Receiving terrestrial television between the hills
Vandellòs is the inland village that gives its name to the municipality of Vandellòs i l’Hospitalet de l’Infant. It is ringed by hills and valleys, at a very different height from the coast, with Masboquera and Masriudoms close by and houses and farmhouses spread across the area. That landscape is precisely what makes television awkward.
A terrestrial signal travels in an almost straight line. When there is a ridge between the transmitter and your roof, it arrives weakened, reflected, or not at all. That is why two houses in the same village often receive differently, or why only some channels go missing. The causes we see:
- Shadow from the terrain. Some multiplexes arrive at a very low level.
- Reflected signal off the hillsides, causing break-up and pixelation even when the level looks adequate.
- An aerial aimed wrongly, at a transmitter that is not the one reaching that particular house best.
- The wrong amplification. An amplifier that is too powerful spoils the picture as well.
How we go about it
In the hills there is no copying your neighbour’s installation. We go up on the roof with the field meter and test several positions and mast heights to find which transmitter comes through best and at what quality (MER), not just at what level. From there:
- We choose a UHF aerial with suitable gain and aim it at the best transmitter.
- If needed, we raise the mast or move it to another point on the roof.
- We set a masthead amplifier or a programmable central unit to even out the weak and strong channels.
- We filter out 5G interference if it appears.
- We check the signal at every socket in the house.
The quote, free and with no obligation, comes after that measurement, once we know which answer is actually workable. More under TV aerials and satellite dishes.
When satellite is the answer
There are homes where, after measuring, terrestrial reception simply is not good enough. In those cases a satellite dish is a real alternative. Satellite carries a great many free-to-air channels and, in areas without terrestrial coverage, there are arrangements for receiving the national public channels. We will explain which channels you would get, which receiver you need and how to share the signal between several televisions.
A dish also goes up purely by choice: international channels, specialist ones, or channels from home for anyone who spends part of the year in Vandellòs.
Internet and wifi in stone houses and farmhouses
Inland, many homes are old, with thick walls that block wifi. If the connection reaches the house but not every room, we cable in access points or set up a mesh system. On farmhouses with several buildings, we join house, store or guest accommodation with cable, or with a wireless link if there is a clear line of sight. The options are under wifi solutions.
Wind, cold and upkeep
The mountain climate is harder on an installation than it would be down on the plain: strong wind, the occasional frost and a bigger swing in temperature between day and night. After a storm, look up and see whether the aerial is still straight. If you have lost channels all at once, the likeliest reason is that it has moved or a connector has come loose.
For houses used only some weekends, we suggest a check before winter: fixings, the guys on the mast, the state of the cable on the roof and junction boxes properly closed. It is a short visit that saves you arriving on a Friday to find no television.
Getting to Vandellòs
From Salou it takes about forty minutes: down the coast to L’Hospitalet de l’Infant and then inland on the C-44. We cover Vandellòs, Masboquera, Masriudoms and the scattered houses across the area. On the municipality’s coast we work in L’Hospitalet de l’Infant, and northwards in Mont-roig del Camp.