I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could imagine
a 1000$ bill I dont want.

On 8/28/2010 6:49 AM, ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could imagine
a 1000$ bill I dont want.

It's hard to say but they should be able to give you an hourly charge.

I've had them do work for a new internet hard wire required by a client
of mine a couple of years ago and it only took an hour for $20. It was
a fairly complex stringing. They did not charge for materials.

Later I had a couple of TV cables restrung and I think it was only $40.
It, too was complex, as they had to go in and out of rooms and attic and
outside.

I could do the work when I was young and agile but now pay to have it
done. They're also adept at making good cable connections and can check
signal strength, which I can't.

"Frank" wrote in message
...
On 8/28/2010 6:49 AM, ransley wrote:

I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost.

Maybe they didn't know what the guy who does the dowsing would charge. I
kid thee not, I watched a Comcast crew installing fiber optic cable six or
seven years back and they had a guy with dowsing rods going ahead of the
crew to spot water lines and so on.. I wish I'd taken some photos....

On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:27:16 -0700, "DGDevin"
wrote:


"Frank" wrote in message
...
On 8/28/2010 6:49 AM, ransley wrote:

I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost.

Maybe they didn't know what the guy who does the dowsing would charge. I
kid thee not, I watched a Comcast crew installing fiber optic cable six or
seven years back and they had a guy with dowsing rods going ahead of the
crew to spot water lines and so on.. I wish I'd taken some photos....

Cost us 5 grand to have cable installed TO the building when we moved
the insurance office this spring - and I did all the interior wiring.

On 8/29/2010 9:49 PM, wrote:
On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:27:16 -0700, "DGDevin"
wrote:


wrote in message
...
On 8/28/2010 6:49 AM, ransley wrote:

I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost.

Maybe they didn't know what the guy who does the dowsing would charge. I
kid thee not, I watched a Comcast crew installing fiber optic cable six or
seven years back and they had a guy with dowsing rods going ahead of the
crew to spot water lines and so on.. I wish I'd taken some photos....

Cost us 5 grand to have cable installed TO the building when we moved
the insurance office this spring - and I did all the interior wiring.

Not at all unusual. Thats why it cracks me up when folks who don't want
neighbors decide someone else should pay for their lifestyle choice. I
border on what used to be a rural area. One nearby road is over two
miles long and has maybe 10 new homes situated on giant lots. The cable
company has refused to build out so much infrastructure for so few
customers. The residents are making as much noise as possible to let
everyone know about their terrible situation.

On Aug 30, 8:35*am, George wrote:
On 8/29/2010 9:49 PM, wrote:



On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:27:16 -0700, "DGDevin"
*wrote:

*wrote in message
...
On 8/28/2010 6:49 AM, ransley wrote:

I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost.

Maybe they didn't know what the guy who does the dowsing would charge. *I
kid thee not, I watched a Comcast crew installing fiber optic cable six or
seven years back and they had a guy with dowsing rods going ahead of the
crew to spot water lines and so on.. *I wish I'd taken some photos.....

Cost us 5 grand to have cable installed TO the building when we moved
the insurance office this spring - and I did all the interior wiring.

Not at all unusual. Thats why it cracks me up when folks who don't want
neighbors decide someone else should pay for their lifestyle choice. I
border on what used to be a rural area. One nearby road is over two
miles long and has maybe 10 new homes situated on giant lots. The cable
company has refused to build out so much infrastructure for so few
customers. The residents are making as much noise as possible to let
everyone know about their terrible situation.


Those homeowners should build out the infrastructure on their own
and then charge the cable company money to provide services on it...

~~ Evan

ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could imagine
a 1000$ bill I dont want.

I can't speak to the cost, but I wouldn't let comcast or any other
cable/satt company do the in-house wiring on a bet. Every 'company'
install I have ever seen was done the cheapest most hillbilly way
possible, usually on the outside of the house, or if it was in the
basement or attic, the cable was just draped or stapled wherever.
Comcast uses subcontractors for work like that, at least around here,
and they are paid by the drop. No in-wall boxes ever, just holes in wall
or floor with the cable stuck through them. I would definitely call your
friend for a walk-through, and see what he says. Is basement ceiling
open? If putting boxes in walls is too complex, you can still do a
through-the floor to a wiremold-style box attached to baseboard, and
have it look halfway decent. If there is no good path to attic from
basement, you can do one outside wire from demarc location up the side
of house to soffit, and get into attic that way. Tuck it behind a
downspout or something, and then come down from attic through walls, or
even tucked in a blind corner of the bedroom closets, and have it look
halfway decent. If your friend seems hesitant, look in local ad paper
for that part of town- almost all have semi-retired or moonlighting ma
bell or other wire-pullers that do jobs like this. Insist on a name
brand rg6 quad cable, not the cheap generic stuff, and good quality
compression, not crimped, connectors.

