RickM
@sbcglobal.net
| RF Filtering from Ham Radio
Has anyone experienced any issues with RF interference from ham radio stations? I have had a few problems where my DSL modem picked up RF and I would lose my connection. Swapping out the modem has fixed those problems without fail.
If my TV drops or the internet is dropping out, my family will not be happy and neither would I.
I have Dishnet and have never had an issue with RF getting into any of that equipment, even though the dish is about 15 feet from my antenna. |
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ILpt4U
Premium
join:2006-11-12
Lisle, IL
 ·AT&T Yahoo
 ·AT&T U-Verse
 ·magicjack.com
| If you are worried about RF interference, a coax home run might be the best option for the job -- due to shielding.
Is the phone line that services your house buried (run to a pedestal in the yard) or aerial (run to a telephone pole)? Buried phone "drop" cable is shielded as well -- again good. Aerial phone "drop" cable usually is not shielded, but shielded drop is beginning to show up. If there is RF interference, might need better shielding, bonding, & grounding of the shields to minimize the RF interference. |
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RickM
@sbcglobal.net
| reply to RickM
The phone line is buried, and recently replaced because the neighbor drove a big stake through it three months ago. AT&T came out after 7 days to fix it. (Note they don't get in a hurry for outages; We're the phone company and you will have to wait!)
I could run coax if that is an option. Is RG-6 what they would typically use?
What type of connector? I obviously have quite a selection, or I can leave it unterminated. |
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ILpt4U
Premium
join:2006-11-12
Lisle, IL
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T U-Verse
·magicjack.com
| From the NID on the side of your house to your RG, yeah Coax might not be a bad idea. But unless Coax was used originally, you'll need a tech out to install the VDSL Coax Balun to connect the Coax to the Twisted Pair Drop.
If you have Tri or Quad Shield RG-6 Ran from the NID to where your RG is, and you want to terminate it, terminate with good RG-6 Compression fittings. Otherwise, leave it unterminated & the tech can handle that part.
Also have the U-Verse Prem Tech get an I&R Tech out as well, to double-check the bonding & grounding @ the pedestal in the yard. When the drop was replaced due to your neighbors stake, the new drop might not have been properly grounded. |
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dave006
join:1999-12-26
Boca Raton, FL
·AT&T U-Verse
1 edit | reply to RickM
Since you stated that by replacing your ADSL modem you were able to get past the interferences issues in the past, you should be fine with a Cat5e or an RG-6 run from the NID to your RG. The issue you mentioned was most likely do to the poor shielding of the ASDL chipset on the individual Modem.
If you really want to go above minimum and meet the Class B EMC requirements you might want to consider a run of Cat6. You only need a single pair out of the bundle to make the connection at the RG. The RG supports both types of connections: RJ-11 and Coax. The Prem Tech does not carry Cat6 and they will use either Coax or Cat5e. If it is a new run, I would go with Cat5e over Coax.
Dave |
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ILpt4U
Premium
join:2006-11-12
Lisle, IL
·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T U-Verse
·magicjack.com
| said by dave006  :Since you stated that by replacing your ADSL modem you were able to get past the interferences issues in the past, you should be fine with a Cat5e or an RG-6 run from the NID to your RG. The issue you mentioned was most likely do to the poor shielding of the ASDL chipset on the individual Modem. If you really want to go above minimum and meet the Class B EMC requirements you might want to consider a run of Cat6. You only need a single pair out of the bundle to make the connection at the RG. The RG supports both types of connections: RJ-11 and Coax. The Prem Tech does not carry Cat6 and they will use either Coax or Cat5e. If it is a new run, I would go with Cat5e over Coax. Dave The only reason I was suggesting a new Coax home run was because it is shielded. Cat 5e, and Cat 6, usually is unshielded. While the twist is supposed to eliminate cross-talk & interference, a strong enough radio signal, like a Ham Radio possibly, could still cause interference to unshielded cable.
If you really want to go all out, get shielded Cat 5e/shielded Cat 6, bond it to the ground in the NID, and run that to your RG. Techs do NOT carry shielded inside wiring. |
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RickM
@sbcglobal.net
| reply to RickM
Ok, I can do that. I think I still have available some STP or will buy some new 5e or 6e STP for this run.
