I have a cable line that comes into the house and then in the attic splits
into 4 lines. One to living one to den one to two of the bedrooms. When I
watch TV some channels are crsip clear but a few are fuzzy and poor. The
weird thing is it's not always the same channels.

For example, the SciFi channel is terrible on all the TVs and channel 6 is
good on all TVs. But channel 4 is just OK on two TVs but terrible (with
ghost shadows on the other two), while TBS is good only on three TVs and bad
on one.

All the lines are the same line (installed by my electrician) and roughly
the same length from the splitter to the outlet. I bought a $30 signal
booster from Radio Shack and use the splitter on that, but the quality did
not improve.

Any idea what I can do to improve the situation?

Thanks in advance,

O

Unhook all but the lines that are used, so you don't split signal along
wire that doesn't need it. Tighten all connectors, and consider replacing
connections that are suspect -- loose connections are a common problem.

Dave

"orangetrader" wrote in message
...
I have a cable line that comes into the house and then in the attic splits
into 4 lines. One to living one to den one to two of the bedrooms. When
I
watch TV some channels are crsip clear but a few are fuzzy and poor. The
weird thing is it's not always the same channels.

For example, the SciFi channel is terrible on all the TVs and channel 6 is
good on all TVs. But channel 4 is just OK on two TVs but terrible (with
ghost shadows on the other two), while TBS is good only on three TVs and
bad
on one.

All the lines are the same line (installed by my electrician) and roughly
the same length from the splitter to the outlet. I bought a $30 signal
booster from Radio Shack and use the splitter on that, but the quality did
not improve.

Any idea what I can do to improve the situation?

Thanks in advance,

O

From: "orangetrader"


I have a cable line that comes into the house and then in the attic splits
into 4 lines. One to living one to den one to two of the bedrooms. When I
watch TV some channels are crsip clear but a few are fuzzy and poor. The
weird thing is it's not always the same channels.

For example, the SciFi channel is terrible on all the TVs and channel 6 is
good on all TVs. But channel 4 is just OK on two TVs but terrible (with
ghost shadows on the other two), while TBS is good only on three TVs and bad
on one.

All the lines are the same line (installed by my electrician) and roughly
the same length from the splitter to the outlet. I bought a $30 signal
booster from Radio Shack and use the splitter on that, but the quality did
not improve.

Any idea what I can do to improve the situation?

Thanks in advance,

-Check the quality of the actual coxial cable. Is it RG-6 or RG-59? If it's 59,
consider replacing the coaxial cables with the better grade RG-6.

-Check every connector.

-Check the outdoor connection where the cable from the street meets the cable
from the house. (POE. point of entry) Is that connection corroded?

-If all else fails, call the cable company to investigate. Twice my cable
company has had to replace their arial splitter because the guts had corroded
due to water infiltration.

-Check the ground wire from the

I did everything everyone here suggested even had the cable co. come out and mess
with it & still had the problem you had.

Finally said screw it and went with Sat TV. Problem solved and I'm saving money to
boot

--

Pop
"orangetrader" wrote in message
...
I have a cable line that comes into the house and then in the attic splits
into 4 lines. One to living one to den one to two of the bedrooms. When I
watch TV some channels are crsip clear but a few are fuzzy and poor. The
weird thing is it's not always the same channels.

Pop wrote:

I did everything everyone here suggested even had the cable co.
come out and mess with it & still had the problem you had.

Finally said screw it and went with Sat TV. Problem solved and
I'm saving money to boot

LMAO! YES, YES, YES!!!! Welcome to the club, brother!
You have finally discovered the secret, you know why people are
RUNNING away from cable.

--
The real Tom Pendergast [ So if you meet me, have some courtesy,
aka I-zheet M'drurz [ have some sympathy, and some taste.
Accept no substitutes! [ Use all your well-learned politesse,
$1 to Mick for the .sig ---[ or I'll lay your soul to waste.

Simply unhooking wires from a splitter won't increase the signal going
to the remaining cable(s), especially if you don't replace the unhooked
cables by terminator caps.

The question is whether there is an adequate signal (both level and
quality) going into the splitter, so try replacing the splitter by a
coupler to just one of those cables and check the picture on that TV.

Did the picture quality suddenly take a nosedive? Splitters come in
various qualities: some are OK for regular TV (from an antenna) but not
for cable signals. The cable company's installation may have a problem:
bad splitter or amp. out on a pole or underground somewhere.

Are your neighbors having the same problem?

When we had cable at our previous house we had multiple splits with no
problems.

MB


On 09/25/04 02:17 am Dave put fingers to keyboard and launched the
following message into cyberspace:

Unhook all but the lines that are used, so you don't split signal along
wire that doesn't need it. Tighten all connectors, and consider replacing
connections that are suspect -- loose connections are a common problem.

Minnie Bannister wrote:

Simply unhooking wires from a splitter won't increase the signal
going to the remaining cable(s), especially if you don't replace
the unhooked cables by terminator caps.