Are you sure you can't get Satt at the location? If you can't see SW
sky, Dish has other birds where you can point to the SE and get signal.
The dish also does not have to be on the roof- it can be on a post in
the yard, assuming the neighbors won't break or steal it.

I would also keep a roof or attic antenna for OTA reception as a backup,
even if you have to buy converter boxes for old TVs. Lotsa local
stations around metro Chicago, so you would still have TV when the cable
was out or the dish was iced up.

--
aem sends...

On Aug 28, 8:28*am, aemeijers wrote:

I can't speak to the cost, but I wouldn't let comcast or any other
cable/satt company do the in-house wiring on a bet. Every 'company'
install I have ever seen was done the cheapest most hillbilly way
possible, usually on the outside of the house, or if it was in the
basement or attic, the cable was just draped or stapled wherever.
Comcast uses subcontractors for work like that, at least around here,
and they are paid by the drop. No in-wall boxes ever, just holes in wall
or floor with the cable stuck through them.

Ditto that. Some of the 'installations' I've seen were so bad they
were _almost_ funny. One house they ran the cable up the house wall,
into the gutter and along the bottom of the gutter, out the gutter,
wrapped around the back of the house, back down the wall, along the
wall, up the wall, and straight in through a hole poked in the
stucco. There must have been 150' of cable. This when the basement
was open, unfinished, and the house was balloon-framed with no
insulation.

R

On 8/28/2010 9:03 AM, RicodJour wrote:
On Aug 28, 8:28 am, wrote:

I can't speak to the cost, but I wouldn't let comcast or any other
cable/satt company do the in-house wiring on a bet. Every 'company'
install I have ever seen was done the cheapest most hillbilly way
possible, usually on the outside of the house, or if it was in the
basement or attic, the cable was just draped or stapled wherever.
Comcast uses subcontractors for work like that, at least around here,
and they are paid by the drop. No in-wall boxes ever, just holes in wall
or floor with the cable stuck through them.

Ditto that. Some of the 'installations' I've seen were so bad they
were _almost_ funny. One house they ran the cable up the house wall,
into the gutter and along the bottom of the gutter, out the gutter,
wrapped around the back of the house, back down the wall, along the
wall, up the wall, and straight in through a hole poked in the
stucco. There must have been 150' of cable. This when the basement
was open, unfinished, and the house was balloon-framed with no
insulation.

R
Double Ditto that. This happened a
bunch of year ago in an apartment
building near Chicago. They put the
main drop into the attic for the whole
building and then came into each
apartment through a closet. In my
mother's apartment they proceeded to run
black coax along the white baseboard, up
and around 5 windows, down again to the
baseboard, along the baseboard on
another wall, up over the front door,
along the baseboard of another wall,
turn the corner, along the baseboard of
that wall and finally to the TV,
stapling it all the way. I sure hope
they do better today.

On Aug 28, 8:38*am, Art Todesco wrote:
On 8/28/2010 9:03 AM, RicodJour wrote:



On Aug 28, 8:28 am, *wrote:

I can't speak to the cost, but I wouldn't let comcast or any other
cable/satt company do the in-house wiring on a bet. Every 'company'
install I have ever seen was done the cheapest most hillbilly way
possible, usually on the outside of the house, or if it was in the
basement or attic, the cable was just draped or stapled wherever.
Comcast uses subcontractors for work like that, at least around here,
and they are paid by the drop. No in-wall boxes ever, just holes in wall
or floor with the cable stuck through them.

Ditto that. *Some of the 'installations' I've seen were so bad they
were _almost_ funny. *One house they ran the cable up the house wall,
into the gutter and along the bottom of the gutter, out the gutter,
wrapped around the back of the house, back down the wall, along the
wall, up the wall, and straight in through a hole poked in the
stucco. *There must have been 150' of cable. *This when the basement
was open, unfinished, and the house was balloon-framed with no
insulation.

R

Double Ditto that. *This happened a
bunch of year ago in an apartment
building near Chicago. *They put the
main drop into the attic for the whole
building and then came into each
apartment through a closet. *In my
mother's apartment they proceeded to run
black coax along the white baseboard, up
and around 5 windows, down again to the
baseboard, along the baseboard on
another wall, up over the front door,
along the baseboard of another wall,
turn the corner, along the baseboard of
that wall and finally to the TV,
stapling it all the way. *I sure hope
they do better today.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

No they dont do better, at my building I even have signs up denying
cable companies work unless I approve it, they dont care what they do
as long as its fast.

On Aug 28, 7:28*am, aemeijers wrote:
ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could imagine
a 1000$ bill I dont want.

