Mark_K5LXP
Well-known member
Don, you're assuming that the system is working as designed and you're the one missing a key element in making it work. Never underestimate the abilities of unmotivated or inept people that assembled this system. I had the same issue, not because of anything the factory did but the PO that mixed, matched and left cables flapping in the breeze after putting in some multi cable box thing. Since yours is new that eliminates the chance someone mucked with it after the fact but does not eliminate the chance it wasn't put together right in the first place. This is like showing up at that remote radio site that everyone has a key for that has been repeatedly haywired and band-aided. You get to first figure out what's going on before you can evem begin to troubleshoot what you went there for in the first place. So if it's totally confounding and you can't seem to figure it out I see few options, one being to drop it off at a service center and getting them to figure it out (good luck) or ringing out the connections yourself. Maybe you can get some kind of schematic or block diagram, that would go a long way to know what should be where, then you can verify the paths. Otherwise it's down to you making your own point to point diagram and figuring out what it's supposed to do, and if it's doing it. I ended up tearing into behind the upper front end cap cabinets (where all the cables seemed to terminate) and verifying each one. I used a 1980's channel 3 modulator as a signal source and a small LCD TV as a receiver, which has a signal strength meter in the setup menu. I found trying to use off the air signals was too confusing due to leakage. One discovery I made is that the factory had the presence of mind to mark the ends of the RG-6 with colored tape, so it worked out that if I found 2 ends with the same color there was an excellent (though not 100%) chance it was the same cable. It ended up that it wasn't very complicated but there were disconnected cables stuffed back behind the cabinets no amount of testing or ringing out would magically reconnect, so my effort was the only path. At the end of the day (weekend) of messing with it I was rewarded with all inputs and outputs working as they should. Maybe with yours just start with taking the jack plates off and seeing if there's anything hooked up on the other side, and see if there's any kind of marking or labeling that will help you gain insight of what might be connected from here to there. Just that information might be enough to put the puzzle together for you.
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM