Help for TV/satellite cabling

[Inquisitive]

I'm in the process of recabling my house for terrestial TV as well as Sky and need some advice/recommendations for the setup.

I'd like to keep everything as tidy as possible and so am considering using a face plate with two sockets - one for an aerial type connection and the other for the satellite connection. I had a look at Maplin and can see a couple of possibilities that I assume will do:

?ModuleNo=30775&&source=14&doy=searchIs it worth going for the second one, a screened face plate? Exactly what does screening do? Will I have to have special cable to use it or is there any special way that I have to wire?

Also, how do the external satellite and aerial cables connect to the face plate? Do they have to be terminated in a particular way? And what about the internal leads connecting the sockets on the face plate to the TV and satellite receiver - do they have to be male/male, male/female or some other odd combination of terminators.

Finally, is it worth getting a decent quality low-loss aerial cable reel to connect the external TV aerial to the face plate, or will standard coaxial cable be good enough?

[adder1969]

I recently wired up a sky box with about 6m of standard aerial cable from the dish and everything is just fine. Having said that I also have cable TV distributed aroudn the house (from the RF out) and there is significant loss in quality. The connections types don't matter so long as they connect well. If I were doing it again I'd use higher quality aerial cable for the distibution.

[Inquisitive]

Is satellite cable the same as standard aerial cable, or did you just use standard aerial cable instead of satellite cable? I'm a newbie in terms of the different cables and was under the impression that TV and satellite are distributed via different types of wire....

[Adrian A]

If you're running new cables, use satellite grade, CT100 or similar for everything. Saving a few pence by using ordinary coax could well be a false economy.

[adder1969]

What's sold in Wickes as satellite cable is thicker cable with more screening. It's classed as "low loss" I believe. I've got no problems with regular co-ax with three joins between the dish and the box.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Use the same stuff as for satellite.

[Inquisitive]

Great, that makes life a little easier!

Does that mean the only thing that has to be different are the termination connectors? The wall plate (link above) has a TV and satellite connection - do I need to terminate the wires between the aerial/satellite and wall plate or will they simply wire directly into the wall plate connector? I assume that the (short) leads from the wall plate to the TV and satellite receiver will have to be terminated at both ends?

Thanks for all your help.

[Michael Chare]

A screened faceplate should reduce the chances of interference of DTT

See "Improving UK Aerial Installations: Review of Technical Performance" on

you can make your own using F Plugs and F barrels on a blank faceplate - see link below

Use CT100 or foam filled PF100

See:

[John Rumm]

Yes, especially if you want error free terrestrial digital piped around the house.

The screening helps keep unwanted signals out of the system.

All the cables should be CAI approved satellite grade cable like CT100. You may get away with a lesser cable in some cases, but you risk creating problems with reception errors.

The connectors can be any sex you like - but the convention these days is to place TV outputs on male connectors and inputs on female (a guideline than many wall plates don't follow). Given the choice between the older Belling Lee type co-ax connectors and modern F Type connectors the latter are to be preferred. Connection to the back of the socket will vary with brand of socket.

"Low loss" is "standard" (and often a poor choice of name for a cable that is often anything but). You really want a CT100 style cable with both foil and braided screen.

[TheScullster]

"John Rumm" wrote

The most expensive option is all copper (I was sold this as being the "best"). That is: copper conductor, copper wire screen and copper foil screen. Cheaper offerings have aluminium foil screening. Couldn't tell you the actual implications of this. As it's hopefully a one-off job, pays to fit the best IMHO.

Phil

[Inquisitive]

Thanks for all the useful info.

Could some> >

[Adrian C]

Probably could do with running TWO cables for the satellite connection. You might at later date install a dual LNB dish for Satellite PVR use (not necessarily Sky+). And also a couple of Cat5e/Cat6 network cables (for future IPTV) and a telephone line for the Sky Box.

Hell, why not put in a couple of optical fibres while you are at it ;-)

-- Adrian C

[Inquisitive]

Does Sky+ require two cables into the receiver? That would mean me looking for a shielded wall plate with 1 TV and 2 satellite connections which I suspect doesn't exist! I want a separate TV aerial connection in case Sky does not work or I (heaven forbid) decide to do away with it.

Actually, I'm one step ahead on the network front as I'm putting in Cat5e shielded cable in every room connected to a central Switch box. By placing a network connected media PC near the TV, it should enable me to do away with the need for Sky+ as I'll hopefully be able to use the PC as my PVR.

I did think about optical but thought that would be taking it a little bit too far!

[adder1969]

Make your own from a blank faceplate as someone else has said. You can get the cable from the likes of screwfix by the way.

[Doctor D]

I use this

which was Webro WF100 when I ordered my last batch. Very good it is too.

Go carefully when you connect up the faceplates. Use the deeper (socket) back boxes and make sure no braid and inner core touch. Also keep the inner core as short as possible to avoid interference entering the system where there is no screen on the cable, and don't kink, pinch or squash the cables as this can alter their impedance.

[John Laird]

Thanks for the heads-up - I've been looking for decent cable available on t'internet, and that's about the same price for 100m that I was expecting to pay for 50m. 100m would be more useful... Don't much like the look of their co-ax plugs, mind you.

Do Screwfix trade counters carry a wide range of stock ? It'd be more convenient to drop in and buy this sort of thing than wait in for infernal couriers.

[Dave Liquorice]

Yes as does any other DSAT based system that allows you to watch one DST channel and record another.

You can get faceplates with many connections:

?SKU=SE00284?SKU=SE00626Cable wise to the media center I think these days the wise will put in 6 CT100 or higher grade coax and 6 CAT5e or CAT6 network cables. It's easy to use 6 coax's, RF TV in, RF TV out (for distribution,) FM radio, DAB and 2 x LNB connections. Two of the network cables (phone and network) are are likley to be used immediatly.

The majority of the "cost" of installing cables is the work and disruption pulling them in, not the cost of the cable itself.

[Spack]

Inquisitive wrote on 4 Jan 2007 07:39:22 -0800:

Yes, Sky+ and Sky HD both use 2 cables to the box. If you have only 1 it'll work, but you can only record one channel at a time and occassionally if you try to record a programme that follows another recording it'll fail because the box will want to overlap the recordings.

Can't you just put in 2 faceplates, one with 2 satellite connections, and 1 with a single TV aerial connections (or 1 with sat + tv, and 1 with just sat) and mount them side by side?

You'll only be able to record one Sky channel at a time - Sky+ and Sky HD will let you record two channels simultaneously, even while watching a recorded programme. I'd still personally take the Sky+ box, I've had mine for 2 years now and I couldn't live without it!

Dan

[Osprey]

You can buy good quality CT100 cable from MAPLIN by the metre or in drums, thios has a foil screen under the braid for better signla performance and interference rejection... TLC also sell it, but theirs has a foamed dielectric core - never used that stuff so don't know how it compares.

Use F-Type connectors everywhere, I bought mine from CPC.

You can get twist on versions if you are only doing a few, otherwise a crimp on version is better - but you need to factor in cost of tool.

Just connected up my CT100 patch panel yesterday 40 CT100 outlets all terminated - only a simple patch to a 6 way amp and it's outlets to 3 x TV so far. Sky etc. yet to be done. but at least all cables are in and terminated.

[Osprey]

Maplin