I can't speak to the cost, but I wouldn't let comcast or any other
cable/satt company do the in-house wiring on a bet. Every 'company'
install I have ever seen was done the cheapest most hillbilly way
possible, usually on the outside of the house, or if it was in the
basement or attic, the cable was just draped or stapled wherever.
Comcast uses subcontractors for work like that, at least around here,
and they are paid by the drop. No in-wall boxes ever, just holes in wall
or floor with the cable stuck through them. I would definitely call your
friend for a walk-through, and see what he says. Is basement ceiling
open? If putting boxes in walls is too complex, you can still do a
through-the floor to a wiremold-style box attached to baseboard, and
have it look halfway decent. If there is no good path to attic from
basement, you can do one outside wire from demarc location up the side
of house to soffit, and get into attic that way. Tuck it behind a
downspout or something, and then come down from attic through walls, or
even tucked in a blind corner of the bedroom closets, and have it look
halfway decent. If your friend seems hesitant, look in local ad paper
for that part of town- almost all have semi-retired or moonlighting ma
bell or other wire-pullers that do jobs like this. Insist on a name
brand rg6 quad cable, not the cheap generic stuff, and good quality
compression, not crimped, connectors.

Are you sure you can't get Satt at the location? If you can't see SW
sky, Dish has other birds where you can point to the SE and get signal.
The dish also does not have to be on the roof- it can be on a post in
the yard, assuming the neighbors won't break or steal it.

I would also keep a roof or attic antenna for OTA reception as a backup,
even if you have to buy converter boxes for old TVs. Lotsa local
stations around metro Chicago, so you would still have TV when the cable
was out or the dish was iced up.

--
aem sends...

A year ago I asked Dish if they had a satelite SE they said no, is
this a relatively new sattelite, in Chicago here all I see are SW
pointing dishes, although I saw one or 2 pointing SE. I had an
exterior antenna I took down and will put up a new one and run two
cables when I do this. I would rather have dish, its cheaper and HD is
free unlike comcast.

On Aug 28, 7:28*am, aemeijers wrote:
ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could imagine
a 1000$ bill I dont want.

I can't speak to the cost, but I wouldn't let comcast or any other
cable/satt company do the in-house wiring on a bet. Every 'company'
install I have ever seen was done the cheapest most hillbilly way
possible, usually on the outside of the house, or if it was in the
basement or attic, the cable was just draped or stapled wherever.
Comcast uses subcontractors for work like that, at least around here,
and they are paid by the drop. No in-wall boxes ever, just holes in wall
or floor with the cable stuck through them. I would definitely call your
friend for a walk-through, and see what he says. Is basement ceiling
open? If putting boxes in walls is too complex, you can still do a
through-the floor to a wiremold-style box attached to baseboard, and
have it look halfway decent. If there is no good path to attic from
basement, you can do one outside wire from demarc location up the side
of house to soffit, and get into attic that way. Tuck it behind a
downspout or something, and then come down from attic through walls, or
even tucked in a blind corner of the bedroom closets, and have it look
halfway decent. If your friend seems hesitant, look in local ad paper
for that part of town- almost all have semi-retired or moonlighting ma
bell or other wire-pullers that do jobs like this. Insist on a name
brand rg6 quad cable, not the cheap generic stuff, and good quality
compression, not crimped, connectors.

Are you sure you can't get Satt at the location? If you can't see SW
sky, Dish has other birds where you can point to the SE and get signal.
The dish also does not have to be on the roof- it can be on a post in
the yard, assuming the neighbors won't break or steal it.

I would also keep a roof or attic antenna for OTA reception as a backup,
even if you have to buy converter boxes for old TVs. Lotsa local
stations around metro Chicago, so you would still have TV when the cable
was out or the dish was iced up.

--
aem sends...

I will call Dish for the SE sattelite, Dish would be great, alot
cheaper than comcast HD

ransley wrote:
On Aug 28, 7:28 am, aemeijers wrote:
ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no
idea on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What
could the aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2
story house, all cable would come in one side easily accesable.
Trees block satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast.
If its 500 or over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does
anyone have any idea on what they will charge me. Without any
estimate I could imagine a 1000$ bill I dont want.

I can't speak to the cost, but I wouldn't let comcast or any other
cable/satt company do the in-house wiring on a bet. Every 'company'
install I have ever seen was done the cheapest most hillbilly way
possible, usually on the outside of the house, or if it was in the
basement or attic, the cable was just draped or stapled wherever.
Comcast uses subcontractors for work like that, at least around here,
and they are paid by the drop. No in-wall boxes ever, just holes in
wall or floor with the cable stuck through them. I would definitely
call your friend for a walk-through, and see what he says. Is
basement ceiling open? If putting boxes in walls is too complex, you
can still do a through-the floor to a wiremold-style box attached to
baseboard, and have it look halfway decent. If there is no good path
to attic from basement, you can do one outside wire from demarc
location up the side of house to soffit, and get into attic that
way. Tuck it behind a downspout or something, and then come down
from attic through walls, or even tucked in a blind corner of the
bedroom closets, and have it look halfway decent. If your friend
seems hesitant, look in local ad paper for that part of town- almost
all have semi-retired or moonlighting ma bell or other wire-pullers
that do jobs like this. Insist on a name brand rg6 quad cable, not
the cheap generic stuff, and good quality compression, not crimped,
connectors.

