2
I used to skip the signal meter on basic installs, but a job in Portland changed that.
I was doing a simple cable hookup in an older apartment building there last Tuesday. The outlet tested fine with my toner, so I just connected everything and called it good. The customer called back an hour later saying their picture kept breaking up. Went back, pulled out my meter, and found the signal was actually fluctuating between -8 and +4 dBmV. Turns out there was a corroded splitter in the attic I never would have found otherwise. Now I run a quick meter check on every single outlet, even the easy ones. What's the smallest signal swing you guys will still troubleshoot on a routine job?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
jordanblack1mo ago
That's the thing, you see it everywhere now. People skip the basic checks because they look fine, then the whole system fails later. It's why my coffee maker broke last month, I never cleaned the hard water scale until it stopped working.
6
river_allen1mo ago
Honestly I'd probably just move on from a swing that small. I mean if the picture looks fine to the customer I'm not chasing ghosts.
4
Absolutely, chasing a tiny swing like that is a fast track to a wasted afternoon. Had a similar call where the signal was just BARELY out of spec, but the picture looked perfect. Spent two hours checking fittings before the customer finally admitted their toddler kept playing with the cable box power button. Learned my lesson the hard way.
2