Cable Forum - View Single Post - New loft aerial

Taf · 16-01-2014, 11:38

Earthing and bonding of coaxial cables is a subject that can develop into a slanging match between electricians and radio telecomms bods.

New regs oblige installers to bond coaxial cables in communal systems as electrical leakage from equipment can rise to quite an appreciable voltage and current. But the same can be said of a single aerial feeding a single home but with multiple bits of kit attached.

Then there is lightning. One group says bonding will protect against lightning, the other says it attracts lightning.

Then there is the potential (no pun intended) to form interference through earth loops when both ends of a cable are attached to "earth" points at different places.

I'm not a TV techie type, but I seem to remember that old style TV's didn't have an "earth" as such, so coaxial screens from the dipole on the aerial to the TV socket could be at unexpected voltages. Do modern flat screen TV's have earthed aerial connections I wonder?

16-01-2014, 11:38	#13
Taf cf.mega poster Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Kairdiff-by-the-sea Age: 69 Services: TVXL BBXL Superhub 2ac (wired) 1Tb Tivo Posts: 10,193	Re: New loft aerial - problems Earthing and bonding of coaxial cables is a subject that can develop into a slanging match between electricians and radio telecomms bods. New regs oblige installers to bond coaxial cables in communal systems as electrical leakage from equipment can rise to quite an appreciable voltage and current. But the same can be said of a single aerial feeding a single home but with multiple bits of kit attached. Then there is lightning. One group says bonding will protect against lightning, the other says it attracts lightning. Then there is the potential (no pun intended) to form interference through earth loops when both ends of a cable are attached to "earth" points at different places. I'm not a TV techie type, but I seem to remember that old style TV's didn't have an "earth" as such, so coaxial screens from the dipole on the aerial to the TV socket could be at unexpected voltages. Do modern flat screen TV's have earthed aerial connections I wonder?