Installer didn't use RF-6

[Kenster]

Should I be upset? The installer did use RF-6 (two lines) from the dish into the attic and into the multi switch. From the switch he hooked into two of the existing cables that were pre-wired when the house was new. One of these old cables went into the single receiver upstair. The other one went into the den downstairs and into one tuner of the UTV. He did run one new RF-6 cable out the attic, down the outside wall, and back into (through) the outside wall to the same box holding the original cable.
I am very happy with the picture quality so far. Is there that much difference in the Rf-5 and RF-6 cable? If my picture is good, I really don't have a problem with him using existing cable. I don't blame him for not wanting to spend more time in my attic at 5:00 o'clock when its 92 outside and probably 30 degrees hotter inside.

[Chris Blount]

There is no difference in picture quality between the cables as long as you are getting a nice strong signal at the receiver. What the installer did was reasonable as long as the existing cable wasn't too old.

In other words, if it works, don't worry about it.

[Nick]

...or, if it works, don't fix it.

Nickster :smoking:

[Steve Mehs]

Echoing Nick and Chris... RG59 will wotk just fine

RG59 will not be OK to DISH or DTV if they ever had to service it ,and in fact the dealer would be charged back. Most RG6 would be OK. If customer ever needs to upgrade to DishPro equipment the RG59 will not work .

[Karl Foster]

On both of my UTV receivers, one of the incoming lines is RG-59 (prewired in the house) and one line of RG-6 (new wiring). On each machine one tuner has a lower signal strength than the other, even though they are both fed by the same multi-switch. I plan to upgrade the RG-59 lines to RG-6 when I get a few spare minutes. I actually had snow fade this past winter that would affect only of the two tuners.

[Kenster]

I'm getting 95 to 96 on both UTV tuners(one RG-6, the other, older, RG-59) and 96 on my separate tuner (RG-59) upstairs. If you guys say the RG-59 should be no problem, that's good enough for me.

[EricG]

In fact, on the last Charlie Chat, IIRC, a caller asked specifically if RG-59 would be causing pixelization as the CSR he spoke with earlier told him Charlie himself said that there was NO difference in picture quality to be associated with the type of cable used.

[Mike500]

The only problem with RG-59 is not loss of signal, it is voltage drop on lnb switching. My house was originally wired with RG59 for cable. I look at some of the old connectors, and they show some corrosion. Since I use the cable only for broadcast channels on my antenna system, there is no problem. If corrosion would occur in the connectors of a dbs install, there is a point, sometime in the future, where the resistance becomes high enough to cause the 15-18 vdc switching signal to the lnb to be degraded by resistance and voltage drop to under 14 vdc. At that point half of the transponders would not be viewable on the receiver. Since the cable center conductor abd the female sockets are of disimilar metals, a current flowing through this point of contact will eventually cause the connection to corrode and increase electrical resistance through the connection. One way to delay this event is to fill the connectors with 100% non-hardening silicone grease. It is readily available as "spark plug boot release" or "tuneup grease" at auto parts stores for $3 a tube. As a professional installer, I use it on all outdoor connections. It helps to eliminate call backs.

[Karl Foster]

Thanks Mike. It is good to have free professional advice!