat


It receives both horizontally and vertically polarized signals. As Pete said, you need vertical polarization, at least in the UK, for terrestrial digital.