As some of you will know, my company sells satellite TV cable and
accessories so I know a bit about it.

Modern TV aerials for digital TV need to use double-shielded coaxial cable
because the system is affected by impulse interference (from vehicles,
thermostat switches, light switches etc.) Raydex CT100 is double-shielded
copper-on-copper and electrically identical to Pope H109. If the entire run
is indoors, you could use what we call "RG6" which is copper-on-aluminium.
It's slightly more flexible than the other and slightly cheaper. The more
weatherproof stuff is WF100, which uses a foam dielectric instead of
air-spaced polythene.


Satellite TV dishes use exactly the same cable. The trend is towards FOUR
cables to a dish as a satellite receiver with built-in Hard Drive (PVR)
requires two cables from the dish. It doesn't take a mathematical genius to
figure out that two of these digital satellite receivers will use four
cables. Many people already have one PVR satellite receiver and one
ordinary, using three dish cables in total.

So, for good future-profing, run THREE double-shielded coax cables to each
TV point. That's one for the aerial signal and two for the satellite. In
addition, the main TV location will probably need another coaxial cable
going up to the roof space to feed a distribution amplifier supplying other
rooms with whatever signal is required.

Whatever cables you run, be sure to AVOID running them close to, and
parallel with, any 230v mains power cables. Also, if the house is on a main
road, keep the aerial and cables as far from the road as possible in order
to minimise interference pickup from vehicles.

Other sources of interference a

DECT portable phones.
Mobile phones.
Certain "Snooper" type radar detectors used in cars.
Microwave ovens.


Martin Pickering
http://www.satcure.co.uk