Aerial installers taking the mickey?!
Discussion
Hi all,
My girlfriend's grandparents have just had a local aerial installers out to their house, to sort out the connection of a TV in a bedroom. My girlfriend was there at the time and, having heard about the experience, some of what they said doesn't sound right.
The lounge TV is an old pre-digital LCD jobbie, that gets it's signal (via scart) from a freesat box. The wire between the box and the wall (and hence the dish) connects to the box by screw-connector (F?), and to the wall by traditional (belling?) coax connection...this seems odd, but that's the setup.
As soon as the engineers arrived today, they said that the cable was wrong and so INSISTED on swapping to a new cable (with the same connections). They said that the old cable was only for terrestrial signals as it could not handle "a live current" (but that a satellite cable could), and that this was making the TV too hot and therefore a hazard that they could not leave. This despite the fact that the cable itself is plugged into the freesat box, not the TV, and that the TV has worked fine for two years. They then said that the outdoor terrestrial aerial needed replacing as it was only 60db, which could only handle up to two TVs (they only have two TVs...and one of those connects to the freesat box). They got VERY awkward when told the old aerial was fine!
To me this sounds like they were trying it on. What do you think?
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
EYW
My girlfriend's grandparents have just had a local aerial installers out to their house, to sort out the connection of a TV in a bedroom. My girlfriend was there at the time and, having heard about the experience, some of what they said doesn't sound right.
The lounge TV is an old pre-digital LCD jobbie, that gets it's signal (via scart) from a freesat box. The wire between the box and the wall (and hence the dish) connects to the box by screw-connector (F?), and to the wall by traditional (belling?) coax connection...this seems odd, but that's the setup.
As soon as the engineers arrived today, they said that the cable was wrong and so INSISTED on swapping to a new cable (with the same connections). They said that the old cable was only for terrestrial signals as it could not handle "a live current" (but that a satellite cable could), and that this was making the TV too hot and therefore a hazard that they could not leave. This despite the fact that the cable itself is plugged into the freesat box, not the TV, and that the TV has worked fine for two years. They then said that the outdoor terrestrial aerial needed replacing as it was only 60db, which could only handle up to two TVs (they only have two TVs...and one of those connects to the freesat box). They got VERY awkward when told the old aerial was fine!
To me this sounds like they were trying it on. What do you think?
Thanks in advance.
Regards,
EYW
Only charged £10 for the cable I think, but it was the principle of the matter that wound me up. They left the old fella no choice, just told him that they couldn't leave without changing the cable. My other half thought it sounded a bit dodgy, but she didn't know enough to ward them off. She then told me. There were two engineers too (for a very simply job) so I think they had prepared for hard-sell from the very first minute.
Their labour charge, for 35 minutes, was £76 plus VAT.
I have a mind to email the company quoting Trading Standards, blah, blah, blah, but I suspect it would do no good.
Their labour charge, for 35 minutes, was £76 plus VAT.
I have a mind to email the company quoting Trading Standards, blah, blah, blah, but I suspect it would do no good.
B*llsh*t
Older style coax cable does need changing to higher quality satellite type cable, but not because of the voltage loss/current issue. It is because it is far more susceptible to interference.
As for signal levels 60dB is perfect for both analogue and digital signals, even splitting it 2 ways would only drop it 3dB and still perfectly within the digital levels required.
V.
Older style coax cable does need changing to higher quality satellite type cable, but not because of the voltage loss/current issue. It is because it is far more susceptible to interference.
As for signal levels 60dB is perfect for both analogue and digital signals, even splitting it 2 ways would only drop it 3dB and still perfectly within the digital levels required.
V.
Sorry you found a bad bunch, plenty of them about at the moment as well everyone from window cleaners to roofers al having a go.
I would recommend sticking to RDI or CAI members, its not perfect but I have yet to meet an installation firm that is reputable that is not a member of one or both.
Simply stating "60dB" is meaning less, I can amplify any feed from a coat hanger to 100dB + but wont make it work, maybe you can call them out to quote for some big work at the other end of the county?
I would recommend sticking to RDI or CAI members, its not perfect but I have yet to meet an installation firm that is reputable that is not a member of one or both.
Simply stating "60dB" is meaning less, I can amplify any feed from a coat hanger to 100dB + but wont make it work, maybe you can call them out to quote for some big work at the other end of the county?
Edited by Bushi on Wednesday 10th August 19:42
The CAI at http://www.cai.org.uk/ have a list of registered installers.
ehyouwhat said:
They said that the old cable was only for terrestrial signals as it could not handle "a live current" (but that a satellite cable could), and that this was making the TV too hot and therefore a hazard that they could not leave.
I have well over 15 years of experience installing TV aerials and fixing TV sets (albeit back in the 80's) and this has to be the biggest load of bulls
t I've ever heard!There is no "live current" in the coax cable, apart from the exceptions where power for a masthead amplifier is delivered via the coax cable OR in the case of satellite where power for the LNB is delivered via coax.
And even then, this "live current" is around 12v DC.
And nothing plugged into the aerial socket of the TV could cause it to overheat (apart from a lightning strike!).
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