new home. Need to identify TV aerial sockets

[someonelse]

Just moving in and don't know what cable to connect where...

There's a sat dish (apparanty normal aerel won't pick up a signel here) and supposedly I shoud get freesat?

But these cables don't look familiar so what do I plug in to the TV?

 

[RandomGrinch]

But these cables don't look familiar so what do I plug in to the TV?

What connections do you have on the side of the TV?



The cables coming out of the wall are F- plug connectors and are usually associated with satellite dish connections.

My LG TV has dual Freesat/Freeview tuners, but if your TV doesn't have a connection looking like this...

...then you may not have twin tuners, and could need an external Freesat box for your satellite feed.

There is also a standard TV/FM antenna faceplate on the wall - it's definitely worth a try to see if you can pick up Freeview?

 

[foxhole]

You will need a freesat box to connect to the f plugs then hdmi from the box to your tv.

 

[someonelse]

side of the TV photos.

Yes, the cables from the wall definitely lead up to the sat dish, but what do I plug them into? And why two sockets? Could the sat dish D plugs be meant to connect into the sockets in the wall and then other sockets (there are several around the house) get free sat like that....?

 

[RandomGrinch]

the cables from the wall definitely lead up to the sat dish, but what do I plug them into?

Unfortunately,

you may not have twin tuners, and could need an external Freesat box

You will need a freesat box to connect to the f plugs then hdmi from the box to your tv.

 

[flameport]

side of the TV photos

Your TV does not have a satellite receiver. The two cables are of no use without a separate receiver box.

(apparanty normal aerel won't pick up a signel here)

Is that from a reputable source, or from neighbours gossip and heresay?

If there is a TV aerial outside, get one of these: https://www.screwfix.com/p/philex-coaxial-cable-1m/41720
plug one end into the wall socket marked TV and the other into the TV aerial socket.

If not, then it's either have a TV aerial installed, buy a Freesat box, or subscribe to Sky.

 

[Lucid]

To summarise where you're at so far in the thread.

Why two cables? - There are two cables with the screw-on connectors because that's how a Sky box or Freesat recorder works. It needs two feeds to allow the watching of one channel whilst recording one or more other channel(s) at the same time.

A simple Freesat or satellite TV tuner (they're not that same thing) is a watch-one-channel-only, no-recording device. This is the case with a lot of TVs that used to have satellite or Freesat reception. They need just one connection because you'll rarely be doing anything more than watching one channel as it is broadcasting. If recording is an option - and don't take it as granted that it is - then you're stuck with watching the channel that is being recorded.

Personally I would find this too limiting. I'm used to the PVR functions of a dual or multiple channel recorder. I want to be able to pause live TV and to set recordings without worrying whether someone else will try to change channel half way through and ruin it. YMMV.

We don't get Freeview reception here - You have what looks like a fairly new-build house. It may well be in a location that doesn't get Freeview, or the signal is marginal. Freeview covers 98.5% of the UK population, but that sill leaves around 350,000 households in the UK where coverage is poor or just doesn't exist. However, don't take it for granted that you're in one of those places.

New estates often have a restriction on outdoor aerial installations until after all the plots are sold. The housebuilder wants everything to look nice and neat. The thinking is outdated, but the restrictions still exist. Secondly, house builders are crap at anything to do with aerial installations and their wiring. I can't tell you how many times I have been to jobs where the sockets are wired wrong and that stops or at least reduces reception. It's frighteningly common to find the things bodged.

Next, the builders do not install aerials in the lofts. They just leave the cables coiled up, sometimes hidden under the loft boarding, and so the first game is 'hunt the cable'. If you are being told that there's little to no Freeview reception where you are then it could be that the person telling you is a DIYer with no real aerial knowledge. They tried it, and couldn't get an immediate result because of some other issue, so they gave up without further investigation. Other common occurrences are that satellite installations are allowed (but not aerials - go figure) and so everyone follows suit. The assumption then is "Oh, everyone has Sky round here" and that becomes "there's no Freeview reception" without any proper validation. This is what @flameport said (post #6) I've even had it where someone has tried all the aerial sockets in the house and go no reception, but they never bothered to check if there's an aerial attached at the other end... and there isn't.

