External aerial with window pass cable to avoid drilling

ChrisMcCauley

Hi all,
Is window pass cable the best option if you don't want to drill holes in your house? Anyone got recommendations for an installer in Dublin (North Side)?
Chris

TAFKAlawhec

If you mean something like this...



...then yes they do work and can be quite handy when needed. HOWEVER they are not built for abuse - if the window it is going through is rarely opened, say no more than a couple of times a year, then it'll probably be OK. However if the window is regularly opened & closed then it won't take long for it to fail, even if you open & close the window gently every time.

ChrisMcCauley

Yes, that's the stuff.  The window would be opened/closed a few times a week so probably not a great choice. Really don't want to drill through the walls as the only possible location is too close to expensive glazing. Probably will have to accept that I'm stuck with an indoor aerial.
Thanks!
Chris

STB.

Chris. Do you have a satellite dish as well ?

If so place the aerial near the dish or off the dish and combine it on the existing satellite cable using a UHF/Sat Diplexer. You can then use another one inside at the other end in reverse to split the signals back out to UHF and Sat signals without drilling.

ChrisMcCauley

That's a great idea. I presumed that there would be some impedance issue running the UHF signal over the sat cable.  I'll definitely try that out.

Chris

RangeR

Chris, did you try this yet? Be interested to know if it worked for you.

/me goes off googling "UHF/Sat Diplexer"

John Dough

I tried one of these but it does not work great could not get RTE 1 signals strong enough on channel 58, channel 54 was ok but weak.

There is a option on my receiver to send a 5volt signal down to a amplifier but worried it would upset the sat receiver voltage to the lnb which is up to 18volts.

cheers

STB.

Well John Dough.

It does work. Its how a lot of houses are setup.

Regarding your own setup. Is it the right aerial you are using ? Is it a group aerial ? Is it pointing the right direction ? How long is the cable run ?

There are so many permutations that will make it work at one location and not another. The return loss on a UHF/Sat Diplexer is negligible. There is something more wrong in your setup if its that marginal.

Your Channels are in the 50s. Thats the 700meg band and it will be gone fairly soon!

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057149710

BTW. Try the 5v power on. If your thinking was right about how diplexers work, would you not be more concerned by the 13v/18v switching going on as well

John Dough

STB. wrote: »

Well John Dough.

It does work. Its how a lot of houses are setup.

Regarding your own setup. Is it the right aerial you are using ? Is it a group aerial ? Is it pointing the right direction ? How long is the cable run ?

There are so many permutations that will make it work at one location and not another. The return loss on a UHF/Sat Diplexer is negligible. There is something more wrong in your setup if its that marginal.

Your Channels are in the 50s. Thats the 700meg band and it will be gone fairly soon!

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057149710

BTW. Try the 5v power on. If your thinking was right about how diplexers work, would you not be more concerned by the 13v/18v switching going on as well

I did not say it did not work it does just the signal is weak ,aerial is correct and set up in the right direction (a indoor amp aerial works perfect in front of house but sat dish is at rear but do not want to put up big pole so just tried the splitter for a alternative source.
I can also receive channels 30 and 34 but 54 and 58 are stronger.

When the weather eases i will try the 5volt and see what happens.

Thurston?

John Dough wrote: »

I did not say it did not work it does just the signal is weak ,aerial is correct and set up in the right direction (a indoor amp aerial works perfect in front of house but sat dish is at rear but do not want to put up big pole ...

So the aerial is mounted with the dish, & pointing back through the whole of the house, or the roof at least?

Put it in the attic, & at least then it will only have one side of the roof to contend with, although things don't always work out like you'd expect.

Antenna

John Dough wrote: »

When the weather eases i will try the 5volt and see what happens.

Only enable this if there is a suitable amplifier present next thing along the cable, which there isn't.

The diplexer will just block the flow of 5 volt DC on the terrestrial side anyway, or short it out?

If there was an amplifier at the aerial end, it would have to be separately powered

BTW, if you plug out the satellite receiver (if separate from TV) from the mains or disconnect the satellite receiver LNB input (so LNB definitely not powered), does it make any improvement with the poor Ch 58 through the diplexers???

LNBs can generate noise below the sat IF band, some of it managing to get through the diplexer into higher UHF channels

John Dough

Thurston? wrote: »

So the aerial is mounted with the dish, & pointing back through the whole of the house, or the roof at least?

Put it in the attic, & at least then it will only have one side of the roof to contend with, although things don't always work out like you'd expect.

Would the aerial in the attic need to be amplified do you think I am near Celbridge nth Kildare and have a spare co ax lead from the attic downstairs from the old analogue VHF days!

decor58

John Dough wrote:

Would the aerial in the attic need to be amplified do you think I am near Celbridge nth Kildare and have a spare co ax lead from the attic downstairs from the old analogue VHF days!

A friend lives in Celbridge and gets a good Saorview signal with an unamplified aerial in the attic, the aerial was about 15e in powercity.