TV Antenna Flying Leads

A flylead or flying lead is an unfixed or removable connecting lead.  eg: a USB cable, a HDMI cable or a TV antenna cable are all examples of flyleads. In the TV antenna context a flylead is used to connect from the TV antenna wall outlet to the TV, or between recording devices, digital boxes and your TV.

Flyleads are an often overlooked, but important part of any television antenna system.. It is not unusual for the common white (or black) TV fly-lead available in many retail stores, to be the cause of TV reception problems. These leads are cheap to purchase but are also of very poor quality and not adequate for reliable digital TV systems. For more information on how to choose a good flylead have a read of our antenna e-book.

Adept Services custom make TV fly leads from RG6Q cable with crimped-on metal plugs. These fly-leads are far more robust with stronger wire and superior RF (radio frequency) shielding. They can dramatically reduce, or eliminate the incidence of picture 'drop-outs' associated with digital television.

Antenna Mounting & Orientation

When mounting the antenna to your home it is important that the mast is secure and will remain so. If attaching a mast to a timber or metal fascia board, it is necessary to secure it with additional stay-bars. Adept Services preferred method is to attach the mast to the rafters inside the ceiling and have it extend through a waterproof seal in the roofing iron or tile. This provides a more secure long-term mount as the support timber is not exposed to weathering which causes screws to corrode and/or loosen. It also allows us to position the mast higher so that the antenna is above the level of neighbouring steel roofs and also in the location indicated by our signal meter as having the "best reception".   Ideally there should be a direct unobscured line-of-sight between the transmitting and receiving antenna but in practice this is often not possible due to terrain or building considerations.  In these cases a professional installer would use a digital signal meter to 'peak" the antenna alignment for optimum signal.  This may mean that your optimum antenna alignment is not the same direction as on neighboring houses.

In Sunraysia all television antennas should be aligned toward the Yatpool Tower. This is approximately 8km South of Red Cliffs next to the Calder Highway.

Cable Termination

Many of the do-it-yourself components available in shops do not meet digital specifications. This is also true for a lot of the antenna system hardware in most homes older than 5-10 years. All cable terminations should be made without compromising the RF shielding of the cable. This means that wall outlets, cable splitters, and sometimes antennas with obsolete style "saddle and screw" connections can cause reliability problems with digital television. All cable connections should be made using "F" terminals, these allow all components to simply screw together and also maintain the integrity of the cable's RF shielding.

Coaxial Cable

 
There are many different types of coaxial cable available for many different purposes. For digital TV antenna systems, the only cable type to use is the RG6 specification. Many houses older than 5-10 years are wired with a lower specification cable and this can cause problems with digital television reception.  Check out our FREE e-book for more information on antenna cables.

Adept Services use only RG6Q quad-shield cable for fixed antenna wiring and TV flyleads.

How To Select The Right Antenna

In Sunraysia, the free-to-air TV channels (Freeview) are all broadcast on different frequencies to the corresponding channels in the capital cities. As most national chain stores stock antenna which are intended for use in the capital cities, these antennas are designed to cover the entire broadcast TV spectrum ie: RF (radio frequency) bands 2, 3, 4 & sometimes 5.  In Sunraysia we only have channels in RF band 3. When purchasing an antenna from the local hardware or electronics chain store, ask for a band 3 antenna (it should look similar to the antenna pictured below). The correct antenna will not only be more compact & robust, but also more efficient on the targeted channels. It is also important that the fittings & insulators on your antenna are made from UV stabilised plastic or the antenna may fall apart after just a few years in the sun.

.  This is a band 3 VHF Yagi antenna.  Antennas like this are appropriate for new antenna installations or replacements in Sunraysia.  

These are combination VHF + UHF antennas.  The were appropriate for Sunraysia prior the the channel re-stack in August 2014.    

Installing and repairing TV antenna systems is our business. We want you to have a correctly designed & installed TV antenna system so that your digital TV reception is crisp, clear & reliable.
If you are the type to do-it-yourself rather than call in the professionals that's OK, we have a few quick tips on this page that you should check-out. I would also recommend that you read our FREE e-book. It will help you decide if you have the time, the tools and the skills you might need.
If you don't want the hassles, risks, and possibly the false economy of DIY then just give us a call on 5021 3138