Another common fault is that an aerial has been fitted by a previous owner, but it needed amplification because of the bad wiring to the aerial sockets or the loft location. The power for this was a little box - looked like a booster behind one of the TVs - and so when the previous owners moved they too that with them. No power supply = no power to the amplified splitter = no signal for the new home owners.

The point here is that unless you're hearing that there's no Freeview reception from a couple of reputable local aerial fitters, then take anything the neighbours say with a pinch of salt. They are not experts.

"Where to connect these cables to the sockets on my TV?" - Your LG TV doesn't have a satellite signal input. If it did, there'd be threaded connector marked SAT or something similar. [See the second image in post #2 from @RandomGrinch. He circled the connection on his TV.] Your TV doesn't have that, and it means there's no suitable tuner within the TV for satellite/Freesat reception.

Normally at this point the next question is "can I get an adapter?". The answer to that is no. This isn't a case of changing the sex or design of the plug end to fit. The satellite signals running through the cable are different to Freeview. They're a different language, if you will. You need a box or receiver that speaks satellite, and that would be a satellite receiver.

"How many cables do I connect?" - for a watch-live satellite or Freesat receiver you need just one connection. The other cable is redundant at that point. It doesn't matter which cable you use, but it would be prudent to test both. Where you want a Freesat recorder, then you'll need both connections. As @foxhole said (post #3), get a Freesat box, plug in the lead(s), then connect a HDMI cable from the box to the TV.

-------- Questions you haven't asked yet --------

Freesat vs just satellite - Freesat is part of the UKs digital TV platform, and so the channel layout is similar to Freeview i.e. it goes BBC-1, BBC-1 ITV, C4, Ch5 and so on. All Freesat receivers adhere to this. There's also continuity with the TV guide and certain other features. The alternative is simply satellite reception. This is a bit like the wild west frontiers. Anything goes. There are lots of satellites up in a geostationary orbit, and several of their transmission zones overlap on the UK. You'll pick up the channels that you would with Freesat, but also a whole bunch of other stuff, mostly foreign language and subscription channels. If you opt for a simple satellite receiver then it's up to you to manage and curate the channel listings and keep them up-to-date if they change.

Freesat vs Freeview - several points here:
• Freesat has more HD channels than Freeview. All the main BBC and ITV channels available in HD will be on Freesat. Fewer of the SD versions
• You will need cabling and a Freesat receiver for every TV you want to use for live TV viewing. Freeview (the aerial one) is simpler and cheaper to distribute throughout your home. Every TV has a Freeview tuner.
• Freesat receivers: three manufacturers; Manhatten (basic receivers), Humax (no longer manufacturing, but some dual input recorders are available as refurbs and second-hand), Arris, the current holder of the Freesat supply contract. Anything current that isn't a Manhatten will be an Arris box. You'll see 'Freesat 4K'. There are no 4K TV transmissions on Freesat The 4K bit refers to streaming apps such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer etc. The boxes will stream in 4K

 

[ETAF]

do you have an aerial on the roof anywhere ?
anyone else have aerials on the roof locally

(apparanty normal aerel won't pick up a signel here)

you can lookup the transmitter and freeview predictor based on postcode from here

Freeview Channel Checker

What channels should you get? To check Freeview TV channels at your home enter your postcode and house name or number to find the channels available where you live.

www.freeview.co.uk

i have a friend who has sky and was told freeview not available, BUT it is and a very strong signal , they had an aerial on the roof and wall sockets - i simply connected those to TV and tuned the TV's in and everything burst into life - she had been paying for sky for years and only watched normal broadcast channels available on freeview - NO catchup or recording ......

 

[Rodders53]

DO click on the detailed view version link when using that Freeview tool link.
It gives information about reception prediction numbers from the transmitter(s) in the area.

The information may need interpretation and explanation for the OP, of course.

Do get a fly lead from the white wallplate to the TV input. It's likely that it will be a female to male TV plug type (if the wallplate has both male and female outlets - the male being TV, female FM/DAB radio? (A closer pic would confirm).
It may "just work". The Philex one linked to is not the best quality, but may at least prove something and is cheap enough.

