c/cable-installers

Rant: I keep seeing folks staple coax too tight on vinyl siding

Was out on a service call in Raleigh last Tuesday and the homeowner's TV signal kept cutting out - found the cable crimped flat where someone stapled it across a lap joint. Over three years I've fixed maybe 15 calls from one neighborhood alone that traced back to over-tightened staples on the outside runs. Anyone else run into this and have a better trick for securing the line without crushing it?

My ladder slipped on a wet driveway in Tampa and I nearly ended up in the ER

Heard a foreman bragging about terminating 200 coax ends in a day and I called him out

I did the math on that and it's like 2 minutes per connector including prep and testing no way that's accurate unless half of them fail downstream so who else has had to deal with unrealistic speed quotas from someone who hasn't touched a tool in 5 years?

That time I swore by the old 3-way splice method and got proven wrong

Back in 2006 I was doing a big install in an old apartment building in Cleveland and kept using the old twist-and-tape method for splices, figured it was fine since that's what my mentor taught me. Then a senior guy showed me one of those waterproof gel-filled connectors on a wet basement run and I watched it hold up while my taped splices failed after 3 months of moisture. Has anyone else had an old-school trick they defended forever that turned out to be junk?

That one trick with T1s where you can skip the punchdown tool

Been doing this 8 years and just figured out you can pop the wires into a 66 block with a flathead screwdriver if you're careful... saved me 20 minutes on a tight call back in Elmhurst last month. Anyone else found weird shortcuts like that or am I the only one who got sick of carrying extra tools?

I finally switched from compression to crimp connectors

Used compression fittings for years on RG6 because that's what my first lead taught me. Last month a job in Oak Park had me redoing 4 terminations that failed the signal test. Switched to crimp connectors and haven't had a single bad connection since. Anyone else find crimp more reliable for outdoor drops?

That brand new spool of RG6 that snapped inside the wall

I was running a drop in a new build over in Greenwood yesterday, pulled maybe 30 feet of fresh PPC coax and it just gave way inside the drywall. Turned out the jacket looked fine but the copper center had this tiny crack from the factory, so I had to cut out a whole section and splice it. Anyone else seen bad batches from suppliers lately or am I just unlucky?

That one customer who actually showed me something useful

I was out in Oakmont last Tuesday doing a standard cable drop for a new customer. Older guy, maybe 70, comes out to the truck and starts watching me run the line. Most people just stand there or ask how long it'll take. But he noticed I was fighting with a tight bend around a corner and asked if he could show me something. He pulls out this homemade plastic sleeve, just a cut piece of PVC with a slit down the side. Said he used to work for the phone company back in the 80s. I popped the line into that sleeve and it slid around the corner like nothing. I've been doing this gig for six years and never thought of that. Anyone else run into old timers with tricks like that? I've been making my own sleeves out of scrap conduit now.

Finally tried a fish tape reel vs just pulling by hand

I was always too cheap to buy a proper fish tape reel, been using a basic 25 foot one for years. Picked up a Klein reel kit after fighting a nasty conduit run in an old apartment building last week. Cut my time on the next job by almost half and my hands thank me. Anyone else stick with the old way too long before upgrading?

Spent 3 hours fishing a coax cable through a wall that should have taken 20 minutes

Man, I swear I've run a thousand cables in my time, but this one house in Arlington last Tuesday kicked my butt. The customer wanted a wall plate in their living room, nothing crazy. I figured it'd be a quick in-and-out, maybe 20 minutes tops. Three hours later I'm still fighting with a fire block I didn't account for and some old insulation that was packed in there like concrete. I finally had to drill a new access hole from the basement and use a glow rod to snake it up. Talk about a humbling day lol. What's the longest you've ever been stuck on a simple install job?

My crimper died halfway through a 12-unit apartment complex in Nashville

I was on the third floor of this old building yesterday, running coax for a new install. About 30 connections in, my crimper just seized up. Couldn't close the jaws all the way, so every connector was loose. I tried oiling it right there on the job - no luck. Had to drive 20 minutes back to the shop to grab my backup, lost nearly an hour of work. The customer was watching me the whole time too, standing in the doorway with this look. Has anyone else had a tool fail at the worst possible moment and had to scramble?

Water in the drop line ruined my whole morning on a commercial job

Was working on a new construction site near downtown Austin last Tuesday, pulling coax for a 12-unit apartment building. Got about 60 feet of RG6 pulled before I noticed the cable felt heavy and wet. Found out the spool had been sitting outside overnight and water got into the jacket. Had to cut and re-pull that whole run, which added an extra 45 minutes to my day. Anyone else ever get burned by leaving spools uncovered on the truck bed overnight?