FYI, that doesn't do anything to send more signal to the other
port, it just keeps it from radiating. A 2-way splitter is still
-3.5 dB on both legs, be they connected to cable, terminators, or
your Uncle Joe's wooden leg (non-conductive g).

The question is whether there is an adequate signal (both level
and quality) going into the splitter, so try replacing the
splitter by a coupler to just one of those cables and check the
picture on that TV.

Yep.

Did the picture quality suddenly take a nosedive? Splitters come
in various qualities: some are OK for regular TV (from an
antenna) but not for cable signals.

And some are for cable, but they're not full bandwidth. No
differnece in looks betwen one that only goes out to 300 MHz
or one that is good to 1 GHz, except for the fine print right
on the device which should tell you the specs.

Are your neighbors having the same problem?

When we had cable at our previous house we had multiple splits
with no problems.

Good advice. Troubleshoot = Isolate. Eliminate, swap, track
your results, follow the problem. It will eventually point to
the culprit.

--
The real Tom Pendergast [ So if you meet me, have some courtesy,
aka I-zheet M'drurz [ have some sympathy, and some taste.
Accept no substitutes! [ Use all your well-learned politesse,
$1 to Mick for the .sig ---[ or I'll lay your soul to waste.

Easy fix go to radio shack, install a signal amphilifer, I have 7 sets in
my home the picture was fuzzy, installed the amp, crystal clear, a good amp
about $30.

Tom

"orangetrader" wrote in message
...
I have a cable line that comes into the house and then in the attic splits
into 4 lines. One to living one to den one to two of the bedrooms. When
I
watch TV some channels are crsip clear but a few are fuzzy and poor. The
weird thing is it's not always the same channels.

For example, the SciFi channel is terrible on all the TVs and channel 6 is
good on all TVs. But channel 4 is just OK on two TVs but terrible (with
ghost shadows on the other two), while TBS is good only on three TVs and
bad
on one.

All the lines are the same line (installed by my electrician) and roughly
the same length from the splitter to the outlet. I bought a $30 signal
booster from Radio Shack and use the splitter on that, but the quality did
not improve.

Any idea what I can do to improve the situation?

Thanks in advance,

O

"orangetrader" wrote in message
...
I have a cable line that comes into the house and then in the attic splits
into 4 lines. One to living one to den one to two of the bedrooms. When
I
watch TV some channels are crsip clear but a few are fuzzy and poor. The
weird thing is it's not always the same channels.

For example, the SciFi channel is terrible on all the TVs and channel 6 is
good on all TVs. But channel 4 is just OK on two TVs but terrible (with
ghost shadows on the other two), while TBS is good only on three TVs and
bad
on one.

All the lines are the same line (installed by my electrician) and roughly
the same length from the splitter to the outlet. I bought a $30 signal
booster from Radio Shack and use the splitter on that, but the quality did
not improve.

Any idea what I can do to improve the situation?

Thanks in advance,

O

Did you put the booster before the splitter?


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.754 / Virus Database: 504 - Release Date: 9/6/2004

On Sat, 25 Sep 2004 08:50:29 -0500, "twfsa" wrote:

This doesn't always work. A signal amplifier will also amplify noise
on the line if the noise is being introduced before the amplifier.

You need to make sure you have a clean signal at the point you put the
amplifier for it to do you any good.

Easy fix go to radio shack, install a signal amphilifer, I have 7 sets in
my home the picture was fuzzy, installed the amp, crystal clear, a good amp
about $30.

Tom

"orangetrader" wrote in message
...
I have a cable line that comes into the house and then in the attic splits
into 4 lines. One to living one to den one to two of the bedrooms. When
I
watch TV some channels are crsip clear but a few are fuzzy and poor. The
weird thing is it's not always the same channels.

For example, the SciFi channel is terrible on all the TVs and channel 6 is
good on all TVs. But channel 4 is just OK on two TVs but terrible (with
ghost shadows on the other two), while TBS is good only on three TVs and
bad
on one.

All the lines are the same line (installed by my electrician) and roughly
the same length from the splitter to the outlet. I bought a $30 signal
booster from Radio Shack and use the splitter on that, but the quality did
not improve.

Any idea what I can do to improve the situation?

Thanks in advance,

O

"
This doesn't always work. A signal amplifier will also amplify noise
on the line if the noise is being introduced before the amplifier.

You need to make sure you have a clean signal at the point you put the
amplifier for it to do you any good.

For five years everyone in my community has complained to Adelphia about
weak reception, snow, etc. Their answer was to send a tech out and install
amplifiers in everyones house. In some cases it helped, in others it didn't.
When I was having a problem with my cable internet connection (Powerlink)
the tech tipped me off that the real problem is a weak signal coming into
the community. I registered a severe complaint to Adlephia which resulted in
them sending a crew down to check the signals and they confirmed there was a
major problem. After 5 years of complaining they finally replaced the
underground cabling in our community and the signals and reception are fine
now. Now if we can figure a way to stop these damn hurricanes we're getting
battered with...............

I have the same problem; I can actually get different channels on my TV and
VCR.

I figure it is the tuner. They must handle weak signals a little
differently.

