Make Your Own High Quality TV LEAD

This video shows you how to make your own high-quality TV aerial or satellite flylead, which can connect between your wall socket and your television receiver.
Many of the factory made flyleads are of inferior quality which can themselves cause loss of TV signal and pixilation and the high-quality versions, which can be purchased are often a lot more expensive than they need to be. This video will show you how to make your high quality TV lead for only a few pounds to exactly the correct length.
Tools You Will Need To Prepare Your Own TV Aerial Flylead
1x Stanley Blade, utility knife or coaxial preparation tool
1x Side cutters
Parts You Will Need to A TV Aerial Flylead
2x Coaxial IEC plugs
Coaxial cable
Step By Step Guide To Make Your Own TV Aerial Lead
1) Separate the coaxial IEC plug into its individual four parts. These are a Screw cap, a main coaxial outside body, an inner core connector and a claw.
2) Over the top of the coaxial cable. Insert the screw cap onto the end of the coaxial cable that you wish to terminate. The threaded side must point towards the end of the cable.
3) With the coaxial stripping tool or utility knife. Around 1 inch or 25mm away from the cable end, make a small incision around the PVC jacket of the cable. Be extra vigilant not to cut out all the way though as you do not want to cut into the coaxial braid & screen itself.
4) Remove the cut PVC sheath revealing the cable braid and screen.
5) Fold the cable braid back over the top of the PVC outer sheath and secure back with the metal claw. It helps to give this a twist to keep all of the individual cable strands in place.
5) If using a double screened cable like in the DIY video, with the coaxial stripping tool cut away the cable screen and remove revealing the internal dielectric material.
6) Around 3mm or 1/10 of an inch away from the metal claw, with the utility knife cut away the dielectric revealing the centre conductor/ inner core.
7) Make a slight bend in the inner core around half way.
Insert the inner core connector of the coaxial plug itself over the centre conductor/ inner core. The kink in the cable will help make a good contact of the inner core connector of the coaxial plug.
8) With the coaxial cutting tool (scissors or side-cutters) cut the cable inner core flush with the end of the inner core connector of the coaxial plug.
9) Slide on main coaxial outer body over the inner core connector of the plug.
10) With the screw cap, screw this hand tight over the main coaxial outside body or the plug.
11) Repeat steps 1-10 on the other side of the coaxial cable.
You are now ready to insert your TV aerial fly lead into your TV and wall plate. If you have a male wall plate which doesn't allow the coaxial plug to be inserted. You will either need to change the wall plate or insert a coaxial coupler onto the socket.
Tools You Will Need to Make A Satellite Fly-lead (F type)
1x side cutters
1x utility knife or coaxial cable preparation tool
Parts You Will Need
2x F Connectors (Screw on connectors are used in the video)
Coaxial Cable
Step By Step Guide For Make Satellite TV Lead
1) With the coaxial stripping tool or utility knife. Around 12mm or half an inch away from the cable end make a small round incision outermost layer (cable sheath) of the cable. Be careful not to cut out all the way though as you do not want to cut into the coaxial braid itself. Remove the cut cable sheath revealing the cable braid and screen.
2) Fold the cable braid back over the cable sheath.
3) If using a double screened cable like in the video demonstration, with the coaxial stripping tool cut away the cable screen and remove revealing the internal dielectric material.
4) With the utility knife, cut the dielectric material leaving around 3mm of insulation in place.
5) Screw the F plug into position over the top of the folded back cable braid. Keep twisting the until the dielectric is flush with the inside beginning of the threaded part of the plug. You should be left with 2mm of the centre conductor protruding the end of the plug. This is also known as "the stinger".
6) If you have any more than 2mm of the centre conductor protruding the end of the plug, trim back to 2mm using the cable cutting tool.
7) Repeat steps 1-6 on the other side of the coaxial cable.
You now have a high-quality satellite TV fly lead that you use to connect your satellite TV or satellite receiver, like a Sky or Freesat box and most DAB radios.
For more videos on how to make F connectors and coaxial plugs please see the videos below.
• How To Fit An F Connec...
• How To Fit A Coax TV P...

