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French Satellite TV, French Internet and Telephone
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 11/05/2008, 8:49
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Ron Avery
Joined on 29/11/2004
Aveyron 12
Posts 3,197
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Re: More channels FTA this morning
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Mine was professionally installed, with an 90cm dish and with a meter and we still lose the picture on all channels in heavy rain, the signal just cannot penetrate through really heavy rain.
I think its been said before by one of the experts that using the sky box signal strength indicator on the TV is not a really accurate assessment of the correct position of the dish which can be quite away out and still give "acceptable" readings.
Why not post a sensible answer, people will appreciate it more
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11/05/2008, 10:01
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ErnieY
 
Joined on 05/12/2006
Nr Prayssac (Lot)
Posts 3,453
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Re: More channels FTA this morning
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In-line connectors are never a good idea and in marginal situations just 1 can make the difference between a reliable setup and one which is prone to breakup in rain.
If you're nearly there then an uninterrupted run of better cable would be the first step before increasing dish size, but keep it as short as you practically can.
For Sky boxes at least it's possible to locate the box itself near the dish and remotely control it with an infra red adapter in the TV downlead. I don't know if any of the Freesat boxes have this capability.
EDIT:
Ron is correct, the quality reading is the one to go for not the signal strength. In simplistic terms the signal strength is a reading of everything that the dish is picking up whereas the quality is focussed just on the one signal you want hence maximum strength does not neccessarily correspond with best alignment.
My doctor said one drink per day, I can live with that !
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11/05/2008, 17:28
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ErnieY
Joined on 05/12/2006
Nr Prayssac (Lot)
Posts 3,453
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Re: More channels FTA this morning
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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 !
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12/05/2008, 7:15
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joidevie
Joined on 10/05/2005
Posts 220
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Re: More channels FTA this morning
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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.
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12/05/2008, 9:56
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ErnieY
Joined on 05/12/2006
Nr Prayssac (Lot)
Posts 3,453
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Re: More channels FTA this morning
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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 !
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12/05/2008, 10:48
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joidevie
Joined on 10/05/2005
Posts 220
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Re: More channels FTA this morning
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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..
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12/05/2008, 11:21
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Anton Redman
Joined on 23/08/2004
Gironde
Posts 2,031
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Re: More channels FTA this morning
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You have to run to completely separate cable runs all the way to the LNB.
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France Forum » Living » French Satellit... » Re: More channels FTA this morning
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