What are these cables coming through my wall? And what cables do i need?

[Mr. Clueless]

With the carpet being installed at the end of August, I want the correct cabling in place beforehand so it can easily get tucked under the carpet during the install.

We have some cable coming in to the living room from the outside. I'm not sure if it's from the Sky dish or from the aerial itself. I'd need to take a look.

What we'll be wanting is obviously a TV in the living room.
If we can get a good deal with Sky as a new customer then we'd possibly go with Sky. Failing that we would probably go with something like BT TV as it's quite cheap.


So what is all that & is it enough to do what i just said or do i need different cabling?



I've a bad feeling i'm going to get told brand new cabling will need drilling in from the outside, although i'm not 100% sure about that since the previous owners had a TV in there & it must've worked so...

 

[winston1]

Defiantly not from Sky dish as satellite feeds cannot be split that way. I'd say it is cable TV (Virgin). The top feed is a crimped cable though the 2 in your fingers are screw on connectors which Virgin never use. So I would say it is a cable feed wit DIY additions.

 

[Mr. Clueless]

So what will I need in order to let's say at the very least watch a TV withfreeview in that room?

I had a quick look before I left this morning & there's a thick cable coming from the roof so I guess that would be the aerial. This goes in through the wall itself.
Then there's a thinner cable running in through the air brick which is in line with all that. I'd guess that was from the sky dish but I didn't have the time to start tracing cables as I was up a little late.

 

[winston1]

For Freeview you need WF100 cable run to where the aerial will be (ideally roof). For satellite you need twin WF100 or twin WF65 to where the dish will be (outside on a south east facing position).

 

[Mr. Clueless]

Thanks.

What I don't get though is that they must've had cables coming in anyway and I can see a cable from the roof running inside. One certainly runs in to the bedroom above as that's where our to currently is (& works).

That rectangular thing looks like some sort of splitter to me. If I remember right when we bought the house the paperwork said their TV was with orange.

I can't see how i'd need to get cable in when they would've had it before plus I can see cable coming in physically from the roof.

I've a feeling I'm going to have to find an aerial installer to come & take a look.

He'll probably just say that plugs there & voila. Lol.

 

[winston1]

Thanks.

What I don't get though is that they must've had cables coming in anyway and I can see a cable from the roof running inside. One certainly runs in to the bedroom above as that's where our to currently is (& works).

That rectangular thing looks like some sort of splitter to me. If I remember right when we bought the house the paperwork said their TV was with orange.

I can't see how i'd need to get cable in when they would've had it before plus I can see cable coming in physically from the roof.

I've a feeling I'm going to have to find an aerial installer to come & take a look.

He'll probably just say that plugs there & voila. Lol.

It is a splitter, it says so on it. I've not heard of TV with Orange in this country (in France, yes) but if so it would (probably) be streamed down a phone line. You need to trace the cable coming in to the top of the splitter.

 

[Mr. Clueless]

Thanks.

What I don't get though is that they must've had cables coming in anyway and I can see a cable from the roof running inside. One certainly runs in to the bedroom above as that's where our to currently is (& works).

That rectangular thing looks like some sort of splitter to me. If I remember right when we bought the house the paperwork said their TV was with orange.

I can't see how i'd need to get cable in when they would've had it before plus I can see cable coming in physically from the roof.

I've a feeling I'm going to have to find an aerial installer to come & take a look.

He'll probably just say that plugs there & voila. Lol.

It is a splitter, it says so on it. I've not heard of TV with Orange in this country (in France, yes) but if so it would (probably) be streamed down a phone line. You need to trace the cable coming in to the top of the splitter.

Is there anything that'll give you a better clue as to what that cable is?

Such as if I unscrew it & photo the end?


I'm just guessing here (as my lack of knowledge should be pretty evident by now) but is there a cable that could have 1 end that plugs in to that cable there (going in to top of splitter) with the other end being the aerial connection part that plugs in to the TV? A sort of extension cable if you will.

