Distributing TV, SKY and CCTV thoughout a house

[ARW]

A friend will be getting the keys to a 1968 built house in the next few weeks. ATM it's a 3 bed detatched but it will become a 4 bed detatched (and knowing him it will have a conservatory).

It's artexed (that will be going) and it and needs a rewire. So it wil be soon time to get as mant cables in to future proof the house on the TV side of things.

He will want wall mounted TVs in all the bedrooms, the kitchen, the lounge and the conservatory with the option to watch the CCTV on any TV if needed.

He also want no cables dangling between the TV and any SKY box that that is placed lower down tham the TV.

Suggestions please

[Ron Lowe]

Needs to place a multiswitch in the loft or somesuch and run dual ct-100 feeds to each potential TV location.

Feed the multiswitch with 4xSat as per normal, and UHF ( and FM and DAB if you wish ).

At each TV location, install open faceplates with brushes to feed wires from ground-level where the sat box etc will be up to behind the TV.

I'd also run dual cat 5 or 6 to each location back to a network punch-down strip in a small network cabinet where uplink to the ADSL or whatever can be arranged.

Tis what I have here.

[Bill Wright]

Try looking through the articles on my website.

Bill

wrightsaerials.tv

[ARW]

When he gets the keys would you like to get paid for nipping up to J37 of the M1 to give some advice?

He wants this doing properly. He does not want the usual s**te I usually throw into new builds/rewires (and that includes £2M houses).

[Bill Wright]

One option is for me to provide detailed plans and most likely build the head-end (amps, filters, etc), then someone else puts the cables in to suit the design, then my son Paul comes along and makes it all work.

Another is for me to provide detailed plans, build the 'head end' then someone else puts the cables in, then someone else makes it all work. That's how we do it when the customer is at the other end of the country though. In your case it isn't really a sensible option, thinking about it.

Another is for Paul to do the whole job (probably with him paying me to build the head end but that's up to him). Normally someone else would put the cables in to his design.

However it's done, we always provide lots of telephone advice and discussion if necessary.

Please do finalise everything with us (or someone else of course) before you start. I've just had a right problem with a bloke who came to me for a system design after he'd put the cables and backboxes. Of course they were wrong.

I'm not doing much site work at the moment, because since March I've been full-time carer to two disabled people. I'm working at home quite a bit, on various weird and wonderful projects.

Bill

[ARW]

I'll be in touch when he gets the keys to the house and see how it goes. The CCTV is not a problem, just the interface needed to get it onto all the TVs. I also have no problem with installing the back boxes and cables (infact I can shove them unlabelled into a loft well away from the loft hatch just as good as any other professional electrician)

[Bill Wright]

It's something that needs doing properly, with proper good quality modulators and channel filters. CCTV men usually attempt to daisy chain cheap modulators into the aerial feed, with hilarious consequences.

I also have no problem with installing the back boxes and cables

I'm sure you can.

The first thing, really, is for us to discuss with the customer his exact requirements.

Bill

[ARW]

The job is yours. I just need to order some cheap CT100 and when installing it I need to kink it, crush it and leave it too short to reach the amp distribution board. Is that right? Am I missing anything that a proper electrician should do to the cable before you arrive?

Paul can sort the mess out can't he:-)?.

[dennis]

If the correct DVR has been chosen it will have IP over Ethernet and that is going to be far better than running modulators to the TVs. It just costs a bit more unless you already have the computers/tablets. At least with IP you can control the DVR.

[Bill Wright]

Yes. Before installing the coax use it twenty-fold to make up a tow rope to get your van out of a ditch. Use semi-airspaced cable and leave the ends un-taped so the damp from the plaster can go right up the inside of the cable. Ask the joiners to put a skirting board nail exactly where it will sever the buried downlead. Wrap the downleads around a joist before the plasterers come, so they can trap it with plasterboard. Run one coax from the loft to a bedroom, then daisy chain it to all the other outlets in the house. Bring up another cable from the last outlet so we can put an aerial on both ends of the loop. Run the coax across a pad at the end of an RSJ so the whole weight of the first floor is on it. Use 50ohm coax that you have left over from a PRM job.

His powers of expression are superb. He will leave you in no doubt as to the quality of the work.

Bill

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[Owain]

Remember the head-end, aerial/dish feeds, and cables to rooms, must be arranged as far away from each other as possible and preferably with lots of water tanks etc between then and in areas of least headroom.

The mains supply should be 2 core 5A flex run direct from henley blocks to reduce any interference from the other wiring. Or from the switched side of the central heating stat.

You can get 10m coils of downlead from the pound shop.

Owain

[dennis]

What's wrong with their bell wire, its half the cost.

[Bill]

And I thought you knew what you were talking about!

You forgot to mention using off cuts of different types of coax and joining them with choc' block, or for the perfect finish, just twist and tape.

You could of course be helpful and fit your own contract aerial, wrong group of course, and mount it on the one side of the house that can't see the local TX site.

[charles]

and, if you've mounted it for the wrong polarization, simply bend all the directors through 90°.

[Bill Wright]

Two lengths of bell wire, parallel and exactly the right distance apart, will make a very efficient balanced feeder.

Bill

[ARW]

I'll get one of the apprentices from work to make off the faceplates for him. That should save him some time.

[ARW]

He should not really have any need to control the DVR very often. He is not a drug dealer worried about who is knocking on his door.

[Owain]

Make sure the apprentice uses lots of silicone. It keeps the damp out, and it's cheaper than a back box.

Owain

[Owain]

Perhaps the apprentice could make Paul a nice cup of tea too.

With those granules ...

Owain

[ARW]

That one was fired last month...........

In the last 12 months I have seen at least 8 apprentices leave.