Hillsborough
Sheffield
S6 2LL
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Pondering
“A wall bracket is a wall bracket”.
As my ex-
(accompanied with the merest suggestion of sarcasm............)
Choosing An Aerial Installer (and tradesman generally.....)
We regularly get people phoning us from all over the country wanting us to undertake an aerial installation for them but, unfortunately, we only work in the vicinity of Sheffield.
The next question is can we recommend anyone, and again the answer is no, but here is some guidance in how to find an installer locally.
Don`t forget to use the information on this website to check up on the installer (and the job), but don`t go on at them too long (or make it too obvious) because that`ll just annoy them !
Do they use steel poles (or 1" alloy) and/or Contract aerials and/or painted brackets ?
That`s always a bad sign because it proves they`re using the cheapest possible materials.
On a positive note if they use Log Periodic aerials that`s a good sign.
Obviously the best way to find any tradesman is by personal recommendation but this is
not cast iron as aerial jobs can be so different. The recommended installer could have done a job for someone who lives in a strong signal area, were anyone with half a brain would
get "perfect pictures", even by indulging in some Bertie Bodging.
The Confederation of Aerial Installers is a good place to start, theoretically you`ve got some redress if the job is unsatisfactory. But to be honest, although most are fine, not all CAI members are people that I`d recommend.......
I find that Church / Parish magazines are a good source of tradesman, not least because the Vicar may well remove adverts from traders that have been the subject of complaints !
Getting someone out of the Yellow Pages (or some other printed directory) is preferable to just an advert in the paper, at least they exist as a company, and have managed to survive since it was published. On that point, an old edition directory is preferable, so remember to keep one of them ! When using the phone directories there are a few things to watch for :
1 Try and use someone with a local telephone number and preferably not just a mobile
as the latter can be ignored if they don`t want to talk to you, and they`re more expensive obviously ! Avoid Freephone numbers, apart from being "non local" my experience is that companies using them are often more expensive in the end.
On the subject of Freephone numbers many of them (though not all) go to a central agency which then gives the job out to another company for a commission. I`ve got to tell you this fabulous story I heard from one of our customers. He phoned an 0800 number and two installers turned up within 5 minutes of each other, and then started arguing as to who should do the job ! I`m sure that`s a rare occurrence, but even so, how fantastic is that !
2 It`s definitely a good idea to use someone with (local) business premises, if you can, because it`s so much easier to get hold of them, they can`t just ignore you if you have a problem. Alternatively make sure the installer put`s their address on the advert, and make sure it`s a genuine one, not just a misleading "geographical reference point". Beware of Nationwide companies who are not local to you (they often just sub contract the work out) and many use multiple company names all going to the same call centre.
3 I think it`s good practice to go for companies with medium size adverts, big enough
to convey information and suggest they`re established, but not too expensive to put in.
After all, you`re the one whose paying for it one way or another......
4 Watch for firms which use .....00000AAAAA prefixes to their company name(s) in order
to improve their alphabetical ranking. You`ll usually find these pseudonyms in some
obscure place on the advert. Trying to find them make`s for an amusing parlour game,
hours of fun, and the kids can play too !
I know the publishers should ban it, but at the end of the day they`re not bothered so long
as the advertiser pays the bill ! Personally I can`t abide anything which isn`t "up front", and this isn`t, so what does using this kind of subterfuge say about the attitude of the trader ?
5 Ironically "free surveys" are not necessarily a positive. Generally speaking people cannot survive by working for nothing ( ? ! ? ) so the temptation may well be to recommend work
which is not actually required. For example, if it`s simply a case of telling you that you can already get digital with your present aerial the installer who charges a call out should be (relatively) happy to tell you this and leave. One doing a “free call out” will obviously be
more tempted to recommend an "aerial upgrade".....
6 Try to get a few quotes over the phone but remember they can only be ball park figures. Avoid the temptation to go for the cheapest, unless you know for a fact that they`re reputable and they do a good quality job.
