TV aerial cable wall mount problem! Help!

[DanielRichards]

Hi there.
I've had a dodgy connection where my tv aerial wire comes out of my lounge wall since i moved into my new place 2 years ago, but always solved any loss in picture quality by waggling the aerial wire at the back of the tv every time!! Classy i know!.

However, i've just moved the room around and have had to use an aerial extension lead to reach the new tv position, and now the picture quality is worse, and can't be sorted out with a tug on the wire, so i've decided to try and fix the problem.

Does anyone know if i try and fix a new coaxial mounting on the wall where the tv aerial comes out (currently just a peice of tape!), do i just bare a little wire and screw it to the back of a new plate and fix to the wall, or is it more difficult than that?? Also, there's no electric current anywhere is there??

If anyone can make sense of my ramblings i'd really appreciate some help!

Thanks
Dan.

[MitsiTurbo]

Its very easy to do mate, all you need is a stanley knife and a screwdriver.

On the back of the plate there are two termination points, one for the core, one for the screen. Carefully strip a length of insulation from the cable, pull the screen back and then strip some of the inner sheath off. The inner core will fix into the small screw terminal in the centre of the plate and the screen needs to be fitted under the 'clamp' on the back of the plate. Hopefully that makes sense, I wrote that in a bit of a rush!

P.s. No electrical currents involved.

[DanielRichards]

Thanks again mate, i was first outside B and Q this morning! Sad i know. All done, doesn't seem to have made too much difference. I've got CBBC back for my daughter, but lost channel 5. Oh well!

Dan.

[MitsiTurbo]

No probs Daniel. Is it freeview you have? If so, what kind of coax cable was it? Was it quite thick and rigid (oo-er ) or was it very thin and floppy? If it was the first type then it should have had the insulation followed by a copper braid, followed by copper foil then the second insulation and finally the core. This is only if you have gone digital that you have to have that kind of cable

[Marky P]

Cable could be damaged. If possible, best to replace the full length with CT100 or equivalent.

[DanielRichards]

Yup freeview..
Its an old house, so could well be that the cable from the aerial is damaged, though replacing it is starting to sound like a big job!!! Its brown and quite rigid, , the inner core was ok but the earth was very brittle and damaged. From the wall plate i installed, i just bought a 10m aerial lead to connect to tv.

Dan.

[MitsiTurbo]

Originally Posted by DanielRichards

Yup freeview..
Its an old house, so could well be that the cable from the aerial is damaged, though replacing it is starting to sound like a big job!!! Its brown and quite rigid, , the inner core was ok but the earth was very brittle and damaged. From the wall plate i installed, i just bought a 10m aerial lead to connect to tv.

Dan.

Sounds like its probably the cable from the aerial isnt up to standard for digital or is damaged. Any idea what the cable route is like back to the aerial?!

[DanielRichards]

Out of interest then, ( i can see i'm going to go ahead and do this!!!!)
what cable should i use that would be up to digital standard??
And, what would be the best way of replacing the old one?? Should i try and pull it through with the new one attached?

Forgive my ignorance on this issue!




Dan.

[MitsiTurbo]

Originally Posted by DanielRichards

Forgive my ignorance on this issue!

No worries, we all start somewhere!

Use FT100 or CT100 (both available from Maplins). Theyre basically the same except the FT has a foam dielectric and the CT has a plastic one (dielectric is what surrounds the inner core). I would say the FT is the better.

Youll need to strip back about 3 inches worth of the end of the new and old cable. Strip back right to the inner core. Fold each of them over and hook them together then twist each of the cores (if that makes sense!) so that they are quite securely hooked together. Then cover the whole lot with a load of electrical tape! Do the electrical tape tightly and go onto the insulation aswell. You want to do as much as possible to stop the two coming apart. Then just slowly and firmly pull the old one out. Make sure youve got someone feeding the new stuff and make sure you dont kink it!

Good luck!

[vex]

Cable that has been tested and approved by the industry body (CAI) should have a refference number printed along its jacket, every meter or so.

We use the Foam filled stuff as standard and prefer WF100 if at all possible.

V.

[Marky P]

If it doesn't pull through, you may have to run the cable up the outside of your house. Is the aerial in the loft or on the roof?

[DanielRichards]

The aerial's in the loft. I did have a quick tug on the old cable in the wall the other day and it seemed quite solid. Is it better to pull it up from the loft or down from the lounge, or is there no difference?

Thanks for everyones replies.

Dan.

[Marky P]

Originally Posted by DanielRichards

The aerial's in the loft. I did have a quick tug on the old cable in the wall the other day and it seemed quite solid. Is it better to pull it up from the loft or down from the lounge, or is there no difference?

Thanks for everyones replies.

Dan.

Whichever's the easiest, really.