TV Aerial Plug
Encyclopedia
Domestic antenna plugs and sockets are devices that connect the TV set to the TV antenna (aerial) so that TV signals can flow to them using a tuner (television).
Antenna plugs are male
antenna connectors that fit into female antenna socket
s.
Antenna sockets are female
antenna connectors that have slots or holes which accept the pins or blades of antenna plugs inserted into them and deliver or receive TV signal to or from the plugs. Sockets are generally mounted on the TV set or in the wall
. Sockets are usually designed to reject any plug which is not built to the same standard. Some sockets have one or more pins that connect to holes in the plug.
connector, is the traditional antenna connector for european TV sets and FM
/ DAB
-radio receivers. It is the oldest coaxial RF connector
still commonly used in consumer devices today. It connects a receiver to a terrestrial VHF/UHF roof antenna
, antenna amplifier, or CATV network, via a coaxial cable
.
It was invented at Belling & Lee Ltd in Enfield, United Kingdom
, around 1922, at the time of the first BBC broadcasts. It was originally only intended for medium frequency
broadcasts, where accurate impedance matching of an antenna connector is not a concern.
used today for the same purpose in North America, the IEC 60169-2 connector is not matched to the 75-ohm characteristic impedance
of the antenna cable used, its impedance is about 50-ohm. The lack of impedance matching
causes signal reflection
s in the cable, leading to noticeable signal distortion on VHF and UHF frequencies (but not MW or Shortwave
).
Amalgamated Wireless Australasia (AWA) used miniature Belling & Lee connectors, internally, in their 25M series Land Mobile two-way radios in the early 1970s. The socket is a Belling & Lee L1465/CS whilst the plug is a Belling & Lee 1465/PF.
Antenna plugs are male
Gender of connectors and fasteners
In electrical and mechanical trades and manufacturing, each half of a pair of mating connectors or fasteners is conventionally assigned the designation male or female...
antenna connectors that fit into female antenna socket
Socket
Socket may refer to:In mechanics:* Socket wrench, a type of wrench that uses separate, removable sockets to fit different sizes of nuts and bolts...
s.
Antenna sockets are female
Gender of connectors and fasteners
In electrical and mechanical trades and manufacturing, each half of a pair of mating connectors or fasteners is conventionally assigned the designation male or female...
antenna connectors that have slots or holes which accept the pins or blades of antenna plugs inserted into them and deliver or receive TV signal to or from the plugs. Sockets are generally mounted on the TV set or in the wall
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
. Sockets are usually designed to reject any plug which is not built to the same standard. Some sockets have one or more pins that connect to holes in the plug.
Belling-Lee
The Belling-Lee connector or IEC 169-2 connector, more often simply known as TV aerial plug or PALPAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
connector, is the traditional antenna connector for european TV sets and FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
/ DAB
Digital audio broadcasting
Digital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
-radio receivers. It is the oldest coaxial RF connector
RF connector
A coaxial RF connector is an electrical connector designed to work at radio frequencies in the multi-megahertz range.RF connectors are typically used with coaxial cables and are designed to maintain the shielding that the coaxial design offers. Better models also minimize the change in transmission...
still commonly used in consumer devices today. It connects a receiver to a terrestrial VHF/UHF roof antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
, antenna amplifier, or CATV network, via a coaxial cable
Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...
.
It was invented at Belling & Lee Ltd in Enfield, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, around 1922, at the time of the first BBC broadcasts. It was originally only intended for medium frequency
Medium frequency
Medium frequency refers to radio frequencies in the range of 300 kHz to 3 MHz. Part of this band is the medium wave AM broadcast band. The MF band is also known as the hectometer band or hectometer wave as the wavelengths range from ten down to one hectometers...
broadcasts, where accurate impedance matching of an antenna connector is not a concern.