Are you sure you can't get Satt at the location? If you can't see SW
sky, Dish has other birds where you can point to the SE and get
signal. The dish also does not have to be on the roof- it can be on
a post in the yard, assuming the neighbors won't break or steal it.

I would also keep a roof or attic antenna for OTA reception as a
backup, even if you have to buy converter boxes for old TVs. Lotsa
local stations around metro Chicago, so you would still have TV when
the cable was out or the dish was iced up.

--
aem sends...

I will call Dish for the SE sattelite, Dish would be great, alot
cheaper than comcast HD

my directv dish is pointed se-ish.

On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:28:42 -0400, aemeijers
wrote:

ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could imagine
a 1000$ bill I dont want.

I can't speak to the cost, but I wouldn't let comcast or any other
cable/satt company do the in-house wiring on a bet. Every 'company'
install I have ever seen was done the cheapest most hillbilly way
possible, usually on the outside of the house, or if it was in the
basement or attic, the cable was just draped or stapled wherever.
Comcast uses subcontractors for work like that, at least around here,
and they are paid by the drop. No in-wall boxes ever, just holes in wall
or floor with the cable stuck through them. I would definitely call your
friend for a walk-through, and see what he says. Is basement ceiling
open? If putting boxes in walls is too complex, you can still do a
through-the floor to a wiremold-style box attached to baseboard, and
have it look halfway decent. If there is no good path to attic from
basement, you can do one outside wire from demarc location up the side
of house to soffit, and get into attic that way. Tuck it behind a
downspout or something, and then come down from attic through walls, or
even tucked in a blind corner of the bedroom closets, and have it look
halfway decent. If your friend seems hesitant, look in local ad paper
for that part of town- almost all have semi-retired or moonlighting ma
bell or other wire-pullers that do jobs like this. Insist on a name
brand rg6 quad cable, not the cheap generic stuff, and good quality
compression, not crimped, connectors.

Are you sure you can't get Satt at the location? If you can't see SW
sky, Dish has other birds where you can point to the SE and get signal.
The dish also does not have to be on the roof- it can be on a post in
the yard, assuming the neighbors won't break or steal it.

I would also keep a roof or attic antenna for OTA reception as a backup,
even if you have to buy converter boxes for old TVs. Lotsa local
stations around metro Chicago, so you would still have TV when the cable
was out or the dish was iced up.

Boxes in the wall are NOT required - but a low voltage cable pass
through wall plate should be used. They snap into a hule in the
drywall for a finished look.

On 8/28/2010 6:49 AM, ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could imagine
a 1000$ bill I dont want.

At least in my market Comcast will tell you up front that they aren't
set up to do the sort of work you describe due to the fishing and
fussiness of old work. Also some folks are looking for a new paint job
or carpeting out of the deal and that further discourages them.

If you hire your friend make sure they use good connectors such as snap
seals (same thing the cable company uses) and not those novelty class
twist on connectors.

[snip]

If you hire your friend make sure they use good connectors such as snap
seals (same thing the cable company uses) and not those novelty class
twist on connectors.

At one time I used twist on connectors. They didn't work very well. They
pulled off too easily, and the connections have poor shielding. Crimp
connectors help, but compression connectors are better.

--
Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.us

"The attempt to force human beings to despise themselves...is what I
call hell" --Andre Malraux, La Condition Humaine

On 8/28/2010 1:08 PM, Mark Lloyd wrote:
[snip]

If you hire your friend make sure they use good connectors such as snap
seals (same thing the cable company uses) and not those novelty class
twist on connectors.

At one time I used twist on connectors. They didn't work very well. They
pulled off too easily, and the connections have poor shielding. Crimp
connectors help, but compression connectors are better.


Cable companies aren't noted for spending money. There is a reason they
use snap seal connectors for everything. That is they work in the
initial "see it works phase" and unlike others they will continue to
give trouble free performance for a long time.

As you noted the crimp connectors are only slightly better than the
twist on connectors.

"Mark Lloyd" wrote in message
.com...
[snip]

If you hire your friend make sure they use good connectors such as snap
seals (same thing the cable company uses) and not those novelty class
twist on connectors.

At one time I used twist on connectors. They didn't work very well. They
pulled off too easily, and the connections have poor shielding. Crimp
connectors help, but compression connectors are better.

I believe that we once had an exchange (a long time ago) in CHA (or some
other forum) after you had switched to compression fittings but I had not
where I defended (foolishly) screw-on connectors as being "good enough."
What I soon discovered was that after just a few tugs for any reason the
screw-ons started to fail. I then bought a compression tool, partly on your
advice, and changed most of my runs to RG6QS. What a difference. Just a
little bit of RF leakage can really screw up the image, especially in a home
CATV/CCTV hybrid network.

The best part is that once you get a good hand stripper set to the proper
dimensions, it's a very quick process and every fitting looks perfect. I've
had to get a T-handle wrench to ram the connector's shield cylinder into the
cable jacket because of loss of hand strength issue. Before, I just used a
nut driver and before that, just my fingers )-:

Allelectronics has a compression tool for $15 that's in the little kit I
keep at the "head end" of the HA system.

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a...CTORS/-/1.html

Ironically, it's mislabeled as a hex crimper. I thought I *was* buying a
hex crimper because I wanted to use up all the old hex fittings I have
around but D'oh, there's no place I'd ever use them instead of compression
fittings. As luck would have it, it was a compression unit so it's now part
of a small toolkit at the circuit box and alarm panel. I really should just
toss the hex fittings - they are just nowhere near as reliable as a good
compression fitting. Maybe I'll round 'em up and put them on Ebay since I
don't even have hex crimper.

The screw-on ones are actually still useful for making very temporary ends
for cable before I make a final trim. I still use them for that task when
running CCTV, which is only thin RG-59. (I've learned to stay away from the
80% braid - just not enough material to make good physical contact,
especially if you're not perfect at skinning the jacket.)

The AllElectronics crimper is nowhere near as good as the Platinum
super-adjustable, but good enough. With two, I can set one up for the thick
RG6QS and the other for the RG-59U and really rip through cabling jobs. Not
sure how long CCTV is going to stay analog (the rest of the time I live
here, it will!) but running RG-59 and CAT-6 are pretty similar tasks. The
CAT-6 gets 4 channels to the one RG-59 carries, so it will win out,
eventually.

So, anyway, thanks Mark for singing the praises of compression fittings on
CATV cabling. It finally paid off for me. By doing it myself, I've saved
more than enough to be able to afford the gold plated connectors.

--
Bobby G.

On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:31:36 -0400, George
wrote:

On 8/28/2010 6:49 AM, ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could imagine
a 1000$ bill I dont want.

At least in my market Comcast will tell you up front that they aren't
set up to do the sort of work you describe due to the fishing and
fussiness of old work. Also some folks are looking for a new paint job
or carpeting out of the deal and that further discourages them.

If you hire your friend make sure they use good connectors such as snap
seals (same thing the cable company uses) and not those novelty class
twist on connectors.
Have your buddy pull in the cable then call comcast to do the
terminations - no cost (at least that's how Rogers works). Just make
sure you are using the RIGHT cable. Check with your cable provider -
most are now using 100% double sheilded cable - stiff stuff to work
with and not simple to terminate, compared to the old 80% braid.

On 8/28/2010 6:49 AM, ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could imagine
a 1000$ bill I dont want.


My impression is that Comcast doesn't charge to put in cable (for a
couple rooms or so), they also don't do a very good job. At least no one
I know has had to pay one.

The parts are cheap, I'd be inclined to get it done yourself, rather
than have someone drilling holes through your walls. You may wish to
have them do as much free as possible, that doesn't wreck your home.

I've run cabling the right way, through walls and such, and I've never
seen a Comcast installer do that. At least, I'd get to know the
installer and cut a deal and perhaps pay him. Here, they all appear to
be contractors, and a little extra money would be good. You'd be
surprised what people will do for $20 off the books, let alone $100. All
people respond to attitude, be nice.

YMMV, and your location may be different. And my experience is not
recent.

Jeff

On 2010-08-28, Jeff Thies wrote:

The parts are cheap, I'd be inclined to get it done yourself, rather
than have someone drilling holes through your walls.

I ran my cable under the house. Didn't have to drill, specially
through that stupid short shag carpeting. Jes put a 44 mag round
through the floor. Big fun and worked great!

nb

On 8/28/2010 9:21 AM, notbob wrote:
On 2010-08-28, Jeff wrote:

The parts are cheap, I'd be inclined to get it done yourself, rather
than have someone drilling holes through your walls.

I ran my cable under the house. Didn't have to drill, specially
through that stupid short shag carpeting. Jes put a 44 mag round
through the floor. Big fun and worked great!

nb

Genius!

