How on Earth do i improve TV Reception ??

[hot-fuzz]

OK, heres the deal.

On the wall i have this :

and i plug an aerial into the TV socket using a connector (as the cable doesnt fit in straight).

The aerial goes from there into one of these :

another aerial goes from there to the back of the TV in the bedroom. That aerial though needs to be at least 30-35 feet long.

Is the fact that i got a HUGE length of aerial degrading my TV quality, or is it the fact that i not got a specific TV aerial socket in my wall, but some dodgy socket which looks like it may be wired to the satellite?

Any tips to improve reception would be very much appreciated as watching TV in the bedroom is doing my head in.

An before you suggest it, i have tried Wireless TV senders (i would then get the bonus of watching SKY in the bedroom admitadely) but i bought one from Argos recently (£45) and it was rubbish. ..... you will have to convince me.

Ta

[0lly]

What is the TV reception like when you plug a short cable(one meter) from the wall socket into a TV?

If it is a good picture then there is nothing wrong with your reception. Therefore you need to invest in some decent aerial cable i.e. low loss(might have to buy online from aerial shop). Looks like from the pics that you have some cheap thin cable from the booster to the TV which really does not help. Also your booster should be at the TV end of the cable not at the wall socket end. E.g. decent low loss cable from wall socket to bedroom, then plug into booster, then short low loss cable from booster to TV.

Also not sure what video sender you bought but I have one that transmits 30 feet through 2 brick walls and the picture is great unless you walk through the line of site. I will let you know the make and model soon.

One other thing I noticed from the pics is that the wall socket looks pretty corroded so it might be worth replacing it with a new one. Try to find one with a shielded rear plate which covers the connection.

[Chris Muriel]

The booster should be as near to the TV aerial as possible to amplify the maximum amount of signal and least amount of noise - i.e. amplify or boost before the signal gets attenuated by either cable length or loss through sockets and connectors..

Chris Muriel, Manchester

[hot-fuzz]

Originally Posted by 0lly

What is the TV reception like when you plug a short cable(one meter) from the wall socket into a TV?

If it is a good picture then there is nothing wrong with your reception. Therefore you need to invest in some decent aerial cable i.e. low loss(might have to buy online from aerial shop). Looks like from the pics that you have some cheap thin cable from the booster to the TV which really does not help. Also your booster should be at the TV end of the cable not at the wall socket end. E.g. decent low loss cable from wall socket to bedroom, then plug into booster, then short low loss cable from booster to TV.

Also not sure what video sender you bought but I have one that transmits 30 feet through 2 brick walls and the picture is great unless you walk through the line of site. I will let you know the make and model soon.

One other thing I noticed from the pics is that the wall socket looks pretty corroded so it might be worth replacing it with a new one. Try to find one with a shielded rear plate which covers the connection.

Top advice there, ta.
I didnt realise the booster needed to be nearer the TV, cheers Chris Muriel + Olly.

I did some testing last night and found that the TV reception actually improves 100 fold if i leave SKY turned on !!!!!!. If i turn it off the picture gets alot of interference, which is odd, as the aerial doesnt pass through the Sky box at all.

Im gonna put the booster near the TV tonight, and as for the cable, yes it is cheap stuff, didnt really want to fork out for decent cable that needs to be 30 feet long when i havent exhausted all my options.

Cheers for the info guys.

[nig28]

Hi

Chris did actually say near the AERIAL, which means, if it was a new install it would be in the loft or on the roof.

Nigel

[0lly]

Regarding the booster, yes you could try it near the aeriel end but I have found it is better near the TV. Distrubution amplifiers are really more suited for near aerial locations whereas boosters work slightly differently i.e. have alot more filtering in them and have a different input resistance.

Anyway you could try both ends of the 30 foot cable see what works out best.

BUT my main advice is to buy a new wall socket and invest in some better cable, and although you already own a booster, cable and better connections far exceed the need for a booster.

Let us know what happens.

[hot-fuzz]

Originally Posted by 0lly

Also not sure what video sender you bought but I have one that transmits 30 feet through 2 brick walls and the picture is great unless you walk through the line of site. I will let you know the make and model soon.

Thats what i need, ta.

Originally Posted by nig28

Chris did actually say near the AERIAL, which means, if it was a new install it would be in the loft or on the roof.

