# RG6 Coax Cable and DVR Recommendations - Wiring House for OTA Antennas



## Sasqui (Mar 20, 2018)

I posted another thread about "trimming the cord" ... not quite cutting it yet.  Right now I'm planning how to max out the Over The Air (OTA) signals around me.

Tested two different OTA TV antennas with really good results, getting about 30+ channels, most major networks.  And that's on the first floor of my house (with aluminium siding even) . My next plan is to have 3 or 4 antenna in my attic feeding 3 or 4 rooms in my house directly.  I also have a large aerial over my roof, but that's not working.  I think there's a broken connection and reaching it will be for another day.

This is going to be done right.... I've been researching RG6 cables, connectors and crimping tools.  Cable will be white to differentiate from cable company wiring.  Cable will go from the attic down the walls to female RG6 baseboard/wall connectors:






1. One or two second floor bedrooms
2. Living room, via the basement from the attic
3. Dining room, via the basement from the attic

Looking for advice:

Anyone know if "Quad" shielded RG6 cable is worth the hassle and price difference?  It supposedly takes special connectors, which in turn, take special crimping tools and splice cutting tools.
Other advice for RG6 cable, connectors, tools, splices, etc?

Also, I can't seem to find any decent priced, OTA DVR boxes.  Tivo is pricey,


----------



## Gumby (Mar 20, 2018)

Well, I will tell you how I do it. My house is wired for cable, outlets in living rooms and bedrooms. I live outside of Austin Tx. I have Trek amplified antenna next to window. That antenna is going to a 3-way splitter (TV, PC, Wall cable outlet) The wall outlet is attached to a 5-way splitter in my outdoor cable box. That feeds the rest of the house.  I have 1 pc and 1 tv in three other rooms ( 2-way splitter's used) and in my office 1 tv and 2 Pc's ( 4-way splitter). I have no signal loss, no digital pixilation just nice and clean picture and sound.
Just an idea.


----------



## Durvelle27 (Mar 20, 2018)

1. You will find it hard running Coax cable in a 2 Story home without coming from the outside in
2. Quad shield Coax serves no purpose in general homes. Ie all cable companies use standard 75ohm Coax Cable. 
3. I use Keilen Strippers and croppers. They work great and have been for years through work with Comcast and DirecTV


----------



## eidairaman1 (Mar 20, 2018)

Sasqui said:


> I posted another thread about "trimming the cord" ... not quite cutting it yet.  Right now I'm planning how to max out the Over The Air (OTA) signals around me.
> 
> Tested two different OTA TV antennas with really good results, getting about 30+ channels, most major networks.  And that's on the first floor of my house (with aluminium siding even) . My next plan is to have 3 or 4 antenna in my attic feeding 3 or 4 rooms in my house directly.  I also have a large aerial over my roof, but that's not working.  I think there's a broken connection and reaching it will be for another day.
> 
> ...



They are not as flexible, more difficult to work with, easier to kink, just stick to trishield or a short run from a main outside home antenna to splitter.


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 21, 2018)

Durvelle27 said:


> 1.You will find it hard running Coax cable in a 2 Story home without coming from the outside in
> 2. Quad shield Coax serves no purpose in general homes. Ie all cable companies use standard 75ohm Coax Cable.
> 3. I use Keilen Strippers and croppers. They work great and have been for years through work with Comcast and DirecTV



I've already got a backwall chase that goes from my attic to my basement.  It's somewhat of a "PITA" but not that bad. I'd pull three cables and have a spare for expansion.  Getting to the bedrooms I'm going to cover is pretty easy.  The attic space has a plywood floor and plenty of working room.

Quad cables... yeah probably overkill

Klein seems to be the defacto.  I want to do this right, so I'd splurge on a 500' or 1000' roll of good coax, connectors and good tools... and also probably get testing equipment.


