Oh technology, how I love thee...

[kickaha]

Cable went out tonight.

Well, not quite. The cable box/DVR went *insane*. It wouldn't let me turn to most channels at all (displayed flashing question marks when I tried to punch in a 'bad' number directly), and was scrambling channels around. 64, which is normally the SciFi channel, was suddenly the TV guide channel. Only a few of the digital channels were working... but all the digital *audio* channels were. The digital TV channels that were working? All Spanish. And it was listing channels in the info panel that aren't even in our provider's lineup. Reboot the box, it can't find squat for updating - same symptoms. Try accessing the digital channel guide... "DNS Error." Oooooookay...

Call Cablevision - they can't ping the box. I can't get to them. Obviously the whole thing is down, right? I mean, we have just had an ice storm... except that the cable modem is fine. I get to thinking... the cable modem and the cable tv are coming through the wall in two different places, after a splitter outside. Okay, so maybe just the living room cable is bad. Look outside the window, and yup, that one cable is under 2" of ice. Hmm. Schedule a repair visit for tomorrow. "Oh, and if it's not our equipment of wiring, it'll be $46." "Okay, does that include if it's the external-to-the-house wiring, but due to weather?" "Only if we installed it and it is defective." Hmm. Not sure who installed the wiring up the side of the house, and he was awfully non-committal about weather issues.

I go back and check all the connections again. Everything's good, and then I notice... a staple. Sticking out of the coax. When it was installed, a staple was put through the coax, but not directly through the center. A bit off-center, actually. Probably just through the central insulation, and over time... zap. Short circuit. Pull the staple, and the cable box comes back to life.

I called and cancelled the repair.

Comments

[morgyne.livejournal.com]

So was the staple like teleported into there or what?

[kickaha.livejournal.com]

Naw, they stapled the coax across the baseboard. Very low tech - the cable comes in through a hole in the window frame, and then snakes around the kitchen and living room. It's stapled to the baseboard, up and over door frames... I'm kind of surprised there was just the one, to be honest.

[night-monkey.livejournal.com]

that'll do it. Prolly need some weather boots and a box outside too. Also check for kinks, pinches, and extreme bends in the cable. Finally, my time as a cable guy is helping the world. :)

[georgmi.livejournal.com]

Also check for kinks, pinches, and extreme bends

Good advice in almost *every* situation...

[kickaha.livejournal.com]

Too true.

There usually aren't enough.

[night-monkey.livejournal.com]

...and don't forget to check for staples. :)

[georgmi.livejournal.com]

Obviously, you need to upgrade to fiber.

[kickaha.livejournal.com]

You know... I am afeared where they'd drill a hole to shove *that* through the exterior wall. Did I mention this place was built in the 1860s?

[georgmi.livejournal.com]

They could yank out the coax and shove the fiber through the existing hole, with room to spare. :)