Hi mick,
There's some really good info (and some good links as well) in this article here - thanks to Simon (Nemesis) for putting it together.
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/article.php?a=5
Failing that I'm sure there are plenty of other posts within the Forum that can give you some good information, the Search button should help you locate them.
If you still need more info I'm sure that there are loads of people that will be willing to give you advice on how to get started (and on how to solve your problems as you go along).
Good luck, and have fun.