# Forum Home Renovation Television, Computers & Phones  crap

## jasonbrisbane

Installed an external antenna a while ago connected to a digital set top box and the pic is supperb! BUT i went downstairs a few days ago and touched the splitter and i can feel current going through it?(enough to tingle my finger) this worries me.I disconnected the set top from the power cord  and still felt the power but when i pulled out the antena lead from the set top box from the video recorder NO CURRENT.Should i be worried?PS been like this for 1 week since i noticed. 
GO THE CROWS 
PS :Tongue: osted a while ago about whirlybirds and installed one tonight,pretty easy glad i gave it a go.When i buy a new digicam will take pics .(sold my digislr a while a go to fund buying a house).

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## jasonbrisbane

had a few xxxx to celebrate crows win(living in qld now) and have thought of  some Q to help me spruce up place:
1:can u buy replacement covers for powerpoint covers  and light covers?
2:any1 in brisbane can give me a quote or recommend some1 to cover a 4x2m deck with laserlite and wood cover?
3:need to shade 3 north facing windows but dont want to have to remove the shade everytime it gets windy what can i use?
4:fuel  and beer cost the same which should i give priority to?

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## Wassy

G'day Jason, 
Are you getting any shocks/tingles from any of your taps? Even small ones once in a while. 
As for the replacement covers. You shouldn't have a problem getting some. Check out your local electrical wholesaler, they may have to special order them. 
Cheers,
Mat

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## Iain

Getting a mild shock from an antenna connection is not unusual, wait till you're on the roof and touch the antenna with your ear :mad: 
What sort of splitter are you using, if it is a cheap plastic box with screw and saddle connections give it the asre and get a decent 'F' connected unit.
The others have too much loss and break down quickly.
You can buy twist on 'F' connectors from most electronic places, just ascertain as to what sort of Coax you have, RG6 or RG59.
If it is RG59 and it's easy to replace, give that the flick too and replace it with RG6, much better quality especially when using digital equipment.
Incidentally, the shock comes from the TV chassis and is a common occurance, nothing to do with a faulty earth.

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## Wassy

> Incidentally, the shock comes from the TV chassis and is a common occurance, nothing to do with a faulty earth.

  Being somebody who works for a supply company and having seen a heap of "live" aerials, gutters, taps etc from faulty earths, I wouldn't be discounting it right away.  
Not that I'm jumping up and down, just trying to get the full picture 1st. 
Cheers,
Mat

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## jasonbrisbane

was just a tingle and nothing thru taps etc.Using all good stuff (quad shield etc)When i disconnect antenna from tv no more tingle.

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## Iain

I've put up quite a few and had a few tingles, like I said, very common but character building on sensitive parts like the ears.

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## Wassy

Good work Jason, glad you have solved the problem. 
Cheers,
Mat

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## echnidna

> 4:fuel  and beer cost the same which should i give priority to?

  Yer gotta budget carefully
Yer need just enough fuel to be able to go and buy yer booze  :Biggrin:   :Biggrin:

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## corbs

> 1:can u buy replacement covers for powerpoint covers  and light covers?

  I know bunnings sell the chrome look covers at about $7 each.  You could find a cheaper price and then make them price match it... or just buy it from the cheaper place.  I am pretty sure I have also seen wood grain ones there too?  but then I could have been mistaken (wasnt looking for them at the time)

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## Wassy

Jason get on down to your local electrical wholesaler. Their range will be alot bigger than Bunnings and they will be able to special order any covers they don't stock. That and I would expect them to be cheaper.  
Cheers,
Mat

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## Eddie Jones

Do you have a masthead amplifier fitted next to the aerial? If so, I think you will find the tingle is caused by the (usually) 12v which is supplied from the set-top box, up the coax to run the amplifier. As you say it goes away when you disconnect the coax, I think this is the cause. Nothing to worry about.

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## Iain

> Do you have a masthead amplifier fitted next to the aerial? If so, I think you will find the tingle is caused by the (usually) 12v which is supplied from the set-top box, up the coax to run the amplifier. As you say it goes away when you disconnect the coax, I think this is the cause. Nothing to worry about.

