Weird TV aerial/cabling issue

Ev0 · 26 Jun 2024 at 09:45

Been scratching my head on this one, so thought I’d ask here

Live in a new build property that has multiple coax runs around the place.

I had a splitter in the loft that had 5 cables connected to TV aerial points, only 3 had TVs plugged in.

There’s also 3 more cables in the loft not connected, 2 of them are terminated in the living room into a duel f connector module I stuck in, but nothing is connected to it.

I’ve swapped the splitter for a masthead amp in the loft as whilst the signal quality was good, the strength wasn’t and would get things cutting out regularly.

The issue I’ve got is when connecting up the PSU for the masthead amp it works in every aerial socket in the house apart from any of the cables that terminate in the living room.

I’ve tried all 3 in the living room (the one in the aerial socket and the 2 f connectors), plugging the associated ends into the masthead amp and none are working.

Really scratching my head to work out why this one room doesn’t work!

Wondering if there’s any sort of cabling issue, although the aerial in the living works fine with the amp in another room. Or maybe any interference somewhere (would that even be a thing)?

I’ve checked the modules and they aren’t blocking the DC signal, have put the cables directly into the PSU as well to rule the modules out, and all still the same.

Really frustrating as I could do with having the power supply sat in the living room!!!

Any experts here have an idea why this might be happening? Anything else I can check?

Thanks!

Ev0 · 26 Jun 2024 at 10:18

Cracked the multi meter out, on one of the working aerial sockets I’m seeing 12v hitting the amp.

Plug into the living room aerial socket, I’m seeing it hit 1v max, so for some reason the cables in the living room are dropping voltage.

Ev0 · 26 Jun 2024 at 10:18

Haze said:
People still watch TV through an aerial? lol must be like living in the 90s

Yup

Ev0 · 26 Jun 2024 at 10:33

It probably is the longest run so that's probably the case.

Annoying as wanted the power supply sat in there, I'll have to shove it in another room instead

Ev0 · 26 Jun 2024 at 16:09

I think there's something else along the line somewhere as there's three cables into the living room and it was on all of them from what I could see. Wondering if they did something to run these three to this location that's causing it.

decto said:
Do you have one of the TV/FM outlets in the lounge, that is likely decoupled so won't pass DC.

Pop the faceplate and see if the DC is actually getting to the coax.

Struggling to remember what I did/didn't test this morning, but pretty sure I popped the module out and could see 12v hitting that, but it's not getting through to the loft.

I tried two different modules, one screened (like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knightsbridge-White-Modular-Outlet-Pcb/dp/B076QF3NSC?th=1) one not (like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knightsbridge-White-Modular-Outlet-Pcb/dp/B076QF4SGJ?th=1), same result.

Had to stop investigating today but might pick it up again at somepoint as it'll bug me!