John wrote:
"Nick Finnigan" wrote in message
...

John wrote:

My mum has just got a freeview TV for her bedroom and the aerial signal
is not good enough from the aerial in the loft, I presume because of the
signal not passing through the concrete tiles very well, on her old
analogue TV the picture was never up to much either! She has another
aerial (on the chimney stack outside) that is connected to her downstairs
set up, which includes a freeview STB, so I know this aerial signal is
good enough. The outside aerial cable is on the roof and then down the
wall and enters the house above her front door. Where the cable goes
down the wall this is directly outside her bedroom window, so I was
thinking of cutting the cable and putting a splitter in and running a new
piece of coax in through the window frame corner. Can you get waterproof
splitters any where or will I have to get a suitable box and put an
internal splitter in there. I have look at Screwfix, Maplins and RS but
cannot seem to find anything suitable.

I briefly tried those sorts of bodges, and then went for the far superior
option of moving the aerial outside.


The aerial I want to use IS outside, I just want to break into the cable and
have it supplying two TV sets. I know it is possible as my own is split
into three but the main bulk of my wiring is in the loft space or in the
walls, so I didn't need an external splitter box. I know they are available
as my In Laws have one on their house but there are no manufacturing marks
etc that I can see and my father in law cannot remember who installed it.


As,IIR, Richard suggested - it may be worth checking to see if the
existing set can manage on the reduced signal.

IIUC, splitters come in three forms:

1) Cheap and nasty passive - basically a few resistors. Best avoided
unless you can pick up stations on a coat hanger..

2) Low loss passive - using more expensive inductors to split the
signal. Half the signal goes to each and very little is lost in the
splitter, unlike (1).

3) Active (masthead amplifier) - which typically have a plug-in power
supply at the downstairs aerial socket to power the splitter via the coax.

Whether you risk (1) or (2) - with or without trying an attenuator first
to see the likely effect, or go straight to (3) - which /will/ work, is
up to you and how much you like ladders.

At least with (3), if you ever want to feed yet another TV, it won't be
a problem.

However, (1) and (2) are pretty immune to nearby lighning. Whereas (3)
isn't. Not a problem if living in a valley with loads of houses/trees
higher up to attract the nasties. But, if you live in Bleak House or
look down on the plebs..maybe best avoided unless essential - although
perhaps better the masthead box goes than the TVs..


--
Sue