Coaxial cable carries the signal from the LNB to your decoder, and its quality matters more than almost anyone expects. Satellite signals are high-frequency and unforgiving: a poorly shielded cable picks up interference, a badly crimped F-connector lets in water, and a run that is too long simply loses signal on the way.
What we install and why
Quality double- or quad-shielded RG6 for standard runs, stepping up to RG11 where a run exceeds roughly 40 metres — a common requirement on smallholdings, double-storey homes and commercial sites. The thin, unshielded "satellite cable" sold in bargain packs is a false economy: it works on installation day and starts failing the first wet winter.
Connectors are where jobs are won or lost
An F-connector must be compression-fitted, correctly sized to the cable, and — outdoors — weather-sealed. A twist-on connector on an exterior wall is a guaranteed callout within two years. We compression-fit every outdoor connector and seal it, which is unglamorous and is the single biggest reason our installations do not come back.
The failure signature
Cable and connector faults are almost always intermittent: fine in dry weather, pixelating in the rain, worse in the afternoon when the roof space heats up, or breaking up only on certain channels (the higher-frequency transponders go first). That intermittency is diagnostic — a dead cable is easy, a marginal one is what a meter is for.
Brands we fit and service
The coaxial cable & connectors market splits into hardware built for South African conditions and lookalikes that fail at the first hard season. These are the manufacturers we trust on our installations:
- Ellies RG6 / RG11
- compression F-connectors
See our brand guides for how these manufacturers compare.
When the coaxial cable & connectors goes wrong
These are the failures we're called to most often — each with its symptoms, causes and our fix on the dedicated problems page:
- Water in the coaxial cableE48-32 (intermittent) — Signal degrades noticeably in wet weather and improves in dry spells, getting a little worse with each cycle over months…
- Loose or badly fitted F-connectorE30, E48-32 — Signal cuts out when the cable is touched or moved, returns when it is jiggled, and fails intermittently for no apparent…
- Cable run too long — signal lossE30 (intermittent) — Consistently weak signal with no obvious hardware fault, worse on some channels than others, and frequently worse on the…
- Rodent-chewed cable in the roofE30 — Sudden and complete loss of signal with no weather event to explain it, on an installation that had been entirely reliab…
Need this fixed or installed?
Our Cabling & Point Repairs service covers coaxial cable & connectors work — from R480, quoted upfront and backed by our 12-month workmanship warranty.