----------



## Durvelle27 (Mar 21, 2018)

Sasqui said:


> I've already got a backwall chase that goes from my attic to my basement.  It's somewhat of a "PITA" but not that bad. I'd pull three cables and have a spare for expansion.  Getting to the bedrooms I'm going to cover is pretty easy.  The attic space has a plywood floor and plenty of working room.
> 
> Quad cables... yeah probably overkill
> 
> Klein seems to be the defacto.  I want to do this right, so I'd splurge on a 500' or 1000' roll of good coax, connectors and good tools... and also probably get testing equipment.


Oh ok that’s definitely helpful

Very and not to mention like above a pitty to work with

Klein is great for the price. A set can be had for under $30. 500’ would be more than enough, I can Wire 20+ plus houses with a 1000’ roll and still have plenty line left. Test equipment shouldn’t be needed as when it comes to Coax the only way it wouldn’t work is if it’s cut or has a bad kink that damages the copper core.


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 21, 2018)

Durvelle27 said:


> Test equipment shouldn’t be needed as when it comes to Coax the only way it wouldn’t work is if it’s cut or has a bad kink that damages the copper core



The other problem I've run into is a shard or strand of shielding touching the center wire, though that was hand stripping and shit connectors


----------



## Durvelle27 (Mar 21, 2018)

Sasqui said:


> The other problem I've run into is a shard or strand of shielding touching the center wire, though that was hand stripping and shit connectors


Always shine a light in the connector before crimping connectors. That way you can see if a strand is touching before clamping it down. 

And you are correct a good pair of strippers can prevent that issue but it can still happen. I have 3 different sets from different companies and I still prefer my cheaply Klein


----------



## eidairaman1 (Mar 21, 2018)

Durvelle27 said:


> Always shine a light in the connector before crimping connectors. That way you can see if a strand is touching before clamping it down.
> 
> And you are correct a good pair of strippers can prevent that issue but it can still happen. I have 3 different sets from different companies and I still prefer my cheaply Klein



I look to see if made in usa myself on them lol


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 21, 2018)

Here's what I was looking at for strippers (heh, I said strippers ): 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073YFM7T4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Compression tool:

https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-...TF8&qid=1521643142&sr=8-1&keywords=VDV211-063

Fittings:

https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-...643208&sr=8-1&keywords=Klein+Tools+VDV812-612

Tester:

https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-...d=1521643274&sr=1-4&keywords=coax+tester&th=1

Or just get this all in one kit and can get more fittings locally or Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Klein-Tools-...8&qid=1521643274&sr=1-11&keywords=coax+tester


----------



## Durvelle27 (Mar 21, 2018)

Sasqui said:


> Here's what I was looking at for strippers (heh, I said strippers ):
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073YFM7T4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1
> 
> ...


The very last link is the set I have and they work great. The fittings though aren’t the best and fall apart easily. 

Also oh ok that is what you where talking about. We don’t call those testers, we call them cable mappers. In the cable world we use them to locate unlabeled lines in homes with various lines.


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 21, 2018)

Durvelle27 said:


> The fittings though aren’t the best and fall apart easily.



I had originally chosen those because they were suited to RG6-Quad.  How about these?  https://www.amazon.com/PPC-Belden-E...44907&sr=8-1&keywords=PPC+Belden+EX6PLUS+RG-6



Durvelle27 said:


> In the cable world we use them to locate unlabeled lines in homes with various lines.



The kit has one termination "COAX EXPLORER TESTER: Compact tool tests and verifies coaxial cable connections (good/open/short)" - the other one has multiple teminations ...to test and identify cables off splitters I'm guessing?


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 21, 2018)

The only two things that I have on my home that you seemingly haven't tried is a roof mounted antenna and a signal amplifier to boost the gain on the received transmissions. Other than that you seem to be in good shape.


----------



## Durvelle27 (Mar 21, 2018)

Sasqui said:


> I had originally chosen those because they were suited to RG6-Quad.  How about these?  https://www.amazon.com/PPC-Belden-E...44907&sr=8-1&keywords=PPC+Belden+EX6PLUS+RG-6
> 
> 
> 
> The kit has one termination "COAX EXPLORER TESTER: Compact tool tests and verifies coaxial cable connections (good/open/short)" - the other one has multiple teminations ...to test and identify cables off splitters I'm guessing?


