Satellite cable

[fredd500]

I mentioned in a previous thread that I am future proofing the nursery that I am currently decorating with a couple of cat5e and a couple of coax cables. The coax cables are destined to be connected to a satellite multiswitch so I can pipe two sat feeds into every room (and hence have a separate sky+/sky+ HD box in every room should I want it).

Plasterer is booked for tomorrow and I need to get the cables installed today (the spark kindly put in a back box and conduit for me, but because the hole he drilled in the loft is slightly off centre, I need to feed the cables before the conduit is plastered in as I need to pop the conduit out of the wall to easily get the cable into it)

Question is, should I use shotgun cable or two separate runs of PF100? Is shotgun the same or as good as PF100 or is it slightly cheaper on the grounds that it is good enough and allows your average crappy sat installer to be in and out in the 10 minutes they usually are?

I am also reading about something called RG-6. As far as I can tell, RG-6 refers to pretty much any 75ohm coax cable around an 18 AWG centre conductor. Is this the same as CT100 or PF100? If not, which is better for piping Sky+/Sky+ HD

Many thanks

[dave2506]

Can't answer the last question but I would say that the choice between shotgun or 2 cable runs will come down to what you can get your hands on given the short space of time between now and when the plasterer will come in!

Both should be more than adequate for the job but shotgun cable is a little hard to track down without ordering it from a specialist.

[AV Junky]

I think that shotgun cable was available from Maplin, last time I looked. Personally I prefer single cable, as it is easier to physically manipulate. Don't forget that shotgun have two copper cores in the same cable, well as the insulation and braiding. Makes it more difficult to bend it into the shape that is needed.

[fredd500]

Getting hold of either shouldn't be too much of a problem. I have a branch of TLC nearby and they stock both.

I found an off cut of PF100 at home which is just long enough for the two runs for the job intended (i.e. up a vertical run into the loft and adjacent to a power socket where the multiswitch will ultimately end up). I have managed to stuff that up the conduit and into the loft so the plasterer can start tomorrow.

I think I may have to use shotgun on the other rooms though. I am using this module:

Screened Quadplexed Module - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys

with this faceplate:

Modular 4 Gang Faceplate - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys

and a couple of these:

Cat5E Outlet Module - Screwfix.com, Where the Trade Buys

and bending the PF100 into the module was a complete pig as the gap between the bottom of the module (where the cables terminate) and the bottom of the standard UK back box is really tight.

Having looked at the shot gun cable available from TLC, it shows 2x 4.8mm cables welded together. I am assuming this weld will be like speaker cable and can be split (indeed this would be required at both the LNB and receiver anyway) and being 4.8mm instead of the 6.8mm of the cable I currently have, I hope it will bend easier.

Only thing will be signal quality. The cable is bent so tight at the moment, god only knows whether it will work, but I don't have anything connected to the other end to test it. Guess I will have to hope and pray it works!