Sky+ Cabling help...

[sterankin]

Myself and my brother are installing Sky+ into my house, as my brother just got Sky HD and he is giving me his sky+ box! yay I have bought a quad LNB off ebay and my brother has some RG59/BU Cable (75 ohms) which he is going to use to link the dish to the Sky+ box.

It is about 15metres from the dish to the box. Is this cable any good and will the signal strength be ok? I know it is for cctv use but will it be ok for SKY+? I have read some conflicting reports on the net and I am hoping an expert here can clear matters up before I shell out more ££ for some new cable...Is it worth trying the RG59?

Thanks
Steven

[NewsreadeR]

tbh I have no idea. Either wait for some one more knowledgeable or...

Why not do a dummy run, ie connect both ends but not tack the cable to the wall? You would then see if the cable works, and how good the quality is.

Other threads recommend:

I bought 10 metres of dual cable the best you can get from Maplins £2.50 a metre

Would save running 2 cables?

[sterankin]

Thanks - my brother wants to do a dummy run like you said, basically just connect the ends to see how it works out - signal strength and quality. Personally, I like to do things properly But if an expert can tell me here that the RG59B/U is sufficient for a 15m run then I will be happy with that.

I just dont want to have to install this and then it cutting out in a weeks time or lose picture quality....

also I can't wait to get Sky+ have been wanting it for ages but financially have never been able to justify it (until now!)

[NewsreadeR]

If you don't want to wait for an answer, dig out the Yellow Pages or surf the net for a local Satellite installer and ask re the cable.

It was well worth the wait, it changes the way you watch TV.

[youravinalarrrf]

Any help?

Maplin > RG59B/U 75Ω Coax Cable

[terrorvis]

I can't remember off the top of my head, but is RG59 shielded? I'm wondering whether the 'U' stands for unshielded.

If you use unshielded then the signal levels might be ok, but you may not lock on to the satellite, or it will cause interference on screen.

15meters is not a problem (we have a dish here running on roughly 70 meters) but you will need to use the right stuff. The cable NewsreadeR pointed out would be a good choice.

Maplin > Twin Satellite Coax Cable

[sterankin]

Thanks for the info, I did see this on the Maplin website as youravinalarrrf pointed out:

RG59B/U 75Ω Coax Cable

Q) Is this cable suitable for connecting an LNB to a Satellite rxer?? Rgds. Len. - Len Woolley
A) Yes it is suitable

Not that I dont trust Maplins website or anything but just wanted a second opinion

My brother is just off the phone and he said sure why not give it a whirl tomorrow night and see what kind of signal we get, as the cable he has is free and he has loads of it... sure will let you know how it goes (for future reference!).

[sterankin]

Just an FYI - we installed the RG59B/U 75Ω Coax Cable from the dish to the freeview box, was only about 10 - 12 metres. Signal strength was nearly full and quality was about three quarters. Seems to be working great so at least saved a good bit of £££

Sky+ for £8 all in (for the LNB) - bargain!

[terrorvis]

Glad to hear it all turned out good for you.

[Proppinupthebar]

I can't remember off the top of my head, but is RG59 shielded? I'm wondering whether the 'U' stands for unshielded.

If you use unshielded then the signal levels might be ok, but you may not lock on to the satellite, or it will cause interference on screen.

15meters is not a problem (we have a dish here running on roughly 70 meters) but you will need to use the right stuff. The cable NewsreadeR pointed out would be a good choice.

Maplin > Twin Satellite Coax Cable

All coax is shielded. The quality of the shielding certainly varies though!
Some coax is double shielded, but the big difference is in what seperates the core from the outer shielding, the dielectric. The cheaper cables will simply use a cheap plastic which is pretty much hollow, and is known as air core. The dielectric determines the impedance along with the distance between the core and shield. More expensive cables use more expensive dielectrics. Air core cables impedance changes dramatically if you get water into the dieletric. If you go for cheap cable make sure its sealed and the cable can't rub up against anything in the wind.