Coaxial line disconnection - terminator?

[electrofelon]

I have a hardline coaxial line, like the ones on poles utilities use, that I need to disconnect and throw in the bushes . See picture. Does anyone know anything about these? I loosen the fittings but it doesn't seem to want to come up part. Does it need some sort of Terminator? The unit on the right in the picture has a cap or Terminator on the right side but like the other fittings I loosen it but it's still held by something.

 

[egnlsn]

What's the other end of the cable connected to? If it's still connected to the system, you can't just take those apart. Doing so would cause a multitude of problems for the system and subscribers. In many cases, there's also 60VAC present.

 

[electrofelon]

What's the other end of the cable connected to? If it's still connected to the system, you can't just take those apart. Doing so would cause a multitude of problems for the system and subscribers. In many cases, there's also 60VAC present.

The other end is connected to a two Port splitter, similar to the one on the left in the photo: Hardline in, Hardline out, 2 customer ports but only one being used

 

[electrofelon]

So what you see in the photo was a dead end not being used, and it's about 150 ft to the previous Pole where I would like to disconnect it. What sort of problems would disconnecting the hard line output cause?

 

[hbiss]

No, you can't disconnect it without causing problems. Call the cable company and report that their line and equipment is laying on the ground.

How did it get that way anyway? Is it your property?

-Hal

 

[hbiss]

So what you see in the photo was a dead end not being used,

Actually, it is being used. Consider it a service drop disconnected from the building but still connected at the pole.

Call the cable company!

-Hal

 

[electrofelon]

No, you can't disconnect it without causing problems. Call the cable company and report that their line and equipment is laying on the ground.

How did it get that way anyway? Is it your property?

-Hal

This is my client's property. We took the line down because it was in the way of an aerial electrical line we needed to run . It is not being used and will never be used, they just put it up by default when they did the build out 30 years ago or whatever. To put it back up I would have to move the attachment point on the poles which I could do but I would rather just get rid of it.

 

[electrofelon]

Call the cable company!

-Hal

I would rather stab my eyes out than call the cable company.

 

[egnlsn]

I understand that BUT, they pay for the legal right to be there. In many states, a cable television company is a public utility. Your merely taking the cable off the poles could be considered vandalism. In addition to potential issues with the system, there could be legal ramifications.

Call the cable company!

 

[hbiss]

Your merely taking the cable off the poles could be considered vandalism. In addition to potential issues with the system, there could be legal ramifications.

That cable and equipment doesn't belong to your client so it's not his to remove. Trying to deal with it yourself can cause subscribers to have their internet, phone and TV service disrupted costing the cable company substantial money in refunds. So, your liability is similar to digging without locating and severing a cable. Hope your insurance is paid up.

-Hal

 

[electrofelon]

Update. I disconnected and removed the line, all is good. I didn't realize the taps have screws that clamp down the center conductor, which is why I was having trouble getting them apart.

 

[hbiss]

I didn't realize the taps have screws that clamp down the center conductor, which is why I was having trouble getting them apart.

I didn't want to tell you that.

How do you know all is good? It takes time for people to call for service and even longer for the cable company to figure out what has happened.

-Hal

 

[hbiss]

I once had a job in a building and the owner wanted a 6" bundle of phone and data cables removed from a space he was leasing. There were other tenants in the building. I handed him a Sawzall and told him to have at it. I didn't want the responsibility of possibly putting other tenants out of business and the legal problems that probably would have put me out of business.

-Hal

 

[LarryFine]

I handed him a Sawzall and told him to have at it.

Then what happened? Don't leave us hanging!

 

[hbiss]

Then what happened? Don't leave us hanging!

I assume nothing or at least nothing he was going to admit to me. He just insisted that he wanted that cable out of the space and he has much deeper pockets than I do.

-Hal

 

[electrofelon]

I once had a job in a building and the owner wanted a 6" bundle of phone and data cables removed from a space he was leasing. There were other tenants in the building. I handed him a Sawzall and told him to have at it. I didn't want the responsibility of possibly putting other tenants out of business and the legal problems that probably would have put me out of business.

-Hal

I'm pretty good at taking care of those old Telco rats nests. My main client bought a three story office building and each floor had a rats nest. Got to it and we had a three foot high pile of 66 blocks, dsl modems, pair gain devices, etc.....we didn't disrupt anyone's service.

 

[electrofelon]

How do you know all is good? It takes time for people to call for service and even longer for the cable company to figure out what has happened.

-Hal

Exactly! We'll be gone and the check will have cleared!

 

[hbiss]

Exactly! We'll be gone and the check will have cleared!

Remember guys, if they come here looking for him we have no idea where he is.

-Hal

 

[electrofelon]

Here is the pile of stuff we took down. Got some cable, some phone, some triplex (we combined three OH services into one). Cleanin' up the neighborhood! I emailed the POCO field rep told him we took care of most everything, all the line crew needed to do was make perm the connection at the service point and take the 2 old meters. Might get scolded a bit, we'll see . Wild west here in upstate NY

 

[Fred B]

Here is the pile of stuff we took down. Got some cable, some phone, some triplex (we combined three OH services into one). Cleanin' up the neighborhood! I emailed the POCO field rep told him we took care of most everything, all the line crew needed to do was make perm the connection at the service point and take the 2 old meters. Might get scolded a bit, we'll see . Wild west here in upstate NY

That's why my fiber quit working.