What is this cable in my loft?

[JP_]

Strange. Try again...

 

[JohnD]

yes, VHF aerial. I wonder if it is directional enough to matter. Or maybe the house was by chance oriented to a BBC transmitter. When I lived in the wilds I had one, and moving it around by 10° made a noticeable difference to reception quality.

 

[JP_]

well, they certainly liked their aerials. Another:

 

[JohnD]

that's another (commercial) VHF aerial. Strange to see it tilted.

It suggests they liked listening to the radio and you are away from a major city or transmitter.

Are you in the country? Or surrounded by hills?

 

[Lucid]

Cross angle like that will pick up from both vertically and horizontally polarised services, albeit at reduced strength for both. That's possibly why its such a large rig, to compensate for the signal attenuation.

 

[JohnD]

but if you're in the UK, and point it at your nearest transmitter, surely it would be one or the other?

 

[Lucid]

I thought so too originally. Have a read of this http://tx.mb21.co.uk/features/recognition/vhf-fm.shtml
http://tx.mb21.co.uk/features/recognition/vhf-fm.shtml
There's all sorts once you start looking in to it.

 

[JP_]

Hmmm, should I plug in an old radio and see. ...?

 

[Lucid]

No harm in trying it