[argo]

I haven't found a post about this. Hopefully there's a simple answer. Our system was installed a few years ago. Many cables fished up and down the walls into attic and crawlspace below, all meeting at a multiswitch in a central closet. But not all of them have been labeled.


I'd like to add a flatscreen in a room at one end of the house (Directv house). The jack is there but I can't find which of the dozens of cables is the source for that jack in the closet. I need to connect it to the multiswitch.


How can I tell? I've connected and disconnected many of them but it's exhausting and I never show a signal on the satellite (I've temporarily attached one of our DTV receivers to the jack.)


I'm not an installer, but I'm not totally dumb either. Can someone suggest something?


Thanks in advance

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

You need to attach a signal of some kind, even just a battery works to the coax in the location of interest, then test all the loose wires at the central location to figure out which wire is which.


Since a battery needs a plus and minus you send one down the core and the other down the shielding. Then you can use a voltmeter on the other end to find your cable.


They make other electrical test equipment to do this if you want to spend more money. When you get ready to do this practice hooking everything up on a scrap piece of coax so you know what to look for with your meter.


I am assuming that you have a good satellite signal at the central box that you are trying to connect to.

 

[argo]

Thank you! What kind of a battery would work? And do I just attach wires

to each end (and then to the core and shielding?)


I do have a voltmeter if that would help. I guess I need someone at the end telling me what's happening (it's at the other end of the house)

 

[BIGmouthinDC]

You would hook the battery up then walk to the other end of the house and do the testing with the volt meter. A nine volt would work you just need to figure out how to attach it the the core and the shield.

 

[KingLeerUK]

I would advise caution using the "battery" test method for determining circuits for delicate electronic components. You might be feeding that raw 9 volts into the back of an expensive television.


A much better test would be to use a toner probe. This two-part tool has a signal source that puts an audible "tone" onto the cable. You then use a sensor to probe the terminal ends of each cable and when the tip is brought into proximity with the "toned" cable, you will hear it quite clearly.


If you still choose to go the 9v route, make sure you disconnect EVERYTHING from your coax system that you don't want to risk. This includes things like cable modems and tuner boxes.

 

[RTROSE]

You could take a spare VHS/DVD player and hook it up to the coax then go to the other end and hook up to a small tv to "look" for the image.


You stated that you have connected/tested "many" of them but unfortunately my fried you MUST test every one until you find the "right one" Sometimes this AV thing is not hard, but is time consuming and frustrating if not just for the reason you state where an installer has done is work but not labeled anything leaving you to do the detective work. Good luck.


Regards,


RTROSE

 

[scaesare]

1- Connect each wallplate in your house to a device of some sort (display, cable box, sat recv'r, etc...)


2- Connect "feed end" of cable in question to 220-volt clothes dryer outlet.


3- Manually examine each device from step one until you come upon the one that has exploded and is on fire


4- Label both ends of the cable in order to save yourself this hassle in the future.


Hope this helps.


-Steve



Disclaimer: Don't really do this... not only is it dangerous, it makes labeling the cable difficult.