Cable Service Problems - What You Can Do, What You Shouldn't Do

All of your F-connectors should look this good

I recently published an article - 5 Ways to Save Money by Avoiding Worthless Cable TV Fixes - to address some of the misconceptions that people have about cable service maintenance and repairs. I didn't write this article to show you how to avoid calling in a professional. Rather, it is a guide for avoiding typical DIY mistakes and for recognizing when a situation is beyond your own abilities to fix.

As a cable guy, one of my biggest pet peeves was the customer who thought that he knew what was causing his cable service problems. Worse yet was the customer who tried to fix things on his own. Yes - some problems can be fairly obvious, and it's good for you to point out your concerns. But troubleshooting is a methodical process, and your cable guy doesn't care about your uninformed guess - even if you're an engineer.

A do-it-yourself attitude is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, you can save yourself a lot of money by performing general maintenance and repairs that most people pay a professional to do. Conversely, a DIY attitude may lead a person to make mistakes and screw things up even more.

Sometimes mistakes are what I call happy mistakes (think: "taking the scenic route") and you wind up learning something even if you wasted some time and energy. Sometimes, though, you don't realize that you've made a mistake because some past experience lead you to believe something that just isn't true.