New build - aerials, Sky, free sat, freeview

littlesparkles

Hello all,

I am buying a new build and have been told that although there are TV points, there is no aerial and this will have to be fitted by someone afterwards.

Any idea how much I should expect to pay for this?

Also I am going to be getting Sky in the lounge so would it be simpler to just get free sat in the other rooms? We can't afford Sky multiroom.

I am currently using Virgin but the new build is not in a cabled area so I am new to Sky and free sat.

Any advice?

Owain_Moneysaver

Depends on what is meant by 'TV points' and what/where they're wired to. If your'e committed to Sky or freesat no point in paying for a terrestrial aerial as well.

It's quite possible the builders will install aerial cable that's useless for satellite signals.

If you get an independent installer (not Sky) to install a dish they will be able to run cabling to rooms as required. An ordinary dish LNB will supply 4 feeds. Sky+ needs 2 feeds (one for watch, one for record). Any more than 4 feeds needs a multiswitch in the loft.

Then if you get Sky just plug the box into the existing dish feeds. Likewise with freesat boxes in other rooms.

spike7451

Sky will only install what you order,so if you order Sky HD,they will only install that,they won't run the feeds for Freesat UNLESS you buy it from them.
They will also only install as per their H&S regs,so that means they wont track cables thru conduit,roofspaces,under carpets,floors ect or install dishes on chimneys over a certain height,that being a standard 2 or 3 tier ladder set.

almillar

Cheapest way I think would be just to get Sky out if you defo want it. You'll get a quad LNB and if you make the installer a nice cup of coffee and slip him £20 he might run leads from the 2 spare outputs into your roofspace, from where you can run them into other rooms later.
No point installing an aerial too unless you MUST have a certain Freeview channel.
Since it's a new house do as much wiring (networking too for example) now as you can, it's by far the easiest time to do it!

InsideInsurance

It sounds like you dont know what you are getting exactly and so personally I would find out precisely what it is from the builder before you start trying to plan anything.

In the last new build I moved into there was twin sky sockets in the main room plus an aerial plus a feedback that went to a distributor and put a single socket into each room.

The current place has a single sky and single aerial in every room (annoying for anyone with Sky+ or Sky HD)

littlesparkles

Tv points in the lounge and dining room. No aerial fitted though.

Kurtis_Blue

TV Points? do you mean just a single socket with one COAX female socket, like this:



Or a socket with multiple outlets:



You can find the cable ends in the loft and connect an aerial and/or a Sky dish, Sky will NOT go into your loft, nor would you want them to, so you will need to get an independent in for either task, then they can hide the Sky dish neatly.

If you only have the one outlet on the TV point then you would not be able to have full Sky+ functions and would need to run another cable.

If you do want a free Sky install they will put the dish on the external wall and run two sky cables through the wall, not very neatly.
Cost of an aerial install and passive two way splitter £140-200
go to the CAI website and search for local installers for quotes.

http://www.cai.org.uk/members/postcode-search

Any thing else?

Colin_London

Unless it's a high-spec new build (e.g. one that is specifically sold as having modern cabling such as Cat 5 & satellite cabling throughout) the most likely arrangement is just a number of standard terrestrial co-ax outlets (e.g. one in each room likely to have a TV) each with a cable run up to the loft where it is left by the builders. This was what was done in my sisters new build (built only 3 years ago).

Running in the cabling is done at the same time as the elecricity cable etc. At your expense you can then get an aerial installed on the roof by an installer, and connected within the roof space to maybe one of the sockets if you want a cheap solution, or all of the sockets enabled by installation of a distribution amplifier.

To distribute a satellite rather than terrestrial signal the builders will have had to install additional higher spec cables as well as the terrestrial cables, and face plates with f-connectors, and instead of a TV aerial a multi-output LNB dish is then installed on the roof, with one feed connected to each socket cable run in the loft. Sky wouldn't make use of such an arrangement, so if you wanted to use it you'd have to pay to get an independent installer in to do the work.

Kurtis_Blue

Colin_London wrote: »

To distribute a satellite rather than terrestrial signal the builders will have had to install additional higher spec cables as well as the terrestrial cables, and face plates with f-connectors, and instead of a TV aerial a multi-output LNB dish is then installed on the roof, with one feed connected to each socket cable run in the loft.

You can diplex both one Sat feed and Freeview or even two sat feeds, down the one run of Coax, no additional cables are required.

Moneymaker

Diplexing works reliably, only if the cable is the correct type. Invariably, the contractors fit the cheapest cable they can find and it's not even suitable for Freeview, never mind satellite. You should inspect the cable very carefully to determine what it is. Read article here:
http://www.glodark.com/cable.htm

littlesparkles

Thanks for the replies. This seems a lot more complicated than I anticipated.

I very much doubt that anything high spec will be installed by the builder!