wjm@lcuxc.UUCP (B. Mitchell) (01/03/85)
<gulp,gulp> I'd use the highest quality connecting cables I can get, for two reasons: 1) There's a lot of EMI/RFI out there and you don't want that stuff getting into your signal lines - for better or worse most VCRs, like most line level audio stuff, are high impedance (typically around 10K or so) and thus are susceptable to hum, hash, and noise pickup. 2) You want a cable that has low attenuation at video frequencies. My suggestions - Monster Cable Interlink Reference (not cheap, but good) or a good grade of coax. I suspect the Sony video cables (which will also work for audio) or Discwasher Gold-ens will give acceptable results if you're not that picky for a far lower price. Recards, Bill Mitchell (ihnp4!lcuxc!wjm)
jeh@ritcv.UUCP (Jim Heliotis) (01/07/85)
I just had a surprising experience. I bought a new TV, and saw that there was
a slight duplicate shadow on each one of my local stations. (My cable company
foolishly retransmits all local VHF stations on the identical channel -- does
ANYone else do that?) I decided that it was something I would have to live
with, or perhaps I would complain one day to my cable company. I then noticed:
- If I used my VCR's tuner, there was no shadow
- If I totally eliminated the VCR from the circuit, there was no shadow from
my TV's tuner.
I then replaced my rather nice-looking 75ohm cable (I got it with my VCR; it
has quick-disconnect F-connectors) with another shoddy-looking one that my
cable company had given me, and voila', the problem disappeared!!
Just goes to show...
Jim Heliotis
{allegra,seismo}!rochester!ritcv!jeh
rocksvax!ritcv!jeh
ritcv!jeh@Rochesterdoug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) (01/08/85)
> I then replaced my rather nice-looking 75ohm cable (I got it with my VCR; it > has quick-disconnect F-connectors) with another shoddy-looking one that my > cable company had given me, and voila', the problem disappeared!! Over the last couple of years I have become absolutely superstitious about the importance of the shield connection. Every time I have had a problem, it has been fixed by either 1) throwing out a cable with the push-on connectors and replacing it with a screw-on cable, or 2) using a wrench on the screw-on, rather than just finger-tightening it. If you want good pictures, you'll have to accept that you'll need a wrench whenever you want to mess with your cabling. Doug Pardee -- Terak Corp. -- !{hao,ihnp4,decvax}!noao!terak!doug
dwl10@amdahl.UUCP (Dave Lowrey) (01/09/85)
> I just had a surprising experience. I bought a new TV, and saw that there was > a slight duplicate shadow on each one of my local stations. (My cable company > foolishly retransmits all local VHF stations on the identical channel -- does > ANYone else do that?) > > I then replaced my rather nice-looking 75ohm cable (I got it with my VCR; it > has quick-disconnect F-connectors) with another shoddy-looking one that my > cable company had given me, and voila', the problem disappeared!! > Definately, beware of any of the "flexible" 75 ohm cables that you get with your vcr/disk. The shielding and the dielectric thickness are marginal at best. I think every cable company that I have ever dealt with has re-broadcast local channels on the same cable channel. Shoddy cables will pick up both the cable-tv signal and the regular broadcast signal, producing the above mentioned ghosts. I also avoid quick-connect cables. Thew will inevitably work loose. When the guy from the cable company installed my hookup, I asked him for some extra cable and connectors. He left me 100 feet of cable and 16 F connectors (being a contractor, he didn't give a shit.). I then made my own cables (at the exact required length). If worst comes to worst, go to radio shack. But be carefull, there are two types of F connectors, one for RG-59, and one for RG-56 (different dielectric thickness). The moral of the story is.....If you are having cable-tv interference problems, suspect your cables! -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Dave Lowrey "GORT...Klatu borada niktow" ...!{nsc,sun,hplabs,ihnp4}!amdahl!dwl10 [ The opinions expressed <may> be those of the author and not necessarily those of his most eminent employer. ]
dmmartindale@watcgl.UUCP (Dave Martindale) (01/09/85)
In article <1466@ritcv.UUCP> jeh@ritcv.UUCP (Jim Heliotis) writes: >I just had a surprising experience. I bought a new TV, and saw that there was >a slight duplicate shadow on each one of my local stations. > > [section describing diagnosis of problem] > >I then replaced my rather nice-looking 75ohm cable (I got it with my VCR; it >has quick-disconnect F-connectors) with another shoddy-looking one that my >cable company had given me, and voila', the problem disappeared!! The "shadow" was an image due to a reflected copy of the signal reaching the TV a bit delayed from the original. The reflection was due to improper termination of the signal somewhere. Since the signal was getting through, it must have been a poor ground connection at one end of your new cable. The only thing that F-connectors have going for them is that they cost so little. They are awful connectors. I wish that the industry had standardized on something like BNC - they aren't that much more expensive, are quick-connect, lock in place, and don't fall off the cable ends so easily. The "quick-connect" F-connectors give you convenience, but at the expense of everything else. Yechh.
ron@brl-tgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (01/11/85)
> I think every cable company that I have ever dealt > with has re-broadcast local channels on the same cable channel. > Shoddy cables will pick up both the cable-tv signal and the regular > My cable company mixes up the channels for most everything. 2->12 11->21 13->23 5->25 they do get 22 and 26 right however.
wagner@uw-june (Dave Wagner) (01/11/85)
Hey all you video folks, why don't you take your video discussions over
to net.video? I suppose it could be argued that the questions about
Beta/VHS HiFi have a right to be here (HiFi is the key word), but this
discussions about VCR cables definitely does not!
Give us non-videophiles a break, please!
Dave Wagner
University of Washington Comp Sci Department
wagner@{uw-june.arpa|washington.arpa}
{ihnp4|decvax}!uw-beaver!uw-june!wagner
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"Oh no! I've got . . . . . HAPPY FEET!"tggsu@resonex.UUCP (Tom Gulvin Root) (01/15/85)
> <gulp,gulp> > I'd use the highest quality connecting cables I can get, for two reasons: > 1) There's a lot of EMI/RFI out there and you don't want that stuff getting > into your signal lines - for better or worse most VCRs, like most line > level audio stuff, are high impedance (typically around 10K or so) and thus > are susceptable to hum, hash, and noise pickup. > 2) You want a cable that has low attenuation at video frequencies. > My suggestions - Monster Cable Interlink Reference (not cheap, but good) > or a good grade of coax. I suspect the Sony video cables (which will > also work for audio) or Discwasher Gold-ens will give acceptable results > if you're not that picky for a far lower price. > Recards, > Bill Mitchell (ihnp4!lcuxc!wjm) I have a laser disk player and locate it in a closet because it's an early one and they are quite noisy. I used to locate it adjacent to the tv with a 3 foot gold end, high cost, high hipe rca connector. When I moved it to the closet, I used about 25 feet of Radio-Shack's plain $3.50/12 feet of RCA extension. I live in an area where normal TV reception is being constantly knocked out by the neighbors coffee grinder, etc. and landing planes at the nearby Naval Air Station. I noticed *absolutely* no difference in the video on the screen (I align my own prjection tv and focus both the crt's and optics from time to time - I would notice the difference). I would be very wary of the claims made for these super connectors. Tom Gulvin - Resonex, Inc. - Sunnyvale, CA.