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View Full Version : Ever have BX cable go bad?



Mitchell Andrus
05-15-2007, 7:10 PM
One of the inputs on my Directtv box is showing zero input (2 sat system).

Sooooo, I switched leads just to see. Sure enough one of the leads is dead. I disconnected / switched one lead at a time at the dish and find that one of the cables is bad - dish is good x2.

No slices, 18 months old, strapped down, no kinks or cuts.

Ever see this? I thought this stuff was about bombproof.

OOOPs - Meant Co-Ax

Lou Ferrarini
05-15-2007, 7:41 PM
Betcha its the connector, not the cable.

Mitchell Andrus
05-15-2007, 7:56 PM
Nope. I put a meter on it. The needle jumped about mid length when flexed. I ran this setup myself, so I know it wasn't kinked at install.

Strange. Anywhoooo, it's been replaced and all is right with the world again.

Mike Cutler
05-16-2007, 5:29 AM
I've seen a lot of Coaxial/Triaxial cables go bad. Usually there is a point where the outer jacket has had pressure applied to it and the cable Dielectric constant has been compromised. How tightly is it "strapped down"?
It's takes a TDR(Time Domain Reflectometer) to find the problem area. Easier to just pull a new cable like you did.

Mitchell Andrus
05-16-2007, 9:05 AM
The area of the break was outside, near where it was zip-tied to a phone line running down the side of the house. I figure it rattled in the wind, flexed at the tie and eventually the copper fractured.

Jim Myers
05-16-2007, 9:12 AM
It also depends on the quality of the original cable.

I have seen some cheap Radio Shack, or what comes in a installation kit, stuff break just by looking at it.

I keep around 1000 foot of dual shield RG6 direct burial for all the outside stuff and never have a problem. Of course I used to install dishes for a living so I had a good source.

Russ Filtz
05-17-2007, 8:11 AM
Look around for some Belden cable (probably have to go to a supply house or look online). I believe the decent stuff for outside is 1694A. For really nice stuff inside get 1695A, as it's teflon insulated/sheathed.

the 94 stuff isn't that expensive in bulk, maybe $0.30 a foot. The 95 can get expensive, more like $1+ a foot. I only used the 95 for nice component cables or digital coax runs.