Re: Best brand coax and F connector for HD cable?

[egrumling1@xxxxxxxxxxx]

That's the best advice so far. And if the tech won't troubleshoot and
throws it back on "inside wiring," ask them for proof, such as levels
at the following test points:

High (ch 116)  and low (ch 3)  signal levels at the following
locations:
1) tap - should usually be about 10-15dB or better, depending on the
cable system design
2) Ground block (house end of the drop) - on low channel, should loose
about 1dB/100', high end ~5dB/100' of drop.
3) output of splitters - 2-way -4dB, 4-way -7dB, 8-way -11dB
4) outlet going to TV - follow signal loss calcs for drop. With decent
RG-6, should not see much difference from splitter output.

Make the installer write the levels on the work order. His supervisor
usually sees a copy of the order and may take the time to look.

Now, the point of all this demanding of seeing signal losses is NOT to
call in and bash the guy after he leaves. The point is to make sure
that the tech is DOING HIS JOB. I get so pissed off at my fellow techs
when I hear them complain that they've tried EVERYTHING to get a
customer's problem resolved, but if I ask them what levels they had at
the tap were, they have no idea because they didn't bother to check.
Later, when I get the repeat call, I usually find something out of
whack in the house, even though they swear that they checked the whole
house out.

This stuff isn't rocket science, just adding up the losses and making
sure they are right. If the numbers he sees with his meter aren't close
to what they should be, something is wrong and he should be able to fix
it. Cable in walls generally doesn't go bad unless there was a staple
or nail driven into it, but that would have been noticed right away, or
it wouldn't have worked ever. The only time I see inside cables go bad
is when they are resting on an electric baseboard heater and the
dialectric melts out. Otherwise, it's all about replacing connectors
and splitters.