Those are some good fittings and the exact ones used by Comcast 

Yes it can tell if there is a short in a cable and with the little adapters where the cable is located


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 21, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> The only two things that I have on my home that you seemingly haven't tried is a roof mounted antenna and a signal amplifier to boost the gain on the received transmissions. Other than that you seem to be in good shape.



I thought about that.  In either case, I'm setting it up so I'll have all cables going to the attic.  If I get a really good aerial on the roof, an amplifier would sit nicely in the attic (I have power up there too).  The surprising thing is a small $50 antenna *Clearstream 2Max* works great... and just as well as this* RCA Yagi type*

I already have a mast on my house and a large antenna, it's not functioning now and getting to it is not easy...  hope to try it in better weather.  Maybe get this:  *Channel-Master-CM-2020 *


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 21, 2018)

Sasqui said:


> Maybe get this: *Channel-Master-CM-2020 *


I was about to post a link to the one I bought, but that one is very similar and is a little less expensive.

There were three channels in my area that were iffy until I added mine. They were still a bit glitchy until I added the signal amp;
https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-CM-7777-Antenna-Preamplifier/dp/B000GGKOG8
All channels I'm supposed to get now come in perfectly. I even get two channels from a nearby city.


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 21, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> I was about to post a link to the one I bought



Do tell!



lexluthermiester said:


> There were three channels in my area that were iffy until I added mine. They were still a bit glitchy until I added the signal amp;
> https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-CM-7777-Antenna-Preamplifier/dp/B000GGKOG8
> All channels I'm supposed to get now come in perfectly. I even get two channels from a nearby city.



How is the signal amp powered.  I see input from the antenna and one out/power connector... doesn't compute


----------



## jsfitz54 (Mar 21, 2018)

I'm reading here for info and these are some item's I've looked at, -no buy yet:

Marine:
https://www.amazon.com/1byone-Ampli...5-c6a7-4039-a2ae-76a66e9c69ce&pf_rd_i=desktop

Friend has similar with good results:
https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Ampl..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=MANA8P0GK8FVS5T0CNP5

Unknown?:
https://www.amazon.com/Detachable-A..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=HBAH843X1546NA01ZT0F


----------



## Frogger (Mar 21, 2018)

I dumped my cable TV provider years ago. Currently OTA  use a Clearstream almost like the 1 you linked and a CM 7777 press amp, it uses a small adapter to inject power into the coax to power itself (you will need access to AC line foDirect 

https://www.amazon.com/ClearStream-Indoor-Outdoor-Antenna-Mount/dp/B008PBTPOI/ref=sr_1_3?s=audio-video-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1521650127&sr=1-3&refinements=p_89:AntennasDirect


jsfitz54 said:


> Friend has similar with good results:
> https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Ampl..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=MANA8P0GK8FVS5T0CNP5


Had 1 of theses worked so so you really need to aim these tightly to the source signal..


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 21, 2018)

Sasqui said:


> Do tell!


I just looked and they're identical. Go with yours.


Sasqui said:


> How is the signal amp powered. I see input from the antenna and one out/power connector... doesn't compute


The pictures show the three way splitter. You plug the line-out into the TV's and such(in your case your other splitters), then the power into the power jack and then the the third runs up the line to the amp itself. I mounted mine as pictured to the antenna mast with the included hardware.