Belling-Lee vs other connectors
Unlike the coaxial F connectorF connector
The F connector is a type of coaxial RF connector commonly used for "over the air" terrestrial television, cable television and universally for satellite television and cable modems, usually with RG-6/U cable or, in older installations, with RG-59/U cable. It was invented by Eric E...
used today for the same purpose in North America, the IEC 60169-2 connector is not matched to the 75-ohm characteristic impedance
Characteristic impedance
The characteristic impedance or surge impedance of a uniform transmission line, usually written Z_0, is the ratio of the amplitudes of a single pair of voltage and current waves propagating along the line in the absence of reflections. The SI unit of characteristic impedance is the ohm...
of the antenna cable used, its impedance is about 50-ohm. The lack of impedance matching
Impedance matching
In electronics, impedance matching is the practice of designing the input impedance of an electrical load to maximize the power transfer and/or minimize reflections from the load....
causes signal reflection
Signal reflection
Signal reflection occurs when a signal is transmitted along a transmission medium, such as a copper cable or an optical fiber, some of the signal power may be reflected back to its origin rather than being carried all the way along the cable to the far end. This happens because imperfections in the...
s in the cable, leading to noticeable signal distortion on VHF and UHF frequencies (but not MW or Shortwave
Shortwave
Shortwave radio refers to the upper MF and all of the HF portion of the radio spectrum, between 1,800–30,000 kHz. Shortwave radio received its name because the wavelengths in this band are shorter than 200 m which marked the original upper limit of the medium frequency band first used...
).
- The IEC-169-2 connector is recognised as a source of signal distortion and has become a particular concern with digital signal reception, specifically UHF HDTV.
- DABDigital audio broadcastingDigital Audio Broadcasting is a digital radio technology for broadcasting radio stations, used in several countries, particularly in Europe. As of 2006, approximately 1,000 stations worldwide broadcast in the DAB format....
(digital radio) and other reception modes are not as severely affected by the impedance matching issue, so only HDTV and satellite reception systems are encouraged to use the F connectorF connectorThe F connector is a type of coaxial RF connector commonly used for "over the air" terrestrial television, cable television and universally for satellite television and cable modems, usually with RG-6/U cable or, in older installations, with RG-59/U cable. It was invented by Eric E...
. - In spite of being somewhat unsuitable for modern analogue VHF and UHF TV frequencies, due to industrial inertia, the Belling Lee connector is still used today as a TV signal reception connector.
- In Europe and the Americas this connector is not used to connect satellite TV antennas. The more electrically suitable 75-ohm F connectorF connectorThe F connector is a type of coaxial RF connector commonly used for "over the air" terrestrial television, cable television and universally for satellite television and cable modems, usually with RG-6/U cable or, in older installations, with RG-59/U cable. It was invented by Eric E...
is standard. However, the obsolete BSBBritish Satellite BroadcastingBritish Satellite Broadcasting was a British television company which provided direct broadcast satellite television services to the United Kingdom...
receiver used a Belling Lee connector for the LNB feed.
Miniature Belling Lee
There is also a Miniature Belling Lee connector which was used for internal connections inside some equipment (including BBC RC5/3 Band II receiver and the STC AF101 Radio Telephone). It is not known who made them or any other name for the connector. It looks similar to a standard Belling Lee plug but is about half the size. The standard Belling Lee plug is about 33 mm long and 9.5 mm diameter (mating surface), the Miniature Belling Lee is about 17 mm long and 4.4 mm diameter.Amalgamated Wireless Australasia (AWA) used miniature Belling & Lee connectors, internally, in their 25M series Land Mobile two-way radios in the early 1970s. The socket is a Belling & Lee L1465/CS whilst the plug is a Belling & Lee 1465/PF.
See also
- DiplexerDiplexerA diplexer is a passive device that implements frequency domain multiplexing. Two ports are multiplexed onto a third port . The signals on ports L and H occupy disjoint frequency bands...
- RF connectorRF connectorA coaxial RF connector is an electrical connector designed to work at radio frequencies in the multi-megahertz range.RF connectors are typically used with coaxial cables and are designed to maintain the shielding that the coaxial design offers. Better models also minimize the change in transmission...
- Satellite television connector
- Antenna socket surface plateSurface plateA surface plate is a solid, flat plate used as the main horizontal reference plane for precision inspection, marking out , and tooling setup. The surface plate is often used as the baseline for all measurements to the workpiece, therefore one primary surface is finished extremely flat with...