Shielding RG6 Cable

[MichaelCh]

We finally found the problem with intermittent "Complete Signal Loss" messages on one of our sets connected to our Dish 722K receiver. The cabling runs to another floor in the house, and runs through a drop ceiling with a 4 tube fluorescent light in it.

About 6 months ago we started having issues only on one set, we'd get the message "Complete Signal Loss" on a few channels, and at times it would get worse. We finally figured out that when the light was on we'd receive the message-when the light is off we don't have any issues at all. We can recreate the issue over and over, so I'm positive that it's the light. I've also made certain that the light and the receiver are on different breakers in the electrical panel, so I'm positive there is no electrical (voltage) to the receiver.

The coax runs close to the light (within a few inches in the ceiling) and I suspect either the shielding has deteriorated, broken or the for some reason the fluorescent bulbs or ballast are giving off an excess of RF interference. Again, we can consistently replicate the problem simply by turning on the light. If the light stays off we never have an issue. The RG6 cable doesn't have much slack and I can't move it more than a few inches, which doesn't help.

Is there a way to add addtional shielding to the existing RG6 cable? My alternative is to replace the fixture with a standard incandencent one, but before I do that I wanted to find out if there's a simple fix for the cable.

 

[boba]

Go to Home Depot or Lowes and get a replacement ballast for the fixture.

 

[TimberWolf]

how hard would it be to replace the cable and reroute it?

 

[jimdandyvi]

Before I rerouted I would try splicing in a few extra feet of cable so you can move it away from the light fixture. A couple of splices probably won't hurt anything if you use good quality fittings and a barrels.

 

[djacobson]

Of course we can all be assured the cable is grounded properly so the interference will be shunted to ground.

 

[upsss]

All RG6 coax cables are minimum double shielded, aluminum foil + copper or aluminum braid. On an undisturbed cable, the shielding doesn't fail in the middle of the cable for no reason and your TV continues to work. Any time a coax cable fails it is at the connector location where the connector was stressed or corroded. Poorly terminate connectors could contribute to your problem but I don't believe it is the cause of the problem.

I would be very suspicious of your light fixture and replace it ASAP as it could be a fire hazard. Any bad electrical connections in your light fixture would cause arcing (sparks) which will causes wide spectrum RFI (Radio Frequency Interference). Google Spark Gap Transmitter.