Actually, I'm cutting away from End-to-End. The final straw was when I had a rework order that was blamed by the original tech on house wiring and that was what I was supposed to fix. However, the signal after 150 feet of drop was -9 at 717.000. So, I ran a test drop and checked it from tap to digi box as well as a second digi box. (They didn't give me a meter.) Still -9 so I called it as a low level at tap. Well, someone came afterwards to take levels and they said levels were fine at the tap and that a new drop ( a nightmare one) needed to be pulled.
So, I went back with one of their senior techs and we replaced the drop. Well, lo and behold, the levels didn't improve. Not that I thought they would.
Here's where it got really funny:
For some reason digi channel 3 at 669.000 isn't showing up. Levels present, but no pic or audio. So, we run a test jumper from tap to digi box, still no go. Well, some Cox trucks come by and it turns out they were backhauling a camera system or something for the subdivision and might have done something to that channel or qam. They were nice enough to check things out on their own setup to verify missing 3. I asked if he could check levels at 717.000 as well and he said they were low. VINDICATION! He said he could fix it but it might screw up the other three homes served on that tap. The senior tech I was with said not to change it then. HELLLOOOOO! We have a PM problem with low levels at tap, PMs on site saying they can fix it, and we aren't going to fix it?
So, suddenly I get it. I'm going to have similar site issues in the future where I have to futz around with figuring out why I've got tiling everywhere. A well-designed plant should have levels at the demarc that can at least be amped in preparation for distribution within the drop. You can't reliably amp a -9 and expect system stability and I'm not risking putting a 30 day warranty on crap like that.
To wrap it all up nicely, after all was said and done, the digi box in the room with the CM was pulling -15, so this senior tech just threw a single port amp on after the dc9 to the digi (tap port), and put the signal level at 0db. Waveform probably looks like crap, sn was around 18, but hey, we're done right? By that logic, I guess I can just string three single port amps together and turn background noise into cable tv reception.
Re: Scottsdale system is nuts
Member #: 40846
Registered: 9/19/2005
Posted:
1493
Name:
Duane Vick
Name:
Duane Vick
Company:
Self-Employed
Occupation:
Installer
Location:
Phoenix AZ
There is 1 reply to this message
