Watching TV channels online is becoming more and more popular these days, although TVs are still used in many homes. Someone is watching TV through a conventional antenna, someone using a satellite dish, and in most cases they use cable TV. It is worth noting that the antenna cable has a huge impact on the quality of television broadcasting. In the era of innovative technologies, it is difficult for consumers to decide on the choice of products of this type, so today we will focus on products of this type.
A bit of theory
Antenna cable consists of several conductors of small diameter, insulated from each other and covered with a common insulation. The main task of the cable is to transmit induced interference to the TV. Any antenna cable has special characteristics that can be calculated fromformulas.
Antenna conductors are made in various designs, both from solid wires and from twisted wires. If it is necessary to manufacture a flexible antenna cable, threads are used. It should be noted that the attenuation value depends on the performance of such a product. The more flexible the antenna cable, the higher the attenuation value, which in turn describes the loss of signal from the start of power to the receiver.
How to determine the best TV cable?
At the moment, the market offers several types of antenna cables for TV with a huge difference in cost. What is the difference? The first thing you should pay attention to is the quality of the insulation. In cheaper versions, it is very fragile. The second criterion of the price range is the material from which the center conductor is made. It is better to give preference to conductors with copper conductors. The shielding of the antenna cable for the TV is also one of the defining criteria for the price range. The screen helps to get a clearer TV antenna signal.
Insulation
The outer sheath should be the most dense, the service life of the cable directly depends on it. One of the best and most reliable is fluoroplastic insulation. It is highly resistant to any external influences. In the production of antenna coaxial cables, PVC-based insulating materials are also used. This insulation has a rather low cost and is cheaper.other types of insulation. Its advantages include high elasticity and heat resistance.
Center Conductor
The center conductor of the antenna coaxial cable is made of copper or alloys. The main conductor, consisting of copper, has a number of advantages, due to which it is incredibly elastic, reliable and not brittle, and also guarantees the correct fixation of the connection connector. The center conductor of the antenna cable, which is made of copper, contributes to the best loop resistance of direct current passing in the antenna wire. This cable parameter is very useful if long products are used, and amplifiers are used to feed the entire structure.
Also, there is practically no signal distortion in a copper conductor, so it is preferable to choose just such devices. An important factor is the thickness of the core: the more - the better. Size in this case plays a big role, so be careful! The gold-plated connector will provide better signal conductivity.
Shielding
Usually foil or braided aluminum film is used as a shield. In the production of old-style cables, braided wire was used as shielding, although cables of this design are also found in our time. The price of an antenna cable with a single screen will be much lower, but it is impossible to use such a product for broadcasting a television signal.
Screen reduces interferenceon the cable and thereby reduce the level of interference emitted by itself. Double-shielded cables have higher attenuation values, which improves the quality of the transmitted TV signal. If the cable does not have a shielding layer in the form of a foil, then as a result, additional interference on the TV screen is guaranteed, as well as a number of other secondary defects. It should also be noted that as the cable length increases, the signal level will deteriorate.
With the selection criteria and the price of the antenna cable, which averages sixty rubles per meter, we have decided, now we will consider installation issues.
Connection
There are several options for how to connect the antenna cable. To connect a conductor through an adapter, it is necessary to remove the outer sheath from both ends of the cable. Next, you should clean the internal insulation of the conductor cores and make the connection through the adapter. To connect the plug to the socket, it is necessary to wind the TV plug on one end of the cable, and the TV socket on the other, and then connect them. For better reliability, it is necessary to wrap this connection with electrical tape.
The plug can be either straight or angled, and there is no difference in installation between them. An angled plug is used for connections where a straight plug is inconvenient to use and when making difficult turns.
Another way to connect the antenna cable is wiring through the Splitter. This is an adapter with one input and two or more outputs. splittermounts to the floor or wall to prevent cables from being pulled out.
One of the old proven ways to connect a cable is twisting. This method is the least reliable because the connection is not protected from electrical noise. To improve the quality of the transmitted signal, the twist can be soldered with tin and placed away from electrical wiring in order to reduce the effects of interference.
Connection
Let's consider how to connect the antenna cable. When buying a cable, you need to make a small margin in length, because due to the large number of providers that provide television services, cables often fail.
In this regard, it may be necessary to re-cut the television cable. As a rule, mounting boxes are located on the walls in the entrance, from which antenna cables go to the apartments. These boxes contain TV signal taps. To connect the TV cable to the cable network, it is necessary to connect the antenna cable connector to the subscriber coupler located in the mounting box, and the second cable connector is connected to the TV.
Connection
Sometimes the question arises of how to connect the antenna cable to the TV when there is no plug. To connect a cable without a plug, it is necessary to remove the cable insulation, unscrew the shielding braid, and then peel the insulation of the central core.
If for some reason your braid is made of a metal such as aluminum, thenfree space for connection, you can install several copper wires. For better reliability of fixing the cable in the connector, we recommend sealing the connection with improvised means, such as glue. Connection in this way will serve for a long time and carry out a good relay of the TV signal.
Recommendations
If we analyze, we can conclude that the most positive reviews are for the CAVEL brand cable. Most users note the many advantages of this product.
One of the advantages of such cables is the exclusion of moisture ingress. Since water significantly attenuates high frequency energy, this can cause a large loss of signal. Therefore, in cables of cheaper products, various foamed dielectrics and even carbon films are often used. However, they do not save the cable from catastrophic moisture absorption.
Also, one of the indisputable advantages of products of this brand is that the braid of cables does not collapse when kinked, which cannot be said from those where the braid is not dense. Usually, after squeezing, the dielectric easily returns to its shape, and the braid remains in the same position, which leads to its deformation.
In conclusion
We hope that after reading this article you have learned everything about antenna cables, because choosing between the best options will always help you in furnishing your home. Remember that when choosing the product you need, you first need to consult with the seller. It is also recommended to always consider the chemical dielectric and its sheath.
