How to use the old TV aerial RF house wiring circuit

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geek4me

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Topic # 150600 28-Jul-2014 10:08

Our home built in the 1980s has HF TV aerial plug faceplates in most rooms with (75 ohm?) RF coaxial connectors. There must be many homes built with this old wiring in place.

Now that TV is digital with new wiring this old wiring is not used with the old HF/VHF aerial long gone.

- Can this wiring circuit be used for anything? It seems a shame to have this network through the house but not utilised.

- Is it true that the wiring is not good enough for digital TV signals?

- Is it suitable for home theatre?

- Can it be used for wired internet between rooms using a new faceplate or adapter?

- How have you successfully used the old TV wiring in your house?

- Is this wiring system a useless network best left alone?

ubergeeknz

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Reply # 1096943 28-Jul-2014 10:15

Doubt it's up to anything much, cable degrades over time, and VHF rated cable was never much cop to begin with. You might be able to run something akin cable modem across it, or use an RF out to transmit SD TV signal, and even then YMMV depending on what splitters, amps, etc are in place, as well as loose/cut ends (ie where the antenna used to be). There might be some copper in it to recycle, but probably not enough to be worth your time.

Dratsab

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Reply # 1096982 28-Jul-2014 10:43

It's useless but that's no reason to leave it alone. Use the old cable to pull runs of new cable (suitable for your needs) through the walls.

geek4me

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Reply # 1096993 28-Jul-2014 11:12

How successful have others been using the old cable to pull runs of new cable? Is the chance high it will break or pull part?

Perhaps the old wiring could be used as a 2 wire telephone extension?

andrewNZ

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Reply # 1097007 28-Jul-2014 11:27

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geek4me: Perhaps the old wiring could be used as a 2 wire telephone extension?

:) People with this kind of thinking are the reason I destroy old/damaged equipment and cut up leads into little pieces before I bin them. :)

It's not suitable for anything except a draw wire, certainly not phone extensions.

There should be no reason it can't be used to pull new cable, unless you live in a terrible house. The key is to tape it together well and only pull as much as you have to at a time. Get in the roof and pull it up the wall, then pull it to the next point, etc.

Taping the new one to the old one WELL is important. Use insulation tape, and STRETCH IT when you wrap it. If you use it like sellotape it won't hold properly.

You also need to be careful pulling past/over other cables. Avoid this if you can, if you can't, pull slowly. Too much pressure and/or speed will burn through the insulation of the other cables and ruin them.

Location: Dunedin

DarthKermit

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Reply # 1097017 28-Jul-2014 11:46

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^^^

And spray the hell out of the cable with silicone spray. It'll pull through twice as easy.

Whatifthespacekeyhadneverbeeninvented?

B1GGLZ

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Reply # 1097056 28-Jul-2014 13:09

If you have multiple faceplates then there will be splitters somewhere and they'll be the old type (Belling Lee sockets or saddle clamps) no good for digital. They'll probably make pulling cable difficult unless you know where they are and can access them easily. Could be used as is for FM Radio but nothing else. All the sockets will be Belling Lee as well and these days you'd normally use f plugs and sockets.

geek4me

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Reply # 1097707 29-Jul-2014 09:49

Thanks for your advice which is much appreciated. I think I'll leave it all alone as the house is two-storey with no roof space to get at the cables. If there are splitters, which I suspect there are, they can't be got at easily. You've confirmed my suspicions that it is all useless and best left untouched. Hopefully this will help others who have the same questions.