Make your own "fly-lead" How to fit a male IEC TV plug to double-screened cable The most common faults are caused by the cheap "clothes line" fly-lead that you bought from a DIY store. It can snap invisibly inside, the screening is usually poor, and the attenuation (signal loss) high. If your fly-lead is less than 6 mm in diameter, it's probably worth replacing it if you are in any doubt. Make your own from double-shielded cable (or buy from us) and you'll be amazed by the difference! Also recommended if you are having Sky remote extender problems!
	Interference is radiated by electronic equipment such as your TV set, DVD player, mains wiring, computer, router, DECT phone etc. (If you don't believe this, try holding an AM radio next to them!)
	The interference is usually strongest behind the TV set so you must ensure that all coaxial "fly-leads", "drop cables", in the nearby wall, Scart Leads and wall plates, are fully shielded, otherwise the interference gets carried back into the Freeview or TV tuner! (Never place equipment on or near the TV which emits a lot of interference.)
Don't bundle the cables together or interference will be transmitted between them. Keep them short and away from each other. In particular, keep the signal cables well away from the power cables. (The power cables can be bundled together.)
	Equipment should never be packed close together. Place each unit on a separate shelf with plenty of air space. This improves cooling and reduces the risk of radiated interference from one unit affecting another. Steel shelves are preferable, since interference won't pass through them.
	Most TV plugs have a "centre pin" which is a tiny nickel-plated brass tube set in plastic. When you heat it, the plastic will melt and destroy the plug. So you must prepare it for soldering by removing the nickel plating with a small (3 mm) twist drill and/or a file. This will allow the solder to "wet" the brass very quickly.
	(This method is also shown in a movie, below.) Use a knife to score around the plastic sheath of the double-screened cable.
	Twist the braided copper copper strands into a "pigtail" and tear off the copper foil. Use a knife to score carefully around the white (dielectric) plastic insulation and pull it off, leaving a 3 mm stub projecting as in the photo below.
	Put the nickel-plated brass screw cap onto the cable. (Don't be tempted to use cheap aluminium plugs. The threads bind easily and they oxidise after a year or two.)
	Put the brass collar onto the cable and twist it until the "pigtail" is coiled up inside it. *(see note below) If you want to be absolutely certain of a good connection, solder the end of the pigtail to one of the lugs of the brass collar before twisting it on.
	Slide the plug body over the cable centre core (copper wire) and screw the cap onto the threaded body, tightly.
	If you have never used a soldering iron, this is not the time to practice. Get someone to solder the copper wire quickly to the exposed brass of the centre pin.
	Use side-cutters to remove the excess copper wire. Order IEC TV plugs
	If one of your connections needs to be female you'll also need our "COLCM - male - female converter". This is also used for joining two cables.
* Note: We have sold thousands of leads made like this, with very few returns, but I have been criticised for suggesting this simple method of wrapping the braid under the brass collar. The "official" method is described here: http://www.megalithia.com/elect/bellinglee/index.html My method is easier, less messy (no strands of copper braid everywhere) and forms a good connection. I've been making leads like this since 1960. However, if you prefer to listen to the "experts", please use the "official" method. 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. "Magic-eyes" may not work if too close to the TV (interference). Always connect to the TV with a double-screened cable. Move further away from the TV if you have problems. If you still have problems with the "eye" 3 metres away, you may need to decouple the cable to the TV. We make up our own "fly-leads" using WF100 cable (in various colours). You can buy them from us or make your own. Thanks for your prompt processing of my order, the first part of which arrived today, around 24 hours after placing it - well done! However, I wanted to tell you about the benefit I got from one of the items on the order. I had been experiencing weak signal and interference from my Freeview aerial set-up. After perusing your website at length, I was pretty sure I was going to have to renew all the coax (about 8 years old, and medium quality), and replace all outlets with screened ones. Before that though, I decided to look at the obvious 'weak links'. I purchased WF100RE1.5M RED 1.5 METRE and WF100BLTV2M BLACK 2 METRE leads from you, made up with TV plugs. The former intended to link wall plate to Toppy PVR, and the latter Toppy to TV. Before substitution, the TV digital tuner read 50% signal. After substituting the red 1.5m lead between wall plate and PVR, the signal went up to 72%, with no interference from central heating, much better picture overall, and the welcome return of DAVE etc., which had been reduced to a silent jumble of pixels before. The second lead gave no further increase, so I still need to look at the rest of the installation, but it's very good now subjectively as it is. I thought you, and possibly other customers, might like to hear a real-world story of just how cost-effective a <£5 upgrade can be! I'm now about to undertake my first Freesat dish installation using your products, confident that the quality won't let me down. Thanks again, Matthew Davies Watch the movie and have a laugh at my northern accent and unavoidable fumbling as things roll away from me! (If the movie won't run smoothly, click the pause button and let the red line advance for a minute before clicking play).

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The "TV Plug" is sometimes called a "coaxial plug" or "Belling-Lee plug" or "IEC plug".

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