My main switch gear is in the shack and pretty centrally located. Should I have the RG installed here next to my network switch, firewall and wireless all on a UPS?
I can drop Cat-5 to the two TV locations by following or replacing the existing coax runs. |
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ILpt4U
Premium
join:2006-11-12
Lisle, IL | If you do run shielded, for it to be effective, it has to be bonded & grounded (easiest place to do that being the ground bar inside the NID). An ungrounded shield will cause more harm than good. |
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lew_jean
join:2005-05-13
Marietta, GA
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to RickM
I have a 100 Watt ham station with in 10 ft or the RG and no problems. my U-Verse is all cat5e through out
you may want to start looking st the coax for your station.
make sure you are using a high quality coax, not the stuff that Rasio shack sells
My 2 cents
Lew
N4HRA |
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JonPhy
join:2009-04-06
San Jose, CA | VDSL is smarter than ADSL and is capable of tuning out bit buckets that are being influenced by RF interference by using SRA and RRA. |
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dave006
join:1999-12-26
Boca Raton, FL
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to RickM
said by RickM :
Ok, I can do that. I think I still have available some STP or will buy some new 5e or 6e STP for this run.
My main switch gear is in the shack and pretty centrally located. Should I have the RG installed here next to my network switch, firewall and wireless all on a UPS?
I can drop Cat-5 to the two TV locations by following or replacing the existing coax runs.
While the RG can go almost anywhere, it sounds like your current equipment location sounds good. The RG only comes with a UPS when you get the voice package so having a UPS to connect to is always a great idea. No power to the RG means, no Internet, IPTV and / or optionally phone.
If you are going drop new lines, I would suggest Cat5e since it can support Gigabit, future proofing at a good price.
Since all the IPTV is delivered from the RG via Coax or ethernet, it is best if it is centrally located for your network. Also, you mentioned a firewaill and wireless, do you plan to keep both with the RG? Let us know the specifics and we can provide some recommendations on configuration options. You might find the RG can meet all of your needs.
Note: Coax to STBs is really HPNA 3.1 for IPTV and is limited to 112 Mbps combined unlike Ethernet that is currently 100 Mbps per port.
Dave |
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RickM
@sbcglobal.net
| Dave,
Some really good information in your reply and I appreciate that. I work in a support and programming world and I see both good and bad responses. I certainly like the good ones because they are obviously much more useful.
Currently I have test servers and 4 desktops behind the router. I use the IPCop to filter content and SpamAssassin on email. I get very little trash on my accounts this way and I can't tell you the last time I had a PC infected from web surfing. My business would suffer if that happened. I will put the IPCop in the DMZ and keep the critical systems protected. This will also allow me to remote back to them from a customer location when needed.
I probably should start another thread for my last question about being without an internet connection. I read many horror stories here about installers leaving them off for days while they troubleshoot or put back an old installation and that certainly scares me. My business would suffer if I couldn't provide remote support for more than two days.
Rick |
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dave006
join:1999-12-26
Boca Raton, FL
·AT&T U-Verse
| The install problem is often caused by excited people. Just make sure the Prem Tech checks the signal at the NID before starting the install. The challenge is that in some AT&T regions you have to release the ADSL before the U-verse install can be scheduled. What major city are you located near and do you currently have ADSL directly from AT&T or another provider? (I see you are posting from the sbcglobal.net domain but just want to make sure).
There is no need to even drop the current ADSL line until the base signal is measured. There may be a difference between the pair used for the existing connection back to the DSLAM and the pair that will be used for the VDSL signal from the VRAD.
Dave |
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RickM
@sbcglobal.net
| Dave,
I am still doing my best to convince myself to give this a try. I have a little more comfort seeing actual AT&T folks posting help related messages here and seemingly solving problems.
I am in Little Rock, AR and the DSLAM (RT) and the VRAD for my area seems to be sitting within 300 feet of each other. I can't confirm its actual location, but I know where the RT is and I see additional boxes on the next block.
Just tonight, I had to shut down my internet and let it get a new IP so my speed would come back. I have a 6 Mb/s circuit and it was running about 500 Kb/s. Restarted and it popped back to 3 Mb/s so I will have to check further to see what happened to my other chunk.
I am not a proponent of reboots. |
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