PLEASE READ NOTES BEFORE ORDERING CABLE
IMPORTANT
The price of copper has almost doubled in the last few months (June 2007). Some cable, such as CT100 coax (no longer made) H109F (no longer made) and CAT5E shielded twisted-pair, is almost impossible to obtain and we apologise for any inconvenience. Please use WC100 or WF100 in place of CT100. In most cases CAT5E unshielded will give adequate performance even if you think shielded would be better! CT63 "shotgun" cable is also no longer manufactured. The equivalent that we offer is WF65 and is available only in black.
WEBRO
All our copper-foil cable is manufactured by WEBRO. We do not sell cheap imitations.
Coaxial cable - all our cable is suitable for analogue or digital, satellite or terrestrial. We do not stock so-called "low-loss TV aerial cable" or even the cheaper brands of so-called "CT100 equivalent." Cable is often a pain to replace so we want ours to do the job well and to last as long as possible.
Common misconceptions
"It can't be my cable at fault or all channels would be gone."
Wrong! Coaxial cable carries signals of very high frequency. A cable fault (even a simple "kink") can affect specific frequencies without affecting others.
"Cable is made of plastic. It lasts forever!"
Wrong! Cable installed outdoors is subjected to bombardment of ultra violet radiation, infra-red (heat), cold, water and wind (causing abrasion). All these combine to make the plastic go brittle and fracture. Once that happens, moisture can get inside and either corrode the metal shielding or run down inside and destroy whatever the cable is plugged in to. You can help it last longer by making sure it's clipped to prevent movement (but not crushed by the clips) and by painting it with a waterproof paint. You can even run it through our Alkathene conduit to give it maximum protection (and make it possible to pull a new cable through if necessary.)
Contents
Connectors
Extension cables
Cable notes
Wall sockets
Cable types
Cable length
Which cable?
Cable weight
Best cable
Questions
 | F connectors - we fit only the screw-on type to our custom-made lengths. You can easily unscrew the F plug to fit a weatherproofing rubber boot if required. PLEASE be sure to order the correct plug to match the cable. See notes HERE. |
 | TV (IEC or Belling-Lee) plugs - we can fit these for you to WF100 - and we supply a link where you can download instructions. |
| | Click HERE for more information about plugs if you are not certain what you have or need. |
We supply Extension cables (catalogue page 8).
You can select colour, type length and add accessories if required (for each individual cable).
Note: if you order a rubber boot with a pre-made cable the boot will be supplied separately. If you need to pass the lead through a hole (or fit a rubber boot) you can simply unscrew one "F" plug then screw it back on afterwards.
Digital signals and analogue signals which now go as high as 2 GigaHertz in frequency need a high-quality double-screened cable, as everyone knows. However, some people don't realise that the cable should preferably be a continuous length without any kinks or connectors. This applies as much to Terrestrial signals (such as "Freeview" in the UK) as it does to satellite signals. The reason is that any "discontinuity" in the cable can reflect the signal backwards which causes a cancellation of the signal, resulting in a poor "Quality" reading in the menu, picture freeze, missing bouquets and a whole range of symptoms that you probably attribute to the weather! You can even lose all picture and sound completely.
YOU SHOULD NOT use ordinary brown or white "low-loss" TV coax if you want to ensure good results! Ordinary "low-loss" TV coax has only 60% shielding (no foil) and is specified to work up to only 1GHz (not 2GHz as required for satellite LNB signals). Obviously there's no harm in trying it if it's already fitted, but don't be surprised if the result is "pictures breaking up" or "some channels missing". (You may find that standard 'F' connectors do not fit on TV aerial cable. Also the centre core may be too thick and might damage the female connector).
Many installations have already been done with wall plates. Indeed, many more will be done because it is unavoidable or because "it looks nicer" or is "more convenient". If you must use a wall plate, then the accessories below will help to avoid problems. We stock fully-shielded wall plates in ready-made and in modular form (select your desired sockets to fit into the plate bezel).
 | To join cables use our 090-3078 threaded "F" barrel and two "F" connectors. We also stock a good quality wall plate with an "F" barrel fitted. |
 | Or you can buy our blank wall plates and fit your own. You can use metal or plastic wall plates. See our "Shop" for all these items. |
 | Note: Although we stock LNB amplifiers, these will not compensate for a bad connection! They are intended for use where the LNB cable length exceeds 45 metres. |
Note: where it is necessary to combine signals into one cable (as with a "Loft Box" or "Diplexer") then use of a decombining plate is unavoidable. We stock only the highest quality fully-shielded wall plates.
SATDS (RG6) is low cost, very flexible and ideal for making short connecting leads and for runs around the house. The main drawback is that it's more easily crushed and kinked. Also, because of its aluminium and copper shield, it's very susceptible to damage in damp conditions and it's more "lossy" than other cable which uses only copper so using it for long runs (more than 30 metres) or outdoors is not recommended.
CT100* and H109F*/WC100 are slightly more robust but still susceptible to kinking. Losses are lower than SATDS and they survive outdoors better.
*CT100 supplies have disappeared since the manufacturer "Raydex" was taken over. H109F is also obsolete. We offer WC100 which is identical.
WF100 has a foam plastic dielectric which makes it less susceptible to kinking. It is slightly less flexible than air-spaced dielectric but, used indoors where it's warm, it still has adequate flexibility. Used outdoors, it is less susceptible to water ingress.
