It's time to talk tools again. Today's subject is coaxial cable compression fittings and those tools used to terminate them. I recently stepped into the 2nd decade of the 21st century and bought a video streaming dongle, Google Chromecast, for my less-than-smart TV. It requires an HDMI port, an internet source with wireless modem, and a source of AC power. I installed it quite easily. However, a subset of Murphy's Law seems to have kicked in – "Any easy installation can and will disturb something that previously works."
I had previously relied on a Wifi-ready smart Blu-Ray player for Netflix and the like. It's software is getting older and clunkier, and no updates are coming from Panasonic. I still use it for discs, but less and less for streamed movies. For most TV, I rely on an over-the-air antenna, which unlike the newer hi-tech stuff, still works as well today as the day I first installed it. If anything, there are more digital TV channels in my area than 10 years ago. I never had cable TV, and never plan to have it.
This somewhat wordy introduction brings me to my problem. After I installed the dongle behind my TV set, the antenna feed got buggy. The video and audio would rapidly cut in and out so much that it was unwatchable. Tightening the antenna connection didn't change anything. If I switched the TV's video source from the antenna to the dongle or the Blu-Ray player, the problem disappeared. So the TV is ok, but the antenna connection went bad.
Fearing I had broken something behind the TV's threaded antenna connector, I brought it into a local repair shop. The owner plugged in his local antenna, and it worked fine. The guy said, take your TV home, no charge! (See below.) He further said "He was certain I had disturbed the connection between my antenna cable and the compression fitting. Try replacing the F connector."
To make a long story short, I did just that, and it all works again, as good as new. In a hurry, I bought a kit that seemed to be made for DIYers not pros,
Klein Tools Coax Installation & Testing Kit VDV002-818. It includes a compression tool, a coax cable stripper, ten RG6/RG6-QS F compression fittings, and a tester. At the time I ordered it, the price was $45. It works as advertised. The directions were in plain English. The rotary stripper needed no adjustments; it only could prepare the coax cable exactly as needed for the Klein brand fittings. (The tester was useless for me. It requires access to both terminated ends of a coaxial cable. The other end of my cable is in the attic, attached to the antenna. I wasn't about to go up there just to use that tester.)
I had always avoided buying one of those tools. They are expensive, and I have only a limited need. But something else bothered me and kept me from buying one until now. There is a wide variety of such tools for sale, as well as a wide variety of compression fittings. Many people who have tried doing this themselves have encountered frustration. I get the distinct impression that these compression fittings don't all comply with a standard way to strip and prepare the coax cable. The Klein fittings I got required a ¼" exposed inner wire, and 5/16" exposed outer shield. The rotary stripper that came in the kit did just that and only that. Apparently, some brands need similar preparation and others require different lengths of exposed outer braid and inner wire. I wonder if this is the source of compression fitting trouble many people seem to have?
Who might know about this?
The electronic repair guy I mentioned is a gem and deserves another plug. (About half a year ago, he repaired an audio amp I have.) He normally charges $45 just for diagnosis, but he waived that for my TV
. I urge anyone in the Maryland/Washington DC area to take your repair business to this guy: