How to fit a TV aerial splitter
Updated: October 2026
The splitter is in your hand, the second television is dark, and the wall plate has one aerial socket. The usual fault is the aerial lead plugged into an output leg, or a male plug offered to another male plug. This page follows the listings in the [aerial splitter comparison](/hub/electrical-equipment/aerial-splitter). A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Put the aerial on the single input, then the two outputs to the two tuners.
The splitter is in your hand, the second television is dark, and the wall plate has one aerial socket. The usual fault is the aerial lead plugged into an output leg, or a male plug offered to another male plug.
The splitter is in your hand, the second television is dark, and the wall plate has one aerial socket. The usual fault is the aerial lead plugged into an output leg, or a male plug offered to another male plug. This page follows the listings in the aerial splitter comparison. A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Put the aerial on the single input, then the two outputs to the two tuners.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Plug arrangement | Connector | In the box | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Ancable Ancable T splitter | 1 male to 2 female | Coaxial | T splitter only | 9.0 | about £5.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  AXFEE AXFEE 8-piece kit | 1 female to 2 male | TV coax plugs; spec says F-type | Splitter plus plugs; two bullets disagree | 9.0 | about £4.79 | View offer |
 RUNCCI-YUN RUNCCI-YUN IEC kit | 1 IEC jack to 2 IEC plugs | IEC | Splitter, 2 male, 2 female, 1 coupler | 9.0 | about £8.98 | View offer |
On this page
Which plug is the input
A Y or a T has one leg that is the input and two that are the outputs. On a female-male-male body the female is the input. On a male-female-female body the male is the input. The single connector faces the aerial. The pair faces the televisions. In this set the male-to-two-female parts are the Ancable, the AXFEE single, the GengHeXIN, the BAANI and the Mercury. The female-to-two-male parts are the AXFEE kit, the HEIZHU kit and the dsDAEDK JR1032. The SSL 6-way is F-type, a cupboard fitting rather than a push-on behind the television. Dry-fit the aerial lead on the single leg only. If it will not click, you have the wrong gender. That choice belongs on the TV aerial splitter buying guide.
Connect, then prove it with one set
None of these listings includes a mains plug. You push coax together indoors. A small screwdriver appears only if a loose IEC plug uses a grub screw, as on the RUNCCI-YUN bag. Reviews of that kit describe cross-threaded screws and a picture that cut in and out. Prove the aerial first. Disconnect the splitter and plug the trusted flylead straight into the television that already worked. If that set still has its channels, the splitter is the thing in the path. If it has gone dark, the fault is the lead, the wall plate or the aerial. Put the splitter back, aerial on the single leg, and connect only the known-good set. If that set now breaks up, the split has spent level you did not have. That case is on split one aerial to two TVs.
Swap the leads, then retune
If one output works and the other does not, swap the two flyleads at the splitter. If the fault follows the lead, that flylead or that television's socket is the problem. If it stays on the same output, that port is the suspect. BAANI reviews include a female port that rattled and did nothing. Only then retune, through set-up and first-time installation. Many sets use 1234 or 0000 as a menu PIN. That is not a code you should assume on every brand. Retune the set that lost its channels. A retune does not repair a lead in the wrong socket.
When you stop
Stop when the work leaves the room. Indoor wording is explicit on the Ancable, both AXFEE rows, the RUNCCI-YUN and the BAANI. Mercury's listing does not answer outdoor use. dsDAEDK says keep the terminals dry, which is not an outdoor rating. A dry loft with existing F connectors is not a reason to take a push-on Y onto the roof. Stop if a masthead is powered up the coax. Only the SSL row states DC pass, and it does not print a voltage. A 5 V or 12 V maximum is not permission to feed the mast. Stop if you are a tenant on a communal system, or if the single set was already marginal.
Common questions
Which end faces the wall socket?
The single leg, which is the input. On a 1 male to 2 female splitter, such as the Ancable, the male plug faces a socket. On a 1 female to 2 male splitter, such as the AXFEE kit, the female faces a male aerial plug. If the aerial lead is in one of the pair, the other set looks dead even when the part is fine.
What if both leads are male?
Join them with a female-to-female coupler, or pick the female-input kit in the first place. A male-to-male coupler joins two sockets. Forcing two male plugs together bends the centre pin. Mercury buyers met this when the splitter's male plug faced the wall the wrong way.
Do I need a tool?
Not for a push-on IEC Y. You seat the plugs by hand. A grub screw on a RUNCCI-YUN plug may need a small screwdriver, and those screws are a known place to cross-thread. No listing here asks you to wire a mains plug.
Should I retune both sets?
Retune the set that does not list its channels after the leads are on the correct legs. Use the menu path Freeview describes: set-up, then first-time installation. Leave the set that already works until you have proved the second output with the swap test. A retune does not repair a lead that is in the wrong socket.
One set works and the other does not. What do I swap first?
Swap the two output leads at the splitter. If the dead picture moves with the lead, check that flylead and that television. If it stays on the same port, suspect the body, which is what a rattling BAANI socket looked like. If neither output works, prove the aerial on one set alone.
Can I do this in the loft or outside?
Only where the listing allows it and you can work safely. Several of these parts say indoor. Weather-resistant wording on the SSL six-way is not an IP rating. Do not fit a living-room Y on a mast or in a wet box.
The kit has couplers. Which one joins two male plugs?
The female-to-female coupler. Each male plug seats into one end of it. The male-to-male coupler joins two female sockets. The AXFEE kit lists both and contradicts itself on the count, so match what you can see. A coupler fixes gender. It does not replace a missing signal.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures checked on 19 October 2026.
- A.T.V. Poles: aerial splitters (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BBC Reception: how to choose the right amplifier (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BBC Reception: what is a good Freeview installation (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BBC Reception: troubleshooting Freeview reception (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BSI: BS EN 60728 series (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- CAI: single-dwelling installation code of practice (2022) (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Sandwich Electrical: fitting a UK TV aerial coaxial connector (retrieved 19 October 2026)