Sky/Aerial sockets

[Tigger90]

I have all new tv sockets in each room (apart from the lounge), with a normal tv aerial connector and a sticky out connector that is threaded. In the loft are 2 booster sockets.
The sky comes in and is attached to the tv in the lounge.
To watch the same sky channel is another room, do I need to get the sky signal attached to one of the booster sockets in the loft?
I will either decide what i want to watch before leaving the room or get some magic eyes.

Thanks for any advice in advance.

 

[ChrisFrost]

I have all new tv sockets in each room (apart from the lounge), with a normal tv aerial connector and a sticky out connector that is threaded.

Looks something like this by any chance?

That's a plate that feeds a TV aerial signal and a satellite dish signal to each room. The Sat signal is for plugging in to another satellite receiver box. It's not for watching the Sky box from another room. Both signals come down the same bit of wire; so there is only one wire to the socket. A splitter on the back of the socket takes care of separating the TV signal from the satellite box feed.

To watch Sky in any room you would use the "TV out" socket on the wall plate. The Sky box signal is an analogue channel just like the old analogue BBC1/2/ITV etc. I used to put Sky on Ch6 before the demise of analogue TV in my region.

Here's how the signals should be connected....


Roof aerial > Sky RF input

Sky RF2 output > loft box UHF input.

loft box UHF outputs > to the various room wall plates.


You can use magic eyes to control the Sky box, but you need to check some things first.

• all of your wall plate and the loft box need to have Sky Pass or 9v pass. This allows the voltage through from the Sky box RF2 out that powers the eyes
  you need to switch on the 9v signal from the Sky box hidden menu [Services 4 - 0 - 1 Select] and remember to save before exiting.

To get the RF2 signal up to the loft it needs a separate wire. Your livingroom socket might already be wired with a down and an up lead. If so, happy days. If not then you need to get a wire putting in.

When I'm wiring customers houses the living room gets a minimum of 1 each up and down cables and I use a wall plate like this.

 

[ericmark]

Simple method is to use the RF2 output from Sky box and feed this to a booster which allows DC though and from that to each room.

So one cable from where sky box is to loft with booster in loft then cable to each room is norm.

But there are some extra points to make.
1) Signals of different frequency can be combined and split so you can use same cable which connects Sky box to LNB to take UHF signal to loft.

2) Many wall sockets have capacitors to de-couple so static on aerials will not upset TV. These do not allow DC through so are no good with digi-eyes.

3) Using RF means and HD signal becomes non HD so if you want really good picture then other methods need to be used.

4) The RF output from Sky box may be on a frequency already in use if you also want to watch freeview you may need to change the output frequency.

 

[ericmark]

When I'm wiring customers houses the living room gets a minimum of 1 each up and down cables and I use a wall plate like this.

Looked up number and here it says:-

Triax 304109 TV / Radio / SAT1 / SAT2 Tripxlex Screened Wall Plate

High quality, stylised TV + FM/DAB + SAT triplexed + SAT2 Return wallplate.
- Fully screened with return path
- Fully compatible with the tvLINK and Loftbox systems
- Excellent performance
- Attractive, modern style

Max tap loss -Radio (dB): 1.5
Max tap loss -TV (dB): 2.5
Max tap loss -SAT1 (dB): 3.5
Max tap loss -SAT2 (dB): 3.5
DC Pass on TV: No
DC Pass on SAT1: Yes
DC Pass on SAT2: Yes

The triplexing wall plate seperates the combined signals into TV, FM & Satallite signals required by a satellite receiver.

Which says "DC Pass on TV: No" so I would think digi-eye would not work? Since you use them can you say if digi-eye works or not please. As if it does work then I would want to replace my wall socket with one of these.

Thanks

 

[Tigger90]

Yes, the sockets look just like the first picture. The house apart from the lounge has been rebuilt, so will need to check what cables are coming out of there...I know there are some, because they disappear under the floor. The old aerial went to a booster socket but that has all been removed when the new electrics were fitted.

 

[ChrisFrost]

ericmark, I formatted my reply in fairly non-technical terms to mirror the language used by the OP, and simply found an image of a shielded wall plate to use as an example of a decent design to help illustrate the response. I don't use that specific plate, which is why I wrote "plate like this" rather than the definitive "I use these". I wanted to make the distinction between a shielded design and the contractor-style unshielded wall plates that one might find sold cheap online.

I hope that clears up any confusion.


Now, if I can move on to clarify some of the points in your reply...

Simple method is to use the RF2 output from Sky box and feed this to a booster which allows DC though and from that to each room.

