Television Wiring Issues
I guess I was due as I've been working on the quadruple play of problems with my phone, my internet, and my cell phone- all in the last few months, so it should come as no surprise that the TV signal had an issue this week. However, you might not expect why it happened.
I needed to get a gutter replaced. Unfortunately, my TV antenna was in the area. I deliberately sought out a reputable gutter crew, and made sure that I could communicate with them as they spoke English (the last time I had another company work on the gutters I was fumbling through my limited Spanish to say "Pitch the gutter more," and ended up with some broken shingles, but that's another story).
I made it a point to show my estimator that my rooftop TV antenna went into a splitter that then sent the signal to my two televisions. Simple enough I'm told, and I remind him that I want this all to work when we're done. This is what it looked like before we started:
When the guys arrived for the job, I also show them the setup and reiterate that this should all work when we're done. I think I'm getting on their nerves, but I'm reassured that this is simple. I'm asked if I want the wires buried underneath the new soffits, but I decline and tell them that I want access to everything so leave it out- good thing I went that route.
I kept an eye on these folks, and when the job was completed, I went out to take a look. I notice that one of the TV wires is out and hanging in the breeze. #$@&*?! Why is that wire out? I'm told "It was a spare and not active." I remind him that this is not the case, and I'm told he will fix it now. I go in and check on the TV which looks ok after he's reconnected it, although there is a little more noise on a few of the channels so I start getting that sinking feeling.
That night, I start watching TV, and there is a ton of interference. One station, CBS, is not even watchable, and this has never been the case. Something is not right, so the next day I go up on the ladder and take a look. Geez, the wire that was disconnected is in the splitter, but only by a thread. The connector at the end that had been crimped on is now pushed on, but not securely on the wire as there is no way to reattach something like this. I try to adjust, but it's clear that I need to do some work.
I first turn my attention to the internet so get up to speed on coaxial cable. I learn that not only does the center copper wire need to be connected, but also the outer metal covering beneath the black plastic needs to be connected. This is why just shoving the center copper wire in doesn't solve the problem. I also learn that while the pros will use the crimped connectors that require a special tool, the average homeowner can just use a screw on one that doesn't need any special tools (although the purists say it's not as good).
I head on over to Wal-Mart, and they have the parts. I also decide to pick up a new splitter as the other one has been up there since Carter was in office.
Back up the ladder, and I put on the new connector. It's hard to screw it onto the plastic, but it does go with some effort. The package suggests stripping the wire, but I don't want to shorten it and I plunge ahead. Ahh, it's on. I swap out the splitter and cross my fingers.
Thankfully, both TV's now are back to baseline reception which is about as good as analog TV gets in these parts.
I'm annoyed at the gutter folks for not being honest about this. Why couldn't they tell me what they did and not make me waste half a day on this? This can't be the first time they had to work around some wires to put a gutter up. I'm not even sure why they disconnected anything in the end. After their shoddy workmanship, I learned more about coaxial cable then I wanted to know.
--Jonas
I needed to get a gutter replaced. Unfortunately, my TV antenna was in the area. I deliberately sought out a reputable gutter crew, and made sure that I could communicate with them as they spoke English (the last time I had another company work on the gutters I was fumbling through my limited Spanish to say "Pitch the gutter more," and ended up with some broken shingles, but that's another story).
I made it a point to show my estimator that my rooftop TV antenna went into a splitter that then sent the signal to my two televisions. Simple enough I'm told, and I remind him that I want this all to work when we're done. This is what it looked like before we started:
When the guys arrived for the job, I also show them the setup and reiterate that this should all work when we're done. I think I'm getting on their nerves, but I'm reassured that this is simple. I'm asked if I want the wires buried underneath the new soffits, but I decline and tell them that I want access to everything so leave it out- good thing I went that route.