Always get an (itemised) invoice, and don`t pay up until you get one.
Any business failing to leave a bill is thoroughly unprofessional, and possibly dishonest.
If you get one of the “cash in hand” brigade giving you a poor service,
I`m sure that the Inland Revenue would be interested to hear their activities.
That way they might even start paying their fair share for the NHS, like the rest of us do...
Incidentally if you purchase any parts from us and subsequently decide to employ an aerial installer to fit them, any decent rigger should be impressed by the quality of the materials you have bought. If they try to tell you they are unsuitable in any way, you may have picked the wrong installer.
Lastly, you`ll always get better service from an aerial installer if you have the job done in the
summer (usually April to August/September) ! Not only will the better weather mean he`s likely to be in a better mood ( ! ) but he`s likely to have less work on as well. It`s the same for TV repairs etc, it`s always slacker in the summer. The theory is the better wether and longer nights mean people watch less TV and so are less bothered about a crap picture !
Problems When Ordering Online ?
Try checking the security settings on your computer if you find that the PayPal order page
is not behaving as it should, e.g it will only allow you to order one item. We experienced
the latter problem on both our PCs, even though we hadn`t altered anything ! Those helpful chaps at Very PC suggested we try the reset procedure outlined below, and it worked.
In fact experiments on both PCs indicated that this was definitely the problem.
Whilst on Internet Explorer click on :
Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level > Reset To Medium > Reset > Yes
> OK > Apply > OK
Alternatively try :
Tools > Internet Options > Security > Default Level > Apply > OK
Problems With “Slippage” On The Website ?
This website is optimised for display at 96 DPI screen resolution and some monitors set
to 120 DPI may suffer from “slippage” problems of the pictures / text.
To reset your screen resolution (in Windows 98 / XP) proceed as follows :
Right click on the desk top background > Properties > Settings > Advanced > DPI setting
> Normal size (96 DPI) > (Change DPI setting, restart computer > OK) > Apply
If the “General window is displayed here click Yes.
For the settings to take effect you must restart your computer.
If you want to reset your resolution back to 120 DPI repeat the above but select 120 DPI at the relevant point.
My thanks to Michael Slattery for discovering this problem.
These two models of 18” T & K brackets are ostensibly the same but the one on the left
has metal 3.2mm thick (average) whereas the one on the right is only 2.7mm.
In terms of weight the stronger item weighs 3900g against 3000g of the inferior product.
If my maths is correct that`s 30% more metal.
We sell the product on the left....... Also see Bracket tests and Flimsy X Beams
Subjects are listed on this page in the following order :
We have The Ultimate In Secure Purchasing ! ! !
The Story Of The Poles (not the Eastern European type......)
Problems When Ordering Online ?
Problems with “slippage” when viewing this site ?
Three Inch Fence Posts (and the meaning of life)
Links, selling "Digital Aerials", and how they`re connected.....
WEEE Regulations (WEEE official disclaimer)
No one has ever complained before......
It has come to my attention that some of you out there think this site has an abundance of amusing anecdotes on it. Some of you spend far too long on this site just for amusement.
I would ask, nay demand, a termination of this tremendously tiresome tittering.
May I remind you that you are with this establishment to learn.
You lot at the back there, and it`s your own time you`re wasting, will never make anything
of yourselves, and when you end up in some dead end job -
If any of the above comments apply to you I would suggest you take advantage of the following list of the more amusing jokettes and then leave this site immediately, so your classmates can concentrate on their studies in peace. Shut the door on your way out.
The Forth rail bridge of 1890 is one
of my favourite structures.
One of the reasons for this is that it was massively over engineered,
due to the tragic collapse of the
Tay bridge in 1879.
"What has this got to do with aerial sales ?"
Well I think it goes some way to explain why we only sell QUALITY stock. I love well engineered products and I can`t stand cheap rubbish, particularly when any price difference is so small compared with the cost
of the average TV.
