Xref: utzoo rec.video:16897 sci.electronics:16354
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!know!sdd.hp.com!ucsd!pacbell.com!pacbell!well!rchao
From: rchao@well.sf.ca.us (Robert Chao)
Newsgroups: rec.video,sci.electronics
Subject: reception problem - need help (cable and local channels)
Message-ID: <22229@well.sf.ca.us>
Date: 18 Dec 90 07:10:38 GMT
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
Lines: 36

I've been having a problem with cable reception:on local channels, there
are slight ghosts and a "bar" about 3" wide near the right of the 20"screen.
In my case 2,4,5,7, and 9 have the problem but 3(HBO), 6(ESPN) and 8 don't.
Two cable people came out and said it was because the cabling on the outside
of my apartment building was old, though they certainly checked and tightened
all my connections and replaced some. The problem is because the local
stations in the air "leak" into the cable stations - so you get ghosts. For
reasons I can't go into right now, I don't think they'll be able to rewire
the outside wires.
But my question is this: why do slight, subtle things I do with my equipment
tend to make the problem noticeably better or worse? For example, at one
point I tried to put on a converter box to see if it would help (it didn't).
When I reconnected everything like before, the ghost bar was far less
distinct than before on one channel. Another time, there was a speaker stand
pressing against the cable from the wall. I pushed the stand away and the
problem seemed to be slightly less.
Today, I put an unused bulletin board against the wall behind the TV. The
problem got slightly worse on one channel. However, plugging and unplugging
and moving things around didn't help! Neither did moving the bulletin board!
So I ask in general:
Why are these things happening? If the "leak" is outside, what diff should it
make when I make slight changes? The cabling is all Belden cable that the 
cable company uses. The TV and VCR are only two years old.
Should the positioning of the cables make any difference: Whether they're 
longer or shorter, taut or sagging? Should normally shielded cabling be
affected by things touching them - that could include other cables of the
same kind, a speaker wire, power wires, the wall, the floors, furniture?
Obviously there is some delicate factor involved that I don't recognize.
Note: on certain times in the past, certain channels had the problem with
the TV but much less when I tune with the VCR and use direct input to the
TV. Would that mean there was a "leak" at that time just in the cord between
the TV and VCR and not between the wall and VCR?
You folks have helped me a great deal in the past - I hope to hear your
suggestions. Thanks to all. It's certainly an annoying problem!
Yours,
Robert Chao