Fitting Instructions

  1. Fitting a Co-ax Plug

               Diagram of Coax Plug

1. Cut the outer sleeve of the cable by 25mm.
2. Pull the braiding (strands) back away from the end of the cable.
3. Cut the inter section of the cable by about two thirds.
4. Place the bottom half of the coax plug onto the cable.
5. Place the coax plug clamp onto the cable, this should hold the braiding (strands) away from the centre core of the cable.
6. Place in the inner part of the coax plug on the cable.
7. Place the last part of the coax plug onto the cable and screw it with the bottom half. Ensuring that any excess braiding exits at the bottom of the plug and does not interfere with the thread of the plug.

2. Fitting an F Plug

1. Cut the outer sleeve of the cable by one inch.
2. Pull the braiding (strands) back away from the end of the cable.
3. Cut the inter section of the cable by two thirds.
4. Screw the F connection onto the cable making sure that the braiding is away from the centre core of the cable.

 

Connecting it all up

Why are there so many sorts of connecting cables? Find out with this quick guide.

The connectors on each cable are called plugs (and are also called male) and they will usually fit only into one sort of socket (or female connector). Most cables you will come across are male to male. Occasionally you will find leads with a socket on one end and a plug on the other, and these are called "extension cables".

SCART
The SCART cable is used to connect a set-top box to a television set, or to a video recorder. This can only be a short cable. The SCART cable carries all of these types of signal:
analogue stereo sound

a single RGB television picture

a single composite video picture

a single S-Video video picture

widescreen picture signal

As stereo sound, RGB picture and widescreen signal is the best possible combination for digital television viewing, it is vital to use a SCART lead between any set-top box and the main television.

The composite video picture with stereo sound is the best combination for a VHS video recorder. If your set-top box has two SCART sockets, it is likely that the one marked TV will carry RGB picture information and the other will not. If your television has more than one SCART input, you may need to choose a special one (marked RGB) if you want to use RGB from the SCART cable. On most set-top boxes it is possible to turn the RGB output on and off. This can be used to test the RGB input function on the television ? the picture quality appears blurred when it is disabled. If have a DVD player, rather than a VHS recorder, you can attach this to the set-top boxes second SCART connector. The signal from the set-top box will normally be overridden by the DVD player when it is on, usually in high-quality RGB. Some very cheap SCART cables do not have all the pins connected. They may not provide RGB and widescreen picture signals. SCART cables are normally no more than three metres in length.

UHF lead
The UHF lead is a lead that you would traditionally associate with television signals. They can carry:

up to 45 (but normally only five) analogue television channels

a single picture from a set-top box

around 50 analogue cable TV channels

mono sound

NICAM stereo sound

Teletext services (for example, Ceefax)


You can't avoid these cables if you are going to use Freeview, as these cables are the only ones that you can use to distribute Freeview signals around the house. Where you have an integrated digital television (an idTV) you just need to get the signal from the aerial to the television with one of these cables. If you are using a Freeview set-top box, you will need to get the signal from the aerial to the set-top box using this aerial lead, but for best results connect the TV to the box with a SCART cable.

You can also use a UHF lead to connect a set-top box to a television somewhere in the house. Your set-top box will require a RF (radio frequency) modulator. Note that "RF passthough" is another way of saying there is no modulator. You will be able to "tune" the second television into the picture showing on the set-top box. Some boxes (all Sky boxes) have the ability to connect a remote control receiver to the second TV end of the interconnecting cable, so you can change channels. The set-top boxes, whilst providing a reasonable quality picture to the second TV, will always provide only mono sound via a UHF lead. The step-change in picture quality obtained by switching to RGB on a SCART is far greater than any obtained though spending any more on a gold-plated SCART cable.

Satellite or cable TV cable
These cables are usually very stiff, and have a very basic screw connector on the end. Usually they will provide an unbroken link to the satellite dish. At the dish end they plug into the device on the end of the arm, the LNB. Don't try to disconnect these cables when the set-top box is on. Usually there is a small voltage that will cause dangerous sparks. If the cable connects to a satellite dish, there is not much you can do with the cable. Each receiver in the set-top box needs it's own wire to the LNB. With a personal video recorder (such as Sky+), or a multi-room installations there are two cables to the four-output LNB on the dish. If you want more rooms, each will require it's own cable. If the cable is providing cable TV, then it is possible to use inexpensive "Y connectors" to link the incoming signal to various set-top boxes, cable modems, or - via an adaptor - directly to the back of a TV.

HDMI cable

If you want to get the very best out of a television use a HDMI cable. This will be the only way for most televisions to receive high-definition pictures from set-top boxes.