Why there is no reliable “average price”
Looking up the average price of aerial work is a reasonable thing to do, but the figure you find online will tell you very little. Realigning an aerial on a house with easy access has nothing in common with renewing the head-end of a forty-flat block, even though both get described as “fixing the aerial”.
Rather than quoting numbers that will not match your situation, this article explains which factors move the price, what a serious quote should contain and how to compare several offers without nasty surprises. If what you need is a check on your installation, it is all covered under TV aerials and satellite dishes.
The factors that weigh most
1. The job itself
These are not remotely equivalent:
- Diagnosing a fault and replacing a connector.
- Realigning an aerial blown off aim by the wind.
- Replacing an amplifier or a programmable head-end unit.
- Fitting a new aerial with a mast and fresh cabling.
- Mounting a satellite dish and aligning it to one or more satellites.
- Adapting or renewing a building’s ICT communal installation.
2. A house or an apartment block
In a house the installation is usually short: aerial, amplifier, a run of cable and a handful of aerial points. In a block, the head-end, the distribution between floors, the tap-offs, the PAU units and every flat’s sockets all come into play. On top of that, any fault affects every resident, so the diagnosis has to be more thorough.
3. Access to the roof
This is one of the biggest factors and the one people think about least. A flat, walkable roof reached by a staircase is quick to work on. A pitched roof with no anchor points, or one you can only get to through a hatch, takes more time and more safety equipment. On tall seafront buildings, the wind also dictates when it is safe to go up.
4. The state of the existing installation
An installation with dried-out cable, connectors corroded by salt air and amplifiers from twenty years ago can be hiding several problems at once. Sometimes the initial quote can only be finalised after measuring the signal at several points.
5. The materials
The quality of the materials changes both the result and how long it lasts:
- A UHF aerial suited to the signal in your area.
- An LTE/5G filter, increasingly necessary given mobile interference.
- A masthead amplifier or a programmable head-end unit.
- Coaxial cable with good screening and an outdoor-rated sheath.
- Quality F connectors and weatherproof outdoor boxes.
Two quotes for the same “job” can differ widely on materials alone.
6. Urgency and timing
A fault dealt with the same day, outside normal hours or on a public holiday usually costs differently from a planned visit.
7. Travel
The distance from the engineer’s base to your address counts too, particularly for outlying villages or jobs that need more than one visit.
What a serious quote should itemise
A quote you can actually compare should set out at least:
| Item | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Diagnosis | Whether the signal was measured, and at which points |
| Description of the work | Exactly what will be done, not just “repair aerial” |
| Materials | Type and quantity of each item: aerial, filter, amplifier, metres of cable, outlets |
| Labour | Estimated hours or a fixed price |
| Travel | Included or charged separately |
| Tax | Whether the figure includes VAT |
| Validity | How long the price holds good |
| Conditions | What happens if another fault appears once things are dismantled |
How to compare several quotes
- Give everyone the same information: what is failing, how many televisions, house or block, and what the roof access is like.
- Ask them to measure the signal: an engineer quoting without a field meter is guessing.
- Compare line by line: a cheaper offer may leave out the filter, the travel or the VAT.
- Ask about the materials: brand and model are not essential, but the type of equipment is.
- Be wary of fixed prices given without seeing the installation on complex jobs: either they are padded to cover the unknown, or extras appear later.
- Check how the work is handed over: the right way is to verify signal level and quality at the outlets when finishing.
Where it does not pay to economise
- LTE/5G filters: if your problem is intermittent pixelation, leaving the filter out to save money is storing up trouble.
- Outdoor cable and connectors: on the coast, cheap materials degrade fast.
- Blocks of flats: an undersized head-end generates complaints from the furthest floors.
What you can do before you call
Before asking for a quote, check whether the problem affects every television or just one, whether it happens on all channels or only some, and whether it coincided with wind, rain or work on the roof. Resetting the television and retuning sometimes sorts out a frequency change on its own. That information makes the diagnosis quicker and the quote tighter.
Quotes in Tarragona and the surrounding area
We work out of Salou and travel to Tarragona, Reus and the rest of the Camp de Tarragona. The way we do it is simple: first we check and measure, then we explain what is happening and what the options are, and only once you say yes do we start work.
If you want to know what it would cost to sort yours out, ask us for a quote with no obligation and a description of the problem, and we will put together a detailed proposal you can compare at your leisure.