TV aerial lead help

amarillo_2004

Before I have to call in the professionals and spend hundreds, thought I'd see if you can help me solve my problem.

I have what I think is a tv aerial lead coming into my living room, but the cable ends with frayed metal strands, rather than something I can plug into the back of the telly.

Have tried to search on some technical websites but they all talk another language. All I want to know is:
-

• how can I be sure this is a tv aerial cable rather than a live wire or something that might kill me?
• how do I turn frayed metal into something that will plug into the back of the telly

If I do have to call in the professionals (i don't DO heights!) does anyone know how much it's likely to cost me?

Thanks in advance

brummybloke

follow the cable outside, if it is a thick brown cable and it goes to a big ariel looking thing on your roof i would say you have an ariel cable on your hands.

go to maplins, dixons, comet, any electric supplier and buy a coaxel fitting ( probably no more than £3.00). undo the coaxel fitting feed the cable through and with some pliers squeeze the copper wiring together . you will see where it fits in. toghten up the ring at the bottom of the coaxel connector and wayhay. you now have a tv ariel ready to go.

this is of course as long as you have an ariel on your roof.

if you are that worried, look around for any other ariels you may have. it wont be a live cable if it has been drilled through your wall and is coming from outside.

all a coaxel fitting is , is the thing that you plug into the back of the telly.

safesound

amarillo_2004 wrote:

[*]how can I be sure this is a tv aerial cable rather than a live wire or something that might kill me?

If it looks like this (or any derivitive of) then its an ariel

amarillo_2004 wrote:

[*]how do I turn frayed metal into something that will plug into the back of the telly

You need a male coax plug like this:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1606&doy=29m10D

You can get them from any hardware type place just ask for a ariel plug for the back of the telly and they'll know what you mean.

If I do have to call in the professionals

You wont, its quite simple to do. Pull away the copper outer and twist into one "wire" (like B in the photo above) and strip some of the white plastic coating (C) away from the centre wire (D) so it pokes out (like in the photo).
Now lay the copper outer (B) back against the outer (A) and slip the detatchable ring from the coax plug over the whole lot, let it ride down the wire as we wont need it for a second. You will be left with two peices from the coax plug; a bit that looks similar in shape to C&D and a little silver crown. Push the little crown over the whole lot so that the pointy bits face away from the end we just stripped and so that it holds down the copper outer (B) to the outside of the whole wire (A). Now slip the other bit over the end it resembles making sure the pokey end bit of wire (D) goes down the pokey end bit of the plug.
Now hold the end and run the detatchable ring we forgot about earlier back up the wire and screw it to the last bit we fitted.
There. That wasnt so painfull was it?

Bennifred

Brilliant explanation! :T Are you a teacher, by any chance?

2ax

On some, it's nicer if you can solder the centre conductor into the plug. And you probably don't need to plait and solder the braid as shown in the picture

safesound

Bennifred wrote:

Brilliant explanation! :T Are you a teacher, by any chance?

Was that a jibe at my spelling?
Thanks, I wasnt sure I'd made myself clear enough.

Martini

A very good explanation by SafeSound but here is a piccy:

http://www.antiference.co.uk/Masthead%20Amp.%20Inst.pdf

Scroll down to page 3 of 4 - Fitting the coaxial plug.
The BOLD on e) is especially important!
It'll short out which won't do any harm but you'll loose your signal!

pre-reg

this quite a good link with pictures

http://www.megalithia.com/elect/bellinglee/index.htm

Regards

jobbingmusician

Safesound, I've pressed the 'thanks' button just because I think this is a particularly brilliant and helpful post! (Even though I knew the answer ! :beer: )

Malestrom

One other possibility, it might not be TV aerial coax but cable TV coax, do you have NTL/Telewest/etc in your area? Do you have a cable splitter box in your front room/hallway? It still won't be live but you'll be unlikely to get a picture from it.

amarillo_2004

Thanks so much all of you for very sensible explainations which I think I can follow. Am off to Dixons now: by tonight might bne able to moan cos I'll have a picture but there's nothing worth watching!

Really - Im very grateful.