[@johnt714]

Hi Tom. Great videos! I only just found this. I looked up Webro WF100 and it seems to be the black TV aerial cable. What do you use for the satellite cable? Many thanks.

[@smartaerials]

Hi John, sorry for the slow reply and thanks. WF100 is fine for satellite too.

[@santinoalfredo390]

what if the coaxial lead is coming from the wall and the end is broke?

[@juniorj-r4090]

I was wondering if you could help please, my question, can you mount wifi antenna and a TV antenna on the same pole?

[@smartaerials]

You can, but I would try and keep a bit of distance between the two.

[@calumr2051]

I bought some cable from toolstation which said it was "ct100" but on the drum it said "Gt 100", I can't complain however as it was made of pure copper and also had a copper shield. I bought this cable to replace a so called "professional" cable I bought at b and q, which appeared to be copper originally but turned out to be copper clad aluminium piece of rubbish, it did have a shield but it was aluminum ,I ripped this cable out and replaced with what I thought was CT 100 but turns out to be Gt 100 and the signal quality reception improved dramatically I get a lot more channels and overall better reception. One thing is Gt100 the new name for the ct 100? or was it just called ct100 to trick you to buy it? If so should I rip this cable out and try and find the real "ct 100", or is the cable I bought decent enough? thanks

[@smartaerials]

Hi Callum, always good to put a bit of good quality coax in as it really does range hugely in quality. GT-100 is not the new name CT-100, you will just find that it's made by a different manufacturer to a similar standard. For instance we use a Webro cable called WF100, but there is a PF-100 also which you can buy from Screwfix. They are all very similar, I have just looked online and the Gt100 is a good cable so I would stick with the Gt100.

[@calumr2051]

Much appreciated thanks, Cable quality clearly does matter as I have found out, great to know I can keep this cable. thanks

[@smartaerials]

You're welcome, please do subscribe to the channel. Tom

[@sarhana3710]

Is it worth doing this if I live in a flat which has tv, radio and 2 x satélite ports + TV return on the wall? My understanding is that the signal is not good anyway so would a better cable and fittings show an improvement in quality? Also, the TV sockets are male coaxials, guess I need a female coupler. If I plug an F cable to the satélite 2 connection and connect it to the TV return socket, will I then be able to use a splitter in the bedroom in the slave tv socket and then run 2 cables to the TV, one for Freeview and one for free sat?

[@juniorj-r4090]

hello there, what brand of you coaxial cable you are using this?

[@smartaerials]

I use Webro WF100.

[@juniorj-r4090]

Smart Aerials hello there, what is a deferent of PF100 Screwfix?

[@smartaerials]

Not a lot, PF100 is a good cable.

[@BjornV78]

Can these self-made coax cables withstand 4G ingress disturbance ?

[@smartaerials]

Hi Bjorn, yes just make sure that you use a good quality double screened coaxial cable.

[@BjornV78]

@@smartaerials Thank you for the quick reply. 4G ingress begins to form a big problem here in Belgium. There are few TV stations that use a frequency near by the freqencies of 4G cellphone networks, and this gives very disturb signals when using standard coax cables, even with the more expensive cables.

[@smartaerials]

Yes 4G is a problem in the UK too.

[@nrg-5003]

Hi, I am guessing you are a professional aerial engineer installer, I have found your vids very helpful, just one thing, what is the best brand 2 way splitter for freeview I can buy, one that's high quality reliable and keeps signal loss to a minimum? thanks

[@smartaerials]

Hey there, thanks I'm glad you like the videos. Yes I do this professionally. For indoor splitters I use the Vision 2 way F splitters. For outdoor use, I use Antiference 2 way splitters, although the Vision ones are good too. Hope this helps. Please do subscribe to the channel. :)

[@nrg-5003]

Thanks :)

[@totopcat]

Love your style Tom but you speak too fast at times. Even putting on cc for words it unable to record. Even slowing rate of recording. Your hand covers lot of (two of them) shown held up.

[@BB-zs9vh]

It's a shame he did not show us the differance between low quality and high quality arial. This vid is more focused on how yo fit an arial.