  A lot of modern TV's have a live chassis which is about 60vdc, not enough to hurt but it will let you know it's there.
This does not have any effect on MH amps as there is nothing behind it.      
Most MH amps run 17-22vac, dc is not so much an option now as the ac reduces electrolysis on connectors.

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## conwood

beer,
conwood

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## seriph1

We had a power surge a couple of weeks ago and now the tellie is acting up ..... the supply company has agreed to consider a claim but I need to take the TV to an authorised repairer which is bloody miles away from us - either way it is pretty hard as the thing is over 60 Kilos..... oh well ...... now that I have vented my irrelevant post i will get to my point ..... we bought a digital STB and have not looked back, but the reception where we are means we need a sigamp and a new aerial. We have the easy bit - the amp - which went inline without a hitch and fixed a lot of the problems with dropout. The aerial should do the rest but I too got a wake up call when I got opn the roof to check it. it was a combo of me, the sigamp and a tin roof I reckon. took the sigamp out of the loop and the humming stopped (in my fingers and toes)...... wondering now if I should get it checked out too, but think I have answered my own question. 
the zap made me both alert AND alarmed  :Biggrin:

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## jasonbrisbane

But gota love that digital picture (and sound)I couldnt go back!

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## seriph1

I'll say .... but I was already spoiled, with 2000+ DVDs and satellite..... what has impressed me is embedded widescreen on my 16:9 tellie

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## Iain

Steve, before you go for an amp look at putting in a Log Periodic band 3/4, small antenna-massive gain, posiibly no need for a mast head amp.
ABC is on channel 12 and the lowest channel is 6 so it will cope happily.

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## seriph1

thanks Iain - I will look into it definitely. The chap who sold me the Set Top Box mentioned he had a particular type of antenna that should address the problem - I will forward your suggestion to him...... 
thanks a-gain  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:

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## knucklehead

[QUOTE=jasonbrisbane]Installed an external antenna a while ago connected to a digital set top box and the pic is supperb! BUT i went downstairs a few days ago and touched the splitter and i can feel current going through it?(enough to tingle my finger) this worries me.I disconnected the set top from the power cord and still felt the power but when i pulled out the antena lead from the set top box from the video recorder NO CURRENT.Should i be worried?PS been like this for 1 week since i noticed.
[QUOTE] 
Jason, nearly every modern Tv (and video) will give out a voltage on the antenna connection. Modern TVs run a live chasis. The antenna connection is directly connected to the chasis. It is not unusual to find over a 150 volts on these connections. What can make it even worse is that the voltage can be combined when several Tvs are sharing the same antenna. I have come accross installation of 200 volts when this happens.
Under normal conditions there should be very little current, so it will be uncomfortable to touch but will not do any damage.

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## ThePope

> Jason, nearly every modern Tv (and video) will give out a voltage on the antenna connection. Modern TVs run a live chasis. The antenna connection is directly connected to the chasis. It is not unusual to find over a 150 volts on these connections. What can make it even worse is that the voltage can be combined when several Tvs are sharing the same antenna. I have come accross installation of 200 volts when this happens.
> Under normal conditions there should be very little current, so it will be uncomfortable to touch but will not do any damage.

  That's interesting, was hooking up a new DVD/VCR combo yesterday and was having trouble getting any sound from one of my speakers, finally looked at the wiring to the speaker and found it was somewhat charred where the join is near the speaker (just twisted together). Cut a few inches off to redo the join, wire was still blackened but got the speaker running.  
Would this voltage you talk about have caused the charring ?

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## knucklehead

> That's interesting, was hooking up a new DVD/VCR combo yesterday and was having trouble getting any sound from one of my speakers, finally looked at the wiring to the speaker and found it was somewhat charred where the join is near the speaker (just twisted together). Cut a few inches off to redo the join, wire was still blackened but got the speaker running.  
> Would this voltage you talk about have caused the charring ?

  I think that is very unlikely. If you had Ac voltage on the cable you would be getting 50 Hz vibration from the speakers. 
The copper conductors can sometimes go black from touching disimilar metal (speaker terminal) of just moisture.

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