I know it'd be a bit slapdash but I don't really fancy ripping the skirting off. Would be helpful if I could get that end connected to a TV to see if it is the aerial cable.

 

[winston1]

We are all guessing. That cable going to the top of the splitter looks like a cable TV (Virgin) feed, but it could be a feed from an aerial. As I said you need to trace it.

 

[Mr. Clueless]

Well hopefully you'll be wiser on the back of this because i think i've figured out at the very least what goes where & from where.

* There is a cable running from the roof all the way down the face of the house & in through an air brick. This is the thickest cable of the lot (not counting the double cable because that's cheating! It's the thickest single cable). I've marked this with a green arrow. The only thing up there on the roof is the TV aerial.
* There is a cable (thinner than the previous) which runs from the master bedroom to just at the side of the air brick at the bottom of the house which goes in through some brown silicone splodge (nice choice of colour!) at both sections. I've marked this with a yellow arrow.
* Then there's a double cable. Now if i remember right, Sky+ needs 2 cables for the recording feature. At least this is what i'm sure Sky told me about 5-6 years or so ago. Without getting a ladder to see precisely where it terminates, it stops at the Sky dish at any rate. Also enters the living room between the 2 other cables. I've marked this with a red arrow.

Now if it makes any difference at all, we can't get anything like Virgin Media here in this area, so they can't be those cables.

Now looking at the 3 different types of cable ...

* thick black (to the roof)
* twin (to the sky dish)
* thin black (to the side of all of this near the air brick)

& then comparing it to what is showing on the inside.....

* The thick cable (from the roof) is the one i'm holding in that image which goes direct to the top of the splitter
* The thin cable runs in to the bottom of the splitter. Bear in mind the thin cable seems to run from bedroom to this splitter .... and we get TV signal perfectly fine in the bedroom. For now we only watch freeview but it works perfectly fine.
* The twin cable (from the Sky dish) does not connect to the splitter at all, but is the cable i showed you in the second image in this thread - the 2 ends.


Now casting my mind back (because this entire living room has been ripped apart, literally (new floor, new joists, new everything) the original telephone master socket was just above this on the windowledge. The previous owners also had the TV in the opposite corner .... which is where this cabling was trailed.


Now i can't remember if there's been an additional cable or connectors that i have maybe thrown out while all the work was going on. But anyway, that is what there is, that is where it is coming from & going to.



I hope that helps shine a light on the matter?


I have a feeling that the thin cable going in to the bottom of the splitter (whatever that cable is called?) I need another one of those coming out of the other side & running that in to the back of the TV?

Correct?

I sure hope so.

^^ cable going in to top of splitter

^^ top of splitter.




EDIT: Sorry, the 2nd photo there looks like the green arrow is indicating a cable at the Sky dish. It's not. I was simply trying to show that the thick cable runs well up the wall towards the roof. Way beyond the Sky dish.

 

[Lucid]

Twin cable goes from satellite dish to a Sky recorder box [as you say, two cables is the normal connection method for Sky's recording feature]

Thick single cable goes (most likely) from the roof-mounted aerial in to the two way splitter. The outputs from the splitter: one to the master bedroom in the room above [via the thin cable], and the other not connected. So long as the aerial is (a) working and (b) doesn't have a masthead amplifier which would require power, then then connecting a cable to the RHS socket and plugging the other end in to your TV's aerial input then that TV should then receive Freeview after the telly is properly tuned. Note: Do a 'First Time Install' which wipes the TV tuner memory and searches from fresh to find all the available channels.

If there's a TV in the master bedroom then connect the aerial lead coming in from outside and try the TV tuning. Given (a) and (b) both being okay then you should receive some Freeview channels. If not then here's the most likely causes and what to do to fix them...

(1) The TV coax plug at the bedroom TV has come loose and is shorting out the connection. Solution: remake the plug connection and make sure that none of the fine braided screen wire is touching the centre core connection.

