ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area Can RG-6 be cut with wire cutters "live"?

Speaking from experience, if the RG6 is connected to a powered multiswitch for a satelite, don't cut it live!!!... I remember one guy got it for cutting a RG-6 for a home sattilate system. I guess it burned out the dish reciever.

Not that I disagree with you guys, but it is very common to short cables in these systems. You don't have to even cut them, simply connecting or disconnecting an "F" connector can short the line and it is not usually possible to shut everything down to do it.

Any equipment that I have ever seen is protected in this respect and most good sat receivers will even indicate a problem with the LNB power such as a short in the cable.

-Hal

You can probably get away with it but why would you? I think an attitude that 'it's a low power circuit so I don't have to worry' will get you in trouble some day when you encounter an unexpected fault.

You can probably get away with it but why would you?

Because it's not as easy as flipping a breaker.

If it's unpowered there is absolutely no reason to do anything other than cut it. What are you going to do, go to where the CATV service enters the house and disconnect it? Why?

On the other hand, you know that the cable in question MAY be powered if you see a dish and sat receivers. But here again, what are you going to do- go around the house and pull all the plugs on the receivers? Would you know what a powered multi-switch is? Sure, if you knew where the cable originated you could disconnect it carefully... or kill the main breaker, that'll do it!

-Hal

I guess you won't be doing any communications work in my house. It sounds like you are saying you don't know or care where the ends are and you'll hack it anyway. Would you know or care that a piece of coax in my house might have 1/4 kw of RF on it?
I'd have to know what it was for sure before I go hacking.

Darned good point Jim.
That's gotta ruin your sidey's!.