CAT5E for TV usage

[andyrace]

Hi all,

first posting -
can anyone tell me if you can use CAT5E cable for a tv signal from an aerial? can it be mixed with co-axial cable?
I have a phone socket i don't use and wondered if it was possible to connect the aerial to one end of the CAT5 then simply fix a tv plate in place of the telephone plate at the other.

Thanks in advance...

Andy

 

[RF Lighting]

You can send video signals over CAT5e providing you fit a balun at each end. Not sure about TV, but I'm sure someone here will know.

 

[bernardgreen]

Hi all,

first posting -
can anyone tell me if you can use CAT5E cable for a tv signal from an aerial? can it be mixed with co-axial cable
Andy

No you cannot.

TV signal is a UHF radio signal and therefore requires co-axial cable with 75 ohm impedance.

Bernard
Sharnbrook

 

[andyrace]

Bugger!

Oh well, i guess it's time to have a go at pulling the co ax then.

Cheers folks,

Andy

 

[Mosez]

You can send video signals over CAT5e providing you fit a balun at each end. Not sure about TV, but I'm sure someone here will know.

Tv terestrial signals are sent in a band of 474Mhz - 850Mhz frequencies.

Cat5E is only rated for data signals up to 100Mhz.

TV aerial input at the TV and the aerial have an impedance of 75 Ohms.

Unless the cable connected to the Aerial & Tv has the required 75 Ohms impedance you will loose signal strength at both ends.

As Cat5E is only rated to carry signals up to 100Mhz and does not have the required Impedance, you will loose major part of the signal.

Best to stick with Aerial downlead.

 

[cyndi]

you can use the cat5 cable to send video signals using a product called "kat5" do a google search for more info

 

[plugwash]

you should be able to send composite video down a cat5 cable with appropriate baluns (the baluns would need to match 75 ohms to the impedance of cat5 and convert unbalanced to balanced and would need to be good from DC to arround 8MHz) at the ends.

you WILL NOT get a RF tv signal down cat5.

the upshot of this is that the only way it could be made to work for watching TV would be to have the tuner before the cat5 run, this means that as well as the special transmission gear you are going to need to find a suitable tuner and a means of controlling it.

 

[dw3101]

Also, you phone cable is unlikely to be CAT5.

 

[MasterAbacus]

You can send pretty much any signal down a cat5e cable... Data, TV, Alarm, Phone, CCTV....

Only thing is for you main ariel to distribution box use some nice 100 oHm Coax.... then CAt5e from thier..

 

[plugwash]

Did you actually read the thread before replying.

Yes you can send composite video down cat5 with appropriate impedance matching but you will not send RF TV arial signal down it. The upshot of this is the only way to make a cat5 based TV system would be to have a centralised tuner box. While possible this would almost certainly be very expensive.