There are many new build sites in and around Lancaster that a requiring TV aerial installation in their lofts. The builders such as Barratts and Storey Homes will happily install the TV sockets for the home in which ever room the new home owner requires, yet they don’t install the aerial or amplifier to service these TV points. This is where we come in and get the loft aerial installed and working for you. When we arrive we will have all of the correct equipment on our vans so that we will be able to complete the job within the time of our visit. We will not need to nip out to pick up some piece of equipment that we may need. Having installed plenty of digital aerials in the new builds in and around Lancaster, we know exactly what is required to carry out a successful aerial installation in Lancaster

​With the aerial in the loft situation, usually the builders will have coiled up the coax cable connecting to all of the TV sockets around the house, and left the cable coiled near the loft hatch, making the ability to finish the job that bit quicker. Once in the loft we use a log periodic digital aerial and by connecting this to a spectrum analyser direct the aerial into the best position to pick up the strongest signal. We then fit an aerial spike to the most suitable rafter and set about attaching the aerial head to it. After this we run a length of coax cable to where the embedded coax cable is. Now, depending on how many TV points there are in the house will determine whether or not we use a passive splitter or an amplified one. If there are 4 or more TV sockets in the house, then we would generally use some sort of amplified splitter such as a set-back amp or a masthead amplifier. 

With the Storey homes, they go to that little bit more effort in the construction of the homes and will equip the loft with a light and also a power socket. This is usually located near the loft hatch and is there for the amp to plug into. If there is no power socket and the home has 4 or more points, then we would use a masthead amp. This kind of amp is split into 2 parts, the splitter device, and the power unit. The power to the amp is sent to the splitter part via the coax cable going from the TV point to the loft. It doesn’t matter which one is used just so long as it is used. As with the pictures shown of one of the aerial installation jobs we did in Lancaster, it shows a set-back amp having been installed and it is plugged into a power socket in the loft. With this aerial installation we were able to provide a quality Freeview signal for all 7 aerial sockets in the home.

With the rise of new properties being bought up by both first time buyers and those with ever expanding families, there is a rise in people requiring their digital tv aerial being installed in the loft space. One reason for this is that on some new estates the ruling is for no external TV Aerials fitted to the outside of the property. This is because the builders want to preserve the aesthetics of the new estate. Another reason for this is that with new builds, the TV points are already fitted and have their cable running within the walls and finishing in the loft space. The cables are usually coiled up together waiting to be connected to an Aerial. http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?title=Installing_a_TV_aerial

When it comes to fitting a digital TV aerial in a loft, there are a couple of things that need to be considered. Firstly, the Aerial fitter would need to ascertain how many TV points are going to be coming off the aerial. Also, the engineer would need to find out if there are going to be any obvious obstructions to receiving a quality signal. There is already the loft and roof itself that can reduce the signal strength received in the loft by up to 50%, and in some lofts with certain types of insulation on the walls and roof space there is no way of receiving a TV signal at all. 

The only way of really finding out is to rig up an Aerial to a spectrum analyzer and trying to pick up the best signal whilst in the loft. Depending on the signal strength and also quality the aerial & satellite engineer can decide not only if an aerial can be fitted in the loft, but also  if there needs to be an amplifier installed to boost the signal. If an amplifier is needed, then the type of amp or booster sometimes depends on whether there is a power point in the loft. If not then the use of a masthead amplifier is the best option. 

The benefits of a TV Aerial Installation in the loft is that usually all the cabling and the digital aerial itself is kept dry and away from the ravages of the UK weather. This drastically reduces the chances of corrosion and improves the lifetime of the whole aerial system. Once a quality digital TV aerial is installed by a TV Aerial Installer and everything is tested and running well, then the system should not need to be looked at again for going on 10 to 20 years.