Question MOCA questions, and troubleshooting ?

[explosev]

Hi! I want to start with im new to moca, and I cant find answers to my questions with my few ours of searching, anyway, I have two tivo bridge plus adapters, they take the ethernet to coax, then back to ethernet, they work fine and perform beyond my expectations... when i use them with a 20 foot cable that i have, but I bought two spools of 250 foot coax, and when i connect one, I dont get anything on the adapters. (theres two LEDs, a power and a coax connection light, and id only get the power LED). My first thought was to check continuity of the cable, which i get 8 ohms on the center conductor and 3 ohms on the outer nut/shield, so I figure its fine. It is still in its roll, so could it being rolled up be the issue? I had also noticed that the center conductor is flush with the screw, and on my 20' length it hangs out another 1/8th inch, could the center not be reaching far enough into the terminal? Im not sure what to try next, so if anyone has any ideas im happy to try anything, or if im doing something completely wrong, im really not sure.

 

[bill001g]

I am unclear does 1 of the 250ft cable work and not the other or do both not work. If one works and not the other then it is likely one of the ends has some issue.

I have seen it said moca can go 300ft. What I have not seen is any detail description on if there are any limitations to this statement. Like most things you see on the internet I can not be 100% sure this is not just copy pasted incorrect information. I do know for example if you had a splitter in the cable it will greatly reduce the distance.

I would also check that the tivo adapters you have do not have any a different limit on cable length. Those tend to not be common brands people buy when they are looking for moca.

Most cables I have seen the inner connector is flush with the outer one or extends slightly past. I do not know which is the correct/recommended method.

Moca like most coax stuff is a radio broadcast it only uses the center connctor. The outer braid is used to shield the signal and prevent anything from getting in or out of the cable other than through the central connector.

 

[explosev]

I am unclear does 1 of the 250ft cable work and not the other or do both not work. If one works and not the other then it is likely one of the ends has some issue.

I have seen it said moca can go 300ft. What I have not seen is any detail description on if there are any limitations to this statement. Like most things you see on the internet I can not be 100% sure this is not just copy pasted incorrect information. I do know for example if you had a splitter in the cable it will greatly reduce the distance.

I would also check that the tivo adapters you have do not have any a different limit on cable length. Those tend to not be common brands people buy when they are looking for moca.

Most cables I have seen the inner connector is flush with the outer one or extends slightly past. I do not know which is the correct/recommended method.

Moca like most coax stuff is a radio broadcast it only uses the center connctor. The outer braid is used to shield the signal and prevent anything from getting in or out of the cable other than through the central connector.

Ah yeah I wasn't clear, both 250 ft lengths do not work, a quick Google search says moca cam do 300 meters, so I don't quite think its a distance thing, a splitter likely would limit it, but I'm just doing strait cable, as for my specific adapter, I can't find a lot of information on it, so I'm not sure. I didn't know it was radio, which makes a lot more sense with the outer sheath being shielding. I got a thought, maybe the cable isn't the right kind? It's labeled as a audio video coax, are there different grades?

 

[kanewolf]

Ah yeah I wasn't clear, both 250 ft lengths do not work, a quick Google search says moca cam do 300 meters, so I don't quite think its a distance thing, a splitter likely would limit it, but I'm just doing strait cable, as for my specific adapter, I can't find a lot of information on it, so I'm not sure. I didn't know it was radio, which makes a lot more sense with the outer sheath being shielding. I got a thought, maybe the cable isn't the right kind? It's labeled as a audio video coax, are there different grades?

Yes, there is. There should be some description like "RG6" describing the cable. If you can't find something like that, then post the link you purchased.

 

[explosev]

Yes, there is. There should be some description like "RG6" describing the cable. If you can't find something like that, then post the link you purchased.

hi! It does say 'RG6' and here is the link to the wallmart page for it. I bought it of facebook marketplace, but it was still wrapped up in its plastic wrap, so im 95% sure its brand new.

 

[bill001g]

Since you have a meter maybe plug one end into one of the moca units and then measure the ohm. I don't think you will see voltage but maybe try that too. Goal is to see if there some issue with the center connector not making contact.

The short cable will likely get a different value because of the length of the cable but it is more is it different when the cable is connected and disconnected.

It should work on RG6 at that length.

 

[explosev]

Since you have a meter maybe plug one end into one of the moca units and then measure the ohm. I don't think you will see voltage but maybe try that too. Goal is to see if there some issue with the center connector not making contact.

The short cable will likely get a different value because of the length of the cable but it is more is it different when the cable is connected and disconnected.

It should work on RG6 at that length.

ill go play around with it, and thats whats confusing me, i feel like it should work, but its not and i dont understand

 

[kanewolf]

ill go play around with it, and thats whats confusing me, i feel like it should work, but its not and i dont understand

The simplest thing is the ends. I worked in TV repair in the 80s. One of the things my boss taught me was to ensure the center conductor of the coax stuck out beyond the end of the threaded part of the fitting. Many times the center conductor is too short to make good contact.

 

[explosev]

The simplest thing is the ends. I worked in TV repair in the 80s. One of the things my boss taught me was to ensure the center conductor of the coax stuck out beyond the end of the threaded part of the fitting. Many times the center conductor is too short to make good contact.

that was one of my first thoughts. i bought some threaded male/male adapters to plug a short cable, with a long middle to the 250 foot, and see if its just a matter of too short center conductor. they should be here tomorrow.