I am going to cut the RG6 coaxial cable from my cable tv to add a splitter.
Do I have to call my cable tv company to tell them to turn off power to the signal before I cut, to prevent electrocution?
Thank you.
NO, these cables carry RF, no dangerous voltages/currents.
And why would you cut the cable? Just unscrew it from the TV and screw it into the splitter.
Not entirely true. CATV line power, used to power line amplifiers and fiber optic gear on the line is 60VAC. This voltage is normally limited to the lines on the pole, but now and then a cable tech forgets to cut a power pass jumper or remove a jumper plug which results in the line power being delivered to the back of someone's TV or cable box. Not generally a hazard to humans, but can kill some TVs.
That said, if you have to ask if you'll get electrocuted cutting a CATV line you almost certainly do not have the knowledge / skill to reterminate the lines properly. There is more to it than just squeezing a connector with pliers and doing so will almost certainly result in a poor signal to your TV(s) as well as leakage of the signal from the CATV line. The splitters you will generally find are lower grade than the ones supplied by the cable company as well.
This signal leakage is not a joke either, the FCC has pretty stringent regulations on signal leakage from CATV systems since the signals on the CATV system overlap many over-the-air signals including police, fire and air traffic control radio frequencies. CATV operators regularly sweep their systems looking for leakage problems and there are contract companies that do aerial leakage surveys of CATV systems.
Call the cable company and ask them to have a tech stop by to install the splitter for you. Most companies won't charge for this, or will charge a very small amount, probably less than you'll pay for the splitter and connectors yourself. It's in their interest to insure the connections are made correctly since it both aids in their FCC leakage compliance and also helps avoid customer complaints of bad pictures resulting from their own actions and the bad word of mouth that can result.
Pete C. (worked for a large cable company for quite a few years)
Do you mean unscrew? AFAIK they all unscrew, but if not post again.
Nope. Tiny voltages, can't even feel them. Well below what one could feel.
Yes. After cutting, keep a container hand to catch any residual signal that may leak out. They can stain a wood floor and make a mess of carpet.
easily cut but installing fitting requires skill and the screw on connectors are JUNK!!
crimp type require about 30 bucks at least for stripper and crimping tool, for decent quality ones. high end many times that.
if you have a existing splitter or other location with a screw on connector connect there and run a little longer cable, buy it pre made. no crimping tools needed.
dont buy at radio shack they are trying to escape bankruptcy by making all their money on monster cable.
home depot etc much better choice
Like another poster asked, why do you have to cut the cable? It should unscrew from the back of the TV.
Unless you have a hard-wired cable box that sits on your TV and you want to cut that. If that's the case, unscrew it from where it connects to the wall, screw a new cable onto the wall connector and install your splitter on the end of that cable, and screw the cable box wire into the splitter.
While the voltage and amperage of a coaxial cable are low, it always makes sense to disconnect it from the wall before cutting into it. Sure, your chances of being zapped are low, but your chances of being zapped with it disconnected are ZERO.
You don't "cut" the cable to add a splitter. You simply add the splitter.
Splitting your cable, however, will cause problems at the other end. Your cable company will be seeing two pictures of you on one screen. I think they must have electronics for sorting it out so they can watch you both while you're in the den and in the bedroom.
They have multi-channel co-processors now that enable the company to watch each parent and each child, even if they are all in different rooms.
Back in the 60's I worked in TV broadcasting. Our on air news/weather/sports anchors always had at least one woman who consistently called to complain that they were sure the on air guy was watching them undress during the news.
Did they make videos?
I want to add on a bedroom to my tv cable. How do I splice into and add a splicer. I have a box, legal, for the added room's tv.
You should run an RG-6 cable from the new room to the location, where the cable companies wire comes to your house and install whatever splitter is necessary at that location
Get thee to the local HomeDespot (or other) and buy screw-on "F-Male" ends[*] for the cable you have. They'll have instructions for trimming back the insulation and braid. Cut the cable at the appropriate spot, put two of these on the new ends, and screw them into the splitter (the output going to the set). The first time you do it it might take a couple of tries to get right so try have plenty of slack.
[*] My cable company got mad at me for using these and replaced them all, as well as every patch cable I had. ...at no cost. ;-)
You call the cable company and tell them to put a jack in.
It will be cheaper than all the bits 'n pieces and you'll be sure of a good job.
COAX is a SEALED cable (shielded) so you don't want anyplace where signal will leak out or in.
Those are complete junk and it is no surprise the only place you see them is in big box stores. Your cable TV company seems sensible for replacing them.
They'll have instructions
I've used literally hundreds of the screw on ends and have had no problems with them. They make good contact with the shield and are easy to install. There's nothing wrong with them. And they're sold everywhere, not just the home improvement centers.
No, they are garbage, plain and simple. They are only sold to clueless DIYs. If they were not crap, don't you think the cable companies would use them instead of more time consuming crimp or compression connectors?
The simple fact is that their quality, reliability, insertion loss, impedance mismatch and shielding specs don't cut it. Cable companies are required by the FCC to maintain and test their systems to prevent leakage and they can be fined for excessive leakage. Crappy screw on connectors and garbage splitters are one of the largest sources of leakage. They also impact picture quality for any of the analog channels.
Pete C.
When I replaced all my screw-on cable ends with crimped ones, there was a considerable decrease in the amount of noise in the video. Use a good crimper. Mark Lloyd
-- George Washington
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