|   info on signal booster for cable tv | singha
Jul 3, 2001 5:39 PM | | Some of my cable channels are not very clear. A friend told me Radio Shack sells several kinds of signal booster that MAY help enhance my reception. Do these boosters really help me? Which specific kind do I need?
Thanks in advance for any info. |
| info on signal booster for cable tv | Smokey
Jul 3, 2001 6:13 PM | | Hi Singha
The boosters will work especially well if your picture is grainy due to signal being weak. RadioShack have several option. In my experience the one that have variable gain capablity offer best the result.
If you are splitting signal get the kind that will split and amplify at the same time
Good luck |
| First... | cableguy
Jul 3, 2001 7:37 PM | | ...call the cable co. and schedule a service call. They're free, and the technician can see if there's a problem somewhere else besides your house. He can then make sure that there's adequate signal level at your house (typically enough to run four TV's), and that everything's wired correctly. If everything checks out OK and you still need an amplifier, see if the cable co. will supply you with one. If not, then maybe the tech can suggest a place to get a good, well shielded one. In my experience, Radio Shack sells horrible amplifiers that can add more problems than they fix. If they're not well shielded, you'll get ghosting and other problems. If there isn't sufficient signal to begin with, then you'll just amplify the noise.
Make sure to schedule the service call, though. After all...that's what you pay your (high) cable bill for. Hope that helped some... |
| That is good advice also.....(nt) | Smokey
Jul 4, 2001 12:36 AM | | .....(:^) |
| cableguy ? for you well actually 2 | Adam
Jul 5, 2001 8:43 AM | | 1. I was considering a signal booster as well. I have only 1 jack in my apt and the jack is being split for cable TV via a cable box and for my cable modem. Would a cable signal booster effect the cable modem in terms of perfromance?
2. When the hell did you get so nice :) |
| two answers... | cableguy
Jul 5, 2001 7:39 PM | | 1. If you ever call me nice again, I'll kill you. j/k :)
2. An amplifier will definitely hinder your modem service. When a cable co. upgrades to be able to offer cable modems, it has to ensure that evrything in the plant is two-way capable (both forward AND reverse). Most commonly available amplifiers are not two-way, so I believe it would kill your data service, but not your regular cable service. Call your particular cable co. to be sure, but I do know that cable modem service is a very fickle beast and sometimes even the smallest thing can affect it. BTW- you should definitely have more than adequate signal level for a two-way splitter. If you don't, then the cableguy (not me) needs to see why you don't. In my opinion, there is never really a reason for the customer to buy his own amplifier unless he's trying to run more than four TV's. Once you get past four, the splitter configurations just take out excessive amounts of signal and it needs to be amplified. Four TV's or less and the cable company should be giving you great pictures on all four, no charge. Hope that helped Adam.
BTW- Friday's coming up...you better dust off the Poncho :) |
| First...(audioreview.com) | paule
Jul 5, 2001 2:20 PM | | Cableguy,
I noticed that if I disconnected my cable-tv cable, that the hum I picked up in my receiver would disappear...My TV is hooked up to my receiver in a HT setup. I researched on line that if I connected two 75 - 300 transformers (baluns?), that I could make the hum disappear. And, this worked...Only, the side effect was to introduce some ghosting and/or diagonal lines on a few channels....This I found I could mostly eliminate by 2 combined fixes: The first was, assuming the transformers were weakening the signal, getting a 10 db signal amplifier from radio shack. This boosted the signal, but I still had the ghosting...The second was wrapping the baluns with aluminum foil around the connections.....Finally, this accomplished what I needed to do, ie, no more hum, and no more ghosting/interference.
Incidentally, I called my cable company, who told me that, since the problem, ie, hum, was not in the tv , but in another component over which they have no responsibility, they wouldnt make a srvc call! That's what happens when these guys get a monopoly...Screw the customer. Anyway, I found the above fix on my own....The only thing I dont like is its very sensitive...That is, if barely move the baluns, I will get either the hum, or the interference...I have to leave it 'just so'....