Also see 3” Fence Posts....
Picture : Forth Bridge Visitor Centre
There`s one other thing that this business has in common with the Forth bridge.
Painting the latter is reputed to be a never ending job (this is no longer the case but why spoil a good anecdote), and as my wife pointed out, this website is never finished either.....
The Ultimate In Secure Purchasing ! ! !
In addition to our Online buying system we are more than happy to take orders over
the phone. This method is more appropriate for “non-
it`s all on paper so no sodding hacker can possibly get your details !
Think about it, you know it makes sense......
Our prices for some products are a little less than some suppliers and a little more for
some others, though this does not always take into account the differences in quality.
All our prices include VAT and small orders can sometimes pay less P&P.
What I can never understand about people is that some of us never seem to value our time as we do at, say, work. Let me give an example. I go swimming about three times per
week and those infernal coin operated lockers regularly fail and keep ones 50p. I used to
go back out to the kiosk and summon the attendant to retrieve my money until I realised
this was crazy..... If it took 10 minutes to sort out, that`s only 3 (three, THREE ) pounds
an hour ! In fact if everything went really smoothly, and it was resolved in five minutes flat, that`s still only £6 per hour. I`m in the fortunate position that I wouldn`t work for £6 per hour and my free time is definitely worth more than that to me. These days I simply chalk
"U/S" on the locker (to save others the same problem) and write off the bleedin` 50p.
All very rational, so why do some people spend an hour or more scouring the internet to save £5 ? Even then they may well not get the same quality of product, even if they do they probably won`t get the same quality of service, and even if they get that as well, is that
really worth £5 an hour ? Food for thought......
This is one of my favourite pictures on the entire site, in fact I like it so much it`s
also on the Sales / Mail Order and the Poles & Brackets page !
Nothing shows so vividly the differing qualities of materials used in this trade.
On the right is a 1” steel pole. Remember this was originally galvanised, although
as we have already seen it was only “Pre-
The alloy pole on the left is a 1” diameter 18 gauge and compared to the pole in the centre it`s smaller size and wall thickness are immediately obvious. A 6ft x 1” alloy pole weighs about 450g. The pole in the centre is a 1.25” x 16 gauge. It`s superiority is plain to see and a 6ft length of this pole has a weight of around 750g, that`s 67% more metal....
This is the only type we sell / install. In normal usage it will never fail.
We are more than willing to give advice to those actually purchasing from us.
Could those only seeking information please just find the answer somewhere on this site,
or ring an aerial installer local to them, or call the reception advice phone numbers.
Goods are marked with this symbol to show that they were produced after 13th August 2005, and should be disposed of separately from normal household waste
so that they can be recycled.
WEEE Regulations (WEEE official disclaimer)
When the WEEE (Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment) directive was first mooted
I thought it was a good idea. I had hoped that the added cost (required for compliance)
would encourage consumers to repair [i.e. genuinely recycle] products and that the
directive would motivate manufacturers to make their products more repairable.
Unfortunately the WEEE does not seem to have had either of the above effects, though
to be fair the manufacturers are now responsible for the disposal of waste.
As an aside it does make me smile that so many people collect all their waste paper to
be environmentally friendly, and then change their TV every few years ! On a similar point also see Low Energy Bulbs)
In November 2008 I was informed that the WEEE applied to every electrical product sold
that is powered by electricity (either mains or battery) and thus it applied to the amplifiers that we sell, but not the splitters because they`re not powered ! That is to say if we sell
you a product covered by the WEEE then we must, if required, accept back your old
product for recycling. I have to tell you now that there is no way that any amplifier is going
to be repaired. The best that can happen is it will be taken to the equivalent of the local dump and put in their waste electrical equipment container. Bearing in mind that the customer is quite capable of doing that, after all we`re not talking a fridge or TV here, I do not consider it environmentally sound (or practical) to actually post any product back to us, as is required by the WEEE. So if you wish to do that I`d prefer you to buy it from
elsewhere in the first place !
