Indoor aerial solution

manisinghb

manisinghb

manisinghb

Associate
Joined
12 Apr 2009
Posts
627
Hi all. Apologies if this query already exists. I have my indoor aerial connected to my TV and placed on the window. Reception and picture are both great. However I'd like to hide the wires for the aerial behind the TV. But of course if I place the aerial behind the TV there is interference in the signal.

I was wondering if anyone knows of a good aerial I could place behind my TV and receive good quality HD signal or even if there is a possibility of using an Ethernet cable to supply the picture? I only ask this I have a spare ethernet cable behind the TV which runs to the opposite side of the room to my Media cabinet. Just wondering if I could utilise this in any way?
 
Why dont you just get an extension cable for your aerial so you have more cable length to hide ? Is it powered ? You could try one of the amplified powered indoor aerials. There is not much choice when it comes to a good indoor aerial as there are too many factors that could hinder reception.
 
varkanoid said:
Why dont you just get an extension cable for your aerial so you have more cable length to hide ? Is it powered ? You could try one of the amplified powered indoor aerials. There is not much choice when it comes to a good indoor aerial as there are too many factors that could hinder reception.
Click to expand...

That's the part where I'm being difficult. I don't want to have to hide any cabling in any way. Made the big unfortunate mistake of not running an aerial cable to the media cabinet.
 
Something like this would handle the RF/CAT-CAT/RF conversion process: https://www.netshop.co.uk/products/tvfmrf-via-cat5-catv-f-type-balun--rj45-connector
https://www.netshop.co.uk/products/tvfmrf-via-cat5-catv-f-type-balun--rj45-connector
There is a catch though. The signal loss (or insertion loss) is 3dB per device. That's 6dB in total. You'll also need some coax to F Plug adapters. They'll add 2x 0.5dB loss, which brings the grand total to 7dB. That would be the equivalent of the loss from running the signal through 46 mtrs of aerial coax.

Regardless of the promises of high gain and boosting and amplification, indoor aerials aren't great. Their limitation is that the amplification can only work on the signal received, and the metal antenna array of those small indoor aerials don't really pull in that much signal. All the boosting in the world won't make a crappy quality signal in to a great signal; all it does is make a crappy and weak signal in to a crappy and loud signal.

You've got a signal by putting the aerial next to the window which faces somewhere towards the general direction of your local transmitter. Moving it away from the window wouldn't attenuate the signal by as much as 7dB, but blocking the signal with the TV might do that and a bit more. The issue then is whether the solution for using the hidden CAT cable solves one problem but introduces another. As it stands right now you could be just above the threshold level for reception, but not have enough safety margin to withstand a 7dB drop.

The question is whether you're willing to spend £40-£50 on a bit of a leap in the dark, or whether it would be better to use that towards paying for an aerial guy to come in, put up a small Log Periodic aerial, and then run some thin coax (Webro WF65) which is less than 5mm diameter rather than standard WF100 7mm coax?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom