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Making an antenna splitter to get MSN and HD


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It's not complicated. The standard automotive antena cable is constructed like this:

Jacket

copper braided jacket

foil

plastic insulation

copper antenna conductor

 

Now, with a very sharp razor knife cut all three jackets only off three inches from the end. It is very easy to cut the braided jacket so be easy. I found that the cut around and long slit method the best.

 

Next, carefully unbraid the entire three inches of jacket and twist together into one bundle.

 

You can now see the reletively thick foil wrapped plastic around the thin copper signal conductor. Get rid of the foil and carefully cut an inch and a half of the plastic insulation off the end.

 

You should now have an inch and a half bare signal conductor, an inch and a half of bare plastic insulation and three inches twisted braided copper at the start of everything.

 

Now, get out the 1/4 and 1/2 inch heatshrink tubing, the solder, the solder gun.

Next, parallel two of the antenna cables and twist their copper signal conductors together.

Cut one piece of 1/4 inch heat shrink one inch long and one piece of 1/2 inch heat shirnk one inch long. Slide the 1/4 over the single wire onto the plastic and likewise with the 1/2 inch over the other two paired wires over their plastic

A wire vice works best for this manuver but anything to hold the two across from each other overlapped. Even a stack of books would work.

 

Time to solder. I used silver solder. It's thin and melts fast.

 

Once they are soldered, slide the heatshrink down from each side, overlap slightly and heat to shrink.

Now inspect the joint. If you are sure that there is no signal conductor exposed, fold the copper shield jackets together making sure they contact each other fully. Now wrap a four inch by six inch piece of aluminum foil longwise around the splice. This replaces the RF shielding around the splice.

 

Lastly, wrap the splice with electrical tape or shrink a larger size of heat shrink around it and you are done.

No signal loss or introduced interferience.

I'm out........

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