How To Connect a TV Aerial Connector
| Reuben Howe
This brief piece aims to show you the range of aerial ports you’ll see on the rear of our Set Top Boxes and clarify exactly how to connect your aerial cables. Between Coaxial cable types, aerial adapters and more we are striving to make TV accessible for as many people as possible.
Step 1: Identify your Aerial Type!
Before you can plug any cables in and get connections sorted, you must identify if your home uses a Satellite or Terrestrial TV aerial. This handy guide can help you identify your aerial and what cable you’ll then need.
Essentially, if your home has a small satellite dish attached then you need a Freesat Box and F-Plug Coaxial Cables. However, if you have a terrestrial aerial attached then you need a Freeview Box and an IEC Coaxial Aerial Cable.
Once you know which aerial you use, you can look at the other end of the equation…
Step 2: Identify your Set Top or TV Type!
One final check before you go connecting cables and attaching adapters is to look at the receiver you are using. It’s all very well confirming you have a Terrestrial aerial, but that won’t help if you have a Satellite box or TV with an F-Plug socket.
You can see a Set Top Box below with multiple aerial ports, and this increases compatibility. However, your Set Top Box must still match the type of TV (Satellite or Terrestrial) that your aerial picks up!
Don’t be fooled in to thinking that a satellite aerial can connect to a Freeview box just because the port is there! While the port is functional, your aerial is still the incorrect type. For the system to work you must have the correct aerial, tuner, and TV aerial cable.
Step 3: Select Your Cable
Finally, we can choose and connect a cable. If you have a standard IEC TV coaxial cable, it should look something like this:
These IEC cables can connect seamlessly into the port shown below as "RF IN" (Simply meaning Radio Frequency In):
And then the other end in to your aerial line.
In this example we used a Male to Female IEC cable to ensure compatibility with both ends, and to carry terrestrial TV signals.
In your case, you might need an F-Type to IEC converter or maybe an IEC extension cable adapter to fully connect your aerial port to the Set Top Box or TV. You are free to use the coaxial cable connectors you need to, but always remember that your aerial type and Set Top Box / TV type must still match!
Step 4: Scan for Channels and Watch
Once your aerial connection, Set Top Box / TV connection and the cable itself are all sorted out and in place you can sit back and relax. Using the included cables with your product is the easiest way to quickly ensure the ports are all compatible, but for those who want to use their current cables or are planning on converting to a different system we hope this guide has shown you a simple, accessible way to check your set up will function correctly.
If you need any guidance on setting up our devices and using our cables don’t hesitate to contact our customer service team weekdays between 9am and 5pm, or email us at service@idaffodil.co
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