Jeff

On Aug 28, 10:02*am, Jeff Thies wrote:
On 8/28/2010 9:21 AM, notbob wrote:

I ran my cable under the house. *Didn't have to drill, specially
through that stupid short shag carpeting. *Jes put a 44 mag round
through the floor. *Big fun and worked great!


* *Genius!

Not really. He frequently goes around shooting up the house. It's
about time he figured out what to do with the holes.

R

On 2010-08-28, RicodJour wrote:
about time he figured out what to do with the holes.

Hummingbird nests.

nb

wrote:

I ran my cable under the house. Didn't have to
drill, specially through that stupid short shag carpeting. Jes put
a 44 mag round through the floor. Big fun and
worked great!

Kewl beans - Do I need to use a jacketed hollow-point round, or will
ball ammo work?

Joe

Does anyone remember the story a couple months ago? Man needed a hole
through the exterior wall for his cable. Wife is on the other side,
waiting to pull cable. He got a gun, and shot a hole through the wall.

Sadly, he wasn't observing gun safety. Know what is your target, and
know what is behind your target.

Now, he's waiting to get out of prison, and his wife is dead.

Incidentally, you should be able to figure that question based on
knowledge of bullet performance. FMJ, look it up. What kind of hole
does it make. Versus JHP. What kind of hole do you need, for a wire?

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"J O E" wrote in message
...

wrote:

I ran my cable under the house. Didn't have to
drill, specially through that stupid short shag carpeting. Jes put
a 44 mag round through the floor. Big fun and
worked great!

Kewl beans - Do I need to use a jacketed hollow-point round, or will
ball ammo work?

Joe

Jeff Thies wrote:
My impression is that Comcast doesn't charge to put in cable (for a
couple rooms or so), they also don't do a very good job. At least no
one I know has had to pay one.

They (the local subcontractor) installed mine for free at the time I got it
for TV and internet a number of years ago. Two penetrations (living room,
computer room), with a different wire for each. Each cable was installed
neatly, along the outside of the house, with frequent use of cable staples.
Took her about an hour.

I would never expect a free installation to run a wire under a house of
within a wall, and they did a fine enough job with mine with the wires on
the outside.

As much as I like to complain about Comcast, they have given me much better
service than any other internet provider, and their customer service has
always bent over backwards, 24/7, whenever I needed them.

Jon

On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:08:33 -0700, "Jon Danniken"
wrote:

I would never expect a free installation to run a wire under a house of
within a wall, and they did a fine enough job with mine with the wires on
the outside.

My cable company sent a sub out here for a VOIP concerns. Hearing
cross-talk and stuff.

They pull a cable under the street, where the cable tap was. My wire
was corroded and the copper was green.

Free.

On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:08:33 -0700, "Jon Danniken"
wrote:

Jeff Thies wrote:
My impression is that Comcast doesn't charge to put in cable (for a
couple rooms or so), they also don't do a very good job. At least no
one I know has had to pay one.

They (the local subcontractor) installed mine for free at the time I got it
for TV and internet a number of years ago. Two penetrations (living room,
computer room), with a different wire for each. Each cable was installed
neatly, along the outside of the house, with frequent use of cable staples.
Took her about an hour.

I would never expect a free installation to run a wire under a house of
within a wall, and they did a fine enough job with mine with the wires on
the outside.

As much as I like to complain about Comcast, they have given me much better
service than any other internet provider, and their customer service has
always bent over backwards, 24/7, whenever I needed them.

Jon

My cable provider replaced the cable from basement to upper story
with the upgraded cable fee of charge. Just connected the old cable to
the new, and pulled the new cable up the wall with the old one (or
down- can't remember). Of course it was not stapled - - - - .

ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could imagine
a 1000$ bill I dont want.


If you do it yourself, talk to Comcast first. They well may supply you with
cable, connectors, and splitters for free. The tool to install connectors will
probably be your problem.

Bob F wrote:
ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could
imagine a 1000$ bill I dont want.


If you do it yourself, talk to Comcast first. They well may supply
you with cable, connectors, and splitters for free. The tool to
install connectors will probably be your problem.

But then again, if you run the wire before they come, Comcast wil be happy to
crimp the connectiors on.

ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could imagine
a 1000$ bill I dont want.

If you want the cable to enter the attic then branch to five different rooms
through the walls, I can't offer a suggestion. BUT...

If the cable drop terminates at the facia, you can run cable on the exterior
to the target room and punch in through the wall. This technique is, by far,
the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to get a cable to the target room.

Whether you can stand the TV being against the outside wall is another
story.

HeyBub wrote:
ransley wrote:
I have a house that isnt wired for any cable, I contracted with
Comcast to instal cable in 5 rooms but canceled the instal because
nobody at comcast would give me any type of estimate on cost. I
emailed and spoke to severasl people at comcast and could get no idea
on price, they have no office in my area of Chicago. What could the
aproximate cost be for running 5 rooms, a 60ft brick 2 story house,
all cable would come in one side easily accesable. Trees block
satelite dishes, UVerse isnt here yet, so its comcast. If its 500 or
over I could hire a friend and do it cheaper, does anyone have any
idea on what they will charge me. Without any estimate I could imagine
a 1000$ bill I dont want.

If you want the cable to enter the attic then branch to five different rooms
through the walls, I can't offer a suggestion. BUT...

If the cable drop terminates at the facia, you can run cable on the exterior
to the target room and punch in through the wall. This technique is, by far,
the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to get a cable to the target room.

Whether you can stand the TV being against the outside wall is another
story.


Fast, cheap, and easy /= the correct way, in most cases. Putting
wiring on the outside, aside from looking UGLY, leads to early failures
of cable and connections. And those wall-throughs are just another place
for water and bugs to get in. I often see them where the installer
didn't even bother to put a drip loop on the cable, or made loops and
turns so tight as to degrade the signal.

An extra hour or two to do it the CORRECT way every 20 years or so,
should not be a big deal. I'll either do it myself, or hire a wire guy
on my own and pay him for his time, versus the crappy piecework rate the
cable/satt company would pay him.

--
aem sends...

aemeijers wrote:

If the cable drop terminates at the facia, you can run cable on the
exterior to the target room and punch in through the wall. This
technique is, by far, the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to get
a cable to the target room. Whether you can stand the TV being against
the outside wall is
another story.


Fast, cheap, and easy /= the correct way, in most cases. Putting
wiring on the outside, aside from looking UGLY, leads to early
failures of cable and connections. And those wall-throughs are just
another place for water and bugs to get in. I often see them where
the installer didn't even bother to put a drip loop on the cable, or
made loops and turns so tight as to degrade the signal.


Huh?

"Looks ugly" - Well, there's that. You COULD do what architects do when they
make a mistake or something doesn't look right: cover it with ivy.

"Early failure" - There should be no early failure. You use the same cable
as the provider uses from the pole to your house. In fact there should be
LESS failure inasmuch as you can locate the run protected from the elements.

"Drip loop" and "water/bugs" - Can both be eliminated by the credo of this
group "Do it yourself and do it right."

I did raise the problem of having to locate the TV next to an exterior wall
if you wire from the outside, admittedly less than ideal. Now I'll throw the
ball back to you:

I suggest it will take more than "a couple of hours" to run a drop TO an
outside wall if you're trying to do so from the attic. You can't even GET to
the top plate.

Also consider putting a TV jack in a first-floor room via the attic.
Shudder.

On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 06:38:57 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

aemeijers wrote:

If the cable drop terminates at the facia, you can run cable on the
exterior to the target room and punch in through the wall. This
technique is, by far, the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to get
a cable to the target room. Whether you can stand the TV being against
the outside wall is
another story.


Fast, cheap, and easy /= the correct way, in most cases. Putting
wiring on the outside, aside from looking UGLY, leads to early
failures of cable and connections. And those wall-throughs are just
another place for water and bugs to get in. I often see them where
the installer didn't even bother to put a drip loop on the cable, or
made loops and turns so tight as to degrade the signal.


Huh?

"Looks ugly" - Well, there's that. You COULD do what architects do when they
make a mistake or something doesn't look right: cover it with ivy.

"Early failure" - There should be no early failure. You use the same cable
as the provider uses from the pole to your house. In fact there should be
LESS failure inasmuch as you can locate the run protected from the elements.

"Drip loop" and "water/bugs" - Can both be eliminated by the credo of this
group "Do it yourself and do it right."

I did raise the problem of having to locate the TV next to an exterior wall
if you wire from the outside, admittedly less than ideal. Now I'll throw the
ball back to you:

I suggest it will take more than "a couple of hours" to run a drop TO an
outside wall if you're trying to do so from the attic. You can't even GET to
the top plate.

Also consider putting a TV jack in a first-floor room via the attic.
Shudder.

Not a big problem in many homes - just drop the cable town the center
wall to the basement, then back up to the first floor.

On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 13:18:16 -0400, wrote:

On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 06:38:57 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

aemeijers wrote:

If the cable drop terminates at the facia, you can run cable on the
exterior to the target room and punch in through the wall. This
technique is, by far, the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to get
a cable to the target room. Whether you can stand the TV being against
the outside wall is
another story.


Fast, cheap, and easy /= the correct way, in most cases. Putting
wiring on the outside, aside from looking UGLY, leads to early
failures of cable and connections. And those wall-throughs are just
another place for water and bugs to get in. I often see them where
the installer didn't even bother to put a drip loop on the cable, or
made loops and turns so tight as to degrade the signal.


