PSA: I found out the hard way that old coax in a 1978 house can still carry a signal

I was on a job in a split-level house built in 1978, replacing a drop. The homeowner wanted a new line run from the pole to the house, but I figured I would check the old interior lines first. I hooked my meter to a cable that looked like it was from the Carter administration, and it still showed a clean 750 MHz signal with almost no loss. I had always assumed anything that old was junk, but this one line was perfect. Has anyone else run into vintage cable that just won't quit?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_elliot2mo ago

What brand was the cable?

knight.dylan2mo ago

Forget the brand, check if it's certified for the exact power draw of your gear. A cheap cable with a known brand name can still fry your system if it's not rated high enough. I learned that the hard way with a power supply last year. The brand on the sleeve doesn't matter as much as the specs printed on the cable itself. What are you trying to plug in with it?

susanb342mo ago

Look at the brand name he's asking about after the guy just said to forget the brand. Classic. Might as well ask what color the smoke was when his old cable caught fire. The specs are literally printed on the side, that's the only name you need to trust. I guess some people just really want a logo to blame when things go wrong.

the_elliot24d ago

Right, because the name on the cable is the thing that conducts electricity, not the copper inside. I'm sure the brand of smoke coming out of your fried gear will match the logo on the sleeve perfectly. The specs are printed right there for a reason, it's not a secret code. But hey, if you want to shop by logo, go ahead, just make sure you buy the one with the most pixels. Let us know how that works out when you plug in a space heater.