WEEE Regulations :
The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive is now UK law.
The legislation aims to make producers pay for the collection, treatment and recovery of waste electrical equipment. The regulations also mean that suppliers
of equipment like high street shops and internet retailers must allow consumers to return their waste equipment free of charge. If this service is required the customer must send back the old product (by second class post) and the cost of this will be refunded to them, please contact ATV before despatching the product.
The amount of WEEE we throw away is increasing by around 5% each year,
making it the fastest growing waste stream in the UK.
1 Much of the UK’s WEEE ends up in landfill, where the lead and other toxins it contains can cause soil and water contamination. This can have a harmful effect on natural habitat, wildlife and also human health.
2 Many electrical items that we throw away can be repaired or recycled.
Recycling items helps to save our natural finite resources and also reduces the environmental and health risks associated with sending electrical goods to landfill.
Distributors of new Electric and Electronic Equipment (EEE) have a part to play in reducing the amount of WEEE going into landfill sites.
ATV are obliged under these regulations to offer their customers free
take-
For example, if a customer bought a new aerial amplifier from ATV they would
accept their old aerial amplifier and prevent it going into a landfill site by disposing
of it safely. Customers must return their WEEE item to them within 28 days of purchasing their new item.
Under the WEEE Regulations, all new electrical goods should now be marked with the
crossed-
3” Fence Posts (and the meaning of life) See Tests of Aerial Poles
I know what you`re thinking, “Good Lord, what a website this is, it even tells you about
fence posts, it`ll be revealing the meaning of life next”. The answer to the latter is effort
by the way but back to fence posts. I would only ever use 3 inch fence posts for a small
fence in a sheltered area, what you should be using are the 4 inch variety. Partly because
one should always do a Quality Job (and have some pride in it.....), but also because its
usually cheaper in the long run anyway !
When my fence got blown down a few years back I did my usual trick and thought about it
far too much. The fence was the usual 6ft square panel type and the posts were the
common 3” x 3” variety. A bit of rot had set in over the years so they were probably down to
about 2.5” square at the base, which is just the point that is put under the most strain.......
Now the strength of a post is down to it`s cross sectional area, that is to say a 3” variety
would be 3 x 3 = 9 square inches. Add in half an inch of rot to the equation and we get
about 2.5 x 2.5 = approx 6 sq in. Compare that to a 4 inch fence post which is
4 x 4 = 16 sq ins, or about 12 sq ins if some rot has weakened it.
The point of all of this is that a 4” post is not just 33% stronger than a 3” one, it`s
nearly twice as strong. In fact if you add in half an inch of rot, it actually has got
twice the strength ! The price difference on the job, whether you DIY or GSI * is
not worth bothering with, and you get a fence which is TWICE as strong !
You know it makes sense, just like our 1.25” x 16 gauge aerial poles !
* Do It Yourself / Get Someone In
Incidentally, remember there are big differences in the quality of fence panels, as with everything in life you get what you pay for, Solway panels are well worth the extra cost.
Links, selling "Digital Aerials", and how they`re connected.....
Hopefully you have found this website informative and have learnt a little, or a lot, from it.
What`s more important hopefully you`ve had a bit of a laugh as well.
Whenever my wife fails to laugh at one of my cracks I tell her my readers find me amusing,
she just responds but they don`t have to live with you ! I`ve no idea what she means, could
it be I suffer from RJS (Repetitive Joke Syndrome) ?
If you think that others may also find the site of interest, you can help increase the number
of visitors to it. How ? Well most people find this site from search engines, and the higher
a site is ranked on those search engines the more people click on to it. Now the single
most important factor affecting a sites ranking is the number of links onto it, and that`s
where you can help, a lot.
We`d be grateful for any link onto this website from any other website, e.g. your own
website, or a Forum, or a Blog (not that I really know what one of those is.....) or whatever.
