Coax for CATV installation?

[Nate Nagel]

OK, so I posted a while back asking about what I needed to do in my house. per previous comments I will simply try a passive splitter first

- splitting off one line to the cable modem and then all the TV drops on a second passive splitter. I'll homerun everything to the ceiling of the laundry room so I can rearrange later if required.

What do I need to buy? I remember several different kinds of coax to buy, one apparently being better than the rest. Also specific recommendations on brands, terminals, strippers, crimp tools, etc. would be appreciated. I have never done this before but am sure that I can handle it with a little gentle direction.

thanks,

nate

[<aemeijers]

Please post a list of what you end up buying, and your results and &#39;lessons learned&#39;. I need to replace all the inside wiring here, too.

aem sends...

[Pete C.]

You want RG-6 coax, with at least a 1 GHz rating. You cable company may well be the best source and often will sell the proper coax at cost to builders or give away smaller quantities. The same goes for connectors, splitters and ground blocks.

You have to remember that cable companies are regulated by the FCC for their allowable CLI, cumulative leakage index, and every hack job that someone does for their house distribution negatively impacts the CLI. It also negatively impacts consumer perception since those hack jobs also typically degrade reception quality which of course gets blamed on the cable company.

Pete C.

[Frank]

While you&#39;re at it, can you address FIOS? Verizon has put optical cable in our neighborhood and is starting to offer service. I believe they will have to put an expensive device in house and hook up each tv and phone. We now have CATV and Comcast service is very good, i.e. they have come in house and cleaned up some of my connections. Can anyone compare the two services? FIOS seems the way to go but my concern with Verizon is that like telephone lines they will charge subsequently for coming in house.

Frank

[Pete C.]

I&#39;ve not seen the FIOS service yet, but from what I recall of similar services, the glass stops at the NID / demarc at the side of the house and everything inside runs on regular copper / coax. Presumably there is some sort of FAQ for the service on the Verizon site.

Pete C.

[kellyj00]

Here it&#39;s $30 for the first 3 outlets and $10 each additional. You&#39;re going to pay a LOT for the tools and cable...they buy in bulk.

You can also tell the fella who comes out that you want some additional Coax (be nice when you say it, it&#39;s usually just a favor) so you can hook up your TV&#39;s from the wall plates with the "good stuff". They really couldn&#39;t care less about how much cable they use, so they usually give you what you would like. Tell them you need about 50 feet.

Installers aren&#39;t all bad, some are just dumb as a box of rocks and lazy as all hell. If they come out and start to drill directly into your floor or soemthing then tell them to just leave you the wire and the connectors and you&#39;ll do it yourself, by my calculation you&#39;re not out anything because of how much good cable, connectors and a splitter cost.

I always deal with

out of Ohio when I need anything like this, they&#39;re cheap and they&#39;ve got decent service. Let me know if you find it cheaper elsewhere.

[hallerb]

I have FIOS for high speed, tv hasnt been activated yet in area.

the fibre ends at the NID outside

use RG6!!

[Frank]

Thanks. Am I right in assuming that this is a continuing charge?

I&#39;ve got 6 sets hooked up to the cable now and I think my total bill with HBO is $75. There has been a paucity of information from Verizon and TV is not a service yet, but eventually both Comcast and Verizon will offer TV, phone and internet.

Right now I&#39;m thinking of getting high speed internet only and from comments on installers I am reminded of the early cable days where they must have scraped some clown off the streets looking for a day&#39;s work. I had to do repairs to driveway (they made a hole tunneling under it), siding (unlatched) and cable to one set (they just laid across the floor). It was unbelievable.

Phone lines, no better. Over the years, I&#39;ve had to make repairs on phone company installation. One, a company sponsored line, that they paid for, ran from box, around the house and failed in a year because the installer had put a staple through it.

Frank

[George]

People want cheap prices and it is really attractive for companies to follow the Walmart model of paying low wages so they can do that. You might be quite surprised to find out how little they pay contract installers.

[Pete C.]

I doubt it. The days of paying per outlet are long over, now it&#39;s just $x/mo/household. If you need a cable box or equiv. there are likely monthly charges for those though.

Pete C.

[Nate Nagel]

Well, some well-meaning family members sent me some gift cards to one of the big box stores, so I figured this would be a good thing to burn them on (since I can&#39;t seem to find the worm drive Skil saw that I also want...) is there a big difference between RG-6 and RG-6 quad? I could get the former but not the latter. I came home empty handed because while I&#39;m frugal I&#39;m not cheap.

thanks,

nate

[Frank]

The Verizon FIOS contractors were mostly Mexican. I went out to talk to the 2 guys digging the box hole in the corner of my lot to see if they had found a survey monument that got overgrown with bushes in time. Neither one spoke English ;( Frank

[Pete C.]

There can be big differences in RG-6, particularly depending on the brand. What you want is cable that is rated for 1 GHz which should be marked on the spool. I doubt you&#39;ll find that rating in a version without adequate shielding, but you may well find something labeled RG-6 quad that isn&#39;t rated for 1 GHz.

Best bet is to get your materials from the cable company and use the gift card for tools and / or for household items to appease the SO.

Pete C.

[Mark Lloyd]

Sometimes I wonder if they hire Mexicans on purpose, so they don&#39;t waste time talking to the owner.