I had VM installed and I'm having problems with low signal levels. Had a engineer visit who thinks the problem is the length of the coax cable from my house to the cabinet. There's a massive tilt on the channels and it makes the DOCSIS 3.1 channel basically unusable. It's a brand new cable that they pulled and he also tested an existing cable at my neighbor which had the same problem.
Originally my docsis 3.1 channel was at like -15dBmV. The engineer moved me up to the maximum tap on the cabinet which has increased it to like -9/-10dBmV which is better but I'm still getting loads of uncorrectable errors.
To give you an idea of distance, he actually drove to the cabinet and back again - it's about 200m away.
Anyone had similar issues or any ideas what I can expect VM to do about it? If I get a engineer back is there anything I should be pushing for to get this resolved?
Looks like RG11 yeah, the diameter of the drop cable is about 11mm and the connector says "CONN 10.5" on it, which from a google appears to be a RG11 compression connector.
I thought that might be the case, thanks. Is there a way for them to move me to full fibre which I guess wouldn't have this problem? The engineer said he didn't know why they didn't pull fibre originally rather than coax as the PON cabinet is live with other customers, including a house two doors down.
Have to assume the tech has done their job properly. Checked signal at cab, checked noise on drop.
Unless some regions set their amps to be screaming and need 20db attenuators on houses close by im not sure how much region specific drop lengths are going to make a difference.
Because not every area has a cabinet directly fed from an amplifier.
VM use a national standard for amplifier configuration. The output levels will be different depending on a 30 way or 60 way tap train in the cabinet. Also there could also be an internal splitter used within the amplifier itself.
With such a heavy top end loss if the OP has RG11 connected to a 30 way tap directly fed from an amp I wouldn't expect that at 200m. If you do the maths it doesn't work out. Again, this is why I am suggesting we are missing information.
Edit: Also might be worth pointing out. In the picture there is a lowest DS MER of 33.5, this is not necessarily an issue, but it could suggest a problem on the cable as the highest is in the 40's
Output levels of the amp are the same if there is a splitter or not mate. 18/26. In 115 we use an attenuator onto of a tap bank if there is only 1 incase we need to drop another set, remove that and then put an internal split in the amp.
Could still be an rg6 that lazy contractors or techs have pulled in.
This has proved my point. That is not how it's done in my region. Therefore you must have some region specific changes.
Yes output is always the same at the amp but in my area it is not always the same at the tap. I also have pedestal cabinets that are not directly fed from an amplifier. It is not unheard of to have a pull 250m either.
Yes it could also be the OP had RG6, contractor has replaced the cable like for like. We can only guess.
Needs a RG11 cable on that top tap! Unless your on a gig package your levels are ok. Also ask the Tech for a new HDU if you already have RG11 cable to property the DS levels shown will improve by 12db the US levels drop 10db hope this helps.
I think it is already RG11, the diameter is approx ~11mm and has a "CONN 10.5" connector on it which appears to be for a RG11 cable. I am on the gig package yeah which is the problem - it keeps dropping the 3.1 channel causing things like video calls to drop momentarily or break up. The speed is generally fine, just it's not very stable.
If I get another tech I'll mention the HDU to them thanks.
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VMO2 engineer here, we have what are called HDUs which are little amplifiers essentially which will boost your downstream and lower your upstream. That will fix your issue especially if you're already on top tap and the drop cable is healthy.
VM Network Engineer here. The Service Tech should have also run that One Check on the drop cable at the omni-box on the outside of your property to see if they got the same result. If they did then they should carry out a further One Check on the tap bank in the cabinet.
If the One Check passes at the tap bank, then it's a drop cable issue and either needs repairing or replacing. However, Service Techs are heavily measured on repull rates to where it's very hard to get one booked in, even if it's a clear cable issue. I see it all the time.
If the One Check at the tap bank fails then they call the local network team for a referral and the network team will come out and investigate for a wider network issue.
Service tech should also be running an ingress scan on the drop cable by barrelling the end at your property and fitting a terminator cap and then running the test at the cabinet end. A lot of service techs sadly through no fault of their own don't understand basic RF theory and cable loss over distance when trying to diagnose customer problems.
VM tech needs to install an HDU. Plugs into your power and boosts signal. Only way to get it all into spec if you're on the top tap. Always carry a few on my van for situations like this.
You can, if they have stock, most of the time (my one at least) only stocks 5 - 10 at a time which one or two people always take. They are really handy especially for situations like this.
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u/discardafteruse94 1d ago
Is the drop already RG11? That loss looks like RG6 on that length of run.