Huh?

"Looks ugly" - Well, there's that. You COULD do what architects do when they
make a mistake or something doesn't look right: cover it with ivy.

"Early failure" - There should be no early failure. You use the same cable
as the provider uses from the pole to your house. In fact there should be
LESS failure inasmuch as you can locate the run protected from the elements.

"Drip loop" and "water/bugs" - Can both be eliminated by the credo of this
group "Do it yourself and do it right."

I did raise the problem of having to locate the TV next to an exterior wall
if you wire from the outside, admittedly less than ideal. Now I'll throw the
ball back to you:

I suggest it will take more than "a couple of hours" to run a drop TO an
outside wall if you're trying to do so from the attic. You can't even GET to
the top plate.

Also consider putting a TV jack in a first-floor room via the attic.
Shudder.

Not a big problem in many homes - just drop the cable town the center
wall to the basement, then back up to the first floor.

Not everyone lives in the frozen North, where there are basements. Wish I had
one so I wouldn't need to put my shop in the attic.

wrote:
On Sun, 29 Aug 2010 06:38:57 -0500, "HeyBub"
wrote:

aemeijers wrote:
If the cable drop terminates at the facia, you can run cable on the
exterior to the target room and punch in through the wall. This
technique is, by far, the fastest, cheapest, and easiest way to get
a cable to the target room. Whether you can stand the TV being against
the outside wall is
another story.


Fast, cheap, and easy /= the correct way, in most cases. Putting
wiring on the outside, aside from looking UGLY, leads to early
failures of cable and connections. And those wall-throughs are just
another place for water and bugs to get in. I often see them where
the installer didn't even bother to put a drip loop on the cable, or
made loops and turns so tight as to degrade the signal.

Huh?

"Looks ugly" - Well, there's that. You COULD do what architects do when they
make a mistake or something doesn't look right: cover it with ivy.

"Early failure" - There should be no early failure. You use the same cable
as the provider uses from the pole to your house. In fact there should be
LESS failure inasmuch as you can locate the run protected from the elements.

"Drip loop" and "water/bugs" - Can both be eliminated by the credo of this
group "Do it yourself and do it right."

I did raise the problem of having to locate the TV next to an exterior wall
if you wire from the outside, admittedly less than ideal. Now I'll throw the
ball back to you:

I suggest it will take more than "a couple of hours" to run a drop TO an
outside wall if you're trying to do so from the attic. You can't even GET to
the top plate.

Also consider putting a TV jack in a first-floor room via the attic.
Shudder.

Not a big problem in many homes - just drop the cable town the center
wall to the basement, then back up to the first floor.

Not to defend Bub, but large parts of US build houses on slabs- no
basement or crawl available. On houses like that, if attic isn't an
option for whatever reason, through-the-wall is the only practical (but
still ugly) option. But even if you do through-the wall, you can still
do it with SOME class- don't just staple it to the siding- tuck it under
something wherever you can. If the house has vinyl (which is ugly enough
all by itself), see if you can unzip one horizontal joint and hide it
behind that. If no way to do it discreetly on the house, I'd be tempted
to spring for burial-rated cable, and do a shovel-blade-deep slit around
the house to where the entry points were, and bring it up over the
exposed foundation in conduit (with sealer to eliminate bug entry path,
of course.)

But like I said- outside the house would always be my LAST choice for a
cable path. Along centerline of attic, and down through dead spaces or
in blind corner of closets. There is almost always some path to get to
where you want to go, even if it means pulling baseboards and tucking it
under drywall.

Surprised nobody has a wireless TV router aimed at consumer market.

--
aem sends...

Baloon construction. Fireman's nightmare.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


wrote in message
...

Not a big problem in many homes - just drop the cable town the center
wall to the basement, then back up to the first floor.

In article ,
"HeyBub" wrote:


If you want the cable to enter the attic then branch to five different rooms
through the walls, I can't offer a suggestion. BUT...

So, someone Riddle me this.. If I put the dish in the right place and
run on cable to the attic where I have the signal splitter for the
cable, why can't I just distriute the dish that way?

--
I want to find a voracious, small-minded predator
and name it after the IRS.
Robert Bakker, paleontologist

On 8/28/2010 20:39, Kurt Ullman wrote:

So, someone Riddle me this.. If I put the dish in the right place and
run on cable to the attic where I have the signal splitter for the
cable, why can't I just distriute the dish that way?

The key point here is to have cable "home runs" from a central
distribution point to each TV. With satellite you need a switch rather
than a splitter, but the distribution remains the same with one
exception -- many Dish DVRs can accommodate two TVs with one or two
cables from the outside receiving dish to the DVR, and another to the
second TV. So you may want to run multiple cables to your primary TV
from the central distribution point.

--