There is virtually no difference in electrical performance between WF100, H109/WC100 and CT100 but WF100 has a foam dielectric, which makes it more robust and harder to kink. It's ideal for use almost anywhere and is available in various colours but it costs a little more. It is available as single or "twin" (two cables moulded together for convenience).
WF65 replaces CT63 "shotgun" cable. It is a twin cable which is very narrow diameter and can be pushed through a 10mm hole. It requires a special "F" connector. It's fine for RF connections but not recommended for LNB runs of more than 20 metres because it loses more signal than thicker cables. This can reduce your "rain margin". In other words, you may lose the signal in bad weather. (If this happens you could compensate by installing the next size larger dish). For longer runs we can supply WF100 in "twin" format.
WF125 cable is thicker, stiffer, and has lower losses than the cables above. Recommended for long LNB connections (e.g. over 40 metres) or where signal loss must be minimised. Note, however, that WF125 is stiff and should not be connected directly to indoor equipment as it can put excessive strain on the connector. We recommend that you use a threaded coupler and a short length of more flexible cable for this connection. We supply twist-on "F" connectors for this cable. (You can not fit a rubber boot to a WF125 connector so use self-amalgamating tape).
WF125 can be connected directly to the LNB but the same comments about additional weight and stiffness apply. It can put extra strain on the connector and the extra weight can cause the LNB support arm to bend.
For long cable runs an equalised slope amplifier may be needed to combat cable attenuation (which is greater at higher frequencies - hence the need for an "equalised slope amplifier, which amplifies higher frequencies more than lower ones).
However, since an amplifier also adds electrical noise to the signal, it is invariably better to use a slightly larger dish than to use an amplifier.
LNB sliding cover
LNB sliding plastic drip covers don't fully protect the connections from rain or condensation so you must use silicone grease on the LNB connections and self-amalgamating tape (or rubber boots if you are not using WF125 cable). But drip covers do help to prevent deterioration of rubber caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
What's the best cable? Read the review
Please note that SATDS, WF125 and CT63/WF65 are not included in the review.
How long can a cable be before loss of picture quality occurs?
This comes under the category of "how long is a piece of string". Basically, there's no answer unless you know the input signal level and the minimum output signal level required. You can then work it out by looking at the loss per metre. For our cables, the loss is about 13dB/100m at 470MHz (typical UHF) and around 27dB/100m at 1750MHz (typical satellite LNB frequency). SATDS is fractionally worse. So, if your UHF signal is only just high enough and you decide to add, say, another 46 metres of cable, you'll need a 6dB amplifier to compensate for cable losses.
Which cable?
| 
| WC100 with air-spaced clear plastic dielectric |
| WF100 with foam white plastic dielectric |
For the outdoor connection, BskyB recommend a *minimum* specification of "CT100/H109F/WC100". This has lower losses than, say, "SATDS/RG6" and uses double (copper-on-copper) shielding. "WC100" has an air-spaced plastic dielectric which is fine but it kinks more easily than foam dielectric and also if water gets into the cable it can run down the air spaces and into the equipment! "WF100" is better as it uses a foam dielectric and is less prone to moisture ingress and it is less easily kinked. However, it costs slightly more. Cable such as "SATDS/RG6" is OK for indoor use but can suffer from corrosion outside because it uses aluminium-on-copper shielding. As the PVC sheath ages and cracks in the presence of wind, rain and UV radiation from the sun, moisture will get into the cable and corrosion will accelerate, forming hard lumps inside which crush the inner air-spaced insulator. At such points, "discontinuities" occur which will block or reflect the digital signals, causing serious affects to the picture and sound on certain channels. You can use any of our cables outdoors, provided that you protect it from sunlight and rodents. Best to clip it high on a wall, in maximum shade, and paint it with an oil-based paint to protect it from the effects of ultraviolet and rain. If it has to go underground you MUST put it in water-free trunking to protect it from rodents and small animals, who will chew it, and from water and soil microbes. You can use any of our cables indoors.
We don't recommend using "standard aerial coax used for receiving television transmissions" as it is only single-screened. Ordinary "TV aerial coax" has only 60% shielding (at best) from external interference. Digital "Freeview" transmissions are very susceptible to "impulse" interference from light switches, street lighting of the gas-discharge variety, thermostatic switches (eg, central heating boilers), vehicle ignition (main road traffic), and generally from 230v mains wiring. The terrestrial aerial must be kept away from the road and the cable must be kept away from other wiring. It should preferably have no joints and definitely no unscreened connections. Sky Digital can suffer from interference from DECT phones and police-radar defeaters as used illegally in some vehicles.
For coaxial connections between the Digibox and other equipment you should still use double-screened cable. This will give the lowest signal loss, the lowest interference pick-up and it's specified for Digital Terrestrial and for "SkyLink" systems such as our "Digilink" and "SLXlink" (and the Global "tvLINK") as well as LNB/DISH feeds.
Weight of cable
Copper-on-copper coax weighs 47.7g/m (4.77kg/100m)
Copper-on-aluminium coax weighs 42.5g/m (4.25kg/100m)
An empty cardboard 100m reel weighs (typically) 200g.
See our COAXIAL CABLE SPECIFICATIONS page.
What's the best cable? Read the review
If you are suffering from interference on TV pictures, please click on this link.
We do not currently stock CT167 or any cable with a core diameter of more than 1.25mm because this type of cable is generally not necessary for DIY and because it requires special connectors. You can't simply twist on an "F" connector. It needs the correct crimp connector and the correct tool to crimp it. This cable is very expensive and is used mostly for SMATV systems and transmission stations.
Our Cable page is HERE
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