I-zheet M'drurz wrote:

Minnie Bannister wrote:


Simply unhooking wires from a splitter won't increase the signal
going to the remaining cable(s), especially if you don't replace
the unhooked cables by terminator caps.


FYI, that doesn't do anything to send more signal to the other
port, it just keeps it from radiating. A 2-way splitter is still
-3.5 dB on both legs, be they connected to cable, terminators, or
your Uncle Joe's wooden leg (non-conductive g).


The question is whether there is an adequate signal (both level
and quality) going into the splitter, so try replacing the
splitter by a coupler to just one of those cables and check the
picture on that TV.


Yep.


Did the picture quality suddenly take a nosedive? Splitters come
in various qualities: some are OK for regular TV (from an
antenna) but not for cable signals.


And some are for cable, but they're not full bandwidth. No
differnece in looks betwen one that only goes out to 300 MHz
or one that is good to 1 GHz, except for the fine print right
on the device which should tell you the specs.


Are your neighbors having the same problem?

When we had cable at our previous house we had multiple splits
with no problems.


Good advice. Troubleshoot = Isolate. Eliminate, swap, track
your results, follow the problem. It will eventually point to
the culprit.


I'll second that one! When we switched our Comcast cable service over to
"digital" to get more channels and features last year I had to toss out
the old Rat Shack 300 MHz distribution amplifier which had served us
well for over 15 years. The new 900 MHz amp only cost about $30 (again
at Rat Shack) and now Bob's your uncle, even though our house is wired
with only RG-59U cable, which was the standard when we built the place.

Jeff

--
My name is Jeff Wisnia and I approved this message....

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"

Read the post numb nuts...he already did that!!

"twfsa" wrote in message
news:TIe5d.186$ek.131@okepread03...
Easy fix go to radio shack, install a signal amphilifer, I have 7 sets in
my home the picture was fuzzy, installed the amp, crystal clear, a good
amp
about $30.

Tom

"orangetrader" wrote in message
...
I have a cable line that comes into the house and then in the attic
splits
into 4 lines. One to living one to den one to two of the bedrooms.
When
I
watch TV some channels are crsip clear but a few are fuzzy and poor.
The
weird thing is it's not always the same channels.

For example, the SciFi channel is terrible on all the TVs and channel 6
is
good on all TVs. But channel 4 is just OK on two TVs but terrible (with
ghost shadows on the other two), while TBS is good only on three TVs and
bad
on one.

All the lines are the same line (installed by my electrician) and
roughly
the same length from the splitter to the outlet. I bought a $30 signal
booster from Radio Shack and use the splitter on that, but the quality
did
not improve.

Any idea what I can do to improve the situation?

Thanks in advance,

O

"orangetrader" wrote in message

I have a cable line that comes into the house and then in the attic splits
into 4 lines. One to living one to den one to two of the bedrooms. When
I
watch TV some channels are crsip clear but a few are fuzzy and poor. The
weird thing is it's not always the same channels.

I had a similar problem. Tried a lot of fixes and nothing seemed to work.
Called the cable company. They replaced a connector on the pole and it has
been perfect ever since.

Yes. The amplifier has a built in splitter. I used that.

O

"SQLit" wrote in message
news:6of5d.334982$Oi.74607@fed1read04...

"orangetrader" wrote in message
...
I have a cable line that comes into the house and then in the attic
splits
into 4 lines. One to living one to den one to two of the bedrooms.
When
I
watch TV some channels are crsip clear but a few are fuzzy and poor.
The
weird thing is it's not always the same channels.

For example, the SciFi channel is terrible on all the TVs and channel 6
is
good on all TVs. But channel 4 is just OK on two TVs but terrible (with
ghost shadows on the other two), while TBS is good only on three TVs and
bad
on one.

All the lines are the same line (installed by my electrician) and
roughly
the same length from the splitter to the outlet. I bought a $30 signal
booster from Radio Shack and use the splitter on that, but the quality
did
not improve.

Any idea what I can do to improve the situation?

Thanks in advance,

O

Did you put the booster before the splitter?


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.754 / Virus Database: 504 - Release Date: 9/6/2004

If the problem is with the cable company's end, wouldn't it not affect all
channels? In my case only certain channels are fuzzy.

O

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
. ..

"orangetrader" wrote in message

I have a cable line that comes into the house and then in the attic
splits
into 4 lines. One to living one to den one to two of the bedrooms.
When
I
watch TV some channels are crsip clear but a few are fuzzy and poor.
The
weird thing is it's not always the same channels.

I had a similar problem. Tried a lot of fixes and nothing seemed to work.
Called the cable company. They replaced a connector on the pole and it
has
been perfect ever since.

"orangetrader" wrote in message
...
If the problem is with the cable company's end, wouldn't it not affect all
channels? In my case only certain channels are fuzzy.

O

As I said, I had the SAME problem. Different channels are on different
frequencies an only certain channels may be affected. Not every set was
affected the same way.

You can try lots of different things (I did also) and you may find it. Or
you can try and try and find nothing. The cable company does not charge to
check it out or to fix their problem.