Sorry, thats what i meant (honest...... )

Originally Posted by 0lly

BUT my main advice is to buy a new wall socket and invest in some better cable, and although you already own a booster cable and better connections far exceed the need for a booster.

What is "better cable" and where can i get some of the stuff ??
Ta.

[0lly]

Regarding the video sender I will have to let u know next week as my Mum has it round her house.

Regarding the cable u could try online at some TV aerial suppliers. They have all sorts of cable, wall sockets and connectors and are cheaper than the high street.

I cannot link either of the these as I am at work and I will have too log off very soon.

You're Sky box thing has puzzled me though.

[nig28]

Hi

[What is "better cable" and where can i get some of the stuff ??
Ta.

Better cable would be CT100 (FT100), which has better insulation, used for sky and digital TV.

Try Maplins http://www.maplin.co.uk/search.aspx?...enu=y&DOY=19m1

Nigel

[hot-fuzz]

Originally Posted by 0lly

You're Sky box thing has puzzled me though.

To make matters worse, the TV reception in the bedroom is better when SKY is on BBC2 !!!!!!
Most other channels on SKY give the TV in the bedroom rubbish quality, but on BBC2 its bearable !!!

OMG im going mad

[0lly]

OK.

Please check the wiring on the rear of the wall plate. Make sure the outer ground cable(copper wire mesh) of both feeds are not connected together via a rear grounding plate. The SAT feed and TV feed should be totally isolated from each other! Or is the aerial connected at all? Please take pictures if possible.

If you want to watch Sky in your bedroom you can connect your 30 foot aerial cable to the back of the Sky box and tune your bedroom TV to the Sky boxes output channel. You can also buy the Sky inline coxial remote control sender which you connect between your bedroom TV and the aerial feed so you can change the Sky boxes channel from your bedroom! Here is the link:

http://www.audiovisualonline.co.uk/d...k/display.html

BUT lets get the aerial problem out the way first!


PS. Also just noticed all you wireless gear. That might be interfering with your video sender as I think it operates on the same 2.4 Ghz frequency as Wi-fi.

[hot-fuzz]

Originally Posted by 0lly

OK.

Please check the wiring on the rear of the wall plate. Make sure the outer ground cable(copper wire mesh) of both feeds are not connected together via a rear grounding plate. The SAT feed and TV feed should be totally isolated from each other! Or is the aerial connected at all? Please take pictures if possible.

That will be done at the weekend Cheers for the continuing help

Originally Posted by 0lly

If you want to watch Sky in your bedroom you can connect your 30 foot aerial cable to the back of the Sky box and tune your bedroom TV to the Sky boxes output channel.

HEY, i have tried that. I have a PACE Sky DVB Box, do i just put the cable in the RF OUT ?? Im sure i did that, but you say i have to tune it into the TV, so say, i select channel 6 and tune in the channel and one of the channels it comes up with SHOULD be Sky ? That would solve one problem ... of getting Sky to the bedroom.

[0lly]

Yer just plug the cable into the RF out just like you said. I am not sure whether the Digi Eye remote extender will work with the Pace box, I guess you should email the website selling it and ask them.

Just one other thing. Once we sorted out the aerial problem you should be able to loop the aerial feed through your Pace box and to your other TV. Then with the Sky box on turn your TV to autotune and it will pick up all analogue channels including Sky. This would be the best way todo it.

[hot-fuzz]

I have just tried the aerial cable i have got (it says 3C-2V Coaxial 75 Ohms on it) and the reception of Sky when i tuned it into my TC is rubbish, so im assuming its the cable.
Im going to Maplins tomorrow to pick up some better cable. Then im gonna check the socket out (dont want to do too much damage, its a rented property)

I have looked into the CT100 .... isnt that for SKY cables, rather than RF Coaxial ?? Or can i use CT100 with different end connectors ??

Sorry for going on so much, but this is really helping.

[0lly]

Hold your horses!

Have u checked you are getting decent reception from the aerial socket at all, as in plugged a TV into the socket via a short length of cable?

I have lived in many rented flats etc and often the landlord cannot be bothered to set up a decent aerial!

Also it is the Low-Loss TV Coax Cable you are looking for in Maplins, but you could be wasteing your money if the signal is poor in the first place!