# Cable Tv Question



## debbenkim (Jun 6, 2006)

i usually camp at campgrounds without cable tv hookups so this may be a stupid question but..........if a rv park has cable tv hookups, do they provide the necessary cables or do i need to get something myself to have available at the park? if i need something, can someone tell me what i need to have? thanks for your help.


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## mountainlady56 (Feb 13, 2006)

Hi. You need to pick up a piece of cable (think mine's 12-15 foot)to connect from the connection to the OB. They don't furnish that......I imagine too many would "walk off" from the sites.
Darlene


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## sleecjr (Mar 24, 2006)

debbenkim said:


> i usually camp at campgrounds without cable tv hookups so this may be a stupid question but..........if a rv park has cable tv hookups, do they provide the necessary cables or do i need to get something myself to have available at the park? if i need something, can someone tell me what i need to have? thanks for your help.


Just a long coax cable.


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## dancinmon (Oct 5, 2004)

Most CG's will not provide you with a cable to hook up with. I made my own 50' coax cable. It's the same cable that you screw into your TV at home. You can also buy ready made cables at most stores.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Not a dumb question at all. Thanks for asking, cause I never thought to have a coax cable on board. We haven't camped at a place with cable yet, so I guess I need to get one just for that occasion


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## JimBo99 (Apr 25, 2006)

pickup a fifty foot roll of RG59 at Wal-Mart and two quick connect connectors. You will always be in reach of cable jack.

Jim


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## kjdj (Sep 14, 2004)

The stuff sold at Walmart & Home Depot is junk.

Most cable companies will make and give you the cable FREE.
Cable companies error on the safe side to make sure the signals don't leak or radiate out of the cable.

2 years ago a corporate plane in an early morning "landed" on a house here in north GA. The black box showed the planes radio locator (VOR) zeroed in on a house that was wired with cheap cable tv wire. The homeowner was fined by the FCC.
Amazingly nobody was killed.

You will get a much better picture with high quality coax.
Oh and don't waste $$$ on gold or push-on connectors.

Just a thought from a 23 year cable industry veteran.


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## Swany (Mar 2, 2006)

kjdj said:


> The stuff sold at Walmart & Home Depot is junk.
> 
> Most cable companies will make and give you the cable FREE.
> Cable companies error on the safe side to make sure the signals don't leak or radiate out of the cable.
> ...


So, a cable guy. Have you worked with Sat TV?


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## 4ME (Sep 11, 2006)

This last weekend I was at a site where I pulled in backwards. We shared two sites with Family. That meant my 25' cable was too short to work. I headed into town to get a 15' add-on and a union. I wasn't able to find the union but found a three way splitter instead. Now I think we will bring an outside tv next time and have cable for both. Just a thought.


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## JimBo99 (Apr 25, 2006)

kjdj said:


> The stuff sold at Walmart & Home Depot is junk.
> 
> Most cable companies will make and give you the cable FREE.
> Cable companies error on the safe side to make sure the signals don't leak or radiate out of the cable.
> ...


OK cable guy! I have been using the junk from Wal-Mart for a long time and get excellent tv reception. I was a Navy electronic tech for many years and the cable looks ok to me. What exactly is wrong with it. Is there an impedance variation, and if so how much. Is is not shielded well enough? The good stuff and the junk are probably made in the same factory in China.


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Hey Jimbo, don't ask questions. You don't want any planes landing on your trailer now do you?


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## JimBo99 (Apr 25, 2006)

California Jim said:


> Hey Jimbo, don't ask questions. You don't want any planes landing on your trailer now do you?


LOL


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## kjdj (Sep 14, 2004)

JimBo99 said:


> The stuff sold at Walmart & Home Depot is junk.
> 
> Most cable companies will make and give you the cable FREE.
> Cable companies error on the safe side to make sure the signals don't leak or radiate out of the cable.
> ...


OK cable guy! I have been using the junk from Wal-Mart for a long time and get excellent tv reception. I was a Navy electronic tech for many years and the cable looks ok to me. What exactly is wrong with it. Is there an impedance variation, and if so how much. Is is not shielded well enough? The good stuff and the junk are probably made in the same factory in China.
[/quote]

Cool so your familiar with the the FCC requirements with regards to the CLI (Cumulative Leakage Index).
Since Cable TV uses RF frequencys starting at 5 Mhz up to 1 Ghz it would be a good thing if the RF didn't "leak out of the cable. Correct?
For if it did that cable would now be an antenna. Correct?
Now that antenna would radiate RF energy into the air.
Just 1 example:
Cable channel 14 is located at 121.2625 Mhz and is 6 Mhz wide. This pretty much puts ch 14 in the middle of the VHF aircraft band.

PM me and I can send you the FCC frequency chart that compares the Cable TV spectrum against the "over the air" spectrum.

Low grade coax cable has minimal shelding therefore "leaks" some RF to the air. Poor connectors do the same thing.
FCC rules to read more.

Dish/Direct can have the same issues since the LNB converts the microwave signals down to UHF to feed the coax then to the sat tuner.

JimBo99 thank you for your service to this country. And I mean this.

As an electronic tech you may have worked on radios and such. With radio transmitters you try everything you can to get the RF out of the coax to an antenna.

Myself as a cable guy I strive to keep RF inside the coax.

No not all coax is made in China. The most popular CATV coax is made in Richmond VA. by Belden.

When shopping for coax look for RG-6 Quad shield. Don't use pliers to crimp the connectors.

Kevin


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