Another antenna challenge

[jmjacobs]

I will sorry in advance for my lack of technical knowledge..hence my question in the first place.

I have just moved into a house where there is no sub floor access and there is a flat roof. The house had some series cabling done to it for speakers and telephone and pay tv but all in the wrong spot! That is, my wife (SWMBO) decided that we needed to have the TV and the rest on the wall that is in the middle of the room and which is partly brick and partly gyprock (as a result of a previous extension) with no connections on it. Since that time I have organised for Optus to come out and install a paytv connection by running a long cable on the outside of the house and around and down to the wall (exposed all the way though). I have a wireless phone socket for the uplink required for paytv...and I aready have power sockets which were there before.

My issue is that there is no antenna aerial socket on this wall...the existing socket is across the room and as I said there is a flat roof siliconed on and no sub floor access. The ceiling does have downlights all across it though so there is a way to get to the cavity in the roof I am guess by taking out each of the downlights...but sounds fiddly to me.

The reason I need the antenna is that I am getting a HD STB with the LCD TV I have coming next week and I understand it needs to plug into an antenna socket. I am trying to avoid an indoor aerial if I can.

Does anyone have any help with this significant challenge? Is there a way to plug something into the existing aerial socket on the other side of the room and hve it transfer the signal to the STB wirelessly? Or is there a way to run wires somehow through the ceiling using the downlight openings? Any options would b appreciated.

Thanks and regards

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

Or is there a way to run wires somehow through the ceiling using the downlight openings? Any options would b appreciated.

Yellow-tongue to the rescue.

This is the plastic strip that runs down the side of particle-board flooring. I always keep a few metres lying around, it doesn't take much space and has saved my bacon a few times. Often found in dumpsters on building sites, but if you're familiar with the blokes out in the yard down at your local Bunnies, Mitre10 or wherever they may be able to find a scrap piece lying around.

It's pliable enough that you can put a bend on the last few inches, to help it clear obstructions, and because it's a strip flexible enough to go around corners while having the lateral strength to "jiggle it around" to get through tight spots. I often use it when rewiring, to help guide the wires down wall cavities, ceiling cavities and other "non-crawl' spaces.

To use, simply tape your co-ax to one end and feed it into the downlight hole closest to the antenna, in the general direction of the next. It certainly helps to have a set of helping hands to stand at the destination 'ole. Repeat as necessary.

Running the coax ends from the ceiling cavity down to the socket(s) in an acceptable manner will probably take some serious thought though.

[jchappo]

You really need a digital antenna and high quality cable and connectors to get the best out of your STB.
Suggest you browse the forums at Digital Broadcasting Australia (http://www.dba.org.au/) for really good information.

John