As an 'expert', can you comment on my 'fix', and make any suggestions on how to make it more solid? Thanks. |
| Kind of a long answer... | cableguy
Jul 5, 2001 8:08 PM | | First, whoever you talked to at the cable co. needs to be fired. The hum problem you're talking about has the potential to be a dangerous grounding problem. While it's a very small chance, it still needs to be looked at by the cable co. A lot of times, when a cable co. does an upgrade or a rebuild of their system, they'll replace the service line going to the house (called a 'drop'), and all of the main-lines on the poles and underground. When this is done, the plant is then grounded much more than it was before (usually every 4th, 10th, and last pole and every termination and active electronic point, and so on). The house drop is regrounded, too. The net result of this is that sometimes we have a better path to ground than the power company, simply because all of our connections are brand new and haven't been exposed to the elements long enough for it to corrode like the power co.'s has. When this occurs, you'll get any unbalanced electrical load in your house trying to get to ground through the easiest path possible, which is now your cable TV line. It will travel through all your expensive electronic equipment before it does that, though, which in some cases can cause a hum like what you're getting, or possibly a fire when it goes through something that can't handle a big current surge (i.e., your TV, receiver, VCR, etc.). There are filters that can be put in-line with your cable that will eliminate the hum, so contact the cable co. again and if they give you the same B.S., tell them you wish to speak to the plant manager and I'm sure you'll get your (free) service call.
The set-up you described using the matching transformers kind of acts like a filter, but it can cause some horrible shielding problems, which is what you got. It's simply a mickey-mouse way to fix it, and the cable co. needs to pull their head out of their butt and go fix it. You actually caused a bigger problem for them than they had before once you rigged those transformers together, because now they have a serious signal leakage problem (ESPECIALLY when you hooked up that ten dB amp to it). The cable co. can have serious fines levied against them for signal leakage problems (when the cable signal radiates freely in the air). The reason? It interferes with the auto-navigation systems on airplanes and can cause a plane crash. Really. There is no cable company in America that doesn't worry about signal leakage (called CLI by the cable co.) since several systems were fined in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for it. If you mention that you might have a signal leakage problem to the plant manager, I'm sure he'll get someone out there, pronto.
Good luck... |
| Kind of a long answer... | paule
Jul 6, 2001 4:48 PM | | Thanks so much for the response.....Just to try, I pulled out my signal amp, and, sure enough, it introduced just enough graininess to be annoying...Put the radioshack signal amp back and the picture is good as its ever been. The problem around here is that Cablevision is a big monopoly. Believe it or not, theyre better about customer service now than before Cablevision bought out what was TCI Cable. But still, they are maintaining that they will only fix problems in their equipment....And, since the hum is in a receiver and not in their direct chain of hookups, ie, the tv, they have no responsibility, and they will not do a service call! Their big advice, if you can believe it, is to try and reverse the plug! Of course, they said I probably cant do it because of modern plug polarity....Duh!! Hence, my 'solution'. What about this...I found a device from Jensen Transformers called "Cable TV RF Isolator", model VR-1FF with a 50 mhz to 900 mhz bandwidth span. It supposedly prevents 60 hz ground currents in CATV systems. Price is $52, and it seems to install easily in line in the cable line. Shall I try this as a better fix....Actually, my current fix is fine, except I dont like that if I just touch the aluminum shielding, I am apt to either revert back to the hum, or the ghosts....Only when I leave it 'just so' are both symptoms gone....So longas I revert from thouching it, I'm fine, but it doesnt seem that secure...maybe this isolator is better...Thoughts? |
| Kind of a long answer... | cableguy
Jul 6, 2001 5:35 PM | | Just the fact that when you touch it, it goes away is kinda spooky. It shouldn't do that, trust me. Cable TV is still a huge monopoly, like you said, and government intervention did very little to improve their service. I imagine you've already looked into this, but it would be nice if you could switch to a dish, but you might not be able to for whatever reason.
I've heard of the product you mentioned, but I could have swore it was available for cheaper than that. Try posting a question about it in the 'General" forum and I bet someone will know where to get it cheaper.
Sorry I couldn't have been of more help... |
| re: info on signal booster for cable tv | Jedi_Master
Jul 4, 2001 10:33 AM | | Using an amplifier should boost your signal. I've used one and it worked pretty good. However, if you have a cable-modem you will need an amplifier that is bi-directional. Many of the lower end amplifiers will not allow bi-directional transmission which would mess up your internet connection. |
| To paraphrase what cableguy said, | Markw*
Jul 4, 2001 3:08 PM | | it won't clean up a dirty signal. It will just make it a stronger, dirty signal.
The only time I'sd recommend a booster is if you have an extremely lonhg run or are running many, many sets off of the cable.
Also, not all cable companies are the same. There are several frequency bands in cable signals and not all boosters pass all of them. If your booster won't pass a signal, it will do more damage than good. |
| Somebody needs to get Cableguy his own show! | scarletgab
Jul 6, 2001 1:46 PM | | He could be on here all day answering our questions about our crappie cable compaines.
But he knows his stuff -- for dam sure! |
| LOL! Thanks... | cableguy
Jul 6, 2001 5:38 PM | | I worked incable TV for a little over ten years and still have a lot of friends in the business. However, they treat their employees like they treat their customers, so now I do something different. |
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