Aerial wiring advice, please
 

Our current wiring is a mess. The cable from the aerial goes in to
one room, to a plug-in amplifier, which connects to a TV in that room
and also goes back outside and down to another room.

I'd like to tidy it up, and perhaps add a TV in a third room at some
point soon. Presumably the right thing to do is fit a masthead
amplifier and run separate cables to each room?

I'm not certain I need an amplifier. Our reception is weak due to
living in a low part of Edinburgh; the aerial is a wideband one
receiving from Black Hill. With just a splitter the analogue picture
is very grainy but the digital picture is perfect and we don't need
analogue. On the other hand, a third TV might push it over the limit.
Should I just get a masthead amplifier anyway?

-- Richard
--
Please remember to mention me / in tapes you leave behind.

Aerial wiring advice, please
 

Presumably the right thing to do is fit a masthead
amplifier and run separate cables to each room?

Based on my recent experience (as discussed here, can't find the thread
ATM) I wouldn't run seperate cables from the aerial.

Al.

Aerial wiring advice, please
 

On 8 May, 13:12, Al wrote:
Presumably the right thing to do is fit a masthead
amplifier and run separate cables to each room?

Based on my recent experience (as discussed here, can't find the thread
ATM) I wouldn't run seperate cables from the aerial.

Al.

This one?
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk....fa1d10ec05a069

Aerial wiring advice, please
 

Al wrote:
Presumably the right thing to do is fit a masthead
amplifier and run separate cables to each room?

Based on my recent experience (as discussed here, can't find the thread
ATM) I wouldn't run seperate cables from the aerial.

Al.

I agree, running seperate cables won't provide any benefit its not like
a electrical current drop where paralleling up improves resistance.

If you do change to a masthead, use a satellite splitter 1to3, 2x1to2
or whatever, and a good quality CT100/RG6 type cable with F connectors.
It doesn't matter where in the house it is or how far away from the
aerial , except that the longer the total run the lower the signal at
the end. Really you need to know the signal level, but it can be a bit
complex working out the losses etc.

Say you start with 50dBuV at the aerial, you might have 5db loss across
the first single run of cable, then a 1to4 splitter with 8db loss, then
another run of cable say 5db loss. It doesn't matter where the splitter
is you always have 18dB loss bringing the signal down to 32dBuV, which
isn't really enough to drive a digital receiver reliably in all weather
conditions and across the required frequency band. Hopefully your mast
head will work out better than that.

Total loses = first cable length loss + splitter loss + second cable
length loss (all in dB)

Signal at receiver should be over 40dBuV (maybe 45 is the DTG
recommended, not sure) to account for weather. Most receivers should
work below 30dBuV.

--
Tony

Aerial wiring advice, please
 

"Richard Tobin" wrote in message
...
Our current wiring is a mess. The cable from the aerial goes in to
one room, to a plug-in amplifier, which connects to a TV in that room
and also goes back outside and down to another room.

I'd like to tidy it up, and perhaps add a TV in a third room at some
point soon. Presumably the right thing to do is fit a masthead
amplifier and run separate cables to each room?

I'm not certain I need an amplifier. Our reception is weak due to
living in a low part of Edinburgh; the aerial is a wideband one
receiving from Black Hill. With just a splitter the analogue picture
is very grainy but the digital picture is perfect and we don't need
analogue. On the other hand, a third TV might push it over the limit.
Should I just get a masthead amplifier anyway?



One of these http://tinyurl.com/p64xwt with variable gain would ensure that
you don't over amplify. This can be powered from any of the TV locations. If
the picture is grainy with a passive splitter it's unlikely that it would
successfully provide adequate signal levels to a third TV, and it may cause
your digital signal to fall below an acceptable level.

Another option may be to pull the downlead into the loft and use one of
these http://tinyurl.com/ryfy8c but you would need power in the loft, and
convenient cable runs from the loft to the TV locations.

Aerial wiring advice, please
 

This one?
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk....e_frm/thread/8
3c2f7a589bff583/9ffa1d10ec05a069?q=#9ffa1d10ec05a069

Gah! Google Groups ... I feel dirty ... ;)

Yup, that's the thread I was thinking of. Must have passed retention date
on NiN.

Al.

Aerial wiring advice, please
 

Are mast heads now more robust? I had a lot of bad experiences with them in
the 80s where one thunderstorm within five miles seemed to trash the things.
Mind you was using a log periodic, but cannot see why this would make any
differnce.

At least inside the houst you can pull the plug out if there is a close
storm!
Brian

--
Brian Gaff -
Note:- In order to reduce spam, any email without 'Brian Gaff'
in the display name may be lost.
Blind user, so no pictures please!
"Tony" wrote in message
e...
Al wrote:
Presumably the right thing to do is fit a masthead
amplifier and run separate cables to each room?

Based on my recent experience (as discussed here, can't find the thread
ATM) I wouldn't run seperate cables from the aerial.

Al.

I agree, running seperate cables won't provide any benefit its not like a
electrical current drop where paralleling up improves resistance.

If you do change to a masthead, use a satellite splitter 1to3, 2x1to2 or
whatever, and a good quality CT100/RG6 type cable with F connectors. It
doesn't matter where in the house it is or how far away from the aerial ,
except that the longer the total run the lower the signal at the end.
Really you need to know the signal level, but it can be a bit complex
working out the losses etc.

Say you start with 50dBuV at the aerial, you might have 5db loss across
the first single run of cable, then a 1to4 splitter with 8db loss, then
another run of cable say 5db loss. It doesn't matter where the splitter
is you always have 18dB loss bringing the signal down to 32dBuV, which
isn't really enough to drive a digital receiver reliably in all weather
conditions and across the required frequency band. Hopefully your mast
head will work out better than that.

Total loses = first cable length loss + splitter loss + second cable
length loss (all in dB)

Signal at receiver should be over 40dBuV (maybe 45 is the DTG recommended,
not sure) to account for weather. Most receivers should work below
30dBuV.

--
Tony