Television reception at the foot of the Muntanyes de Prades
Alcover sits where the plain of the Camp de Tarragona begins to climb towards the Muntanyes de Prades. That position explains a great many of the call-outs we attend. The range and the low hills around the municipality mean terrestrial reception is not the same everywhere: in the village itself it usually arrives well, but on the hillside estates it only takes a house tucked into a hollow or behind a rise for the signal to come in weaker or with reflections.
How does it show? Channels that are perfect in the morning and break up in the afternoon, whole multiplexes that vanish, or a picture that freezes now and then. Before changing anything we measure on the roof with a field meter and look for the position and the aim that give the best quality, not simply the highest level. A bigger aerial is not always the answer; very often a better-placed mast is, or an amplifier with the gain set correctly and a 5G filter.
If you want to know what a complete installation covers, it is set out under TV aerials and satellite dishes.
Hillside estates: big houses, long cable runs
Serradalt, La Burquera, La Cabana, Els Muntanyans and Les Masies Catalanes are estates of houses on their own plots, in many cases on sloping ground. Here the aerial tends to be a long way from some of the televisions and the cable crosses facades, gardens or garages. Over the years this turns up:
- Coaxial cable damaged by the sun or by rodents.
- Improvised joints made when a television was added on the porch or in the loft.
- Masts that have tilted in gusty weather.
We run the cabling again in outdoor-grade cable, swap splitters for tap-offs and leave every point at the right level.
In these houses the internet connection causes trouble too. Stone or thick block walls stop the wifi dead and the plot is left without coverage. We solve it with wired access points or a mesh system; there is more under wifi solutions. And if the house is isolated or stands empty for spells, it makes sense to add IP cameras with a recorder and phone access, as we explain under CCTV.
Roofs in the old quarter
The centre of Alcover keeps its narrow streets and terraced houses under clay tiles. Fitting or repairing an aerial here calls for patience: awkward access, fragile tiles and facades you would rather not fill with cable. We prefer fixings to a wall or a chimney, routes through internal courtyards where that is possible and, if there are several homes in the same building, one shared aerial rather than several.
For anyone who wants satellite channels, we also fit modest-sized satellite dishes aimed at Astra 19.2° E or Hispasat 30° W, looking for a spot that stays discreet from the street.
A quick check before you call
If only one television is affected, try a different lead between the point and the set and run a fresh channel search. If every set in the house fails at once, the problem is at the aerial, the amplifier or its power supply, and that is where we should take a look.
Quote first, tools afterwards
Our order of work in Alcover is the same as anywhere else, but with closer attention to location:
- You tell us about the fault and, if you can, send photos of the aerial and the surroundings.
- We measure the signal on the roof and at the points.
- We give you a free quote covering what is needed and what is not.
- We do the work and check the result with the meter before we leave.
From Salou it takes us around half an hour. We combine visits with others in the area, such as Valls, the Alt Camp capital, or La Selva del Camp, just over in the Baix Camp.