How do you dry co-axil cable?!

[Stevel]

The reception from my digibox was getting worse and worse, and gave up altogether on Friday.

Today I checked a join, where two terminals meet (the main cable and the cable to my digibox), and the plastic sleeves had water inside.

The cable goes through an airbrick and then UP to this junction, so I can't work out how this water got here. All of the area around the connection (ie carpet and floorboards) was bne dry.

I dried it with some cloth, and the reception had improved immensely, but there were still those strange, blotchy squares of interference on some channels.

So I did what was, in retrospect, a really dumb thing.

Using a hairdrier, I gently blew warm air onto the exposed junctions. For a short while. I didn't go in too close, and it wasn't too hot.

Two hours on, I now have no channels at all, and my wife is going nuts!

I have recut the cable and put on the original terminals to no avail. can anyone save me from the divorce clinic and offer some advice, apart from what a dozy idiot I've been?

My plan is to buy new terminals, connectors and some spare co-axil tomorrow, and replace parts bit by bit.

Any thoughts?

 

[Lectrician]

Renew the lot.

 

[plugwash]

if you can then the best bet is to rerun the lot

if not then cut back in both directions until you find completely dry cable. Fit F connectors on the ends. Then use F couplers to join in a new section of cable

once you have it working satisfactorally all outdoor joints should be sealed with tightly wrapped self amalgamating tape

 

[Lectrician]

The water could get into the cable at high level, and track down inside the cable. This takes a long time though!

You could have a damaged aerial, allowing ingress.

Sorry for my previous abrupt tone