New home, old aerial... how to connect?

SJ.

I'm sorry for the idiot post, but hoping you'll help me anyway.

I've just moved into a new house - it comes with an impressive looking aerial on the roof - this seems to lead into a little box in the living room that has two holes in the top, as if for two copper wires. It also has a regular electrical plug for me to plug in.

I'll post a picture later if I can (no internet in the new house yet either!) - however I'm hoping someone here can tell me what I need to buy to get the feed out of the aerial and into a saorview box. Do I need a 'balun' of some kind?

I'm sure there's a simple answer but I'm too ignorant to even use the right search terms to figure it out.

Thurston?

Must be a power supply for a masthead amplifier: sends power up the aerial cable to the amplifier which is usually installed outside near the aerial. (Hence the 'masthead' name.)

If it doesn't have sockets for connectors, it must have something like saddle & clamp connections inside. Try & post a pic. or 2.

The Cush

SJ. wrote: »

I'll post a picture later if I can (no internet in the new house yet either!) - however I'm hoping someone here can tell me what I need to buy to get the feed out of the aerial and into a saorview box. Do I need a 'balun' of some kind?

Use the Saorview coverage checker to identify which transmitter is recommended for your location - http://www.saorview.ie/get-saorview/make-the-switch/coverage-map/

Once you know which transmitter is available to you this will determine which group aerial you require - http://www.saorview.ie/get-saorview/make-the-switch/step-2-check-aerial/

Aerial examples here - http://www.freetv.ie/saorview/tv-aerials/uhf.html

The existing aerial may be OK for Saorview reception depending on type, a pic would help identify it.

Thurston?

If it doesn't have sockets for connectors, it must have something like saddle & clamp connections inside.

Like [url=https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/7198/270276.jpg[/url], though note that the middle connection here has an extra cable bodged in: this is a no-no. Connections should be made like the right hand one, with the cable braid in the saddle part, & the inner wire in the screw terminal, & make sure none of the braid comes into contact with the inner.

One connection will be for the cable from the aerial, the other for feeding the TV (or more than 1 TV via a proper splitter, not the bodge in the photo). I've also seen twin output PSUs.

SJ.

I bet that's what it is. I'll post up a picture later. Thanks all so far. Now to find box - I'm thinking of one of those Amiko ones that'll do Freesat & Saorview.

Thurston?

What part of the country are you in? A lot of 'impressive' aerial setups would be for receiving UK terrestrial TV, so you might get everything you want without satellite, if you're in a favourable area.

SJ.

I'm in Sandyford, Dublin, so I suspect I will be able to get UK TV - I think the aerial is oriented towards Wales rather than three rock, but there's a dish on the house already so it'd be a shame not to plug it in and make some use of it.

Thurston?

Probably a big, vertically polarised aerial for Arfon in NW Wales or, maybe pointed NNE to Kilkeel, Co. Down?

Either way, I'd go with the dish for the main TV, though Freeview reception from the aerial might provide a 'works most of the time' solution for other TVs.

If it's just Saorview you want from the aerial, a less 'impressive' setup will do the job.

SJ.

The box on the wall looks like this when I remove the cover:
http://1drv.ms/1ClleyR

So, next dumb question - why are there two bits to connect a coax cable to? Which one do I use?!

The Cush

SJ. wrote: »

why are there two bits to connect a coax cable to? Which one do I use?!

To feed 2 TV points, you can use either one.

SJ.

I've just been outside, and, annoyingly, the previous owner seems to have snipped the aerial cable at the point where it enters the house, to use the hole to feed the satellite cables through.

Ger Roe

That may tell you something - the sat option was probably more reliable than the terrestrial from Wales for the standard UK channels (provides a lot more channels too).

You should not have too much difficulty in Sandyford picking up a signal from the adjacent 3 rock saorview service. I know of an apartment in Wyckham Dundrum getting excellent signal on a very cheap indoor telescopic dipole antenna placed outside on the balcony ground (cable running in through window frame). Not recommended, but it works.

You could use a suitable uhf antenna and a combiner & de-combiner to run the sat and saorview signals in through the existing cable to the TV distribution point - as a quick option.

Overall it would be best to have someone take a look at your setup to see what might cover all future options - multiple TV's, recording etc.

SJ.

Ger Roe wrote: »

That may tell you something - the sat option was probably more reliable than the terrestrial from Wales for the standard UK channels (provides a lot more channels too).

You should not have too much difficulty in Sandyford picking up a signal from the adjacent 3 rock saorview service. I know of an apartment in Wyckham Dundrum getting excellent signal on a very cheap indoor telescopic dipole antenna placed outside on the balcony ground (cable running in through window frame). Not recommended, but it works.

You could use a suitable uhf antenna and a combiner & de-combiner to run the sat and saorview signals in through the existing cable to the TV distribution point - as a quick option.

Overall it would be best to have someone take a look at your setup to see what might cover all future options - multiple TV's, recording etc.

Seems like sound advice - I'll add that to my list of people to come and poke at things in the new place!