I sometimes use my little Darkstar D230 CATV tester for that type of situation. It can only determine if it is connected to an active CATV line, 50 Ohm terminated, shorted, or open line. It doesn’t offer any actual signal quality [SAM] measurements. Unfortunately, I just did a Google search and found that it is no longer in production.
Maybe you can still find a good used one on ebay. I think it was only around $69.00 new, about six years ago.
Another unit I have that I know is still available, but is not as simple and straightforward to use, is the Progressive Electronics/Tempo CATV 402K tone test set. It looks like an ordinary toner/tracer, but can send signal through splitters, terminators, ground blocks, traps, etc, and can be direct coupled to an f-fitting. You can see if the line is open, shorted, or live by looking at the color change of the LED indicator. This kit is kind of expensive at about $175.00, but you can get double duty out of it by also using it for your regular toning and tracing.
For years, I’ve seen those little L-shaped Go-No-Go testers that another poster mentioned, but never managed to get around to trying one. That could be the most inexpensive solution. I think Specialized Products carries something similar.
I probably shouldn’t even mention this, but just in case some old Cable Dog tells you about it on the down low, I wouldn’t recommend using the idiotic and infamous “Taste Test”, that a few bone heads I used to work with a long time showed me. I can only describe it as like sticking a 9V battery in your mouth. Not to bright of an idea. If there is a problem with the neutral or grounding at the building, or a voltage spike somewhere in the system, it may be the last thing you ever taste.
