Is this a Cable Amplifier in my condo's attic? (pic)

At my attic entrance, my condo's bedroom closet opening, is a box called Anaconda Electronics, two thick cables connect on the sides, 4 coax connectors on top, with one connected cable that looks to run into the attic of the neighbors condo.

It has me a little worried. What would happen if I connected the loose cable, why is there a cable from the neighbors on my side? My research on Anaconda Electronics has a short history around 1968 (time my condo was built) where they mad Cable Television Amplifier


Photo with details:
http://premium1.uploadit.org/TimothyB/whatisthis.jpg

Recently, my cable has gotten weaker again, local HD signals over Comcast that always worked on my Tivo HD (no cable card) came in, but now no signal for those. Nothing has changed in terms of what's in the photo for years, but I'm wondering if it's something that could help. Maybe I should call comcast, can they boost the signal? I also noticed they my analog package at $57.95 is the same price as their digital package with more channels, and they don't offer what I have anymore.

On another site I was asking questions on how to deal with that hole seen in the photo, as it's a possible firewall breach, could be a code violation in my area. I'm not sure who's responsible, as there's the home owners association, me as an owner of my unit, and the neighbors unit. Since it's just a half inch wall board, attached to the neighbors side of the pillars, who would be responsible? It's no more my wall than it it's the neighbors. If I were to fix it, I'd have to stay on the neighbors side as I close it up. Which seems odd, and why I think such matters would be handled by the association, as this could be a code violation, and the neighbor may be unreasonable to a point that they would not let anyone go through there unit to seal it properly.

Anyway, one person took a guess at how this hole might have appeared, saying sometimes cable installers do this to run cables. And as in the photo, you see, the nieghbors cable connects to the box on my side. Could an install have broken through to get to this box to boost the neighbors signal?

I suppose I should look into scheduling Comcast to switch me to digital cable for the same price as I'm paying now, and have them bring out a cable card for my HD Tivo.

(PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH COMCAST)
Though, when I bought the place, I'm not very inspired by Comcast's competence. When a guy came down to activate the cable and install in a room, the cable guy would not do anything! He kept saying he'd get in trouble by not approving this with my association and other liabilities. I explained I can do anything I want inside, my approval is all he needs, outside stuff needs approval, like a dish, security doors, etc. Luckily I got him to compromise with a simple, but poor solution.

The room I want cable in has a closet that shares a wall with my living room entertainment wall where cable is already installed. So I had him open the plastic cable cover, then from inside that he drilled a hole into the closet, opening into a bottom built in shelf. He then split the cable to run one through that hole. Attached the metal end to the cable, but just left it dangling in a closet through that shelf, no special wall cap to cover the hole nicely, or run the cable with brackets along the wall. I had to attached a cable and run it under the closet door to hook up a TV.

That has was my first experience with a cable installer, real pro.

Heh, our previous mayor that lives in a condo here got in trouble for stealing cable once, so who knows. The thing is, the owners don't live in the unit next door, only renters, so with people coming and going, you'd think a new renter would wonder what's going on if the cable was working for free, unless the owners said they are paying for it.

When I moved in, the renters next door continued to live there for 6 years or so. A nice quiet family lived, no noise, arguing, zero problems, but they left to buy a home. Nice people that would say hi, even helped when I dropped something when caring things to a dumpster.

Slightly off topic,

but a nightmare starts after they left. The new neighbors moved in, dirt bags, they lied to the owners. A neighbor heard the owner banging on the door calling them that, that they did not pay the PG&E gas bill, and they'd come back to take the fridge away. Eventually they had no gas, no power, fridge, all you saw at night were candles, which freaked me out, a fire could start, and I have a hole in the firewall. A small child lived there. They smoked too, which had a strong smell enter my bedroom, making me wonder about that hole in the attic. Then they started to run a gas generator in the patio, putting a fumy gas smell in the air if my window was open, running all day with constant noise. Then they were caught running an extension cord to the other neighbors outlet. Supposedly at a final court hearing the renter showed up with crutches, but stormed out fast when she was told by the judge that their time was up there. Don't think they even had power to run a tv to watch cable.

Anyway, the next renters were two younger guys, they decided to get two little dogs, a chihuahua and pit bull. They were kept in the patio all the time, crapping there, barking too much. They smoked, but only outside and closing my window was enough to solve that. Don't think there was a decline in cable quality or HD signal then. Less than a year, they leave suddenly.

Now the new people, questionable looking, smoke way too much causing my condo to smell bad, yelling and cussing at children, which are up all night disturbing my roommate, the adults arguing often at 2 am with sudden slams against the wall that startle you. They may have running tvs, but if it were hooked to my cable, would that cause my signal to weaken to where the HD stations break up or not detected anymore?

I tell you, I don't know what to think, a lot of these characters seem like they wouldn't ask questions if they were getting free cable after moving in. I'll setup something with Comcast soon, and call the Home Owner's Association about the wall, but I fear they'll only think of their interest and say it's not their problem to fix and say goodbye with no further suggestions or answers about codes and such.

Well, yes, I get channels above 42. So if this a line tap, what is it's purpose up in my attic? What are the two rather large cables connected to it at each end, does that thick cable on the right side also go through to the neighbors? Which makes me wonder, is this part of my cable system, or is it part of the entire 3 unit building and not directly linked to anyone's cable service?