This forum is brilliant - ask a complex question and get
superfast, intelligent advice from two expert sources. Many thanks to satelliteman and rolfw. :-worship
As I mentioned, this was really urgent as we had an electrician/builder team coming in on the day of your advice. They couldn't get separate cables to each floor as satelliteman suggested, because we can't run that many cables down the front of this conservation area Victorian building - too high, inaccessible, ugly, likely neighbour objections. So they ran three (rather than four) separate cables , one for aerial and one for each of the twin LNB connections, all tucked
inside the building, entering from the roof into the top floor at underfloor level. From there (by taking up carpet and two floorboards) to a piping duct that runs vertically beside the staircase. The IFs go only to the two locations where there will currently be sat receivers but it should be possible to link in other rooms later if nec. Not the easiest or cheapest solution but will enable us to rip off a thirty year old tangle of old cables from the stucco front (though we'll have to redecorate the holes etc this leaves behind when scaffolding is next up).
But the ripping-off and switch-over now awaits me doing all the internal fitting of the new cables (which so far are just bare and unconnected) to faceplates, also new diplexes or a booster as needed. This could take a while and depends on the three cables having been labeled correctly
.
A few more queries, please, about the aerial and booster(s) for it):
which signal booster is better: masthead or internal (do they require mains feed which would be a problem for the roof?; what kind is best?).
To find out if I need one at all, is it just trial and error or is there a formula, eg do you need one for over so many metres of cable-run (say 30m) or no. of feeds off it (currently 4)?
The aerial, which is atop a very high pole, will have to come down to attach the new cable. We'll mark its alignment with felt tip but we think it's not optimal anyway. Is it best just to use a compass and set it to the bearing of the nearest and strongest transmitter (Crystal Palace, which Wolfbane site shows as being at 148 degrees)? Are there cheap aerial meters or is it just trial and error (roof is a bad location so it would be good to minimise that)? Alignment much less critical than setting up a satellite dish I hope?
Thanks again in advance, guys.