Using cable tv connectors for antenna

[brhhardy]

I broke my indoor antenna and out of desperation tried to just hook up the tv to the exsisting cable connector and it worked. I do not have cable service and am just wondering if what I am doing is illegal I am not getting any cable channels.

 

[kanewolf]

Is what your are doing technically illegal, maybe. You don't know who is providing the signal you are getting. It might be the cable company it might be the landlord if you are in an apartment or condo. Will the FBI come knocking on your door... I doubt it. Could the signal stop unexpectedly some time.... yes since you don't know the origin.

 

[hang-the-9]

Quite often the cable company does not fully kill service to a connection, I have seen many times places where there was not service ordered that still got the basic networks. I think it's actually a law that cable networks have to carry the broadcast networks like NBC/CBS and such, I do not know if the law states that the bare cable has to carry their service without you ordering anything. As above, the signal may stop after a while since they can see if anything is connected to the cable or not (electrical properties change when they read the data) and would kill the connection.