(2) The aerial mast is fitted with a box that amplifies the signal. This needs a power supply to work. No power supply = no signal. The fact that your little two-way splitter also has DC Power Pass would suggest to me that it was installed with a masthead amp in mind. The power supply is a block something like this (image) with two signal connections. It lives near/behind the main lounge TV aerial point. It connects 'in-line' between the wall socket and the TV aerial input. It sends power up the aerial cable to make the amplifier work. These are often mistakenly thought of as boosters and so the previous owner takes it with them when they move. That's no big deal. Solution: Replacements are available over the counter at most aerial shops, online and even Screwfix* (link). The only additional items required are a couple of pieces of decent coax cable (WF100) with the appropriate end connections. These are: wall to power supply = F plug to F plug. Power supply to TV: F plug to TV coax plug. Good aerial shops and online suppliers sell these cables made up for you from WF100 and the appropriate plugs. Have a look at the Satcure page here for the options.

Important tech info to stop you buying a lemon and to prevent interference issues in the future: Those pre-made coax leads with the moulded plugs, the ones you might pick up from the supermarket or DIY shed... they're garbage. They cause more issues with poor signal and interference than almost any other single item in an aerial system. The cable is thin and poorly shielded so it is prone to loss and much higher levels of interference than decent TV coax cable. Buy properly shielded coax cable (WF100) and save yourself a tonne of hassle.

Once you have installed the power supply and connected it correctly then there should be an aerial signal at the TV. Do a 'First time install' to wipe the tuner memory.

(3) The aerial is goosed. Solution: Get an aerial guy in to replace the aerial and check out the quality of the cable downlead too. If he tries to sell you RG6 aerial coax then find another installer. All-copper WF100 coax is relatively inexpensive; it will give better signal (less loss and much better noise rejection) plus last far longer long than cheaper but far inferior RG6 cable.

* Screwfix - Not a good choice of retailer for aerial gear: Their product range and quality isn't that great. However, with a masthead amp you can't really go too far wrong.

 

[winston1]

Lucid has said it all, but I'm puzzled as to why he thinks there is a masthead amplifier that needs powering as you said the bedroom TV works fine. If there was a masthead amplifier with no power you would get nothing.
So all you should need is an F to Belling Lee lead from the 2nd splitter outlet to the TV.

Under the dish there is a black box that appears to be on the aerial cable. Doesn't look like an amplifier, anyway we have dismissed that possibility as the bedroom TV works with no powering. I suppose it might be a 4G filter, but anyway it is a mystery to me.

 

[Lucid]

No mystery really. I skim read the first and last post by Mr Clueless and then covered all the common eventualities, and that includes a system both with- and a system without- a masthead amp.

 

[Mr. Clueless]

Ahh skim read. I wondered why you were talking about if there is no signal in the master bedroom when i'd previously said the master bedroom works perfectly fine

So just to clarify...

All I now need to do is to google a 'shielded coax cable' at a length that suits & it will fit?

I was wondering if the ends are set sizes because if I remember right the end that connects to the TV just pushes in

However the end that connects to this splitter screws in so I thought i'd need one end with a screw connector??

 

[winston1]

That is right. You need an F to Belling Lee cable.

 

[Mr. Clueless]

Well i googled that ... https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=F...firefox-b&gfe_rd=cr&ei=8ACZV-3oBMjU8gez1b64BA and didn't see any, or am i missing it?

So i tried Amazon, since it has everything & threw in "F to belling lee" which didn't turn up anything either.

So i threw the word coax in there also https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=F...firefox-b&gfe_rd=cr&ei=rAGZV5vUOsjU8gez1b64BA to see if this would throw up a result of the correct cable to buy & i didn't see it there either.

I'd rather not have to call an aerial installer out just to hand over a 10mtr cable at a cost of £nameyerprice. Sorry to be a PITA but are you able to provide a link of the correct thing? Sorry about this.