On Thu, 14 Apr 2011 03:06:11 -0700 (PDT), Jo
wrote:

On Apr 14, 4:53*am, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote:
"Jo" wrote

. I also don't want to remove the existing cable until I
can get the new one in. I don't know if two coax cables will fit
through the holes. Any thoughts?

If people are compulsive like I am, they made the hole only big enough
for the wire, and not the connector on the end. In that case, you can
buy a bag of 10 connectors for 1.59 and a pliers-like tool, the
cheaper version, for $6 I think it is, and put your own end on after
the wire has gone through the hole. There are also ends which don't
require a tool -- they screw on -- but I have never gotten one of them
to work. I screw it on and later it comes off.

That is a potential problem. *I'd use the old cable to pull the new one
through. *It would make the job much easier.


My only concern with that is if for some reason there's a problem
installing the new cable and we take out the old one, I won't be able
to watch tv.

If the cable is stapled in place, where you can't see the staples,
that will be a big problem. When I put cable in my house, the walls
were already there, so I put no staples inside walls (since that would
be next to impossible). Unless you've had the attic finished since
you got cable, you probably have no staples that you can't get to and
remove. But check out the entire cable path again, with staples in
mind.

So how would I use the old one to pull the new one through? Would I
connect the two with a coupler (or joiner - whatever they're called)
and then just gently pull the cable through?

Yes, two are less than a dollar and might be useful later, although
that might give some problem turning corners.

I have wires going down the inside of walls, which have to make a bend
to come out of the wall, and that was a little tricky, but largely
because I'm compulsive and I refused to enlarge the hole in the wall.
Instead I spend ten minute before I hooked the wire with a coat
hanger. But i'm happy. In another case, the wires just go through
the ceiling into the close and drop down to the closet floor. Taht's
not tricky at all and would be easy to replace if I ever do. **


I was going to suggest soldering the middle wire, but you'd have to do
a good job, or it will come apart when you're half way through.


The cable guy came out a few weeks ago to fix an unrelated problem and
he checked the signal and said the signal was low on the cable that
goes onto the roof. He said it needs to be replaced asap. He was

ASAP! This is not like a car's brakes, which if you don't maintain
them you might crash. Your tv signal will just stay like it is, or
maybe get very slowly worse. Why did he say ASAP?

really concerned about, I don't know why exactly. There's no problem
with the picture though.

There is no problem with the picture!! What about the sound? (Usually
the sound works even when the picture doesn't).

If it has picture and sound, WHAT is the problem? No 3-D?

That particular cable is 20 years old and
part of it is exposed on the roof. So it gets baked in the hot summer
sun. Then most of the rest of it goes through the hot attic.

I've had cable in my attic for 27 years. Works fine. Cheap stuff too
iirc, but certainly second-hand, that I got out of dumpster somewhere.
It looked pretty nice but I don't know how old it was when I got it.

The
picture is actually a bit worse in the summer because of that.

How many tvs do you run from the cable? YOu have a splitter in the
attic iirc, so is it only two?

The last time I had trouble was a couple years ago at the splitter in
my bedroom closet. I fiddled with the end on the end and unscrewed it
from the splitter and screwed it back, and set it so there was nothing
pressing from the side,and it's been working fine. Before doing that,
the tv picture at the end of the cable had suddently gotten not good..


**One mistake I made is just not putting enough wires in. Now if I
used a drill to enlarge the hole with wires already in the hole, I
woudl chew up the wires there, and what I wish I had put in was either
pairs of speaker wires so I could run remote speakers from teh
computer, or a cable from the computer to the central tv location, so
I could watch on-line tv on a real tv, not sitting in a desk chair.
I've gotten past these problems, but if you do take out wires and run
new ones, you should think hard about anything you'll want to do in
addtion, and enlarge holes if necessary, since you'll already be
there. Of course I coudl just drill a second hole in the closet
ceiling, But it's harder inside walls, especially since there is a
fire stop, a horizonatl 2x4 half-way up the wall. (I have a six-foot
flexible drill bit that I can use to go through those**, but you could
just pull your second wire with your first.) **But I'm too tired to
do all this a second time, especially alone. If I had help to wiggle
the wire from the attic which I hooked it with the coat-hanger, that
would be easier, or if I were still 36 instead of 64, that would be
easier, or if I lost some weight, that would be easier. I'm glad they
make wireless speakers (I bought two pair and put one in the bathroom,
one my bedroom, one the kitchen and one the basement. I could move
one outside too for a while but haven't done that. )