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seaox67 04-06-2007 04:14 PM

Coaxial cable problem
Hi I have directv and one of my receivers has just gone dead. I switched recivers around and they both work. So I would assume that I have a problem with the line from the sat dish to receiver? How can I confirm that and is it best just to run a new line or is there an easier fix.
I'd rather try to fix cause the line is about 300 feet long!


Sammy 04-07-2007 11:49 AM

Should be regular coaxial cable on your run just like for cable tv.

You could take a receiver and small tv to the dish and use a known good short piece of cable to hook to the dish and see if you get a signal.

Or you can disconnect both ends of your run, take an ohmmeter and measure between the center cable conductor and the outer shield.
You should get an "open" or no resistance at all which would tell you that the cable is not shorted.

If this checks out o.k. then take a piece of aluminum foil and wad it in one end of the cable to intentionally "short" between the center conductor and the outer shield. Then go to the other end of the cable and measure for resistance. You should get resistance.. If you dont, it would point to a broken center conductor in the cable.

If thats the case, you can play the odds and go to the center of the cable and cut it, then repeat the above tests until you locate the bad section of cable. Splice in a new section with some connectors and your done.
