TV Socket to allow power through

[elsmore1]

Hi I have a few TV's already and wanted to add an extra one, but we have a amplifier down by my TV that goes through the COAX cable. When the TV chap was here I know he had to change the sockets as the ones installed by builders stopped the power getting through.

Can anyone tell me the type of TV wall socket I need.

Thanks

 

[Lucid]

That thing that you think is an amplifier... my bet is that it isn't. It sounds very much like a power supply to power the amplifier fitted somewhere else (loft, cupboard, aerial mast). That's why the TV guy had to change the wall socket to one that doesn't sto[p the power getting through.

Now, tell us where you want this extra TV in the house and describe the equipment fitted that gives signals to the rest of the TVs in your home.

 

[elsmore1]

Hi you are correct there is a power supply by the TV which feeds up to a 4 way amplifier box in the loft and I can see the cable marked that feeds up. The TV is my sons who is six and its on the first floor similar distance to the other TV's as its quite a square house. I can see the power supply will feed the amplifier in loft and the TV's then run from this. I have a spare end as I think there are actually 5 connections one for the input and 4 for the aerials.

 

[Lucid]

If I understand you correctly then what you're saying is that as you look at the distribution amplifier in the loft then Outputs 1-3 are in use, but the fourth one is vacant. Is that correct? If so then the answer is simple: Run a cable from output 4 to your son's bedroom.

 

[Sam Gangee]

And, since the Amp is already powered, the new socket doesn't need to pass current but it ought to be the correct (screened) type. Use WF100 cable to connect.

 

[winston1]

I have a spare end as I think there are actually 5 connections one for the input and 4 for the aerials.

No one input and four outputs. There is only one TV aerial, hopefully on the roof.

 

[ericmark]

Any TV aerial outside, should, some where, be isolated from earth, as other wise it can attract lighting, but that isolation will be in the first device, be it a socket, or an amplifier, after that point no need for isolation. Same with phone line, first open reach socket will have a spark gap and filter, non are required after that first device.

Having a braid break or band pass filter will not cause a problem where you don't need to send DC through coax so as long as one cable which powers the pre-amp has no DC blocking filter it is not a problem if the rest do. Unless you want to use something like the sky digi eye to change channels. Some amplifiers use the same coax for multi-signals i.e. VHF, DAB, UHF and Sky and the latter can also be joined and split giving two feeds on the same cable using these hi-tech systems then there may be problems not using special wall sockets. But in the main there is no real problem.

I had a problem with the mast head amplifier and the power supply, I got some one in to test aerial well got them in to fit new aerial but they tested old one and reported a good signal and nothing wrong. Plugged everything in and all worked great. Two days latter no signal again. Looking at TV I found the TV could be set in the menu to give out the voltage to run the mast head amplifier, so took the power supply away completely and used TV to power it. No problems after doing that. Plus spare mains socket now.

 

[winston1]

Any TV aerial outside, should, some where, be isolated from earth, as other wise it can attract lighting,

I can't believe I'm reading this. A TV aerial should be bonded to earth via the lightning protection of the building. This helps to discharge the air and prevent lightning strikes.

Aerials are rarely bonded in UK domestic installations however, but they are in professional communial systems and I believe it is a legal requirement in some other countries.

 

[winston1]

Some amplifiers use the same coax for multi-signals i.e. VHF, DAB, UHF and Sky and the latter can also be joined and split giving two feeds on the same cable

No, you cannot split Sky signals. The receivers send band switching information back to the LNB, and 2 receivers sending different information will cause conflict.

 

[ericmark]

According to the lectures I attended I will admit aimed at the radio armature rather than TV user having a leak off resistor is OK, but you should allow the aerial to match the potential of the air around it as other wise during an electrical storm it will act like a lighting conductor and attract the lighting to strike it rather than any other part of the building or ground. Before lighting strikes it produced an ionised path which looks for a path of least resistance so will hit high items which a bonded to ground before low items. However electrical storms also have wind so the ionised path can move to a point near the high grounded item rather than hit the item its self. You should not fit aerials onto sharp corners on building as they will also have voltage gradients whole idea of a sharp point on a lighting conductor is lighting is attracted to it. So should never attach to a gable end or a soot lined chimney as more likely to get a strike. However in this country we don't get that many electrical storms to worry about so we can get away with breaking the rules.

There are special units which alter the carrier frequency from the LNB and send it down a coax then convert it back so yes you can get two signals down the same coax. But it is rather a special bit of kit.

 

[Sam Gangee]

Radios don't have armatures but dynamos do.
Amateur?
And, so he doesn't feel left out, Winston can't spell "communal".

Practical experience beats theory every time. I can tell you from personal experience that lightning doesn't care what a TV aerial is connected to. There is always a capacitive connection to ground from the drop-cable and that's enough to form an ionising path if a lightning cloud is within 15 miles. (That's the official minimum distance for shutdown of runway fuelling operations.)

 

[elsmore1]

I have a pre made lead with a connection on the end I think its an F type. Can I just get an adaptor at the TV end to convert from Ftype to the connection to the TV. Only as this means I can keep the cable with the F Type on the end.

 

[Sam Gangee]

Yes http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/page7.htm#090-4333

 

[ericmark]

Radios don't have armatures but dynamos do.
Amateur?
And, so he doesn't feel left out, Winston can't spell "communal".

Practical experience beats theory every time. I can tell you from personal experience that lightning doesn't care what a TV aerial is connected to. There is always a capacitive connection to ground from the drop-cable and that's enough to form an ionising path if a lightning cloud is within 15 miles. (That's the official minimum distance for shutdown of runway fuelling operations.)

Yep missed that one on the spell check clearly clicked on wrong option. However the Pye Cambridge radio did have an armature in it, or at least some did, some used rotary converters others a synchronous vibrator think the latter was cheaper and used in the latter sets. As a lad I looked for them scrapped to get the rotary converters out of them. As to steam radio only when the VSWR was out did the valves boil the cooling water but I suppose we did have steam radio!

 

[Sam Gangee]

a synchronous vibrator think

Do you mean "a synchronous vibrator thing"?