Aerial/Antenna issue

[Bobbydazzler74]

Hi... This is my first post so apologies should this one find itself in the wrong sub-topic. However I was hoping to be able to tap into the expertise out there.

I have just erected a new rooftop aerial/antenna having taken advantage of my neighbours scaffolding. I purchased new cabling (CT100) and a proception masthead amplifier to boot as I'm in a poor reception area..
I also have an anterference 2 way splitter.

So my issue...

I have two TV's but signal to one TV only. The one which doesn't have signal hasn't had the cable replaced (RG6). Does this need to be CT100 as well?

The red light on the proception power supply lights up when the fly lead is about 2" away from the back of the telly indicating a fault but stays green if not connected. Would this be a problem with the fly lead?

I hope that makes sense and I hope someone can help me. Thanks

 

[Rodders53]

Possibly the wrong splitter choice, if connected between aerial masthead and the power supply.

Power pass both ports the Proception psu will see the TV tuner as a DC short when connected. Some odd capacitive effects I guess when you are holding plug near the TV input?

You need power pass on one leg only or uni-directional. Or, if you can, split after the power supply to the two locations.

RG6 is often copper clad steel cable so OK indoors (not a good external cable) and as long as not used in anger for DC supply. Rarely it's all copper construction. A magnet will tell.
RF wise it is on a par with ZZ100 cables such as the CT100 from Toolstation.

 

[Bobbydazzler74]

Hi... Thanks for your reply. I've double checked and the splitter is an Antiference UCF2000 which according to the web is a power pass. I'm wondering whether I've got the ports the wrong way round!

 

[Rodders53]

The picture of that splitter shows only DC pass from output 1 to the input. Antiference spec omits that as as definitive statement (

That splitter input should go to the masthead amp output/DC supply in terminal; with the aerial connected to the masthead's input.
So it's essential the psu is connected to output 1 of the splitter. The output 2 will be isolated from the DC side, so if the psu is connected to that the amp won't work (due to no power) and the psu should see a dead short from the splitters' inductor / transformer circuit.

So check all connections are correct first off and all plugs are made off right with no stray whiskers of outer near the inners.

I'd certainly be going over that RG6 cable very carefully, though. Do the magnet check? Look for corrosion and other damage. Remake the ends.

As I read it the CT100 circuit works with the PSU connected to it, and the RG6 doesn't / connecting to the TV stops it working?

So it's unlikely that you have the connections wrong but if so connecting the psu to the RG6 instead of the CT100 might work OK (depending a bit on cable length / DC resistance). As Proception amps work from 5V to 12V and the psu is 12V then it's more likely to work than not work.

While the splitter ought not have any DC connection to the other output it may be that the second TV connection is shorting the psu... if so a 'decoupling' lead could resolve it? Decoupling Sky coaxial cable to avoid ground loops
works for $ky box magic eyes that pass DC from in to out and should do the same here, almost certainly.

PROception Wideband TV & Satellite Splitter 2 Way is the proception equivalent splitter device (without an external weatherproof box).

 

[TJT1]

The red light on the proception power supply lights up when the fly lead is about 2" away from the back of the telly indicating a fault but stays green if not connected. Would this be a problem with the fly lead?

Do you really mean that the fault light comes on before you connect the cable?

 

[Bobbydazzler74]

Folks.... Thanks for all your support. Turns out that I don't know my inputs from outputs! Everything was correct except for the PSU, so I'd got the fly lead going to input and coax to output
.... and for the record TJT1, yes when I offered the fly lead up to the rear of the telly the red light came on the PSU before it was even connected. The wonders of science

 

[TJT1]

How weird.

 

[Rodders53]

How weird.

from post #2 I said:
Some odd capacitive effects I guess when you are holding plug near the TV input?

Now we know that lead was the psu output 12V, it makes even more sense.