johnsto1- Thanks. Well that is an interesting play on HFC buildouts. In a related matter, by pure coincidence, I happened to upgrade to digital TV set-top yesterday. But in doing so, we encounted some problems. Due to the number of drops in my house(lots of splitters) and lengths of runs(winding around the attic), the signal was so weakened as to make the digitally broadcast channels, unworkable. So the tech pulls out this device I never heard of before. It was an in-line CPE amplifier specifically made for boosting the signal within the home distribution network.
But it needs power to run. And I thought it was pretty neat how they got power out to the box bolted to the out-side of the house. They took a drop I was not using inside the home, and literally ended up plugging the coaxial fitting into a convenient 110v socket right next to the coaxial fitting! Of course it had to go through an adapter first. But basically that's what he did. Used the coaxial cable as an extension cord.
So then the power backs out of my house, back into the home run, back to the box outside. From there it's plugged into the mini-amplifier. And from the mini-amplifier goes all the home runs, to the other drops in the house. So he goes in and re-checks all the drops inside. Bingo! They are literally twice, and three times the original signal strength.
Well that made me understand how cable telephony will work. For lifeline services, power will have to be run from somewhere in the distribution network to power up the phone in the home. Therefore that power line is going to be susceptable to lightning strikes. And my guess is, a lightening strike on an HFC shared system, may cause considerably more damage than a strike on a twisted copper system. Hence the importance of a surge protection.
Not that I know this has anything to do, at this time, with the company you mentioned. But I thought I would throw in what my MSO did because it was interesting and, for sure, somewhat related.
Maybe it's because I'm somewhat of a geek, but I think it's pretty cool that not only that coaxial cable (which we come to strictly associate Television only with for 50 years), is going to do data, but it's doing voice. AND now even power which I got to see it work with my own eyes.<g> -MikeM(From Florida)
PS1 The company nameplate on the CPE coaxial amplifier is, "Electroline." Apparently it's based in Canada. I've done no DD on it yet.
PS2 The nameplate on the multitude of splitters in the box is, "Regal." I believe ANTC's Telewire division owns Regal.
PS3 The pizza box sized digital set-top is supplied by General Instruments. As most know, GIC was bought by MOT. |
