DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi - first post here!

A year ago, I bought the above fire and, ever since have struggled with the poor signal. We have to either be standing right in front of the fire (as in arms length) or, use it from a specific spot on the couch (and even then it has been inconsistent). At first I wasn’t sure if the issue was the receiver in the unit or the signal from the remote control.

I took the remore apart today and, it has a wire aerial that was cooled around an pecs display, pointed backwards. I unwrapped the wire, and have pointed it straight forward. The result is the signal has improved dramatically and the fire place works from a wider range now. The problem is the remote now has a wire sticking out of the front which doesn’t look tidy and, I’m concerned it will get damaged over time.

Can I trim the wire? There is about 3 inches sticking out. I can’t see why it would hurt but, I’m not sure.

Alternatively, is there a way to protect the wire without stopping the signal (I assume the signal comes out of the end?)?

Thanks!

An aerial has to be a set length, and even putting silicon sealant on a spring type aerial can alter how it works.

We call it the voltage standing wave ratio and it is how much signal gets out, and how much is reflected back.

My meter needs at least a watt to work, remote control would be milli watt, so all you can do is cut to the length which matches frequancy.

It was 30 odd years ago when I studied for my RAE and I can't remember much of what I was taught.

Is there any way to increase this at all?