Who sells CT100 cable & how much does it cost?

spuddy

looking for the best price for sat CT100 cable or equivalent

watty

Any decent hardware shop or Electrical wholesaler.

The "proper" stuff is copper braid that covers well and copper foil and is slightly fatter than regular TV cable. Solid inner copper and air cores on insulation.

There is cheaper stuff with aluminium foil that is OK indoors.

"Cable TV" cable is no use though it has foil and braid. (skinner and solid plastic inner)

Computer network coax is seriously wrong, even if copper foil and briad as it is *ALL* 50 Ohm (RG 58 typically).

RG59 *IS* 75 Ohm like CT100, but not any use for anything other than VHF radio.

I use Satellite cable for all TV cabling.

spuddy

thanks for the info watty. i'd like to know say the going price thou for 100m, just so i know i'm not getting ripped off. anyone have any idea?

Tony

Watty hate to disagree but I've yet to see a hardware store DIY in Ireland that sells proper CT100 and the cheaper aluminium stuff is simply not as good as CT100 for not much difference in price. I've seen the term "satellite cable" used to describe all sorts of cheap crap that passes as cable. Do yourself a favour and go for proper CT100/H109 cable.

Tony

Originally posted by watty
Any decent hardware shop or Electrical wholesaler.

The "proper" stuff is copper braid that covers well and copper foil and is slightly fatter than regular TV cable. Solid inner copper and air cores on insulation.

There is cheaper stuff with aluminium foil that is OK indoors.

"Cable TV" cable is no use though it has foil and braid. (skinner and solid plastic inner)

Computer network coax is seriously wrong, even if copper foil and briad as it is *ALL* 50 Ohm (RG 58 typically).

RG59 *IS* 75 Ohm like CT100, but not any use for anything other than VHF radio.

I use Satellite cable for all TV cabling.

mojolaw

I have recently installed an 80cm dish with a quad lnb to service a block of four apartments that have been wired with RG 59 "cable cable" using joiners on every output and the signal strength on each output is about 75% with the signal quality roughly 50%. If I had had a meter I could have improved this even more, but I was just doing it as a favour for someone as its only a hobby.

Tony

Originally posted by mojolaw
I have recently installed an 80cm dish with a quad lnb to service a block of four apartments that have been wired with RG 59 "cable cable" using joiners on every output and the signal strength on each output is about 75% with the signal quality roughly 50%. If I had had a meter I could have improved this even more, but I was just doing it as a favour for someone as its only a hobby.

If I were you I would disconnect this system ASAP as you have breached electrical safety regulations and exposed yourself to a potential lawsuit. Rg59 is not fine , check the CAI website and you will see that CT100 is the minimum recommended standard.

Tony

watty

I absolutely agree re CT100.. For Satellite Install.

The stuff with Aluminium foil sold as "Satellite Cable" is much superior to the "regular" coax with 4 wisps of braid hardly covering the core. I use "Satellite cable" for all my internal UHF TV cable.

CT100 is minimum for outdoor cable IMO or indeed analog Satellite.

I still have the reels of useless cable supllied with the Analog receivers I got in Lidl (The receivers are good though). I might use the coax for FM radio aerial in an attic or something. I have RG59 that looks better (I only use RG59 for baseband 75 Ohm video not RF at all).


quote:

Any decent hardware shop or Electrical wholesaler.

(emphasis added!)

I perhaps was not clear enough.


If the aluminium foiled cable gets damp AT ALL, you get accelrated corrosion due to Electrochemical deference with Copper.

There is probabily a good arguement for a hose, conduit, pipe or "right kind" of paint on any exposed run of cable as otherwise in a year or less it could crack or become porus or rub on an edge etc.

The main run of all my cables from house to shed with dishes is inside glued joints waste pipe. (Excluding power which was a professional armoured cable same a for street lights etc. done by original builder ./ contractor).



Some areas may indeed have a shortage of "decent" suppliers

Does Tony at www.satellite.ie sell it mail order? www.satcure.co.uk does.

I'd be wary about Maplin, Peats etc unless you know it really is CT100.

Anyway CT100 is MUCH cheaper than RG213, LN400 and Heliax (all those are 50 Ohm so though better, don't suit DTH Satellite gear)


Ecuse my spellings..

watty

I might have aligned a an Analog system with no meter.. But a basic meter is only £20. A kind of minimum investment for even setting up dishes as a hobby. I'd want a meter (I have one), if I was doing other peoples dishes. If I was charging I'd expect to use a spectrum analyser. Then you'd know if you where inadvertetly pickup a neigbouring bird.

Apparently a test on 26E or so was on close frequency to New BBC 2D, So some misaligned dishes, otherwise giving good signal had no 2D and BBC re-appeared when the test ended Folks in UK, now, not Spain.

I work with IT nowadays though I used to be a Comms Engineer, I'm very wary of "doing favours" for friends with computers as I like to keep them as friends...

aersat

Re Digital Satellite Downlead Cable

BQ Liffey Valley sell a 100m roll of Philex copper screened which I have used on my own installation and would recommend.
I cannot remember the exact price,around 45 euro I think.

Peter.

byte

Originally posted by watty
Does Tony at www.satellite.ie sell it mail order?

He sells it at €0.88 per metre. It states that it's sold in 100m and 250m rolls but no prices for these.

Mike 1972

"There is cheaper stuff with aluminium foil that is OK indoors"

Beg to differ. The screening on "flylead" cable is usually very poor and useless for anything other than connections between your TV and video (assuming your video sits right beside your TV and you have a SCART connection as well)

Isint there a CT125 as well (next step up from CT100) ?

The cable sold in most hardware shops is indeed crap as for Maplin at least you will get CT100 if you specify it (although if you just ask for "TV cable" you may be flogged something cheap and nasty)

spuddy

Anyone know what DCT100B cable is (i presume its the same as normal ct100 stuff)

Tony

Originally posted by spuddy
Anyone know what DCT100B cable is (i presume its the same as normal ct100 stuff)

Its a cheaper imitation , if it is'nt marked CT100 or H109 it is'nt CT100 standard. That philex stuff is also not CT100 standard.

Tony

spuddy

Originally posted by Tony
Its a cheaper imitation , if it is'nt marked CT100 or H109 it is'nt CT100 standard. That philex stuff is also not CT100 standard.

but would it do the job?

aersat

Hi Tony

The Philex cable is a double screened copper foil and braide and is a CAI approved cable for digital installations.
There is also a cheaper version which is double screened but with an alluminium foil screening and braide that I have seen used by so called professionals but was designed for analogue.
The copper screened is definitley up to the job.

Peter.

aersat

Forgot to mention two websites of interest.

www.cai.org.uk and www.philex.com (enter products-product range-electrical-coxial cable-ph100).

Tony

Originally posted by spuddy
but would it do the job?

"Doing the job" is a subjective question, if you want the minimum standard cable recommended by the only professional body in existence in the part of the worl (CAI) then use CT100, its not that mush more expensive than the cheaper stuff and a good deal better in terms of performance.

Tony

Tony

Originally posted by aersat
Hi Tony

The Philex cable is a double screened copper foil and braide and is a CAI approved cable for digital installations.
There is also a cheaper version which is double screened but with an alluminium foil screening and braide that I have seen used by so called professionals but was designed for analogue.
The copper screened is definitley up to the job.

Peter.

Hi Peter,
The copper tape and braid sounds like the real stuff, from a CAI list I have, the type no is PH100 27603/13R.