FTA Satellite TV for 20 apartments.

frankmulveen

Hello,
How would I go about installing free to air satellite tv in an apartment block of 20 apartments? I am not an expert in this field but wish to learn. Thanks.

zg3409

Are you an installer that has never installed an apartment block?

zg3409

I see you are!
http://www.fme.ie/

So basically I assume you are looking for a step by step installers guide.

Firstly you need buy in from apartment block and residents. Then you need a clear specification of what they need installed. Then you need a survey of what existing cabling is installed and how difficult it will be to install new cabling.

Normally the way it works is you use one dish larger than a normal dish. This allows a very strong signal to be at the "head" of the system. In the past this dish needed to have a quattro LNB (as opposed to a quad LNB). Normally you align the (commercial quality) dish very carefully using a normal LNB then swap it for a quattro. The 4 cables from the quattro feed into a multiswitch. This then splits one cable per receiver (2 for recording receivers).

However in practical terms you probably don't want one multiswitch with 30 outputs and to feed everyone seperately from the roof to the apartments.

Normally 4 cables feed down the block and one multiswitch is located on each floor or area. This reduces the number of cables needed to be ran.

It is VERY important you use the BEST cable (copper screen, copper foil, copper core, branded) as runs end up very long. Also earthing needs to be factored in. I think basically every lead needs to be earthed.

You also need test equipment to measure the levels at each point. Too strong and receivers and amplifiers get overloaded, too weak and no amount of amplification can bring it back.

See here:
http://www.dipolnet.com/pass-through_multiswitch_system_in_apartment_building_for_one_satellite__schemat210.htm

More options here:
http://www.dipolnet.com/examples_of_antenna_systems_-_fm-tv_sat_tv_wlan_gsm_schematy.htm

Cesium Clock

Also consider using a fibre optic system,

Extinction

Copper multiswitch systems can give too much trouble anyway and unless you know what you are doing you can run into a lot of trouble with amplification, fiber optic makes more sense for obvious reasons. I also wouldn't advise using a quad to line up a dish and then swap for a quatro. Your meter should have individual polarity readings for alignment of a quatro. It would be better to seek out some training on system installations. After all you wouldn't expect an aerial installer to think he could find out how to wire a house for electricity on a public forum would you?

zg3409

At what point is a fibre system better value? I thought fibre was only cost effective for larger than 20 apartments?

Extinction

Fiber has come down a lot in price, almost equal to a copper system. It also is much less time consuming to install and a single 3mm cable to an apartment can give up to eight feeds so no theres no need to be running unsightly copper cables everywhere.

frankmulveen

Thanks for your help zg3409.

frankmulveen

Hi Extinction,
Yes it is my intention to seek out some training. Have you any recommendations where I could get same?

Extinction

Distance learning course in smatv and irs systems with cai.org.uk.

swedex

Sorry for piggybacking the thread, would a fibre system be excessive for a domestic house?

I'm soon going to start renovating and am possibly going to have tv points anywhere there is a remote chance of a tv being there. More that an octo could manage for example.

Extinction

A copper multiswitch system would be more cost efficient for a house if you want more than 8 feeds from the dish.

The Cush

swedex wrote: »

possibly going to have tv points anywhere there is a remote chance of a tv being there. More that an octo could manage for example.

Quattro LNB and 12 or 16 output mulltiswitch would be another option to distribute terrestrial and satellite signals around the house to more than 8 TV points.