Adding a cable to s...
 

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[Closed] Adding a cable to satellite dish

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I want to add a new cable to my existing (Sky installed) satellite dish.

By the looks of it, there are currently 6 (including two dual cables) connections to it and there are two spare connections available on the dish.

Am I right in thinking that I can just get a cable with f-type connectors at each end, fixing one end to the dish and the other to the (Freesat enabled) TV?

If so, what is the specification of cable? I see some places just refer to it as coax while others are more specific about it being 'satellite' cable and then there seem to be different codes

eg screwfix show
Labgear [b]RG6[/b] Satellite Coaxial Cable 25m White (28547)

and

Labgear [b]PF100[/b] Satellite Coaxial Cable 25m White (45490)

TIA 🙂


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 11:53 am
 ton
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yes.


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 11:55 am
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Ah, I was hoping you'd be on, ton 🙂 Thanks mate 🙂

Off to screwfix then!


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 11:57 am
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It's just plain Co-ax so any externally rated cable will do. Just remember to put in a drop loop below where it enters the house so that water doesn't get in.


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 12:03 pm
 ton
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wise word....... ^


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 12:04 pm
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Aren't they different resistances or something? Could've sworn I'd read somewhere once (satcure? maybe) that there was two different ratings.


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 12:08 pm
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You mean the cable impedance, Cougar? Most coax cables are either 50Ohm or 75Ohm. I know all UHF TV cables are 75Ohm - not sure about satellite feeds.

Most Amateur radio transceiver connections tend to be 50Ohm.

Rachel


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 12:12 pm
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Yeah, same difference (DC / AC). Thin Ethernet is 50 Ohm also IIRC. Does it matter for satellite cable?


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 12:19 pm
 ton
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aerial cable and satellite cable both work for sky systems. most runs are short, and there is not enough loss for it to be a problem.

or read that as 'sky use the cheapest cable they can get away with'.


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 12:20 pm
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That makes sense - so it only becomes an issue with longer cable runs? What sort of length are we talking? (Nothing to do with me ofc, I'm just curious.)

(But we knew that.)


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 12:27 pm
 ton
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30m is the benchmark.


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 12:29 pm
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Groovy, ta. Every day's a school day. Which should you use beyond that?


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 12:33 pm
 ton
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ct100


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 12:37 pm
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75Ohm double copper foil screened cable. If you've a 4G mast nearby then this what you need but the alloy foil screened cable will do otherwise (this is what Sky will use). The copper screened costs more than the alloy version.


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 12:38 pm
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Ah, that helped my Googling. It was SatCure I was thinking of.

http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/cable.htm

Nice one, cheers.


 
Posted : 23/12/2016 12:40 pm
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Thanks again.

The run is around 25m so I went for PF100. I'll let you know if it doesn't work 🙂


 
Posted : 24/12/2016 7:15 am
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Done and works perfectly. Thanks again.


 
Posted : 27/12/2016 4:12 pm