Aerial Socket Repair - How Much?

[Deleted User]

So, I'm thinking of ditching Sky and moving to Freeview. The aerial itself is OK, but I think the socket is wired badly, as having tried replacing the coax cable to the box, and also the faceplate, it only picks up channels if I hold the faceplate at a certain angle.

I don't possess the skill, knowledge, or patience to wire the socket correctly, so the question is this:

How much should I expect to pay to call someone out to fit the socket and faceplate correctly?

Nilrem

If it's just a normal aerial socket it's easier to replace than wiring a plug.

From memory (it's been a while since I did one).
There will be two screws holding the plate in place (one either side), undo them and it should come away (it may be stuck due to paint etc, in which case carefully running a sharp knife around the edges should free it*).
Once it's away from the wall there will be two screws holding the cable in place.
Usually one will hold a clamp over the solid inner core, and one a clamp over the braid - check they are tight and the connections clean as if the braided wire is touching the solid core wire that will cause you issues (in which case move it out of the way/cut the excess off).
If you do need to replace it undo the clamps and take the wire out (throwing the old plate away), and then reverse the process with a new face plate - make sure you don't allow the braided wire to touch the solid wire when when you tighten everything up.

It's about a 15 minute job maximum, but if you call someone out to fix it they'll likely charge you the minimum callout fee (often £50+).
It really is a very simple job, and I wouldn't be surprised if you can find an instruction video on youtube even
If you've got any friends/neighbours/family with even a modicum of DIY skills who know how to wire a plug it's the sort of thing they may do for a pint


*This is usually the hardest part, as often they've been in place for years and got layers of dried paint/wallpaper paste glueing them to the wall.