What do the 32 elements in a "32 element digital aerial" refer to?
Yes- it the number of rods sticking out of the main antenna. 16 on one side 16 on the other side.



These rods help remove ghosting, provide a clearer overall signal.

They all have their own purpose and lengths are very precise and specific. These should not be bent, extended, shortened or connected to anything else in any way will cause poor signal. Pigeons and birds do not affect reception as they do not cause direct induction of the circuit.. but a fat bird can bend the antenna and cause some issues.

Even though that is the concept it does not always refer to any exact number. Sometimes 3 spokes can be counted as 1 element because they act a single "element" 

It will not have anything to do with number of channels- this depends on your region, the version of the set top box (old Freeviews cannot pick up many new channels) best use the FreeView HD ready boxes for best compatibility.



Hope that helps you out.