So one cable from where sky box is to loft with booster in loft then cable to each room is norm.

Which is what I already said.

But there are some extra points to make.
1) Signals of different frequency can be combined and split so you can use same cable which connects Sky box to LNB to take UHF signal to loft.

I think you'll find that'll be a problem. If the cable comes directly from the LNB (attached to the satellite dish) to the Sat inputs on the back of a Sky box then you won't be able to use that for anything other than receiving the satellite signal.

However, if you are inferring that the signal cable from the LNB goes to the distribution amp (LNB in) first and that single drop cables can be used for TV signal, the satellite dish feed from the LNB and also the return back from the RF2 output then I think you'll have a problem there too. The first issue is, I think, that the sockets for signal outputs (TV, Sat, FM/DAB) are not electrically linked to the return socket - so how can one cable be used for all the signals.
The second issue is what happens to the signals at the loft amplifier end? The amp has separate sockets for the downlink and uplink feeds. How do you propose to split the up and down signals to accommodate the two sockets?

2) Many wall sockets have capacitors to de-couple so static on aerials will not upset TV. These do not allow DC through so are no good with digi-eyes.

Which is why it is important to look for sockets and amps that allow 9v pass, as I said previously.

3) Using RF means and HD signal becomes non HD so if you want really good picture then other methods need to be used.

True, but I don't think HD has been mentioned by the OP, so we might be getting ahead of ourselves.

4) The RF output from Sky box may be on a frequency already in use if you also want to watch freeview you may need to change the output frequency.

Valid point.


Well then, I bet the OP is totally baffled now. And all they wanted to do was watch Sky telly in the bedroom.

If anyone is still reading this, bless you. Here's some good info about wall plates and signals LINK

 

[ericmark]

My first reply to post was written before your post appeared and nothing said in it refereed to anything you had said.

Thank you for reply as to 4 output socket you have confirmed it will not work with digi-eye.

As you have pointed out it is what is behind that plate shown in first picture that matters and I would think soldering links like I had to do is not the best option and the de-coupling capacitors when fitted are a pain. Caught me out as had not noticed them and the loft pre-amp provided the 9Vdc to digi-eye so the LED lit as though all was well.

Not sure how to explain to some one without pictures what to look for? Not inclined to remove to photograph it.

As to how to combine and split same unit will work either direction so same plate in loft as in main room. But as you rightly say this will likely confuse and seems not required. The reason I asked was for me not for Tigger90 sorry if I caused confusion. I would prefer to fit band pass filters as it would reduce interference from local transmitters but alas not possible with digi-eye. And anyway I don't watch TV when transmitting so does not effect me. Just my wife who gets upset. So when she is watching TV its a QRP job.

 

[Tigger90]

Yep, Chris you are right only wanted to watch tv in the bedroom!! On my portable non HD, non flat screen!! Have no problems with freeview the TV'S are all too old and as Guernsey is one of the last for the changeover ain't going to bother buying any new TV's until I need to.

I am going to go for the lead out the sky box, under the floor, back up in the old electrics cupboard, upstairs to the booster sockets and hopefully sky in all the rooms..... Hmm, but I have 2 booster sockets in my loft, guess thats cos each room has 2 tv/sky points?

 

[ChrisFrost]

I am going to go for the lead out the sky box, under the floor, back up in the old electrics cupboard, upstairs to the booster sockets and hopefully sky in all the rooms..... Hmm, but I have 2 booster sockets in my loft, guess thats cos each room has 2 tv/sky points?

That's a bit of a vague description about the sockets. It makes it hard to give you specific advice. However I can give you some general advice that might help...

TV booster sockets are labeled so it should be a fairly simple matter of finding the right socket to connect. The different manufacturers all follow a pretty similar way of labeling too, so even if your amp doesn't look exactly like the one in the picture then you can still use the info here to work out what's happening with yours.

The picture above shows a simple 16 output TV amp with Sky pass through, that's what the bi-directional logo means.

The sockets on the amp that feed the various rooms are labeled Out1 ~ Out16. The input for the TV aerial is labeled UHF. The other socket, VHF, is for a radio aerial.

If your booster is something like this then UHF is the socket where your aerial lead from the Sky box's RF2 should go. If the roof TV aerial is already connected to this socket then that needs to be unplugged. The signal from the roof aerial should go directly to the "RF in" socket on the Sky box.

 

[Tigger90]

Just checked and yes it looks like the picture. The electrician must have changed it as last time I looked it was 2 white plug sockets with 6 connectors.

Its dark now, so that will be next weekend's project.... don't like the loft in the dark.. may be spiders!!

Thanks for your help