Understanding and using a TV splitter.

[HappyHippyDad]

Evening all..

In the past I have used one of these for splitting the cable for terrestrial TV:

This time when I fitted it the TV (at the new TV aerial socket that I had fitted) did not receive a signal whereas the existing TV still did.

I removed the new coax cable from the splitter and also the incoming cable and joined them together. The new socket works fine like this, but obviously the other TV is now not connected.

My questions are :

1. Why did it not work with both TV sockets joined to the splitter, whereas it has in the past?
2. What is different from the above splitter (I.e with power pass) to a standard splitter (see pic below)?
3. Would a TV amplifier unit work in this case(see pic below)?

 

[Octopus]

It could be that the "run" from the splitter to the new outlet is too much and the split signal simply isn't strong enough.

I normally recommend a splitter amplifier ...... which needs a socket too. (like the one in your picture..)

 

[Strima]

Power pass splitters are for when you have a masthead amp and is powered through the cable.

Have you tried a different splitter to rule out a dodgy unit?

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Power pass splitters are for when you have a masthead amp and is powered through the cable.

Have you tried a different splitter to rule out a dodgy unit?

Would a power pass splitter still work as a normal splitter though if there was no masthead amp?

I didn't try a different splitter but i did try the new coax cable in the other 'out' part of the splitter that was working fine for the old TV. It didn't work for the new TV?

It could be that the "run" from the splitter to the new outlet is too much and the split signal simply isn't strong enough.

I normally recommend a splitter amplifier ...... which needs a socket too. (like the one in your picture..)

The run is fairly long. Approx 25m and I dont think they have a very strong signal anyway (customer said this).

 

[Octopus]

The run is fairly long. Approx 25m and I dont think they have a very strong signal anyway (customer said this).

I think that almost certainly answers the question ..

 

[rapparee]

It could be that the "run" from the splitter to the new outlet is too much and the split signal simply isn't strong enough.

I normally recommend a splitter amplifier ...... which needs a socket too. (like the one in your picture..)

Why is there someone called flick following you around the forum marking all your posts as dumb.

 

[Octopus]

Why is there someone called flick following you around the forum marking all your posts as dumb.

don't know, don't care

The mods think the alert dumb is good to have ................ go figure .

 

[freddo]

I use a Horizon signal strength meter for TV aerial work, takes all the guesswork away. I usually aim for somewhere between 45 and 65 dBμV at the wall sockets.

 

[Jim_e_Jib]

Would a power pass splitter still work as a normal splitter though if there was no masthead amp?

I didn't try a different splitter but i did try the new coax cable in the other 'out' part of the splitter that was working fine for the old TV. It didn't work for the new TV?



The run is fairly long. Approx 25m and I dont think they have a very strong signal anyway (customer said this).

You'll get a loss through the splitter so it could be that without there is just enough signal level to reach the end of the 25m run and with, not quite enough. The TV or set top box should have a signal strength and quality display somewhere in the menus that will give a guide as to how close to the edge the signal is without the splitter in circuit.

If the signal simply is too low, you'll either need a masthead amp or a distribution amp as in your first post. Just be careful not to send too high a signal to the television on the shorter cable run.

 

[mhar]

I use a Horizon signal strength meter for TV aerial work, takes all the guesswork away. I usually aim for somewhere between 45 and 65 dBμV at the wall sockets.

50dB micro volts was the recommended minimum signal level when dtv first started and is the figure I still use.

Amplifying a signal should not be the default choice, amplification should only be used when necessary. It can easily destroy a signal or overload the agc on a tv tuner. Just because you are splitting a signal does not mean it requires amplification. A two way splitter has a 3.5dB insertion loss, a 16 way only has a 14dB loss on each leg so it is perfectly possible to install 16 points unamplified. 65dB of incoming signal - 3.5dB splitter loss - say 6dB cable loss still leaves 55dB of signal which does not require amplification. A 3 way split at 5.7dB of losses or a 4 way at 7.5dB would probably not require amplification in this example. A rough guide, there can be other factors.

For tv frequencies there is little difference between power pass splitters and non power pass. Non power pass tend to be for terrestrial only (sub 800mHz), power pass tend to include satellite if.

Signal strength is not as important as it used to be in the analogue only days, signal quality (a good guide of which is the carrier to noise ratio) is the key. A cheap meter is the key, without one how can you charge for just guessing and hoping that what you are doing will be ok?

 

[Jim_e_Jib]

If the signal is low to begin with, it could be that the aerial is not properly aligned, or not the most suitable type for the area. The first leg of co-ax could also be past it's prime. As @mhar says, an amplifier should not be the default choice.