Roof aerial connection

[iwilliams]

I would very much appreciate some guidance about changing from cable TV to Freeview. I'll have finished my cable TV contract in a couple of months time and was testing to see if my equipment was suitable for Freeview.

At the moment I use cable TV in the living room but I also have a coaxial aerial socket. I tested this out with a Freeview box but it couldn't find any channels.

I remember that I got my roof antenna changed before the digital switchover - I inspected my loft and found a single cable running from the aerial outside and through my bedroom ceiling. I tried this coaxial aerial socket and my set-top box picked up loads of channels. Is it the case that they only wired this antenna to my bedroom and didn't bother to connect up my lounge as well?

I then proceeded to inspect the exterior of the house and found a cable running from where the aerial socket is in the living room and along the front of the house. The cable has been cut however and doesn't lead to anywhere. Is it possible this was the connection to the old roof aerial that was removed during the installation of the new aerial?

What would be the best way forward? Would it be possible to add an extension from the coaxial aerial socket in the bedroom to the lounge or split the cable from the aerial into two without any loss in signal quality?

Many thanks in advance for your help.

 

[ericmark]

Freeview uses the same type aerial as analogue although during the change over in some areas one could not use banded aerials as the multiplex signals were slotted in where ever there was space.

The same splitters and boosters can be used with both analogue and digital and these can be placed in many places. The closer to the aerial the better they seem to work so mast head likely are the best. These are normally powered up the same coax and the signal comes down.

But where DVD, satellite signals want adding to the Freeview signals putting the booster/splitter at the main TV or feeding the signal back into the loft to be then sent to all rooms.

There are combiners and splitters also able to mix satellite and terrestrial signals together to feed into one coax then split again.

The thing you have to decide is what you want for the future. I use total satellite because the Freeview in my area kept requiring me to return the TV and when the landers were replaced I never bothered putting the aerial back up.

The free to air (satellite) has some programs not on Freeview and vice versa I can't watch Yesterday. But my dish is 10 foot up not 20 foot so set of step ladders is all I need.

I also have Sky but that's something different. My cheap free to air has now and next only with electronic program guide. There are other systems which gives a full 7 day guide. Also of course HD and recording are included with some systems.

I know you are not looking at satellite now but you may in the future and you need to consider where to place your active splitter or booster.

 

[ChrisFrost]

Is it the case that they only wired this antenna to my bedroom and didn't bother to connect up my lounge as well?

Entirely possible. What did you ask them to do?

I come across this quite frequently. Householders rarely want to think beyond their immediate needs. Any conscientious installer looking to help the home owner make the best long term decision is viewed with suspicion. "He's trying to bump the job up. I'll ring someone else." So it's the installer that tells the customer what they want to hear and does a quick hang-and-bang job that often gets the work. Then you end up with a situation like this.


The simple solution is an inductive splitter with a second feed down to the lounge TV.

Avoid those white plastic two-way splitters you see at the supermarket/DIY store/Ebay. They're rubbish. As well as losing signal they mess up the electrical characteristics of the signal (something called 'impedance').

Go for one of the metal "T" shaped splitters. They still lose some signal level but don't mess up the impedance. LINK

If your signal at the aerial is a bit marginal then you'll be better off contacting a local aerial installer to install an amp on the mast and feed a fresh line down to the lounge socket. They'll make sure there's enough signal (not too much, not too little) at each TV point so you get the best reception.

 

[Sam Gangee]

The same splitters and boosters can be used with both analogue and digital and these can be placed in many places. The closer to the aerial the better

Correct for amplifiers but, in the case of an unamplified splitter, place it as far from the aerial as possible. This positioning ensures that the signal remains strong for as great a distance as possible and is less susceptible to interference. (The splitter reduces the signal strength.)

 

[ericmark]

The same splitters and boosters can be used with both analogue and digital and these can be placed in many places. The closer to the aerial the better

Correct for amplifiers but, in the case of an unamplified splitter, place it as far from the aerial as possible. This positioning ensures that the signal remains strong for as great a distance as possible and is less susceptible to interference. (The splitter reduces the signal strength.)

I would agree with you. I would not normally consider splitting a signal without some form of pre-amp. In the main due to impedance matching I have used switches but really UHF is a bit on high side for aerial switches.

With built in pre-amp one has little option. I use a sky+ box and while I still had Freeview used it to split signal to local TV and rest of house.