Can you use an a second TV ariel booster?

Izak · 11-08-2008, 15:26

We have a TV ariel booster in the loft that feeds the signal down to the living room, my bedroom and another bedroom. However, I have an several AV equipment in my bedroom. The current ariel lead feeds my SDTV, 2 VCRs and Hard Drive Recorder. However I also have a HDTV (mainly used as a PC/games console monitor) and a PC equipped with Freeview tuner.

Currently I don't have an ariel lead connected to either my HDTV or PC but if possible, would like to connect one.

What I'm wondering is, as we already have a booster in the loft, could I have a second booster in my bedroom that could feed all my equipment?

chrisjr · 11-08-2008, 15:59

Yes you could. But get one with either variable gain or low (10dB or so) gain.

The loft amplifier will probably be producing quite decent signal level so adding too much additional gain in the bedroom could lead to problems. It is possible that with too much signal you can overload the tuner stages of the various bits of kit attached to the booster. And it need not be the digital signals that cause the problems either for Freeview watching.

The analogue signals are much higher level than the digital ones so will be the first to go into overload. Even though a Freeview tuner does not use these signals they are still there on the aerial feed so can overload the tuner and cause interference to the wanted digital signals.

But provided you are sensible with the gain of any equipment you use you ought to be OK. And if all else fails you could stick a 6dB attenuator on the input of the booster. not ideal but could reduce the risk of overload.

If the signal from the loft amplifier is strong enough then you might get away with a passive splitter such as this four way one from Maplin

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=29531

This will involve some signal loss from input to output so only use it if you have a really decent signal. Only downdide of this is that it uses F Type connectors so you'll need to make up some special leads. But it is etter quality than most of the plastic bodied things that are also available.

bobcar · 11-08-2008, 17:14

The normal method would be for the loft amp to be a distribution amp (an output for each room).

Usually within the room you would pass the signal through each device. You should not need a second amp and as chrisjr has explained this is not really desirable.

Are you having problems at the moment?

11-08-2008, 15:26	#1
Izak Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Stockport, Cheshire Posts: 3,416	Can you use an a second TV ariel booster? We have a TV ariel booster in the loft that feeds the signal down to the living room, my bedroom and another bedroom. However, I have an several AV equipment in my bedroom. The current ariel lead feeds my SDTV, 2 VCRs and Hard Drive Recorder. However I also have a HDTV (mainly used as a PC/games console monitor) and a PC equipped with Freeview tuner. Currently I don't have an ariel lead connected to either my HDTV or PC but if possible, would like to connect one. What I'm wondering is, as we already have a booster in the loft, could I have a second booster in my bedroom that could feed all my equipment?

11-08-2008, 15:59	#2
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	Yes you could. But get one with either variable gain or low (10dB or so) gain. The loft amplifier will probably be producing quite decent signal level so adding too much additional gain in the bedroom could lead to problems. It is possible that with too much signal you can overload the tuner stages of the various bits of kit attached to the booster. And it need not be the digital signals that cause the problems either for Freeview watching. The analogue signals are much higher level than the digital ones so will be the first to go into overload. Even though a Freeview tuner does not use these signals they are still there on the aerial feed so can overload the tuner and cause interference to the wanted digital signals. But provided you are sensible with the gain of any equipment you use you ought to be OK. And if all else fails you could stick a 6dB attenuator on the input of the booster. not ideal but could reduce the risk of overload. If the signal from the loft amplifier is strong enough then you might get away with a passive splitter such as this four way one from Maplin http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=29531 This will involve some signal loss from input to output so only use it if you have a really decent signal. Only downdide of this is that it uses F Type connectors so you'll need to make up some special leads. But it is etter quality than most of the plastic bodied things that are also available. Last edited by chrisjr : 11-08-2008 at 16:25. Reason: Another thought

11-08-2008, 17:14	#3
bobcar Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 14,718	The normal method would be for the loft amp to be a distribution amp (an output for each room). Usually within the room you would pass the signal through each device. You should not need a second amp and as chrisjr has explained this is not really desirable. Are you having problems at the moment?

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Can you use an a second TV ariel booster?