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Thread ID: 110286	2010-06-10 12:45:00	Sky/freeview/RG6 question	wratterus (105)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1108888	2010-06-10 12:45:00	I have no idea about the characteristics of a signal from a satellite dish running through RG6 coax cabling, so I'm bouncing this off you guys...:p Got a dish installed, running currently to a sky decoder. Plugging in a freeview decoder to the RG6 running from the dish works just fine. (see 1st image) What I want to do is grab a splitter, like this (images.trademe.co.nz) one, and run more RG6 down to the opposite end of the house, then hook it into a freeview decoder down there. (see 2nd image) Could distance be a problem? Signal loss from splitting the RG6 from the dish without an amplifier? Do I need an amplified splitter? Does such a thing even exist? If anyone knows the ins and outs of mucking around with this type of thing your input would be much appreciated. Cheers, clueless. :D	wratterus (105)
1108889	2010-06-10 19:43:00	As long as you use good quad shield sky approved rg6 you won't have a problem. Splitting the signal once or twice isn't a problem either. I've cabled a few new houses where we have run rg6 from the roof/satellite to a central cabinet and then split off to three or four rooms/tvs from there. Some of the runs would be 50m in total and never had a problem.	CYaBro (73)
1108890	2010-06-10 23:46:00	Wratterus, I've got a very similar set up and it works very well. I would recommend a splitter with only two outlets unless you need more. Make sure that you are not sending power supply from your freeview box as your Sky box will be supplying power to the dish.	coldot (6847)
1108891	2010-06-11 02:46:00	Thanks guys - and coldot, that's an interesting point about the power. I assume this is a setting that will be able to be turned off from the freeview decoder. Do you know what would happen if more than one device was pumping power onto the cabling?	wratterus (105)
1108892	2010-06-11 03:47:00	When I had a second sky decoder fitted, they used a splitter that passed power from both decoders. The reason is so that if one decoder is turned off, the other still works OK. So I assume that you can have two units suppling the dish. They have diodes in them so that power can not get into the decoders - only out.	Peter H (220)
1108893	2010-06-11 06:44:00	As long as you use good quad shield sky approved rg6 you won't have a problem. Splitting the signal once or twice isn't a problem either. I've cabled a few new houses where we have run rg6 from the roof/satellite to a central cabinet and then split off to three or four rooms/tvs from there. Some of the runs would be 50m in total and never had a problem. that sounds like the usual crap the techs have to fix. the big thing is how much output has the LNB got and how low noise are your receivers. some LNB's have high output. used to run into problems when the LNB dies and a lower output one is used. the catch is they are often all rated the same, its just some are stronger than others. with high outputs you can "get away" with running multi outlets of them and long runs. however thats not the norm. now to top it all off, being digital, even with bad signal it all works "perfectly". hence why we get every man and his dog claiming they know what they are doing :( however throw in some rain, a cheap high noise receiver, or a change in LNB and it all turns to crap fairly quickly. 50m runs for IF is a really long way. wratterus, just use a 2 way split and check the signal strength on the receiver. just make sure it doesn't get to low for it.	tweak'e (69)
1108894	2010-06-11 20:12:00	that sounds like the usual crap the techs have to fix. the big thing is how much output has the LNB got and how low noise are your receivers. some LNB's have high output. used to run into problems when the LNB dies and a lower output one is used. the catch is they are often all rated the same, its just some are stronger than others. with high outputs you can "get away" with running multi outlets of them and long runs. however thats not the norm. now to top it all off, being digital, even with bad signal it all works "perfectly". hence why we get every man and his dog claiming they know what they are doing :( however throw in some rain, a cheap high noise receiver, or a change in LNB and it all turns to crap fairly quickly. 50m runs for IF is a really long way. wratterus, just use a 2 way split and check the signal strength on the receiver. just make sure it doesn't get to low for it. Really? If any of them had had problems I would know about it. So I don't think it's crap. If you split more than a couple of times then you would have issues. I've been there when the Sky techs installed the sat dishes And decoderd at those places we did the cabling and they told me everything was perfect.	CYaBro (73)
1108895	2010-06-12 03:54:00	Really? If any of them had had problems I would know about it. So I don't think it's crap. If you split more than a couple of times then you would have issues. I've been there when the Sky techs installed the sat dishes And decoderd at those places we did the cabling and they told me everything was perfect. but you said you split it more than a couple of times. I've cabled a few new houses where we have run rg6 from the roof/satellite to a central cabinet and then split off to three or four rooms/tvs from there. as explained you don't always get to see the issues. sky techs? they have any left ?? most of the monkeys they employ wouldn't know what good or bad was if it bit them on the ****. end of the day 4 way split, long runs, signal will be border line at best.	tweak'e (69)
1108896	2010-06-20 23:12:00	The splitting and running of cables has all been done over the weekend, and is working great, thanks guys for your help. I ended up using a 4 way splitter, all ports power pass, as that's what was available. Have left both the sky decoder and freeview decoder sending power onto the cabling and they both work fine if one or other, or both is turned on. Doing a check on the signal, before changing anything it was 75 (I assume that's a percentage?) on the sky decoder, and dropped to 66 after installing the splitter. It didn't seem to change any more with extra RG6 running from the splitter, so it looks all good. One more question about RG6, I'm trying to figure out if the reel of cable I have here is dual shield or quad shield. Screw on f-connectors fit on it, same as they do on the sky cable (which says sky, so I assume it's quad shielded?) but it's pretty tight (very hard to do up just with fingers). I have some cable that came with a freeview dish kit I bought a while back, which is thinner, the screw on f-connectors are almost too loose on it. (almost). The reel of RG6 that I have says... RG 6U-C-W RG 6U Coaxial Cable Anyone know what the letters mean? Cheers.	wratterus (105)
1108897	2010-06-20 23:48:00	you won't have quad shield, its a real pain to fit connectors onto. the freeveiw stuff is probably just cheap crap cable. either lower density braid or thinner/softer plastic outer casing. don't forget theres a knack of doing twists on connectors right. 66 signal is poor. i would expect drop out to occur at times, change the splitter to a 2 way. actually i would consider 75 poor if its straight of the dish, mind you they not exactly accurate means of reading signal.	tweak'e (69)
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