Frequently Asked Questions

RG6 Quad Shield Coaxial Cable is the most commonly used these days and is also used in the pay TV industry. However RG59, RG59Q, and RG6 are still used.

A minimum of two coaxial cables and one Cat5/6 cable will be sufficient. This will allow for a mix of Satellite TV services, Cable TV services, Terrestrial FTA services, and IPTV/Streaming services. To provide all services simultaneously, run a third coaxial cable.

Depending on how the house is built it may not be possible to run any additional cables at a later stage due to internal wall obstructions, particularly those with two storey houses.

Yes, the CATTV product will allow you to distribute TV signals over the Ethernet cable throughout the house. Maximum distance is 75m using UHF TV signals. Greater distances can be achieved using VHF TV signals. Don’t forget the special flyleads KLE02 to match.

VHF or Very High Frequency is used for broadcasting television and FM radio signals amongst other transmissions. For television, the VHF frequency range for Australia is from 174MHz to 230MHz. UHF or Ultra High Frequency is used for broadcasting television, LTE mobile phone amongst other transmissions. For television in Australia, the UHF frequency range is from 526MHz to 694MHz (New Zealand; 470MHz to 694MHz). Note: VHF is more susceptible to impulse interference than UHF e.g. Electric fence and Lightening are examples of sources that cause impulse noise.

If you are located in an area receiving UHF signals, we would suggest our Digi 15 Yagi or Digigrid01 Phased Array. There are technical reasons why one would select a specific type of antenna. Some of this information is obtained using an instrument (Field Strength Meter/Analyser) on site and the surrounding landscape, buildings, bridges etc are also taken into consideration. If you are unsure, we would suggest contacting a local installer.

There are several sites on the internet that can suggest what transmitter you should be pointing your antenna to or you could try https://myswitch.digitalready.gov.au/

Generally speaking, if you have line of sight to the TV tower, then at roof level will be fine, however if you are some distance away from the TV tower or in very hilly terrain, you may need to go higher up to 50’ (15m) off the roof. VHF signals roughly follow the ground contours where as UHF signals are generally line of sign, meaning that if you go over a hill, the signal will drop off rather sharply. If you are not sure, we suggest contacting your local installer as they have an instrument which is able to tell them if the signal is good enough at that location.

Due to the type of terrain you are likely to be situated in, we would suggest a Masthead amplifier with around 15dB to 25dB of gain. This will also need to be wideband as you will come across either VHF or UHF frequency bands. You could use an MHW25FE, MHW25F, MHW25FS, MDA15W, or MDA20H coupled with a PIK170FDC Cigarette Lighter Power Injector or PSK06F Mains plug pack power injector.

All of our Masthead amplifiers work from 12 volts DC so using a PIK170FDC Cigarette Lighter Power Injector makes a convenient way of powering your masthead. You can also use a PIK170F however a switch and fuse will need to be installed to power down the amplifier when not in use.

A Masthead amplifier is designed to amplify weak signals at the antenna and to overcome splitter losses to have sufficient signal to operate a TV tuner. A Splitter amplifier is considered a Distribution amplifier and is designed to work with good signals at the antenna and to overcome splitter losses and extra leads etc to have sufficient signal to operate a TV tuner. Distribution amplifiers are often used where many outlets are required i.e. >20 outlets.

If you have sufficient TV signal to begin with, you can use an SA164F Indoor Splitter Amplifier or SA164R Remote Indoor Splitter Amplifier, or SAM224FS Remote Outdoor Splitter Amplifier. In situations where weak signals are present at the antenna, a masthead amplifier and a passive 4 way splitter (KSP4APP) would be the preferred choice.

Yes you can where circumstances requires you to install both amplifiers. However there are two important things to remember when installing these amplifiers, 1) There will be a power pass link on the splitter amplifier, in this situation only, you must have this link ON; 2) You will need to replace the power supply to a larger type to be able to power both amplifiers at once, use a PSK18F power supply for this type of installation. Note: It is important to know what signal levels you are feeding from the Masthead amplifier to the Splitter amplifier so you do not overload the second amplifier. An instrument is used to measure the levels so if you are unsure, contact your local Antenna installer to make the adjustments.

