Possibly not the right place for this question but hopefully someone can help.

I've an HDR being delivered and fitted in the next few weeks and the satellite install will be completely new. Our living room is fully decorated so i'm trying to work out how to minimise damage to the wall.

Am i right in thinking that i will need 2 cables running from the dish to the HDR box - ie if i have a wall box installed it will need to have two satellite connections on it?

Since the wall is wallpapered i'm trying to avoid installing an additional wallbox and looking to combine the satellite connection with the single box currently used for my UHF/FM connection.

I've found this http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/CX241M.html but it's quadplexed and i don't know if there will be any way to integrate it with my diplexed tv/fm.

What i *think* i need is a single wall plate with 2xSat plus 1xaerial but i can't find one of those - any ideas?

Yes, your installer will put in two satellte feeds. The socket assembly you show looks correct in terms of what you need to hook up, but you will need an existing 35mm deep box in order to mount it, so the first thing is to check what you have in the wall as the existing housing for the TV/FM coax outlet. Also, the installer may not want to route the satellite cables near the existing box if it isn't conveniently placed, so you may be in for some negotiating. I too tried to find a double satellite wall outlet (without the TV/radio coax sockets) but could only find the assembly that you show, namely the two satellite, FM Radio and TV combo - and I'm in France, so the conspiracy against such a convenient item must be international. In the end I settled on mounting two single satellite outlets side-by-side.

Your best bet is to use a modular system. (B&Q warehouse sometimes stock these). In a modular system you buy individual accessories that clip into standard frame that fits a standard outlet box. You simply need 2 f connectors , and a belling lee connector, a 3 accessory frame and a front plate for 3 accessories. Even better would be 3 f connectors and a F to belling lee adaptor as f connectors are much more secure than belling lee.

Thinking ahead you might want to add a rj45e lan socket for future use on the foxsat ethernet port
Last edited by grahamlthompson : 31-01-2009 at 17:50

To give you an idea of what the Modular system is like see this Screwfix example of a 4 x Modular (ie 2x wall box)
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/55861/...Gang-Faceplate
which also has some examples of modules.
Though for some reason they dont sell a regular F module - can get those in B&Q and Wickes but £4-£7 from memory! Worth a rummage on eBay too.

You could just run the cable under the floor and drill a small hole through the floorboards by the skirting board where the tv is. The cable will then pass through the edge of your carpet (small cut needed) and your room decoration is left intact.

Thats what I did. If you ever take it out (unlikely) the carpet will jut press back into place and you can mastic the hole in the floor.

You should be aware that every connection you put on the cable attenutates the signal by a few DB's so the less connections the better.

You may be interested in the installation that I did for my first forage into the world of satellite reception---

I had a single flush aerial socket mounted on a shallow ( 15mm ? ) metal box. The aerial cable came down under the plaster.

It took a lot of seaching for info as I did not want to mess up the newly decorated room.

Finally decided to go for it

I obtained a double gang surface mounting white box that had a small cutout in the back and two holes that matched up with the holes in the metal box. I think this came from
Wilkos. This then took a double frame and three modular units ( 2x "F" and 1x coax) from Screwfix/ B&Q.

The original aerial cable was dispensed with as it was poor quality and it was a bit short to couple up to the modular coax unit. I was lucky because this installation is on an outside wall and I was able to make use of the cavity. ( house not fully insulated yet) I drilled through the back of the metal box into the cavity. It was then an easy task -- 3 hours to drop a string with a weight on the end down the cavity from the loft three times and fish it through the holes with a bit of wire with a hook on the end. The two satellite cables and one aerial cable were attached to the strings and pulled down the cavity and into the box. It does not work trying to pull the cables up

The satellite cables went across the loft and out through the eaves to the dish installed the previous day.

It did make a neat job in the end, but I was lucky to have the cavity to use.

If your exiting aerial cable in the box is long enough to couple to the coax unit then that can be used and if you do not have a cavity wall then the two cables for the satellite can go straight out through the wall to the outside.

Pete.