RF Splitters & Taps

Information A Primer On Splitters RF Splitters Channel Vision Splitters Channel Vision Vertical Splitters Pico Macom (Tru-Spec) Splitters RF Taps Channel Vision Taps Holland Wideband Taps

Related Links Specialized RF Combiners Main Index Video Index Attenuators and Filters Video Distribution Tutorial

A Splitter Primer

A frequency range of 55 Mhz to 900 Mhz covers the VHF, UHF, FM, and CATV bands.

The insertion loss is measured in dB. The lower the number, the better. The splitters we carry are all "equally balanced." That is to say that the outputs all have the same insertion loss. This is true of most splitters with two, four, or eight outputs. Many splitters with three outputs are unbalanced and one output will have less loss than the other two! The loss in a good splitter is around 4.0 dB per split. An average splitter has around 4.5 dB loss per split. (A two way splitter has one split, a four-way has 2, an eight way has 3.) Thus an average eight-way splitter should have about 12 to 13.5 dB insertion loss.

Another defining characteristic of splitters is whether they "pass" a DC current between their inputs and outputs. Unless the manufacture puts in some extra "stuff," a splitter will block any DC current. (They are basically multi-tap transformers.) A DC passing splitter is useful when you are sending DC up the cable for coax-powered equipment, like an in-line amplifier, remote video camera, or infrared signals. DC passing splitters cost a little more, but their insertion loss is a little less (better) anyway.

We've seen inside "average" splitters, and the Channel Vision splitters. An average splitter has a few ferrite cores with wires wrapped through them hand soldered to the terminals. Really messy looking, but they work...pretty much. The problem is one of consistency and linearity. If the placement varies too much in the hand soldering operation or when the unit gets bumped, the balance can get out of whack. This can cause variations of the insertion loss for each output as well as variations of loss at different frequencies, which is very hard to correct.

So should you use our Channel Vision splitters, or our Pico Macom splitters? The Pico splitters are good, and comparable to what your cable company might use. In fact, Pico markets heavily to the cable companies and most of their products are made for commercial CATV companies. Channel Vision, on the other hand, is for the videophile that wants more than just a "viewable" picture; they want the best possible picture. And at Channel Vision's (and HomeTech's!) low price, they cost no more than you'd pay for the "cheapy" splitters at your local electronics store.

By the way, any splitter or tap can work as a combiner...just wire it in backwards!