Quote:
Originally Posted by
aketkar 
Hello! I am finishing my basement with the home theater, and the drywall will be going up next week. Right now, I am running the video cables. Currently, I have an outdoor antenna going to a TV upstairs. My question is that can I cut into that coaxial cable and split it so that I can receive OTA signals in my basement? I was reading other threads here, and they were saying the signal may become weaker. Is this a problem on a cable that is about 40 feet long?
Also, would both TV's display the same channel, or can I watch two different channels simultaneously?
Each set may be tuned independently of the other provided bot share a connection to the antenna.
Splitting a signal (using a common splitter) does cause the original signal power to be "shared" between the sets plus there will be a certain amount of signal power lost due to additional cable attenuation. If you are already using an amplifier in your system, these additional losses will likely not be important in your circumstance. On the other hand, if your signal power levels are near the fade margin, those extra losses may push your reception over the edge of the "digital cliff". If you are currently enjoying dropout-free reception, I'd recommend adding the splitter and re-evaluating your reception performance at both locations. If you now are suffering issues, either replace the passive splitter with a distribution amp or install a mast-mounted pre-amp. The selection of either is subject to variables, so ask first for a recommendation.
