TV Aerial Socket

[rozza]

Thank you for all the replies. They are really helpful.

I completely agree that the housing association who owns and maintains the block should deal with it. Spoke with them again today and I am the only one they have logged as having a fault with my TV signal so they won't deal with it until at least another two people complain (out of 9 flats!). They won't pay for it out of their pockets as they get their overpriced contractors to do the work and then pass the bill onto us! Which is why I would like to deal with the problem if I can, if not I will likely get my own contractor in and try and get a better understanding of things.

I guess the first thing I need to do is speak to my neighbours (I spoke with one on the way in tonight, from the ground floor, and they have problems with reception, especially when it rains).

Secondly I need to get up onto the roof to inspect the cabling for signs of wear and/ or missing covers.

Thirdly I guess I could turn the red knob on the variable attenuator for the short term.

I'll let you know what I find on the roof.

Cheers

R

 

[radioredcat]

Now that you have spoke to one neighbour and they are having problems then it's more than likely that all the others are as well.
So we take the socket out of the equation.
Which leaves the aerial and coax,When water gets in coax reception can vary wildly till it dries out and reception slowly returns one channel at a time in some cases.
If you look at the site below you can see a piece coax that has been worn away.

http://www.aerialsandtv.com/cableandleads.html

When you look at the aerial connector box some have a little printed circuit board which is a matching balun,these type tend to corrode when they have been wet.
The other type just have a folded dipole and a connection at each end.

I assume the transmitter that serves you is CRYSTAL PALACE so if you have to replace the aerial you should get a GROUP A aerial some say you will need a wideband aerial because after DSO there is one digital channel on CH 42,A wideband aerial does not have a good gain at the bottom of the band which is where your channels are a group A aerial will recieve ch 42 ok.

By all means adjust the attenuator temporarily but make a note of it's position if it improves but not enough then take the 10db attenuator out but don't loose it as you will need to put it back when you have fixed the fault.

Pics of the aerial and cable would be good if possible but don't risk falling because of it.

andy

 

[rozza]

Hi,

Sorry about the length of time it has taken to reply, it's just taken ages to find a ladder long enough to get onto the roof .

I managed to take a couple of pictures through the skylight a couple of weeks ago and pop up quickly tonight to confirm. It seems that the cap on the top of the aerial is not on. You can see it in the photo below.

Picture Title

• rozza
• 6 Mar 2009
• 1

I had a quick look at the cable using a torch but couldn't see anything obvious. If I get back up there tomorrow in daylight for a closer look what should I look for and what is the most likely thing(s) I will need to do to sort it out?

Thanks

R
[/img]

 

[flameport]

As the cap is loose on the aerial, this will be the cause of most or all of the problems.
As a minimum the cap will need to be replaced and sealed, although it is also possible that the connections inside are corroded and water has travelled into the cable.

If water has got into the cable, you will need to replace it between the aerial and the amplifier.

Do not attempt to replace the wall plates - they look like padded outlets, and if they are, changing the plate to a modern one will also destroy TV reception for one or more of the other flats.

 

[rozza]

Thanks for the reply flameport.

Just wondering where i might be able to get a new cap and some cable from? The cable has a layer of copper foil through it as well. Will the cap be easy to remove and change?

I also noticed that the aerial wobbled quit a lot. It is bolted on and has a wire cable wrapped around the brickwork that it is bolted to. Should i attempt to tighten it up or is there some tolerance for movement?

Untitled

• rozza
• 6 Mar 2009
• 1

Cheers

R

 

[radioredcat]

The cap has probibly split or has not been fitted properly but you can't buy replacement caps and by now i would imagine that connections are likely to be corroded.

The coax is double screened so if it needs replacing then you need satellite grade coax which is available from any aerial stockist but personally i would buy it from (see site below) because they don't sell rubbish and they test aerials,cable,poles that they sell.

http://www.aerialsandtv.com/cableandleads.html


The bracket is not ideal but looks ok all you need to do is check there is no movement on the bracket and the cable going around the chimmney is tight.
The wobbling will be the pole flexing in the wind it looks like a 1" alloy pole.


andy

 

[rozza]

Hi radioredcat,

Just been up on the roof and taken a photo into the round plastic box on the aerial and your assumption is correct, the connections look pretty corroded. see below.

Untitled

• rozza
• 7 Mar 2009
• 1

I have put the cap back on, it didn't seem to be split so I assume it just wasn't fitted properly. I'll order a length of cable and connectors from the website you suggested as there is a connection just under the eaves before the cable enters the building that I will connect to. Just wondering whether it is even worth doing if the connections in the plastic box are corroded. Is there anything I can do about this?

Cheers

R

 

[flameport]

The connections to the aerial can't be replaced separately - the only solution would be a new aerial. However this may not be necessary, it may just be the two screws which are corroded.

You should also get some self amalgamating tape to wrap any connections with, this will ensure they are waterproof.
(as shown here : http://www.aerialsandtv.com/onlinecableandmisc.html#FconnJoiningKit )

Personally, i'd wrap the connection box with it as well, to ensure the lid is sealed properly and won't come off in future.

 

[radioredcat]

If the reception is ok when it's dry now i would do what flameport has suggested.
The coax is solid dielectric (inner insulation) so the problem is the corrosion that has takem place will eventually get worse so trying to undo the screws might break the aerial so it might be worth leaving it as it is put the cap back on and bind with self amalgamating tape.
Underneath that circuit board will be a matching balun which is a small coil.

How long it will last varies but i have done the same in the past and the aerials have lasted quite a long time,You could also spray it with WD40 which can help to slow down the corrrosion.
I have tried in the past to undo screws like that with little success but it might be worth asking the neighbours if they will chip in for a new aerial and coax.

andy