Anyway, I have Comcast cable and for some reason this morning when we woke up everything between channel 28-68 and below 11 wasn't working. So we give the cable company a call and they say the soonest they can be out is Saturday. Well I wanted to watch the Ultimate Fighter tonight so that wasn't acceptable. So I go outside to make sure the connection is secure and sure enough there is a lose connection. Unfortunately it is inside this piece of PVC piping that connects to some metal tube before coming out the other side and going into the splitter. I guess it is to prevent people from tampering with it or something but I disconnect it from other locations before and after it. Also where it connects to the splittler is covered with a plastic blocker that keeps me from tightening it. Anyway, I was able to disconnect it with and run new wire myself with some left over inside the house. But what is that piece of PVC piping covering. The cable works fine without it. All I can see is about 2 inches in from each side it goes into a piece of metal. I might beat the shit out of it with a hammer later if no one can tell me what it is. But it made fixing my cable take like an hour longer


Cliffs: Piece of PVC piping on cable wire outside that keeps me from tightening the wire. Cable works fine without it. Seems to have something metal inside it....what is it?


UPDATE:
Ok...cable worked for like 2 hours and then we lost even more channels....I went out and played with it and I get about 25% of them fine, 25% fuzzy, and 50% off completely....so I called again and I guess I wasn't supposed to be getting like 75% of the channels I was getting. What I took off was the trap (which is why I am getting 25% of them fuzzy). So they are coming out to fix the cable and upgrade me on Fri. But I'm pissed because I thought I was supposed to be getting those because I've had those channels for like 6 months. Now I have to pay $44/month for what I was already getting for $9.95/month. Anyway for me to turn all my channels back on before the guy comes out Friday since I will be paying for it anyway?

Oh, and I have to put the trap back on before he comes on Friday so I don't get charged a fee.

 

More than likely the PVC material is a shielding covering a trap (usually a metal cylindrical looking device that blocks certain frequencies) for a pay service; can be removed with an LRC tool. I doubt they used it to cover a high pass filter (prevent noise from getting back into the line). If it works fine without it, keep it off until they come out.

 

I was guessing that it kept me from getting the pay channels too...but all the channels that were scrambled before are scrambled now....and I don't think there are any additional channels. :dunno:

 

it may be to protect it form the weather? :dunno:

 

I guessed that too....but there are like 3 other unprotected connections coming out from the splitter....and there is not reason to protect it there because if you remove it you can just run it straight into the splitter....you would essentially be adding an extra piece and then protecting it with PVC. I am wondering what it is they are protecting and why do they make it so hard to remove?
I've checked and I have no new channels after removing it.

 

The cable company I work for uses them to protect filters that block some pay channels that are broadcasted on frequencies picked up without a converter box. This may have been put on your line long ago and never removed as technology changed.

Then again it can be used to protect special noise filters on the line which may or may not be used on their plant today.

 

The filters are inside a big green box by me. Heh, when we had our cable internet installed the dude took of the ones for the movie channels for us. He said he'd put them back on next week when he would come back to continue to fix it. Hes a liar. :chuckle: We still have it over 1 year later.

 

Still working alright since your fix?

 

Ok...cable worked for like 2 hours and then we lost even more channels....I went out and played with it and I get about 25% of them fine, 25% fuzzy, and 50% off completely....so I called again and I guess I wasn't supposed to be getting like 75% of the channels I was getting. What I took off was the trap (which is why I am getting 25% of them fuzzy). So they are coming out to fix the cable and upgrade me on Fri. But I'm pissed because I thought I was supposed to be getting those because I've had those channels for like 6 months. Now I have to pay $44/month for what I was already getting for $9.95/month. Anyway for me to turn all my channels back on before the guy comes out Friday since I will be paying for it anyway?

Oh, and I have to put the trap back on before he comes on Friday so I don't get charged a fee.

 

That sucks. Paying for stuff that you thought was Free sucks