Old timer told me to always strip coax with my teeth, ended up costing me a service call

I was on a job in a tight attic crawlspace and this retired installer I met at a supply house said just bite the jacket off, it's faster than a tool. So I tried it on a run in a customer's new build and the jacket split crooked, nicked the braid, and I got a bad signal return loss. Two days later the customer called in complaining about pixelation and I had to redo the whole drop for free. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from some old-timer that just flat out backfired?

Had to pick between fish tape or glow rods for a tricky basement pull yesterday

I went with the glow rods cause the conduit had three 90s and I figured fish tape would just snag every time. Took me 45 minutes to wrestle the coax through anyway, has anyone found a trick for these tight bends?

Saw the difference 6 months after switching to flat compression connectors

I put flat compression connectors on a 24-unit apartment building back in March and went back last week for a service call. The signal levels were way more stable compared to the old crimp connectors I used to use on every job. Anyone else notice a big difference after making the switch?

Wasted $200 on a crimping tool that couldn't handle RG6

I bought one of those cheap ratcheting crimpers from an online auction site last month. Figured it would be fine for the smaller jobs I do on the side. First time I used it on a compression fitting for RG6, the die slipped and crushed the connector sideways. Tried it three more times with the same result. Had to go back to my old Klein tool and throw that $200 in the trash. Anybody else get burned by bargain bin tools like this?

Cable ties vs velcro wraps on a big commercial job last week - one clearly wins

I was running a 4-floor office building downtown and had to choose between using cable ties or velcro wraps everywhere. The ties are cheaper no doubt but when you got 200+ bundles and need to add or move a line later, the velcro saves your back. I swapped a bundle in under a minute versus having to cut and re-tie everything. Has anyone else made the switch on a big project and noticed the time difference?

Appreciation post: That one Tuesday where everything went right on a 8-connector job

Last month I had this job in a older house over in Oakville where I was running coax through a crawl space I could barely fit in. Turns out the previous guy had left these perfect pull strings from a past install, no joke it saved me like 2 hours of fishing. The homeowner was super chill, brought out lemonade and didn't hover while I worked, which is rare in my experience. I got all four rooms terminated and tested in under four hours, and the signal levels were spot on without any tweaking. My dispatcher even called to say the next job got pushed to the next day, so I wrapped up early and grabbed tacos on the way home. It felt weird not fighting with drywall or dealing with angry customers, like the universe just let me have one easy day. Has anyone else ever hit a job that just fell into place like that, or do you think I used up all my luck for the year?

That safety tip about never coiling cable around your hand almost cost me a finger

Old timer told me it was fine, just a bad habit people overreact about. Last Tuesday I was pulling some RG6 through a tight crawlspace, wrapped it around my palm for leverage like always. Cable snapped, wire whipped back and sliced my thumb open. 6 stitches at urgent care. Dont listen to the guys who say its nothing. That tension builds up way more than you think.

Debate: Should we run new lines or reuse existing conduit on residential retrofits?

I tried running new lines through existing conduit on a job in Phoenix last month and the cable got snagged three times, adding 90 minutes to the install. My partner says it's faster to just drill new paths, but I wonder if we're wasting time patching drywall. What's your rule of thumb for when to reuse versus pull fresh?

Down in Austin, finally saw a 6 month old run actually hold signal clean

I had a job in south Austin back in March that was a nightmare, loose connectors and bad barrel splices all through this old apartment building. Went back yesterday for a service call on a different unit and checked the same line out of curiosity. Not a single dropped packet in the logs and the SNR was solid. Has anyone else circled back on an old trouble spot and been shocked it actually held up?

Overheard a homeowner say 'cable duct is just a pipe' - made me laugh out loud

Ngl I was pulling RG6 through a new build in Phoenix last week and the owner was watching me work. He goes 'isn't that just a fancy pipe for wires?' and I wanted to hand him a fish tape and say good luck. Tbh if he tried pulling 200 feet of quad shield through a standard conduit he'd learn real quick why we use Smurf tube or innerduct. Has anyone else dealt with customers who think they can do our job after watching one YouTube video?

Old timer told me to stop using gel crimps for outdoor splices

I always used gel crimps for my outdoor splices because thats what I learned. After a big storm last summer in Phoenix I had to redo 6 of them because they were getting moisture inside. Now I only use heat shrink with adhesive on any outside work. Any of you guys make that switch?.

Rant: Cheap fiber optic connectors cost me a whole Saturday last month in Kalamazoo

Old lady in Henderson taught me a trick about coax cable bends

I was hooking up her cable last Tuesday. She came out and showed me how she used to work for the phone company. Said I was bending the cable too tight around the corner of her house. She showed me a loop method that keeps signal clean. Anybody else get advice from customers that turned out to be right?