Would terminating the unused cable outlets reduce interference?

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Colt45

Lifer
Apr 18, 2001
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pick up interference? probably not, not enough power to matter at least. Reflections and funky power levels are possible, though.

they shouldn't cost more than $0.25, so go for it...
 

Pegun

Golden Member
Jan 18, 2004
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I think the real question is where is the splitter which all of your cable jacks are running from? You might be better off terminating at the splitter or removing the splitter altogether to allow for a better signal that isn't being separated in to individual streams.
 

50

Platinum Member
May 7, 2003
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Yes, you definitely want to terminate to match your impedances, and have less reflections. Sorry to thread jack, but I was wondering what does noise look like on an analog signal? I have a WinTV card and I've noticed lately while watching analog cable (clearQAM digital is fine) that occasionally the screen will turn into a bunch of boxes like what happens with streaming video sometimes. Is this a problem with my cable or my video card (I assume its the cable since the digital doesn't have this problem). Thanks
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
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Originally posted by: 50
Yes, you definitely want to terminate to match your impedances, and have less reflections. Sorry to thread jack, but I was wondering what does noise look like on an analog signal? I have a WinTV card and I've noticed lately while watching analog cable (clearQAM digital is fine) that occasionally the screen will turn into a bunch of boxes like what happens with streaming video sometimes. Is this a problem with my cable or my video card (I assume its the cable since the digital doesn't have this problem). Thanks

That's not something that would happen to an analog signal because of interference. The signal could be digitized upstream, and the interference could be happening there. Or that could just be the way your video card handles a bad signal.
 

Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
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Yes, use the terminators, Ahnold. They will do VERY little to prevent noise leaking into your system from the unterminated connector. What they do is prevent the creation within your cables and splitters of reflected signals. The reflections themselves can act like reflected "multi-path" signals in analog TV's running off OTA antennas. More importantly they just end up within the cables canceling out some of your signal and weakening it.
 
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