Splitting a cable tv signal

[Paper2002AD]

Silly question - if I sign up for cable satellite tv, can I get the signal to additional tv's by any DIY connection method?

[The Natural Philosopher]

Pretty sure you can spilt the antenna to several decoder boxes using a booster. But its a prerry high frequency booster.

I know you cantake decoded digital TV and feed that around - i.e. share decoders wit several; TV's, but this is no optimal IMHO.

See if Labgear do something.

Psssive splitting is not recommeneded - signal loss.

[Christian McArdle]

You can take the output from the decoder to other TVs using splitters and cable, or using a radio link (which will probably interfere with WiFi). The disadvantage is that all TVs watch the same channel.

If you want to have a decoder in every room, there are two methods. A quick explanation of how things work first, though.

Both methods use a dish with multiple LNBs. A dish may hold up to 4. The signal comes in one of 4 channel bands. The receiving LNB is then switched to convert those channel bands into the frequency that the decoder wants. The decoder tells the LNB which channel band to convert.

The first method is to use one LNB per decoder (Sky+ counts as two). Each has control over its own LNB. Advantages are simplicity and cost. Disadvantage is that there is max 4 LNBs per dish, so no more than 4 decoders or 2 Sky+.

Second method uses an electronic switching box. This tells each of the 4 LNBs (on one dish) to connect to a different fixed channel (or uses hardcoded LNBs). The internal electronics then route the converted output requested by each decoder. Advantage: Unlimited decoders may be connected, so excellent for tower blocks. Disadvantage: Cost.

Christian.

[Paper2002AD]

Many thanks for that comprehensive post

[John Rumm]

Did I read that Labgear went into receivership recently?

[Andy Hall]

They were put into administration in May by their majority shareholder, Philex, who now seem to have put in a bid for the goodwill, assets, but not factory or former employees to the administrators.

I suspect this will basically mean buying designs, having them manufactured in China and retaining the brand.

.andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

[The Natural Philosopher]

Deep regrets. They were cheap enough...and very good.

[Andy Hall]

Mmm.

Whether the business was viable, I don't know - they were certainly losing money. I suspect that "cheap" at one end of the equation and UK employment conditions at the other stretched it too far.

In one sense, I think it's wrong that a company or shareholder can put a business into administration and then the same company buy the assets less the debts and commitments. On the other hand it does represent the residual value of the business, and reasonably the highest bidder should buy.

It is possible to manufacture in the UK, but only if you sell on quality and service and not price. For example, I needed a spare part for my Stuart Turner shower pump - a relay had become sticky. Stuart Turner are in Henley, not far from me, so I called them up and arranged to go over there. There's no street address on their web site, and I couldn't think where on earth they could be. It turns out that they have a modern factory tucked in behind the town centre. You can buy any individual part for any pump or they have kits of common parts like seals. Each part is packed with a sheet of instructions explaining how to fit it. They also do repairs or exchange units as well. I was impressed by that - they seem to be a very well organised business and were very helpful. Certainly not the cheap end of the market, but service and product to that standard is rare.

.andy

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[tony sayer]

But was the sticky relay made in the UK I suggest not:(......

[BillV]

"cable satellite tv" is a bit wooly. Its either cable OR satellite. If you mean Sky then the sky boxes have outlets on the back for this purpose. Of course these outlets can only show what the box is decoding.

[Andy Hall]

Omron, and it doesn't say.......

Most of the other bits seem to be - e.g. Brook-Crompton motor etc.

.andy

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[Lurch]

On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 12:46:22 +0100, Andy Hall strung together this:

Omron have various plants in the UK, (I used to do maintenace at some of them), they send some of the components through several factories between start and finish and also send different batches out to different ones, so the relay could be made anywhere, or everywhere!

[Paper2002AD]

I meant Telewest cable TV, and I realise I will have the same channel in all rooms - just want to be able to change it in any one of say three rooms

[Bob Minchin]

Buy a connectorised splitter from Maplin (or Comet if they still do them) F type sockets all round and some CT100/RG6 cable plus the correct size screw on F type plugs. ( there are different types to suit different cable ODs) If you have broadband, fit the splitter downstream from the modem tap off as these modems can be fussy on signal levels. TVs and cable boxes are a lot more tolerant on the splitter loss.

Maplin part nos Sliptter QQ69A plugs FU04E Cable (RG6) GG32K

[Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics)]

One of their gems was to sell amplifiers etc to Argos at such a price that it was cheaper for us to buy from Argos than from a wholesaler. As a result, many installers boycotted Labgear altogether. I'm sure that it helped them on the way to the administrator.