shawa

I've just moved into a rental property, which has a Telewest cable box on the wall. I'm fairly sure there are only analogue cable services in the area (Maidenhead).

If I plug my TV into the wall-box, I don't get any pictures. Do I need a decoder? I know I need a screw-in coax connector and I think the cable I have is okay.

My Freeview box isn't picking up all the channels it should, when plugged into the standard aerial and the missus is desperate for E4.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

The telewest analogue signals are not scrambled - you just need a compatible TV (like me ) which is purely by luck if it is Otherwise you will need the box to sort it out.

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

The Telewest signals in your area (I live close and worked in their headend years ago) are indeed analogue. The channels are actually controlled from their end and not by your set top box or tv unlike some services. What you do get by default now though is channels 1-5 and maybe seom of the free channels with decent reception and no need for an ariel.

shawa

Hmmm...so it looks like I need a set top box. There's no option to tune to cable services on my TV, just the standard auto-tune.

Of course, it's always possible that the box on the wall is knackered, as it 's fairly loose! I guess I'll check out Ebay for a second hand set top box.

Thanks.

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

You can simply get an adapter that screws onto the existing cable to change it from the screw type to the push in type like a standard ariel coax. Maplins etc my do these, we have them here in our office so I guess they're available.

mannyo

The settop box wont work unless its been enabled by the headend, the cable in your wall may have been disconnected at the box in the street when the previous tennant left.

Graz

Can someone explain?

I have Telewest Digital but I guess they still provide the analogue services round here. Does this mean by putting a splitter in the feed to the set-top box and plugging the split signal into the aerial socket on my TV I'll be able to get analogue (Freeview channels?) and digital. It would be useful as the aerial system in the block of flats I live in doesn't work very well and sometimes it would be good to be able to video something on the analogue feed whilst watching the digital. (Until Telewest get their ***** in gear and produce their Sky+ type box that is )

I also gather there is quite a bit of voltage coming down the cable as the "engineer" that fitted my cable modem flinched a few times when putting the plug on the cable, I don't want to blow up my telly, would I need a DC block or something?

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

That would not be true for channels 1 to 5 and BBC24. They are still provided.

This could be the case but is actually quite unlikely.

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

As far as I know certainly in our area no voltage comes down the coax for the analogue tv channels.

As for splitting the signal I don't know because I've never tried it, I moved on to another part of the company before digital was rolled out in some areas.

shawa

Okay, so just to be clear, I don't need a special TV or a set-top box to connect to the existing analogue cable service (and get the standard channels 1-5 at the very least).
I only need to connect the coax cable, via a screw-in adapter.

I did try a coax cable with a screw-type connection, but it didn't work. I think it was a standard coax which had a join (screw-in) in the middle. I used the screw-in bit from the join to attach it to the cable box on the wall. Sorry for the non-technical terminology!

Paulo P

iTrader: (42)

In theory if it's still connected at the cab it should work. You're nothing lost trying it.