Coax continuity testing
Is there an easy way to test for continuity over coax when one end is in the house and the other is about 75 feet away outside of the house? I have 2 coax runs out of my house and I know one has a continuity problem somewhere along the line. I'm looking for way to test which one it is. Thanks You could intentionally short the shield to the center conductor and test for continuity at the other end. Could you check to see if a TV hooked up to one of the cables looses signal when unscrewed from the splitter? 9volt battery and a bulb ..................... Okay here ya go.. this may work... If you don't have one you'll need a VOM (Volt Ohm Meter) which you can buy in Radio Shack for $10-$15. At one end of the coax strip back the insulation and uncover the center conductor... then unbraid the braided part of the coax at the same end. Physically connect the center conductor to the braided conductor on ONE END of the Coax Cable. Then at the other end take the VOM and set it to OHMS.. put one of the probes on the center conductor and the other on the center conductor and you should see the meter move all the way to the right.. Because what you have just done is shorted the center conductor to the braided conductor.. IF you have an open in the center conductor the meter won't move. Thanks everyone. I have a meter so it'll be easy to test. I just wasn't sure of the best way to short the one end - short it to braided wrap or short the center to something else. I've always had a much weaker signal on 1 of the 2 coax runs, but I've since put in a new system with new coax runs, but left the original 2 in place just in case. Well, the just in case is here and I'm just trying to figure out if I have a slight short in 1 of the 2 since both ends are now bare and I'm wanting to use 1 of them. Coax is extremely sensitive to rough handling. The distance between the center conductor and the outer shield is critical in order for the cable to maintain it's electrical properties. That distance is maintained by the dielectric (the white insulator). If there's a sharp bend in the cable, if it was crushed, if it was pulled too hard, or if the crimp connector flattened it, it can ruin the dielectric and affect the cable's electrical properties. This won't show up on a continuity test. Originally Posted by Rick Johnston Coax is extremely sensitive to rough handling. The distance between the center conductor and the outer shield is critical in order for the cable to maintain it's electrical properties. That distance is maintained by the dielectric (the white insulator). If there's a sharp bend in the cable, if it was crushed, if it was pulled too hard, or if the crimp connector flattened it, it can ruin the dielectric and affect the cable's electrical properties. This won't show up on a continuity test. Plus, if the coax uses foam dielectric, and water seeps in, it's toast. Also, the continuity test won't catch that. you can short one end yes and that will tell you which cable is which. best way i use is to get a 75ohm terminator from your hardware store or radio shack etc. connect it to one end, then read your resistance. what kind of problem are you having anyway? if its a poor reception (snowy pic) could be a bad splitter (usually is). It's RG6 coming from an old satellite into the house. It was a 2LNB and one of the runs I had to use a splice to make the distance. The other was a complete run. I don't use that satellite anymore, but am wanting to use one of the RG6 now as a back feed out from the house to where I can have a tv set up outside. After a while using the old satellite, I started getting a much weaker signal on one of the LNB's. My assumption was it was the one that had the splice and since the other one was always strong, I just wanted to figure out which one might provide a stronger signal now from the house back to the outside tv. For the record, the best way to splice RG cable is to put F connectors on both ends of the cable and use a barrel to join them together. The dielectric properties will be maintained through the splice and the signal loss is minimized to 1/2dB or less.
Related Posts:
Bare speaker wire to 35mm plug
Bare speaker wire to 3.5mm plugI'm trying to connect an old receiver to a new sound bar. The receiver has old-style spring-clip terminals, two pairs. It takes bare speaker wire to the old speakers...
Coaxcat5 wiring setup
Coax/CAT5 Wiring SetupI'm having a new home built that is going to have a single cable in to the house, but did not want to pay the absolutely ridiculous costs the home center was charging to have...
Bxconduit grounding
BX/Conduit GroundingWhy is it that BX is no longer code unless there is a third ground wire included? Isn't the metal shell a ground? Every time I have used BX i always get 120V hot to ground. I t...
Coaxial cable splitting the signal best way
Coaxial cable - splitting the signal - best way?Hello- Hopefully I am posting on the correct forum. I have Comcast cable in the NW suburbs of Chicago if it matters. I have a main coaxial cable com...
20 amp breaker 83 electrical wire 110v outlet
20 amp breaker + 8/3 electrical wire + 110v outlet?Weird question. Is it possible to use have a 20 amp breaker at an electrical panel connected to an 8/3 gauge electrical wire that is hooked up to...
