Boosting Virgin Media signal

[Adrian80]

Hi guys,

I have had a good hunt around and cant quite find the answer i am looking for.

The installers connected virgin media in the corner of the lounge. However the TV is in the other corner.

I have digi coax, in that corner going up into the roof, and then back down on the other side of the room.

The connection is vm, coax, faceplate, coax in wall to roof, f connector join in roof, coax down to lounge, faceplate, vm box.

When i send the signal up and down, and connect it to the tv i get signal, but i think its a bit weak, some channels can be a little pixelly , and i dont get the OD services.

I bought one of these thinking it would do the job of boosting the signal.

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/69457/Electrical-Supplies/TV-Range/Amplifiers-Distribution/Labgear-HDU681-S-Home-Distribution-Unit-8-Way

I plugged this booster in the lounge next to virgins installation, and then sent the signal up to the roof and back down. The signal is worse than without it.

Is the above the right type of signal booster, or do i need something different. Which Chanel should i have plugged it in to, UHF is the only one that worked....

Can virgin boost their signal to my property?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
Adrian

[GRC]

Just for an experiment, take a single clean length of co-ax, and plug one end into the faceplate, the other directly into the TV (just leave it loose across the lounge for the time being, or temporarily move the TV close to the faceplate) and see how that looks.

If you get a decent signal, that suggests the combo of cable length and extra F connector are the problem.

If it doesn't work OK with a straight, clean length of cable and well-made joints to the plugs, then you need to speak with VM about their signal strength, I'd suggest.

[Adrian80]

Thanks for the tip, this is on my list of things to do over the weekend...

any suggestions about the booster etc..

[ellal]

Adrian80 wrote:

Hi guys, Can virgin boost their signal to my property? Adrian

Sometimes when installed they can fit an attenuator (which actaully reduces the signal), but later on the signal itself can get lowered. We had this problem which was finally sorted by removal of said device - check to see if there's an in-line cylindrical attachment

[Adrian80]

Unfortunately no attenuator,

There was a splitter for the broadband, however, whether i do or dont remove this doesnt make any difference.



Cheers
A

[casius66]

Why did they connect it in the opposite corner to the TV ? If it's a recent install ask them to come back and move/extend it.
The install will have been planned to get the signal to your house and won't take into account the up and over cable with the additional connections (each introducing a loss to the signal strength). Depending on your distance from the distribution cabinet and the capacity of the cab there may not be a option to boost the signal via the network.
It may be the face plates or the quality of cable in the wall that's degrading your signal and the booster could be adding too much gain which may need attenuating, without a signal meter you're operating blindly.
Take GRC's advice and if all OK try again with the booster and see what effect it has.

[Rechar]

I've just got a digibox myself and am having issues so i went hunting around. This website explains the pitfalls of Digital TV and helped me set up a now perfectly running box (thanks to a new aerial, cabling)

http://www.megalithia.com/elect/aerialsite/dttcon.html

As GRC said, you have a lot of jumps, which are going to cause signal degredation, also...running those wires up and down your house is undoubtably crossing over power cables/central heating etc, all these things further interfere with your signal.

Also, it sounds like you might be running the signal to more than one TV (i assume thats why you have wires running around the house). Thats a quick way to corrupt what little quality you get. If thats the case look into a proper distribution amplifier.

Old analogue coax cable (copper mesh surrounding airspaced inner insulation) is another killer for digital...and what runs through a lot of houses. If you've got this installed consider switching to the more appropriate CT100 or WF100 cable that has copper sheathing along with the mesh for extra protection.

As for your specific question, don't assume a booster is some quick fix...a bad signal thats boosted as you've found out just gets worse as the quality remains the same, but the strength just increases (you can't boost something that doesn't exist in the first place).

Because you're running with Virgin you -should- be able to contact them and ask that the gain on your line be increased. It might help slightly...but there is a lot you can do on your end to help more.

[Adrian80]

Hi Guys,

I will cal vm to see if they can sort this out. I have ct100 running around the house.

Fortunately i am not splitting the signal, i am just trying to get it from one side of the room to the other..

The notion that vm planned the install is a joke... I had lend them the tools to drill through the facia on the house. i did tell them i wanted the tv in that corner and they just said couldnt do it..

never mind
A

[casius66]

Quote:

The notion that vm planned the install is a joke... I had lend them the tools to drill through the facia on the house. i did tell them i wanted the tv in that corner and they just said couldnt do it..

You should've told them to grab their red noses, pick up their bucket of tinsel and leave or escalated the issue there and then to get it resolved. Ask for a more senior technician to sort it out.
The Network is planned to provide a given signal to a % of houses it supplies so there may or may not be the capacity to increase this.