Recommend a good coax amp distributor?

[yoda313]

I was looking for a good coax amp distributor for analog cable. I have a powered rca unit from bestbuy that was ok on one set but I've moved it to another set and it is not working too well.

I'd prefer not to buy online so if Bestbuy or Radioshack has a reputable brand I'd be interested.

FYI I'm looking for at least a three way split so I can connect it to three destinations.

Thanks.

Also - budget for this is 50-70 USD give or take. (is this doable in that range? FYI my issues is ghosting on local vhf channels 2-10, other analog channels on upper channels are decent just the main aerials aren't hot on this unit).

[lordsmurf]

Monster. Yeah, it's expensive. Works well, however.

[yoda313]

Monster. Yeah, it's expensive. Works well, however.

Ouch I wish you hadn't said that

Yeah I guess that should have been expected. Are there different grades of monster available? Do they have a basic or plus versions?

[mstone321]

Go to Home Depot and look at the Leviton product line. They have two models here in Canada.

Matt

[yoda313]

Thanks mstone321. Never would have thought of home depot.

[Verify]

The following distribution amplifier from Radio Shack is similar to one that I used for several years:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103093

The difference is that the one that I have is unidirectional and cost about $25 (if I remember correctly).

I think that it still works (been in the garage for ~4 years) and if unidirectional is OK, it's yours just let me know where to send it.

[edDV]

The older Radio Shack cable DA amps were too limited in bandwidth to pass all digital MPeg Channels (ultraband). Cable systems are being upgraded for 750-1000MHz. Make sure the amp passes flat 1GHz or you may find upper channels missing. Cheap units are suspect for cable channels above ~75.

I use a 4x splitter at the cable input. Two go to HD cable boxes, one to my Hauppauge HDR-1600, the other goes to a cable amp for 6 analog TV or VCR/computer tuner devices.

[SHS]

The Best Quality CableTV Drop Amplifiers are
1: Electroline
2: Viewsonics
3: PDI
4: Motorola
Anything else and just wasting your money and one I list above are used by min cable service provider.
check out cabletvamps.com or ebay.com

[Verify]

The unit that I have is cat. no. 15-1168 which has the following specs:

75-Ohm Distribution Amplifier
(150-1168) Specifications
Operating Frequency Range.......................... 54-814 MHz
Gain.............................................. ............. Up to 24 dB
Gain Adjustment Range................................ 0-12 dB cut
Adapter Input Voltage............................. .... 105-135 VAC
Power Usage............................................. ...<3 W (typical)
Power Line Frequency................................... 50-60 Hz
Specifications are typical; individual units might vary. Specifications
are subject to change and improvement without notice.

It was adequate for analog cable (but not, as edDV points out for upgraded service).

The unit pointer to in the above Radio Shack url has an upper band limit of 1000MHz (however they do not spec. flatness).

SHS references cabletvamps.com which has several Electroline 4-way units - one with gain another with none (and a discussion of the reasons for choosing one or the other) and both are within the budget mentioned (and not much more than the Radio Shack unit pointed to).

I would respectfully differ about wasting my money on the Radio Shack unit that I purchased - it did the job for me : ) (Must figure out how to use the emoticons!)

If I was going to purchase a new one I'd certainly follow his advice.

I currently use several cascaded splitters to provode signal to my cable modem, two VCRs, two ATI analog TV cards, and the NEC monitor (with included analog tuner). The proper choice of taps to each of the six units works quite well with the signal strength provided by the cable company (Time-Warner in this neck of the woods).

If you do go the splitter route, make sure that they are good to 1000MHz!
I just looked at my rejects and one of them is only good to 400MHz and the other to perhaps 800?

[lordsmurf]

If you do go the splitter route, make sure that they are good to 1000MHz!

1,000 is wimpy too.

I refuse to use anything less than 2000Mhz, and most of mine are in the 2300-2700 range. Lowe's carries a few options, and I recently bought a Philips one that works perfectly. The Monster splitters are not all that great compared to others.

Highspeed cable broadband with digital HD cable on the line too often balks at anything less than 2,000Mhz on the split.

[Epicurus8a]

edit
............................

[yoda313]

Thanks everyone. This should give me more to look into.

[SHS]

5-2000+Mhz ones do work fine with most digi-cable system but they just have an ultra wideband range for satellite application only.

[yoda313]

Would this work well for four way splitting?



Monster Cable - 4-Way Coax Splitter
Model: U2 3RF | SKU: 7129476


I also read a review about using a terminator if you only use 3 out of 4 of them. I am using three of the four splitters on my distributor. If I use a terminator on the fourth split would that clear up the ghosting on channels 2-10?

Also what is a terminator and what does it cost?

EDIT - I just checked and the one I am using is a 1ghz RCA powered splitter. I also moved the one line that is moving to the vcr and passthrough to the tv to the number 1 output slot. It seemed to improve the signal a bit. It also says power in under the out 1 but I suspect that was just poor placement since the red on light is next to it.

Anyway would upgrading to a 2ghz power splitter reduce the ghosting on the 2-10 channels?

[videobread]

Video Brick by VAC. Good source is markertek.com
They make all type of distribution amps. A splitter is not an amp.
http://www.vac-brick.com/
Try ebay!

Also, your problem may be that you are using coax jacks. I never use the coax. I always use the RCA jacks with a distribution amp. You may not even need a distribution amp.

[SHS]

2ghz power splitter reduce the ghosting on the 2-10 channels?

No there are min thing's that can cause that problem

[gadgetguy]

In my experience, ghosting on the lower channels is due to the cable being poorly grounded or bad shielding (bad cable).

[yoda313]

Well thanks for all the advice everyone. I've since decided to remove the computer from that setup. I've gone back to the dvd recorder and vhs vcr. This removes the need for a splitter. I still have some minor ghosting one or two channels but that is not a big deal.

I appreciate the insight. I'll keep this in mind should I try this again.