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Penguin
7/14/2006, 03:07 PM
I need to split a cable so that one cable wire will go to the Tivo and one can go straight to the TV.


There's a slight problem. I have no way to ground the splitter. I live in an apartment and can't go around drilling holes in the wall.


Does anybody know of a good redneck way to ground a splitter?
Tear Down This Wall
7/14/2006, 03:13 PM
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/3973/CGUY2.jpg
SoonerBorn68
7/14/2006, 03:16 PM
balin' wire & a window sill, maybe?
Mjcpr
7/14/2006, 03:17 PM
I need to split a cable so that one cable wire will go to the Tivo and one can go straight to the TV.

Why? Isn't that REALLY going to screw up the signal?
Widescreen
7/14/2006, 03:18 PM
Ground? Pfft.

If you're that concerned about grounding, I'd just get a surge suppressor power strip that has coax input/output and run the cable through there. The 3rd prong of the power strip should effectively ground it.
OUDoc
7/14/2006, 03:20 PM
Don't need no stinking ground.
Penguin
7/14/2006, 03:21 PM
balin' wire & a window sill, maybe?

Wire to a window sill? Will that work? The TV's pretty close to a window.
Penguin
7/14/2006, 03:23 PM
Don't need no stinking ground.


I didn't ground it when I hooked up my Time Warner DVR. It was fried in about 7 days.


I could feel tingling when I touched the wire. I kinda liked it.
Widescreen
7/14/2006, 03:25 PM
I didn't ground it when I hooked up my Time Warner DVR. It was fried in about 7 days.


I could feel tingling when I touched the wire. I kinda liked it.
If it's doing that, you've got real problems. Get the TW dudes out posthaste. I don't think it's normal to feel electrical current through the coax.
SoonerBorn68
7/14/2006, 03:25 PM
Actually the surge protector thingy idear is the best. I've got my Tivo hooked up that way. It'll ground fine.
mdklatt
7/14/2006, 03:28 PM
Does anybody know of a good redneck way to ground a splitter?

First you need to make sure the wall outlet is grounded properly. Get yourself a paperclip...
Penguin
7/14/2006, 03:29 PM
Actually the surge protector thingy idear is the best. I've got my Tivo hooked up that way. It'll ground fine.

Where would I put the splitter? Connect it to the outgoing connection out of the surge protector?


I got me one of those surge protectors with the cable dealies on there.
Flagstaffsooner
7/14/2006, 03:31 PM
Wire to a window sill? Will that work? The TV's pretty close to a window.Hell, no. Take the cover of of any electrical outlet and pull it out. Attach a wite to the green screw, that is ground. Turn off the power first or we will have fried penguin for dinner.
Partial Qualifier
7/14/2006, 03:39 PM
mmm, fried penguin & sody crackers.
Penguin
7/14/2006, 03:43 PM
I just hooked up the surge protector. The signal sucks. Oh, well.
Mjcpr
7/14/2006, 03:46 PM
Why? Isn't that REALLY going to screw up the signal?

K....thanks.
GottaHavePride
7/14/2006, 04:03 PM
Actually the surge protector thingy idear is the best. I've got my Tivo hooked up that way. It'll ground fine.
When I did that it comletely ****ed up my cable signal. Half the channels came through looking like low-bandwidth internet video - all giant neon-colored squares and no sound. The cable people told me those surge protector things are the cause of aobut 50% of the service calls they go on.

EDIT: and the coax cable itself should already be grounded. The cable people also told me not to worry about grounding the splitters. If you've got current going through yours you have a problem somewhere.
BajaOklahoma
7/14/2006, 04:17 PM
I've had a splitter on our cable for 15 years or so - the same one. Never had a problem.
Penguin
7/14/2006, 04:23 PM
How come nobody warned me about the signal strength?
BajaOklahoma
7/14/2006, 04:27 PM
You can buy some sort of signal amplifer.
We had to get one because we had 7 cables boxes at one point. It's still up in the attic, still plugged in. It helped a lot.
SoonerBorn68
7/14/2006, 04:41 PM
When I did that it comletely ****ed up my cable signal.

Oops. I guess it makes a difference. I've got satellite. :D
Widescreen
7/14/2006, 04:56 PM
It probably depends on if you've got digital or analog cable. On satellite or digital cable, the signal can be split after the cable/sat box only.
85Sooner
7/14/2006, 05:48 PM
Don't need no stinking ground.
Ding Ding Ding
We have a winner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Penguin
7/14/2006, 06:09 PM
I don't have any wire, so I decided to use a speaker wire. I hooked the splitter to the speaker wire and I stapled it to a green wire sticking out of my power outlet.


The signal strength seems to be OK, but everytime Israel drops a bomb, I get static.