It should be noted that this one in intended for homes at least 80miles from the transmission towers or have a lot of tall trees/buildings surrounding you. If you're inside that area, the medium range amp will work better for you;
https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-CM-7777-Antenna-Preamplifier/dp/B0013CGNGY


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 21, 2018)

jsfitz54 said:


> Marine:
> https://www.amazon.com/1byone-Ampli...5-c6a7-4039-a2ae-76a66e9c69ce&pf_rd_i=desktop
> 
> Friend has similar with good results:
> https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Ampl..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=MANA8P0GK8FVS5T0CNP5



The marine one is an interesting thought, comes with an amp

The rotating one is what I recall from my younger years.  I may end up buying 4 different types of antennas, it's just fun finding out what each one is capable of side by side 



lexluthermiester said:


> The pictures show the three way splitter. You plug the line-out into the TV's and such(in your case your other splitters), then the power into the power jack and then the the third runs up the line to the amp itself. I mounted mine as pictured to the antenna mast with the included hardware.



So the splitter takes the signal to the TV AND brings power from the power brick to the pre-amp?  That's so counter-intuitive.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Mar 21, 2018)

Sasqui said:


> I may end up buying 4 different types of antennas, it's just fun finding out what each one is capable of side by side


Ah, you like to tinker too! Nice.


Sasqui said:


> So the splitter takes the signal to the TV AND brings power from the power brick to the pre-amp? That's so counter-intuitive.


It is, isn't it? But it's a sound electronic principle and works without adding any interference to the signal. I think they did it this way to minimize any potential for weather related problems.


----------



## jsfitz54 (Mar 21, 2018)

Sasqui said:


> The marine one is an interesting thought, *comes with an amp*
> 
> The rotating one is what I recall from my younger years. I may end up buying 4 different types of antennas, it's just fun finding out what each one is capable of side by side



*CAREFUL:  That's 12v wiring, open end for battery.  Would need a replacement step down adapter for 120v conversion.
Also did not see fuse in line to power so if you added fuse, don't know if it would deteriorate quality.???*
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Sys...21651030&sr=8-11&keywords=in+line+fuse+holder


----------



## eidairaman1 (Mar 21, 2018)

Durvelle27 said:


> The very last link is the set I have and they work great. The fittings though aren’t the best and fall apart easily.
> 
> Also oh ok that is what you where talking about. We don’t call those testers, we call them cable mappers. In the cable world we use them to locate unlabeled lines in homes with various lines.




I would just use a telephony tone generator and probe lol


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 21, 2018)

lexluthermiester said:


> Ah, you like to tinker too! Nice.



Oh yes, ohhhh yes 








jsfitz54 said:


> *CAREFUL:  That's 12v wiring, open end for battery.  Would need a replacement step down adapter for 120v conversion.
> Also did not see fuse in line to power so if you added fuse, don't know if it would deteriorate quality.???*
> https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Sys...21651030&sr=8-11&keywords=in+line+fuse+holder



I don't think a fuse would deteriorate quality... not sure about adding a 12v power supply but I'm guessing not much at all.  12v power supplies are cheap too  https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Tran...d=1521653528&sr=8-3&keywords=12v+power+supply


----------



## Durvelle27 (Mar 21, 2018)

I’m also looking into getting a outdoor OTA as DirecTV getting out of hand.


----------



## jsfitz54 (Mar 21, 2018)

Sasqui said:


> I don't think a fuse would deteriorate quality... not sure about adding a 12v power supply but I'm guessing not much at all. 12v power supplies are cheap too https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Tran...d=1521653528&sr=8-3&keywords=12v+power+supply



The booster said 12v-24v, as seen in picture, but the 12v adapter *would have to have the correct AMP rating*, which I don't know.

What drew me to this antenna, or any marine antenna, was looks, curb appeal (indoors or outdoors) and possible better construction/components and weather tightness, if outdoors.


----------



## Sasqui (Mar 21, 2018)

Durvelle27 said:


> I’m also looking into getting a outdoor OTA as DirecTV getting out of hand.



I'm currently testing these two:  *Clearstream 2Max* and *RCA Yagi* (the one in the pic)

So far, the Clearstream outperforms the RCA (in the pic) by a hair, they each have a few channels that the other can't get, it's interesting...  I think they're not equally omnidirectional.

Next test is to get them on the second floor above the aluminium siding.  I have a hip roof up there so they only need to be up on a dresser for that.  Then into the attic after I test at least one more antenna


----------