If not, do also check the loft for where that wall plate connection goes... quite likely into the loft. If just cables with no plugs or an aerial up there it may be that a loft aerial could work? Depending on the prediction numbers. The transmitter network is designed around the use of outside aerials at rooftop/chimney height.

If there's a mains powered box up there connected to the cables, check it is powered on (take a pic of it with any name/model numbers clear to read).

Carefully remove the plate to see if it has one or two cables to it and also to assess if it is a quality screened plate or a cheap version.

 

[someonelse]

Many thanks all for the explanations and sugestions. Just to update:
* as suspected, my informaion about normal TV not being available came from the previous owners
* streetview shows a number of houses in the estate have standard-looking ariels. However, they are all raised up very high on poles way above the roofs
* but most houses have neither terrestial aeriels nor sat dishes. Cable TV? Or internal attc ariels?
* channel checker:

	Name	Reception Summary	Region	Parent Transmitter	Grid Reference	Distance (km)	Bearing°	Aerial Group Now	Aerial Group After
Most Likely Transmitter	Crystal Palace	4404	London	N/A	TQ 33940 71220	36	124	A H,T H	A H,T H
Alternative Transmitter	Crystal Palace (Local Mux)	Good	London	Crystal Palace	TQ 33940 71220	36	124	A H,T H	A H,T H
Alternative Transmitter	Hemel Hempstead	Poor	London	Crystal Palace	TL 08790 04490	14	19	B V,K V	B V,K V
Alternative Transmitter	Hemel Hempstead (Local Mux)	Good	London	Hemel Hempstead	TL 08790 04490	14	19	B V,K V	B V,K V
Alternative Transmitter	Sandy Heath	Poor	Anglia	N/A	TL 20472 49446	60	15	A H,T H	A H,T H

Crystal Palace​

Step	Date	BBC A	D3&4	BBC B	SDN	ARQ A	ARQ B
	N	S	M	N	S	M	N	S	M	N	S	M	N	S	M	N	S	M
Now	12 Apr 2023	23	91	95	26	93	95	30-	95	97	25	46	91	22	43	91	28-	52	91
Final prediction	2025	23	91	95	26	93	95	30-	95	97	25	46	91	22	43	91	28-	52	91

BBC A - BBC B are all green. SDN onwards are yellow (variablereception)

* The TV is a small temporary one. I have a larger, newer LG TV. User Manual says:"Satellite dish
Connect the TV to a satellite dish to a satellite socket with a satellite RF cable (75 Ω). (Depending on model)"

https://manuals.plus/_lg/uq75-led-tv-manual

* I'll get an RF cableand try connecting the small TV to the wall socket.
* failing that, will have to wait till the newer YV arrives ad from what I understand that should work with the sat dish. Hopefully.

 

[flameport]

what I understand that should work with the sat dish.

There is an additional consideration - if those cables were installed for Sky Q, they will not work with older satellite receivers as the device at the dish is different.

 

[Rodders53]

There is an additional consideration - if those cables were installed for Sky Q, they will not work with older satellite receivers as the device at the dish is different.

Ideally we need a nice close up picture of the dish LNB where the cables fit (if possible such that the label is readable for make and model).
But often the different LNBs can be identified by the number and position of connection points - even if only two are in use.

 

[Lucid]

Ideally we need a nice close up picture of the dish LNB where the cables fit (if possible such that the label is readable for make and model).
But often the different LNBs can be identified by the number and position of connection points - even if only two are in use.

If he went for one of tge new Arris Freesat 4K then it wouldn't matter what type of LNB. Those boxes work with both kind.

 

[Rodders53]

If he went for one of tge new Arris Freesat 4K then it wouldn't matter what type of LNB. Those boxes work with both kind.

That pile of

NB the OP has a newer TV with a satellite input (LG brand so likely Freesat) that needs a universal LNB for that to work.

OP's Freeview numbers don't look excessively poor, but at that distance aerials would need to be external.

 

[Lucid]

NB the OP has a newer TV with a satellite input (LG brand so likely Freesat) that needs a universal LNB for that to work.

That's true.

I still can't bear watching linear TV without live pause though, so it would have to be via a PVR for me. Others might get a different mileage


That said, I can't recall the last time I watched a whole programme on linear TV.