Check this set up!!

[Greenie9657]

Hi ALL

What im hoping to do is something really simple. (I think anyway). I would like TV aerials in 5 rooms in my house so what i was thinking of doing was Have an Aerial on the roof (standard) from there run a co-ax into the attic to a distruibution amp. From this amp i can then run 4/5 different outputs for the different rooms in my house. Can that be done?

I ask because i went into B and Q t'other day and was informed that you had to run from the aerial on the roof to your first telly, then you can run up to the distribution amp from the RF out on the back of the telly and dist of as required. Seems a long winded way if you ask me. Surely its just a matter of ae-distr/amp-tellies

Thanks for your time

 

[SimonH2]

I ask because i went into B and Q t'other day and was informed that you had to run from the aerial on the roof to your first telly, then you can run up to the distribution amp from the RF out on the back of the telly and dist of as required.

How many tellies have you seen with an RF out ? Clue, I've never heard of one let alone seen one. Whoever told you that was thinking about piping a signal from the back of a Sky receiver - where you do in fact use the RF out on the back of the Sky box (or at least you can do if you're not bothered about quality).

What you suggest is correct. One aerial, bring the cable to the attic, and distribute from there. Depending on the amp, it can either be locally powered (you'll need to arrange for a socket in the attic), or can be powered up one of the coaxes from a room below.
IMO it's better putting the amp in the attic, you can get to it when it needs attention - which is usually not easy when it's up on the mast.

 

[ChrisFrost]

Ditto what Simon2H said really. The thing I would add to this though is future planning. You might not want to do it now. But if you think you might want to distribute Sky or some other tuner signal around the house then plan for it now.

 

[Greenie9657]

Hi Simon

I actually hadnt thought about that until i was writing that first post and realise how stupid it was. perhaps he was confused with a SKY set up. god knows. Anyway, max tvs id have is 5. I have a socket in the attic all right spurred from the upstairs ring main. Do you know any decent distribution amps on the market that would do the trick? Ive only just moved into my house but the Aerial seems to be ok. Ive never had any problems with it.

Also i have so Satalite Coax from when i installed sky into my last house. Would that be ok for a tv signal? I also work in the Aviation world so i could always get some coax from work but i have this sat stuff in the garage just rotting away. thought i could use it.

 

[Greenie9657]

Ditto what Simon2H said really. The thing I would add to this though is future planning. You might not want to do it now. But if you think you might want to distribute Sky or some other tuner signal around the house then plan for it now.

Thanks for the comment, i would future proof anything if i could. Are they any on the market that will do the job. a DAB signal would probably be quite usefull as well. and what coax could be used for DAB. I dont really know anything about DAB but surely its just a seperate aerial on the roof somewhere. then the same principle as the tv set up applies,

 

[SimonH2]

Ideally you want the same coax for everything - whether TV, DAB, or Sat. Stick to a decent copper foil screened coax. There's a lot of cheap **** out there that I wouldn't hang the clothes off - avoid aluminium (or aluminised plastic) foils, and avoid coax where there's a half-hearted attempt to make it look like they thought about putting some braid in (the "low loss" version pictured here : http://aerialsandtv.com/cableandleads.html#3maincabletypes)

I strongly recommend that site - there's a lot of useful information there.

For future proofing if you add any cable runs, either install two cables, or make it so that you can add one later (eg by using oversized conduit). Bear in mind that more and more stuff now connects to a computer network as well, so it can be worth running in (or making provision for) some "Cat5e" network cable (avoid "CCA" cable - it's copper covered aluminium and you'll note they tend to sell it as "network cable" rather than "Cat5e ...", because the standards required copper only for a good reason).

 

[Greenie9657]

thanks again for the reply mate. what distribution amp would you recommend? ill have a look at that web site tomorrow. i might try and get some stuff from work then. failing that, this sat cable looks pretty good. its got a solid screen on it.

 

[ChrisFrost]

Cable: Use WF100 for TV and satellite. The copper braid is the shielding for TV frequencies. The copper foil is the shielding for satellite frequencies. It's good for both signal types. BTW, TV/Satellite coax is 75 Ohm. That's important. If you get any cable from work then make sure it's also 75 Ohm impedance too.

Amp: ProCeption is nice gear. Have a look at the 8-way unit on this page.

If you're just running the TV aerial to start with then simply connect the coax at the TV ends direct to the TV. When you are ready to add a DAB aerial (or an FM one, or both!) then you'll need some splitter plates. The amp in the loft combines the signals down one cable. The principle is called multiplexing. The plates at the TV end split the signal back in to the constituent parts. DAB & FM co-exist so you have one socket for that. TV is separate. So the minimum is a TV + FM/DAB diplex plate. See this page

Tip: Don't bother trying to add satellite dish LNB signals in to the mix. It's a lot more trouble than it's worth. Simply stick with TV (+ the Sky box RF2 feed) and radio and it's all quite simple and easy to get right.

Hope that helps.

 

[SimonH2]

Actually TV+FM+DAB will co-exist, just like they do in free space between transmitters and your aerials.

 

[ChrisFrost]

Alright. But from the point of view of advice to someone who just wants to sort out a bit of telly and radio without going overboard on technicalities is that actually helpful information? Or should we just stick to what's relevant to the conversation at hand.

 

[SimonH2]

EDIT: Sorry, I'd misread your earlier post.

 

[Sam Gangee]

This may not suit the O.P but others reading this might consider a Loft Box.
http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/lofthelp.htm

More info: http://www.The-Cool-Book-shop.co.uk/piping_tv.htm