Had a head-scratcher with a dual outlet install

I put in a dual coax outlet for a splitter setup yesterday. One side works great but the other has a weak picture. Do you guys check the splitter specs every time or is there a trick I'm forgetting?

4 comments

4 Comments

miles_gibson1mo ago

Come on, who actually reads those tiny numbers on the splitter? Just swap the coax cables to the other ports and see if that fixes it first.

nancyjones1mo ago

Wait, you didn't check if it was a balanced splitter? Oh man, that's the first thing I look for. A cheap two-way splitter will often have one port at -3.5dB and the other at like -7dB. If you hooked the TV to the -7 port, you'd get a weak picture for sure. Did you just grab whatever was in the toolbox?

jamesf2926d ago

Yeah, and those cheap ones can really mess with your signal.

irisowens1mo ago

Last year, I watched a cable installer on YouTube talk about this EXACT problem. He said cheap two-way splitters often have one port at -3.5dB and the other at -7dB, just like nancyjones mentioned. If you connect your TV to the -7dB port, the signal is WAY too weak for a good picture. I always look for a balanced splitter now, where both ports are -3.5dB. It makes a HUGE difference in signal strength. So yeah, definitely check the splitter specs before hooking everything up.