Aerial signal and distribution

[Happyharry24]

I had a brand new aerial put on the top of my house today and cable run into my loft space in preparation for distribution to the individual rooms of the property, whilst the aerial was being lined up to get the best signal the guy installing informed me that it was a very good signal 86% and how would I be distributing the signal throughout my property, I said I would be using a distribution booster, he then said that might boost the signal too much and I might need to attenuate it. Now I don't know what to do so any help would help ?[/b]

 

[ericmark]

Signal strength is normally measured 1 - 9 and then plus 10, 20, 30 db.
To report as 86% well 86% of what?
I would consider 86% = 8.6 on an S meter and adding 10 db would not really be a problem. Yes you can over drive a front end but unless you live within 1 mile of the transmitter that is unlikely.

 

[Happyharry24]

Ok thanks for that the guy was a bit old school and had done yellow in colour meter

 

[Sam Gangee]

Why not simply use a 4-way passive splitter, such as a PAS1243/001 ?

If you find you do need amplification, it should be easy to add an amplifier between aerial and splitter.

http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page15a.htm#combiner

 

[daxi]

Signal strength is normally measured 1 - 9 and then plus 10, 20, 30 db.
To report as 86% well 86% of what?
I would consider 86% = 8.6 on an S meter and adding 10 db would not really be a problem. Yes you can over drive a front end but unless you live within 1 mile of the transmitter that is unlikely.

The S point system of measuring a signal strength is simply a visual method of expressing uV over the designed impedance of your system. And it is far from accurate. As it is based upon a meter reading on a radio which should indicate a signal increase of 6dB, for each S point. However some radio manufacturers use far less than 6dB (4dB sometimes,) so it is a very inaccurate way of measuring a signal & is clearly not the way that signals are normally measured.
If you had even the most basic knowledge of what you were saying you would know that signal strength is actually measured & expressed in Watts (or Milli Watts,) per meter..
How do you know that as long as they a certain distance from a TX then no problem should occur??????
I ask because I cannot see any way that you could possibly say that when you do not know what the field strength is, what antenna is used, what coax is used & what lengths of coax are used & how many connectors there are in line??????
As for

I would consider 86% = 8.6 on an S meter

 

[Sam Gangee]

This technical discussion is irrelevant to the OP's question. The aerial guy presumably is familiar with his meter so, if he says the signal is a tad high, I'd be inclined to believe him. My suggestion of a passive splitter (preferably in the loft) is cheap and requires no power. If it turns out that the signal really is too weak, then it's a simple matter to add an amplifier.

 

[ericmark]

I have to agree with Sam Gangee. My point was when some one quotes odd figures I tend to treat what they say with a pinch of salt.

My TV (and I would guess most freeview TVs will be the same) has a built in S meter which you can select. This will tell you if the strength is too high or low for that TV which is of far more use than an independent meter.

The same for my Sky+ box and with my free to air box I can set it to scream at me to help set the dish.

In real terms the signal meters are too slow to use to set direction but do show when some birds or wind has moved things.

 

[daxi]

My point was when some one quotes odd figures I tend to treat what they say with a pinch of salt.

That was my exact point too. Your figures you used were VERY VERY odd & based upon total ignorance of the subject.