I kept an eye on these folks, and when the job was completed, I went out to take a look. I notice that one of the TV wires is out and hanging in the breeze. #$@&*?! Why is that wire out? I'm told "It was a spare and not active." I remind him that this is not the case, and I'm told he will fix it now. I go in and check on the TV which looks ok after he's reconnected it, although there is a little more noise on a few of the channels so I start getting that sinking feeling.
That night, I start watching TV, and there is a ton of interference. One station, CBS, is not even watchable, and this has never been the case. Something is not right, so the next day I go up on the ladder and take a look. Geez, the wire that was disconnected is in the splitter, but only by a thread. The connector at the end that had been crimped on is now pushed on, but not securely on the wire as there is no way to reattach something like this. I try to adjust, but it's clear that I need to do some work.
I first turn my attention to the internet so get up to speed on coaxial cable. I learn that not only does the center copper wire need to be connected, but also the outer metal covering beneath the black plastic needs to be connected. This is why just shoving the center copper wire in doesn't solve the problem. I also learn that while the pros will use the crimped connectors that require a special tool, the average homeowner can just use a screw on one that doesn't need any special tools (although the purists say it's not as good).I head on over to Wal-Mart, and they have the parts. I also decide to pick up a new splitter as the other one has been up there since Carter was in office.
Back up the ladder, and I put on the new connector. It's hard to screw it onto the plastic, but it does go with some effort. The package suggests stripping the wire, but I don't want to shorten it and I plunge ahead. Ahh, it's on. I swap out the splitter and cross my fingers.
Thankfully, both TV's now are back to baseline reception which is about as good as analog TV gets in these parts.
I'm annoyed at the gutter folks for not being honest about this. Why couldn't they tell me what they did and not make me waste half a day on this? This can't be the first time they had to work around some wires to put a gutter up. I'm not even sure why they disconnected anything in the end. After their shoddy workmanship, I learned more about coaxial cable then I wanted to know.
--Jonas
Labels: Television
posted by digitaldoc at 9:55 PM
2 Comments:
Coax cable that's made for cable and master antenna use typically uses an aluminum shield, as opposed to coax that's used for 2-way and amateur radio which typically has a braided copper shield. RG-59 used to be the standard, but today RG-6 is considered the minimum and RG-11 is used for longer runs. Some cables have a single shield, some have a quad shield.
The "F" fittings used in cable TV are designed for these special coax cables with the aluminum foil shield. You are correct, there are a variety of connectors out there. But the new style "seal-tite" connectors are the only way to go. They are 2-piece connectors where a plastic collar slides over the coax. After the cable is stripped and inserted into the body of the main connector, the collar is pushed toward the connector and crimped with a special crimper. The connector has to match the cable both in size and the type of shield.
The cost of the crimper from Paladin, is around $45, which is a lot of money for a tool you will hardly ever use. The connectors are more expensive also, but believe me they make a difference.
Switching to seal-tite connectors for all of your tv antenna or cable connections is worth the effort. They have lower loss and better shielding. I have solved a number of signal ingress and egress issues just by replacing connectors.
You also want to have splitters that are well shielded and rated to 1000 MHz. Using anything less in a cable environment will compromise your digital reception which is typically at the high end of the spectrum. If you have a cable modem, the splitters have to be bi-directional with response down to around 20 MHz or so. Older splitters didn't have very good shielding, but the new ones are usually good to 100 dB or 130 dB.
Bottom line is, "there ain't nothin' simple anymore!"
Thanks for the insight Gyro. The cable is RG-59 and was put up in the late 70's. It only carries analog TV at this point. I did see the newer RG-6 gear in the store and it did look a notch better. One of the wire runs is kind of complicated, and I wouldn't be able to easily redo it, if at all as it goes through the attic, out the other side of the house, back into the basement, and up behind a built in enclosure that can't be moved.
I was looking for the connectors that you talked about but Circuit City didn't have them either. For the cost of a fast food lunch I got things working again, but it's only temporary. I figure by the Spring I'll have a better direction as to if I want to go Fios or not, and let them rewire the house.
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