TV Cable Help - Satellite or Virgin Cable?

[Tom.E]

Hello,

I've just moved into a new house and there are twin TV cables in the living room (see photo). I initially thought they were satellite cables as there is a dish on the back of the house, and my plan was to buy a FreeSat box. I'm not interested in paying for Sky or another subscription. However, the previous owners said something about how they used Virgin cable, which seems odd as I didn't think cable was widely used in the UK. 

Can anyone advise what I need to do in order to have live TV? Set top box with an adaptor/ connector of some kind?

Many thanks!

 

[ProDave]

Buy or preferably borrow a freesat box and plug it in and try it.  Those are the correct connectors used for satellite tv so if the borrowed freesat box works, go and buy your own.

Can you not just follow where the cables go and see if they do go to the dish.  Most Sky and Virgin installs are done just by running cables around the skirting board etc so easy to follow where they go.

 

[Geoff1946]

A lot of modern TVs have a satellite socket which I think you can just connect the LNB to receive freesat. Have you not got a standard aerial too?

Virgin cable is a cable system where you pay for everything and have a menu of extra channels to choose from but is mainly of interest if you want broadband too.   If you are wired there will be a junction box outside the house somewhere with "Virgin" on it.

 

[Tom.E]

I've done some more investigating and while there is a Virgin access point in the street, it doesn't appear anything is running into the house. The cables from the Sat dish on the back of the house run over the roof, drop down, and go into the lounge wall.... so it's a satellite connection. 

My TV doesn't have built in Freesat so (a tiny bit too old) so I'll a STB. Next question - can I plug those cables directly into the box or do I need some sort of adapter (coaxial, F type?).

Thanks!

 

[Bruspark]

The satellite cables are likely to be fitted with F plugs which mate with the threaded sockets FreeSat receivers use 

If not, F connectors simply screw onto the cable so if you get some of the right diameter to fit the cable they are really easy to fit 

(cut cable to length

Carefully remove 10 to 12 mm of outer insulation with a sharp knife but not cutting too hard down into the rest of the cable

Remove any foil and fold the braid back over the remaining cable 

Again carefully remove all but 1-2mm of the visible inner insulation to reveal the centre conductor 

Screw the connector onto the end of the cable and if necessary trim the centre conductor with cutters of scissors until the tip just sticks out of the front of the ‘plug’ - then screw the plug you just made onto the box or tv )

you tube probably explains it better 

 

[Sharpend]

Don’t sky used crimped f plugs? 

 

[steptoe]

They look like compression F plugs, I say deffo a sat connection 

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Agree with sir Stepington.....     

99.9999999%  that is a Satellite connection...

Virgin would be just a single Co-Ax + a twisted pair phone cable!

NOT 2x Co-Ax...

(We have virgin broadband + phone)

Guinness  

Don’t sky used crimped f plugs? 

But you don't know if someone else has replaced, extended, amended the 'F' connectors?

opcorn