A Masthead amplifier is designed to amplify weak signals at the antenna and to overcome splitter losses to have sufficient signal at the TV point to operate a tuner. A Splitter amplifier is considered a Distribution amplifier and is designed to work with good signals at the antenna and to overcome splitter and cable losses etc, to have sufficient signal to operate a TV tuner.

The Combination input is used when you are receiving both VHF and UHF from the one antenna (Combination VHF/UHF antenna) where as the Separate input is used when two different antennas are used.

There is an LED in all of our amplifiers which when lit, indicates that power has been applied to the amplifier. Also check that if a splitter has been installed that it is a power pass splitter and you have connected the power supply through the correct power passing port.

This is related to how much signal you have to begin with at the antenna and how many losses you have within your TV cable network. Generally speaking, if you have 1 or 2 TV points and your television indicates a weak signal, start with something low, between 15dB to 25dB of gain. If you have 3 or more TV points installed, it would be worth going to a higher gain model around 30dB to 35dB gain. (Note: Too much signal can cause TV tuners to overload).

If you had high losses with-in a cable system (>20 outlets) or an excessively long cable run. e.g. >50m.

That depends if it is related to a weak signal or not. In some cases it could be interference that is causing a problem or just poor signal quality at the antenna. If your television indicates a weak signal but reasonable signal quality i.e. Signal strength = 30%, Signal quality 95%, then we would suggest a Masthead amplifier eg MHW25F with PSK06. In situations where interference is the cause, special filters can be installed to reduce or eliminate the problem i.e. FL3BPMH and/or FL694LP. Where more serious and complicated problems are apparent, we would suggest contacting your local TV antenna installer.

Yes, in most cases it affects those with masthead or distribution amplifiers installed. A Low Pass filter (FL694LP) can be installed at the input to any amplifier to reject LTE mobile phone. Do not install the filter after the amplifier as the device could be damaged using remote power supplies and in most cases the problem is caused in the amplifier itself.

Ideally, you want to filter out the interference before it gets into the TV system by using filters prior to any amplifier that has been installed or at the input of a splitter if no amplifier is installed. There are two filters that are most commonly used these days, our FL3BPMH Band Pass filter/triplexer and our LTE Low Pass filter FL694LP.

Yes, too much signal can overload TV tuners. This generally occurs when you are located very close to the TV transmitter or when a high gain amplifier is installed when a lower gain is more suitable.

Generally speaking, you should be able to use one of the following; KPS08, PSK08, KPS06 or PSK06 power supply. If you are unsure of the masthead model you have, use a PSK06.

No, the PSK08 is a power supply/injector only and requires a masthead amplifier to be mounted under the antenna or in the roof space.

Most of our Masthead amplifiers will work with either AC or DC power supplies (MDAxx amplifiers must use DC only). However, some other factors such as splitters or noisy power lines can dictate a preference. If in doubt, use a KPS06 or PSK06 14volt DC power supply.

Yes, if you are using a Masthead amplifier, make sure all power supplies are DC and exactly the same model i.e. PSK06 and make sure the splitters installed are ‘All port power pass’ i.e. Any of the Kingray splitter range have this feature KSP2APP, KSP3APP, KSP4APP, KSP6APP, or KSP8APP. If you are using a Splitter amplifier, use multiple PSK06 power supplies. If you are using a Distribution amplifier i.e. DW32 and DW42, use multiple PSK18F DC power supplies. In these types of installations, all residence will share the cost of powering the amplifier.

Yes you can on most of our masthead range unless it’s a DC only model eg DC only models, MDAxx series.

A masthead power supply uses less than 2 watts of power. Depending on your Electrical power provider you are with, this may amount to a couple of dollars per month.

Yes, by purchasing a Kingray KDM101a, and connecting/cabling it in-line prior to any splitter, you will be able to watch on any digital television throughout the house.

Yes, when using a modulator that is wired up correctly, you will be able to watch you DVD player from any TV point within the house.

It’s advisable to set the modulator in the UHF band if you normally receive TV reception on VHF and vice versa.

You may have the modulator set to the same channel that might be used in a different area. Try setting the output channel of the modulator to another frequency/channel or in some cases, you may need to adjust the output level down to minimum.