I would like to rewire my house with RG 6 cable. I have a 500' spool of cable but I don't know the best way of putting connectors on the cable ends.
What kind of connectors should I use? I would like to keep costs down. Do I need a crimping tool?
I have to attach about 20 connectors.
Can I get the connectors and tools at the HD or at Fry's?
The splices/terminations are the most important part of the run. I would not even consider doing the work with out the proper tools/materials. You might try Radio Shack for parts and tools as well.
Radio shack has the tools they arent expensive!
Coax stripping tool about 8 bucks, and the heavy steel jaw crimping tool, 15 bucks.
DONT try using the twist on connectors! They fail over time!
Home depot has all this too, and connectors are cheap when bought by a
100 like 12 bucks.radio shacks connectors are pricey and gold plated means nothing, except gouging your wallet!
I've been using the twist on for years and have never had a failure. Do you strip the coax with a dedicated tool and twist on the connector with pliers?
I used to use the crimp-on exclusively until my electrician showed me the little Greenlee coax stripper that makes the screw-on connectors a snap. I liked it so much I took his and told him to tack it on to the bill.
While you are at it, add a 4 or 8 way video amplifier and use those outputs instead of any splitters.
If you do install an F-fitting such that waves are reflected, the higher signal to noise ratio in an amplified system will swamp the noise and keep the picture clear. Having the amplifier makes everything else far less critical.
In an unamplified system, after you split the signal 3-4 times, the signal is close to the noise level making it hard for even sensitive tuners to detect without interference. In such a system, even one bad F-fitting or lossy splitter can inject/reflect so much noise that it will destroy reception on some channels. In such cases, most people replace cables or connecotrs or spliters and magically it works again but if they had an amplifier, it never would have happened. A classic symptom is retrace interference lines on only some channels.
RG-6 will improve signal losses for long lines in an unamplified system. You may find the cheaper RG-49 cable to be acceptable with the amplifier. Both cable types are just as susceptable to reflections due to poor terminations but the RG-6 has a more durable dielectric, shield and core which resists changes in impedance due to crushing and kinking.
A good crimping tool will deform the metal evenly to hold onto the outer jacket of the cable and will not crush the inner dielectric core. Other than that, even a cheap connector will do the job but may be harder to install or keep attached without damaging the cable.
I noticed the cable guy cut all mine off and replaced with theirs. I think it was a cover you ass action though since the picture quality never changed (he was there to remove a filter so I could get cable internet)
Agree, they are the indicator of a cheap "contractor grade" installation.
I've made many a hourly service charge replacing twist ons. If you're going to buy a good prep tool, might as well buy a good compression tool and connector.
DONT EVEN THINK of using twist ons with satellite tv, the coax carries power to the LNB on the dish, the twist ons fry the cable....
About six months ago our cable TV was showing ghosts and a herringbone pattern on some of the channels. The cable guy came over and replaced all of the jumper cables I had wiring the various components together. I was quite skeptical because most I'd bought commercially. ...shouldn't have been. The problems went away. The cable company didn't charge[*] me either.
[*] more than the $160 or so monthly bill. :-(HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.