Components in TV antenna selector

[Jaxx]

I am in the UK. I bought a very cheap antenna selector from my local
discount store.

It has 3 UHF sockets and one UHF plug. A sliding switch connects the
plug to one of the 3 sockets. Inside there are no components whatsover
except the sliding switch.

Am not sure if this is for one Tv to switch between 3 antennas. Or for
a single antenna to be routed to one of 3 TVs connected to the box.

Is this right? I thought there should be some coils or capacitors of
something like that.

Is this device truly CRAP or should it work tolerably well in spite of
the fact that it breaches good-practise antenna installation?

 

[Palindrome]

Jaxx wrote:

I am in the UK. I bought a very cheap antenna selector from my local
discount store.

It has 3 UHF sockets and one UHF plug. A sliding switch connects the
plug to one of the 3 sockets. Inside there are no components whatsover
except the sliding switch.

Am not sure if this is for one Tv to switch between 3 antennas. Or for
a single antenna to be routed to one of 3 TVs connected to the box.

Is this right? I thought there should be some coils or capacitors of
something like that.

Is this device truly CRAP or should it work tolerably well in spite of
the fact that it breaches good-practise antenna installation?

It can be used to connect one aerial to one of (up to) 3 receivers or to
connect one receiver to one of (up to) 3 aerials.

It doesn't and isn't intended to split the signal and thus doesn't need
the coils or capacitors you expected to see.

It should manage to do the job for which it was intended, ie part of a
home broadcast reception system. It will be less than ideal in many
respects, but that shouldn't matter - it will still work.

Obviously if the application was more demanding, it wouldn't do, but a
device made to meet that requirement would be over-engineered for this
one. Enjoy.

However, if you really did want something that would split the signal
into 2/3 paths, it isn't going to be much use, as is. You may be able to
modify it to suit - in which case a better quality switch could actually
be harder, as it would quite possibly terminate/short circuit, the
non-active sockets..

--
Sue

 

[Angelo Campanella]

Jaxx wrote:

I am in the UK. I bought a very cheap antenna selector from my local
discount store.

You get what you pay for (if you are lucky).

It has 3 UHF sockets and one UHF plug. A sliding switch connects the
plug to one of the 3 sockets. Inside there are no components whatsover
except the sliding switch.

Small sithches have small enough capacitance to serve the switching
function at UHF.

Am not sure if this is for one Tv to switch between 3 antennas. Or for
a single antenna to be routed to one of 3 TVs connected to the box.

Your choice in the matter.

Is this right? I thought there should be some coils or capacitors of
something like that.

In the cse where only one circuit is active at a time, impedance
changing is not required.

Is this device truly CRAP or should it work tolerably well in spite of
the fact that it breaches good-practise antenna installation?

Crap may not be the best choice of words. It's simplistic. At best it
will work where you are obliged to have several antennas, perhaps rabbit
ears vs dipole or bow tie, or several UHF bow-ties aimed in various
directions. Or you can use it to send the signal from a very good
antenna to any one of three TV's or VCR's.

Angelo Campanella