Adding aerial socket

[DiyNutJob]

I am looking at adding an aerial socket, and haven't the slightest clue how. I would appreciate some tips please. Are there any rules and regulations for this kind of thing?

Currently, the aerial cable comes down the loft to the first floor of the house. I need a socket at a similar location on the second floor. The plan is to split the cable in the loft and feed the split to the new socket. The rough location for the new socket is marked in blue.

Here's the corner in the loft where the cables are coming from. The upper cable is for the aerial. The lower one, I am guessing, is to the power socket. The room where I need the new socket is immediately below the loft. The loft wall is the same wall the socket is on. It's a dot and dab wall in the room.

So, how do I get the cable down? I am unable to work out at what position in the loft I should feed the cable down. I am thinking if I drill a small hole on the ceiling, I will be able to get a point of reference to relate the loft space with the room space below. If the cable must come down at the loft corner, I will not have any way to get in there because of the roof slope.

 

[Wayners]

Couple of things to consider.
Freeview will be phased out from 2030 although no exact date yet so expect to rip it out at some point. I'd not bother and be looking for other ways to get free tv.

To answer..
Buy f plug splitter and f plugs for cable.
They make a good connection and don't fall out.
You can buy a cable with f plugs on already or make your own. They don't give any trouble.
I'd drill a hole in bedroom ceiling in the corner and run cable in small trunking down wall.
Could sink cable in the wall next time you decorate or remove when they turn signal off.

 

[Sureitsoff?]

you will struggle getting a cable down the inside of a dot and dab wall unless you are very lucky and there is a nice clear drop. if, from the loft you can see the gap between wall and plasterboard measure from the corner to where you want the socket below and try to get a stiff wire or cable rod through

 

[Murdochcat]

Maybe consider a fire stick if you have decent broad band

 

[ericmark]

A mast head amplifier can be supplied with DC power up the same cable as the signal comes down.

To amplify rubbish, you get rubbish, so need to amplify if required before the signal is split.

However, it depends on how good the signal is to start with, so a very good signal you can if required amplify as you split it.

A coax cable is rated for TV at 75 Ω, it if simply split would be 37.5 Ω so there is a little more involved, sometimes only a matching resistor, but still needs matching.

Personally, I use satellite, saves claiming up high to fix things, the dish can be mounted lower down, also far more on satellite than terrestrial. So would seem better to go for satellite, but with satellite you need a separate feed to each box/TV from the LNB, can't use splitters.

Better to post on Audio Visual and @Lucid is very good. Hope putting his name in, he will get an alert and read your thread on here.

 

[DiyNutJob]

Thanks. All good tips. 5 years worth of TV is still worth it. It's not for me (I only watch youtube), but for my mother. Not possible to have anything complicated, or I will get support calls frequently.

The existing signals are good. It would degrade with a T splitter? In that case, I better run a test through the loft hatch before I do anything.

The ideal location is where I marked it. I suppose I could shift it away from the corner if it means an easier life. From the loft, I could see some of the top dots and dabs. Maybe I can drop a weight on string at various locations and see how far it goes.

 

[endecotp]

The existing signals are good. It would degrade with a T splitter?

If the current reception is good, it will very likely still be good if split using a proper splitter and decent cable.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/labgear-2-way-splitter/591rg

https://www.screwfix.com/p/labgear-f-plug-coaxial-connectors-10-pack/17061

 

[sparkwright]

Can you fit the aerial socket on the exterior wall?
And drill a hole upwards at an angle, into the cavity. And shove a cable rod up to the loft?

 

[big-all]

loosen the socket you want it to sit beside and check the mains cables dont take that path as they can leave in any direction in a strait line horizontal or vertical without being protected

 

[SUNRAY]

A coax cable is rated for TV at 75 Ω, it if simply split would be 37.5 Ω so there is a little more involved, sometimes only a matching resistor, but still needs matching.

Have you ever measured the impedance of a TV aerial or the aerial socket of a TV, despite being quoted as 75Ω they are far from it.

 

[endecotp]

Have you ever measured the impedance of a TV aerial or the aerial socket of a TV, despite being quoted as 75Ω they are far from it.

I’m curious, have you measured it? How? At 600 MHz?

 

[DiyNutJob]

If the current reception is good, it will very likely still be good if split using a proper splitter and decent cable.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/labgear-2-way-splitter/591rg

https://www.screwfix.com/p/labgear-f-plug-coaxial-connectors-10-pack/17061

I will run a test first then I will know if splitting causes problems. Firstly, I could run two cables directly to the aerial. The aerial is in the loft. Secondly, I could just use electrical crimps for the split and then solder - solder to increase conductivity. Are there any regulations disallowing the second approach?

 

[DiyNutJob]

Can you fit the aerial socket on the exterior wall?
And drill a hole upwards at an angle, into the cavity. And shove a cable rod up to the loft?

I could, but I still hope to make it look tidy and "regular". Do I need a box at all? Can I just drill a hole in the ceiling and drop the cable down and connect to the TV directly?

 

[DiyNutJob]

loosen the socket you want it to sit beside and check the mains cables dont take that path as they can leave in any direction in a strait line horizontal or vertical without being protected

Yes, I am already thinking about that for another reason. I want to take out the box and check the surroundings. Then push a rod upwards. I won't care where the rod reappears in the loft. The random path chosen by the rod can then be used for the cable.

I have a couple of rod options. I think the first one works better for pushing up from the power socket hole. Once a path is made, I can then cut an adjacent hole. Are there any regulations for an aerial cable going in a random path that might be neither horizontal nor vertical?

 

[Deryck Tintagel]

I managed to get an aerial and satellite feed up behind dot and dab using draw rods. It wasn't too bad in my case. Try tapping the wall to find out where the solid parts are an mark a possible path.

If you have a strong signal you may just get away without an amplified splitter. You could use this

but my preference would be to have something with f-type connectors