Easy way to remember what cable goes where

[Mr Tony]

Amazing what you will stumble upon

Was reorganizing the cables in the basement (suspended ceiling) and it dawned on me that I had 9 lines coming in there
-antenna
-2 for starchoice
-2 for G16 C-Band
-2 for G18 KU
-2 from the motorized

(also have 4 other cables but those are run somewhere else). So I decided to tie the "pairs" together so when I wire I know which line goes for which dish. Great for troubleshooting. So I use zipties to tie together the G16 lines. As I went to tie the G18 lines together I thought "why use the same color when you have multi-colors"...easier to remember

So I used 3 different colors for each dish and now I know which one goes where

I know it sounds goofy but simplicity is the best way to not be aggravated with our systems

few pics

 

[turbosat]

Makes sense to me. Been thinking along those lines for all the ones outdoors , lol. If I can come up with a little weatherproof chart I could fix on each dish-pole with the "color code" I'd have it made. When i worked for NPS (the park service not the tv place) I used to make BIG signs like that to go in the parks and at scenic overlooks, etc. But even those never stayed moisture-proof for very long. Maybe its just the humidity down here.

 

[Wescopc]

I have done the same thing with colored electrical tape.
Bob

 

[iafirebuff]

That is how I mark mine. I assign a color for each room. I also assign a color to the "service" (OTA, FTA, DISH, etc).

So a "yellow" "red" might be living room OTA (yellow = living room / red=OTA). I mark them on each end of the cable and I now know what is what I keep a list of what is what taped to the lid of my satellite tool box kit.

 

[Cadsulfide]

Good Idea Ice!

 

[AcWxRadar]

Amazing what you will stumble upon

Was reorganizing the cables in the basement (suspended ceiling) and it dawned on me that I had 9 lines coming in there
-antenna
-2 for starchoice
-2 for G16 C-Band
-2 for G18 KU
-2 from the motorized

(also have 4 other cables but those are run somewhere else). So I decided to tie the "pairs" together so when I wire I know which line goes for which dish. Great for troubleshooting. So I use zipties to tie together the G16 lines. As I went to tie the G18 lines together I thought "why use the same color when you have multi-colors"...easier to remember

So I used 3 different colors for each dish and now I know which one goes where

I know it sounds goofy but simplicity is the best way to not be aggravated with our systems

few pics

I have done the same thing with colored electrical tape.
Bob

I usually try to use the colored electrical tape, but I ran out of colors! 3M only makes Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Gray and White. That is only nine.

There is another option - white colored heat shrink wire labels that you can write on with a permanent marker or (if you have one, a printer that actually types what you want on the label).

RADAR

 

[Islandguy43]

I have printed labels (used standard address labels) out on my computer and wrapped them around the RG-6.

 

[Stargazer]

I used to use codes with numbers and letters on tape and in some cases had two or three pieces of tape to label which one it was until I got the colored electrical tape a year or two ago and that has been great. If you run out you can always have numbers wrote on them or use combinations of colors like red white, green blue, etc. and in case one of them comes off write rw or rb the first letter of each color on each peice of tape.

 

[Larry1]

I have used coloured tape, but have run into the problem that it fades when in the sun to the point that you do not know what colour it is. My lines inside the house are traced easily with the coloured tape, and I have a chart of the order of the lines as they exit the house that can be easily traced to the different LNBF's.

 

[FTABman0]

That is a great Idea Tony!

That would be a nice way for outside and inside cables like under the house or basement! Great Idea!

I use the DYMO Tag 200 to label my cables! It works fine inside for cables and I have labels on the tops of my STB’s that say “LNB IN” so it makes it easy not to connect it to the wrong port!

There is a drawback of these labels and no, they stay pretty much stuck to whatever you stick them too even outside, but they are thermal so the outside sun turns the label all gray if exposed! Great to use indoors though, they stay around cables great to the point you have to cut them off when you don’t want them on there anymore!

You are on to something there though!!


K E V I N

 

[eurosport]

These are all great ideas! I'll be doing something similar when I get my system re-wiring done.

 

[dunnsept]

good ideas guys.. I just started re-wiring last night. Got new 4x1 switch, splitters & 22k ecoda from the fedex man. got just a big pile o cables in the basement now and I want to get them labeled. my boss has one of those dymo labeler things .. and he's gone all week

 

[spacebug42]

fixes for labels

Those are all great ideas guys, but what if you forget what color code the bundle of cables are or what cable goes where? Labels make identification much easier, but there are a couple of problems with them. I do have suggestions on how to fix them. The first problem is that the labels you print from a computer printer can only last so long before it fades, flakes, and disintegrates. My suggestion is to use clear heatshrink tubing. Put it on the cable before you put the connector on the cable, put the label on the cable, slide the tubing over the labeled area, and use a hair dryer or heat gun to shrink the tubing. This forms a weather-proof barrier to protect the labels. However, I have not tested it to see if the labels turn gray when heat is applied to the heatshrink tubing. I had used a Brothers handheld label printer and I thought it worked out great until I tried using the heat gun to shrink the tubing over the label. I too saw how it turned gray after heat was applied. I had found a better label maker/printer - RhinoPro 1000 (made by Dymo). The tape that RhinoPro uses won't fade - not even when I use a heat gun to shrink the tubing over the label. It does stay on the cable and will leave some residue on the cable when the label is removed, but easily removed with a little elbow grease. I also use the Rhino to label multi-port wall plates to make it easier to identify the connections. The only place that I've seen so far that carries the RhinoPro 1000 is Lowe's Home Improvement Center. Perhaps others here might know of other places to buy the RhinoPro.

 

[Tron]

The printers that use thermal printing will turn gray when heat is applied. A labeler that uses ink is the solution.

 

[PopcornNMore]

Tony,

How do the 9 coax cables enter the basement? Do you use a 1.5" or larger conduit? If so, how did you weather proof the area?

 

[Mr Tony]

There is a hole that my Central air pipes and wiring run into. I just feed the wires next to it. The hole is big enough for I think 11 wires...or so I've tried
....sometimes its a bugger but it works

There is some stuff that looks like silly putty that plugs the hole. Its a split entry house so the basement is partially above ground. The basement has a suspended ceiling

Here is an older pic