Detecting A/V Signal

DO you want to detect audio, video or RF?

If all you want to do is trace wires you can get a wire tracer from any home improvement store. Also called a cat and mouse. Just hook the transmitter to one end and use the wand to detect the signal at the other.

Not sure why you are saying thanks anyway. He answered your question. You can just get a toner as he mentioned, connect the tone generator on one end (the room where the tv would go) and use the wand on the end where the junction is to determine which line it is. Then you just label them. If you wanted to detect cable signal on a line that is already connected without using a tv, all you have to do is buy yourself a cable signal meter. They are only $500-$1000, or up to $5,000 for some of the ones the cable companies now use to detect two way signal and other neat stuff.

cat and mouse? or fox and hound?

All of the above. Other way to do it is with a AA battery. Connect + to center, and - to shield, run around with a voltmeter and find the one reading about 1.5v... Should be low enough voltage to not damage anything if it's already plugged in. C or D size would work too, and might be more juice to do long runs (more than 40 feet).

We used to use a 9v battery to detect which speaker was on which wire when doing car stereo installs. Worked quite well... One guy decided to try using his 18v cordless drill battery once... aparently speakers don't like THAT much voltage.

I have to ask. Why the hell did you come here asking for help if you are going to be smug with the responses you get? I am 100% serious about my reply. You have to choices really to make it easy (three if you want to go the battery route). A toner or a meter. Go to home depot. Go to the department with phone wires and cable fittings and such. Typically they are kept in a cage. They have some cheap ones that you could use, but I am not a big fan. Most of them shut off themselves to save battery life. This is very inconvenient when you have to attach it to a wire and then run around to search for it. You should expect to pay about $90 for a good set. It will look exactly like this
They sell it as a kit or seperated. Buy the kit as you will need both parts. Is that being to facetious for you?

How do you detect RF signals, with a simple device?

That thing is what these people have been calling "fox and hound" or "cat and mouse".

It does not detect RF signals coming from a dish, CATV, etc. It detects a signal send from it's companion device that connected to the other end of the cable. So, while it's much easier than lugging around a TV, you still have to go room to room and or to both ends of the cable.

From the product page...
"Simply plug the sender into a wall jack in a room. Back at the location where all the cables come together, connect one cable at a time to the speaker until a tone is heard, and you've found your cable."

This tester does not do what you had originally been seeking advice about - although connecting the sender at the main feed would allow you to detect which cables are active via a room-by-room check with the receiver.

I couldn't resist

I retract all my statements and advice. I believe you should just go to a library and read some books or something. You ask for advice and ways to detect signal. I let you know some options out there, and no matter what you are not happy with the results. Please, just go hire someone or read somewhere rather then asking and shunning the advice given. kthxbye

If I was in your ER, I wouldn't ask a question, and then refuse to accept the answers given. I tried to help, you refused to listen. End of story. Good luck finding what you need, especially if you refuse to listen to those that are knowledgeable on the subject.

And you were answered, got angry, and then linked to a continuity tester...not an RF detector.
Confused?

Hey Doc, the $25 continuity tester, is the doorbell in fancy dress. It puts a small voltage across the cable and you check for a tone at the other end.

If you cap one end using one of these, , or make one up, a battery and light, buzzer, bell, or VOM will all work.

However, these will not work if the cable under test is interrupted with a splitter. In that case you have to disconnect the splitter and check each leg separately.

You are unreal. Just like almost every other doctor I have met. NO ONE, including me was condescending in any way, shape, or form. You asked questions, we answered them. You didn't like the answers more or less, cause you have no clue what we are talking about. Tell you what, I won't handle any needles or prescribe meds, and you stay out of the wiring. That way we all stick with what we know. No confusions then.

This is what I use for quick easy coax identification.

http://www.test-um.com/product_detail.asp?itemno=CX200

For other applications (Alarm, Speakers, ect) I use the trusty
tone generator and probe as suggested here.

You had an answer long before that was posted.


You're not even sure what you're asking about.

....and then suck as much money out of them as you can ....

On a side note, I must say I appreciate the services rendered by doctors. You guys (or gals) can do some pretty amazing stuff these days.