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11/05/2008, 17:28 ErnieY Joined on 05/12/2006 Nr Prayssac (Lot) Posts 2,952 Re: More channels FTA this morning There are several different cables you could use though quite where you'd source them in France I don't know but I'm sure you must be able to. Have a look HERE, UK based I know but an indication of what is available. In the broadest of terms the bigger it is the better it is but once you start going beyond the typical 6mm stuff that you can simply fit a standard F plug to you start to run into the need for special tools to fit the connectors and if you make a bodge of this you can potentially throw away the advantage of having the better cable in the first place, and maybe more ! The white cable you speak of I would expect to be roughly equivalent to CTF100 and is typical of the stuff a dish installer would routinely use, it has a 3ghz loss of 36.2dB/100m. Next up would be CTF125 (7.8mm dia & 31.00dB/100m) then CTF167 (10.1mm dia & 25.8dB/100m) and finally CTF233 (13mm dia & 20.14dB/100m) which is about as good as it gets but at 13mm dia is considerably harder to work with. Again, in the very broadest of terms, the improvement you could achieve by using CTF233 as opposed to the basic CTF100 might be the same as going from a 90cm dish to a 2m one which is why I stress that attention to the cable is crucial and always, IMO the preferred starting prior to increasing dish size. My doctor said one drink per day, I can live with that !    Report

12/05/2008, 7:15 joidevie Joined on 10/05/2005 Posts 178 Re: More channels FTA this morning Thanks for all that great info.. So, as a DIY installer, would you recommend sourcing the best CT100 available rather than say some CT125 (which I have seen on Ebay at £1 a metre) ? And, are the 'screw on' connectors adequate or is it worth investing in a crimping tool? Gold connectors - worth the extra pennies? Also, some French cable is rated at 19dB (6.8mm) - How does that work out? Many thanks.    Report

12/05/2008, 9:56 ErnieY Joined on 05/12/2006 Nr Prayssac (Lot) Posts 2,952 Re: More channels FTA this morning CT100 is effectively a specification and in theory at least it should all be the same, in practice there is likely to be stuff out there labelled CT100 but inferior in performance but how to discriminate is the problem. Sighting the spec sheet or sticking to reputable manufacurers would seem to be sensible. The French cable you mention does not appear suitable. First and foremost it is only specced to 3000mhz but also states "utilisation à l'intérieur" which instantly renders it useless anyway, ALL cables for exterior use should be black. Also, saying "19dB" without reference to frequency or length is meaningless. Regarding CT125 and gold crimp connectors etc., all to the good and may be sufficient to stabilise your system. I don't know what cable you have at the moment however you do say that it has 2 in-line connectors which I think you really MUST get rid of as a matter of priority. How long is the run, why are they there in the first place ? Assuming your alignment is correct and that you say it works except in heavy rain then I think a single run of CT100 could possibly see you OK and CT125 would practically guarantee it. Being as you need to replace it anyway personally I'd plump for the latter. My doctor said one drink per day, I can live with that !    Report

12/05/2008, 10:48 joidevie Joined on 10/05/2005 Posts 178 Re: More channels FTA this morning Thanks again.. I may plump for some of this (as it's 25-30m for the setup) and I've found some CT125 screw on F connectors in Maplin.. And hope it doesn't rain too often! Will a dual LNB affect the signal? (ie. two outputs, not twin headed).. I want to split off and place a second box in an upstairs bedroom..    Report

12/05/2008, 11:21 Anton Redman Joined on 23/08/2004 Gironde Posts 1,921 Re: More channels FTA this morning You have to run to completely separate cable runs all the way to the LNB.    Report

12/05/2008, 11:31 Tim Joined on 19/03/2007 76 Haute Normandie Posts 392 Re: More channels FTA this morning While you are out and about look for something called in English (not sure of the French - sorry ) 'self-amalgamating tape'. It's a 'soft' tape (with a backing you remove) that sticks to itself - cut a piece a few inches long and wrap it around the connector, leaving the nut part free so you can turn it to fit it to the lnb, then cover it with ordinary insulating tape. I've used this stuff for years and taken apart outside joints over 20 years old and they are still shiney and new inside. They work much better than these rubber joint covers that are often supplied for this sort of job. If you want two boxes then you will need two separate feeds from the twin lnb (as Anton says) - and not 'split off' anything, as you say. Regards - Tim    Report

12/05/2008, 11:34 joidevie Joined on 10/05/2005 Posts 178 Re: More channels FTA this morning  Anton Redman wrote: You have to run to completely separate cable runs all the way to the LNB. ... Which I will be doing. However, will this lower the signal quality? I have done something similar with the TV aerial and TNT signal - by 'splitting off' ('T'ing off the coax) from the upstairs decoder to another set in the living room. This has caused a poorer signal in the living room and I need to unplug the upstairs set from the coax to get a good enough signal downstairs..    Report

12/05/2008, 11:52 Tim Joined on 19/03/2007 76 Haute Normandie Posts 392 Re: More channels FTA this morning If you have a 'twin LNB' and run a separate cable to each digi box, you are not 'splitting off'' anything. The LNB has two receivers inside and provides a totally separate feed to each box. You will be able to watch different channels on either box - they will be independant of each other. Tim    Report

12/05/2008, 13:33 CBC Joined on 23/08/2004 65 Posts 75 Re: More channels FTA this morning @ Martinwatkins It seems like a little clockwise twist has done the trick!  It will be interesting to see how reception holds up in poor weather.  To answer your last question, our dish is 80cm which we were advised was the minimum needed to get ITV down here. Thanks again. CBC in sunny 65    Report

12/05/2008, 13:38 ErnieY Joined on 05/12/2006 Nr Prayssac (Lot) Posts 2,952 Re: More channels FTA this morning Just to add a note to Timco's good advice about self-amalgamating tape: When you use it you tear off a length, peel off the backing, then stretch it to approximately 1/2 it's width, both initially and as you wrap it around whatever you're protecting. Each turn should overlap the previous one by about 1/2 a tapes width then finally you stretch it until it breaks and mould the end into the job, does that make sense ? It's the stretching action that gives it it's self-amalgamating property and if done properly it becomes effectively a one piece closely moulded rubber boot. Most that I've used 'amalgamate' almost instantly and if you can unwind it after more than a minute or two you've not put it on properly. Correctly used it's magic, do it incorrectly though and it's worse than nothing because water will get in and be held inside potentially doing more harm than if the connector were totally unprotected. Sorry if you know all this it's just that it's used extensively offshore (I used some myself yesterday) and I've seen far far to many instances of people who have used it for years still not doing it properly. I've even heard some complain that it's useless because it doesn't stick, which of course it won't because it is not sticky ! Maplin sell it. How far off topic are we now My doctor said one drink per day, I can live with that !    Report

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France Forum » Living » French Satellit... » More channels FTA this morning

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