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I am planning to buy a Global 2-way distribution amplifier, but do not know whether I need 'F connectors' or 'IEC connectors', or exactly what sort of cables to go with it. I am confused by the terminology used for different connectors. This confusion also affects my consideration of cables, which will be required to connect this very distribution amplifier to two different TVs. The technical specs of the TVs only say that they have a 'RF in'. Is this an 'F connector'? An 'IEC connector'? Something else? If questions at this level of ignorance are answered by your e-book on piping TV around the house, I'll buy it. But I have the feeling that you may not descend to this level of ignorance. My apologies for this question. You DO encourage women to boldly go into the unfamiliar arena of electronics, so you must expect this level of idiocy. Deborah Hahaha, that's me told. But, according to the Internet test, my wife has an IQ of 136 and mine's 135, so I generally accept that women are as intelligent (or more so) than most men. :-) Let me explain the terms, with pictures.
	The "F" connector that we sell is designed to twist onto the (prepared) cable, leaving the centre copper wire sticking out as the connecting "pin". Please note that we stock FIVE different sizes of "F" plug to suit various cables. If you order the wrong one, it may be too loose or too tight. We do not stock gold-plated "F" plugs. If the gold plating is thick enough to be useful then it makes the nut section difficult to tighten. And there's no way to gold-plate the copper centre core of the cable, so a gold-plated "F" connector is just a waste of money. Nickel plating works just fine.
	You can see how to fit it here: http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/fconn.htm An "F" connector "plug" is always male but it can be converted to "female" by fitting a screw-in adapter. This is really needed only for joining two pieces of cable.
	The IEC connector is an ordinary "TV aerial plug" and can be male or female. The problem with the female plug is that the centre core wire can not usually be soldered or crimped. This doesn't matter for ordinary TV aerial use but it does matter for output connections which have to carry power to a device such as a remote extender "tvLINK". So I tend to prefer converting a male plug to female by fitting a"COLCM adapter" to it. Remote extender "magic eyes" and masthead amplifiers need to be powered via the coaxial cable. If the "TV" plugs aren't fitted correctly, the connection will be intermittent and you'll have problems. See a short movie of how to fit a plug correctly by clicking HERE.
So which plugs to use? Well, we stock amplified splitters with either "F" connectors (which need male "F" plugs) or "IEC connectors" (which need male TV plugs of the type that can be soldered or have a screw). My personal choice is for "F" connectors because I think they give less problems and are easy to fit, with a little practice. See instructions. TV aerial sockets are invariably female and require a male IEC plug. RF output sockets are invariably male so I recommend a male plug with a "COLCM adapter" to convert it to female. (Female TV plugs can not be soldered so the DC connection is not guaranteed). You can see the three types of socket here: The top two are female "F" sockets. Bottom left is a male IEC and bottom right is female IEC.
	Fitting a TV Plug (IEC connector) 1. Slide cap over cable with open end towards cable end. (Use our RG6 cable for flexibility or WC100 cable if you need a copper foil screen. WC100 is slightly stiffer). 2. Remove 25mm of the outer cable cover, being careful not to damage the braided copper. 3. Separate out the braid and twist it to form a tail. 4. Slide the cable grip over the inner and outer insulation and twist it so it contains most of the braid. 5. Remove 20mm of the inner insulation, taking care not to nick the centre copper wire. 6. Slide the pin moulding over the centre copper wire.* see note 7. Fit the metal body of the plug and screw the cap onto it. Ensure that no whiskers of braid can touch the central copper wire! Ensure that no whiskers of braid get into the cap threads, otherwise it will be impossible to tighten it. *Ideally the centre core should be soldered to ensure a good DC connection, however the pin moulding will melt if a soldering iron is held to the pin for more than a couple of seconds. It's best to file away the nickel plating at the tip of the pin and quickly "tin" the underlying brass with solder.
"This looks too difficult!" Hey, no problem. We have an expert who makes these leads every day. Here's an example --> He can also put "F" plugs on them. This is WF100 cable, not cheap, thin RG59.
And we can supply them in different colours so you can colour-code your connections so it's easy to see which fly-lead goes where. To order yours go to our order page by clicking HERE. But if you prefer DIY, there's more photos and a movie you can watch. Click HERE. Sturdy but flexible. Minimum recommended bend radius 50mm (2").
Note: Some people advocate the use of gold-plated plugs. Our advice is that this is an utterly pointless waste of money unless the mating sockets are also gold-plated. As I have yet to see a TV set with a gold-plated aerial socket, I'm standing my ground on this point! Gold plated plugs offer no advantage. Don't waste your money.

©2004 SatCure

Piping TV Around the House How to connect your TV, video, satellite, DVD, and send the signals to TVs in other rooms. An invaluable guide and reference that explains UHF channel utilisation without unnecessary technical terms. Includes sketches to show wiring methods. 46 pages. Piping TV Around the House (about 400k file size) OK, read more about it here.

FREE - Beginners Guide to Electronics Easier to understand than anything you've read previously! Martin has a knack of explaining technical subjects in simple language. Components covered include resistors, diodes, transistors and capacitors. As an example, it describes in detail how to build a flashing LED circuit on perforated stripboard ("Veroboard") with a photograph of every stage. This is NOT just another boring technical eBook full of mathematical equations. You'll like it! Ideal for everyone from the young student to the retired lady looking for a new hobby. You'll definitely want more! Click here