Any link to us is great, but the higher ranked the website from which that link comes the
better. Furthermore the "link text" also matters. Link text ? What the hell is that ? Well it`s
the text on which the link is placed. Let`s try a worked example (as they used to say at
school) and let`s use that ultimate subject of disinformation, the digital aerial.
Incidentally, as of Jan 2010, for the search term digital aerial this site, which probably
explains more about "digital aerials" than any other, is not in the top 10 pages of Google.
Above us are dozens of sites advertising the installation or sale of something which doesn`t
even exist, namely, said digital aerial. How can that be right ? ! ? Well those sites selling
digital aerials pay Search Engine Optimisation companies to get them up the rankings......
Anyway, back to today`s lesson.
Take the link in this sentence :
This website tells you that there isn`t any such thing as a digital aerial.
In this example the link text is on the word "website", but nobody puts the term "website"
into a search engine, so although it`s still a link to us, which we are grateful for, it`d be
better like this :
This website tells you there isn`t any such thing as a digital aerial.
The link text is now on the term digital aerial, so search engines are more likely to increase
our ranking for that term, so hopefully we can stop a few people having a new aerial fitted
when they don`t even need one.......
Basically any term with the word aerial in it is probably best, or the search term you tried to
find us on, and we were on page 6 of the search engines listing.
Anyway, let me tell you the best example of this, which is also relevant for an aerial website.
We use cable reel holders both on site and in the shop because they make dispensing cable much easier. A few years ago we bought two because a couple of ours were knackered.
When they got here we saw they had a bearing on the centre spindle, and I can remember us playing with them, spinning
the spindle round and thinking, “Ohh that`s posh, what a good idea, quality stuff ! “. We were like kids in a sweet shop, keen to play with our new toy. On the first job the installer pulled off the relevant amount of cable with a warm glow inside as he watched the quality reel holder smoothly rotating and dispensing the cable. When he`d pulled off the right length he went off to get his snips, but when he returned the cable reel holder was still smoothly rotating on its posh spindle and had spooled half a drum of cable all over the ground.....
The two installers looked at each other, then back at all the cable on the floor, then back at each other, and said, in unison, “What an absolutely S**T idea that is..........”
It`s actually an even worse idea because not only does the bearing make the product a pain in the arse to use but it also makes the holder more expensive to manufacture and makes
it weaker, which we discovered when one of them snapped off.
Nobody Has Ever Complained Before......
As a general principle there`s nothing wrong with complaining, particularly if your complaint is constructive. For instance telling Virgin trains that their Pendolino trains` are unacceptably claustrophobic and the windows are far too small. Well run companies are only too pleased
when customers point out to them where they`re going wrong, or better still, how they could do it better. The complaints/suggestions aren`t always correct or justified, but often they are. I can tell you for a fact that much of our customer feedback has directly resulted in changes to the way we operate, e.g. when a customer wanted to transport his aerial in its box across to Ireland on the ferry we put a table of box sizes on our site. Quite apart from anything else I`m of the view that if one customer takes the time to complain or suggest something there`s every chance that many others feel the same way but can`t be arsed to bother, and one can`t blame them for that, most people have busy lives these days. So when a company tells you “nobody has ever complained before” they may actually be telling the truth, but that does not mean there isn`t a problem........
We`d had enough by then and welded the spindles straight onto the chassis......
I was so offended by this appalling piece of design that I took the trouble to phone the manufacturer about it.
Their response ?
Yes, you`ve got it, that immortal phrase, “No one has ever complained before (so it`s fine)”.
So let`s get this right, no one has ever complained about a product which, when you think about it, is patently useless in every possible way.
Thus proving that most people really can`t be bothered to complain, and, more importantly, just because no one has ever complained before, that definitely, definitely, does not mean that there isn`t a problem........
If you`ve found this site informative and, hopefully, interesting as well,