cable splitter

sohappy

whats the best type of cable splitter to use for cable tv in the house? if you run cable tv to 4 rooms is the quality of the signal lowered?

zilog_jones

Yes the signal will probably be noticeably lowered. I'd recommend a splitter that's fully shielded (i.e. it's all metal and no crappy plastic housing) uses F connectors (the screw-in yokes) if you can get hold of one (they have some in Maplin, and I got one in Roches back in the day).

The problem with those amplified (mains powered) splitters sold in UK shops like Argos and Maplin is that they're only designed to amplify UHF signals, so are mostly useless for cable which is usually VHF Band III and super/hyperband, i.e. below 470MHz.

The tax man

zilog_jones wrote:

Yes the signal will probably be noticeably lowered. I'd recommend a splitter that's fully shielded (i.e. it's all metal and no crappy plastic housing) uses F connectors (the screw-in yokes) if you can get hold of one (they have some in Maplin, and I got one in Roches back in the day).

The problem with those amplified (mains powered) splitters sold in UK shops like Argos and Maplin is that they're only designed to amplify UHF signals, so are mostly useless for cable which is usually VHF Band III and super/hyperband, i.e. below 470MHz.

Good advice from Mr.Jones.:D

If you've a good strong signal you could get away with using something like this.

If trying that and your pictures look crap then the mains amp is your only bet.
Make sure as zilog said it covers the full cable spectrum on VHF up to at least 408mhz on NTL.(it'll need UHF coverage also if on an upgraded section of the network) Loads of amps out there that only go to 230mhz(VHF) or only cover UHF.
If you do opt for the mains powered amp,please make sure it's one that has a gain control on it. Stay clear of amps that have a fixed gain,these can cause you picture quality issues under certain circumstances. All amps with control gain will have a small dial on them so you can adjust the signal levels to suit your needs.
Check out Argos catalogue no. 534/4235(page 351) ok it doesn't say it's frequency range and it's only a 1 way but you'll see the little dial on the top left. That's what you're looking for. Argos used to do a better range of these but not anymore. Try Maplins/peats if in Dublin.

sohappy

Cheers Lads.....