Why might I be able to pick up cable with my uhf/vhf antenna?

April 6, 2004 4:12 PM

Its recently been discovered that i can pick up a 70-or-so channel cable broadcast on my uhf/vhf antenna. While hoping not to jinx myself, i ask, does anyone know how this may be occurring? more inside.

im certainly not complaining. but isnt cable usually accessible through, uh, a cable. it seems to be provided by a cable company and not a satellite. and while it is very tumultuous and requires a mess of tinfoil to maintain its still being pumped through the air. so, why?

posted by c to Technology (8 answers total)

The same thing happens at my apartment, too! I get the standard 6 channels and then 79 is TBN. I have no idea why, but I'm just as interested in the answer.
posted by rhapsodie at 5:34 PM on April 6, 2004

Response by poster: maybe my wording was vague but im talking about all 70 channels here. mtv, vh1, cnn, etc.
posted by c at 6:05 PM on April 6, 2004

Sounds to me like the cable line is sending its data out very close to your television. This is a 'leak' and sometimes you can pick up cable reception at television centers for the same reason.
posted by Keyser Soze at 6:21 PM on April 6, 2004

I agree with Keyser. Maybe a lot of unshielded cable around you? Or, hell, maybe someone is amplifying the cable signal and broadcasting it nearby.

Note that some of the channel assignments/frequencies are different on cable than on antenna—so I'm surprised you're getting everything. You shouldn't be. Have you just hooked up an antenna to your cable connector on your TV? Or does it only have one connector and you've set your TV to "cable" but are using an antenna? Just wondering.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 6:50 PM on April 6, 2004

Response by poster: the channels are the same as correspond to a local cable company (i checked the tv guide, and the tv guide channel that im picking up as well) the channels get worse the higher up they are. this is an antenna connected to a coaxial cable connected to the tv. the tv is set on cable. funny little quirks are occuring like comedy central being overriden by a more powerful local station whos broadcast number is the same as the cable channels.

researching 'cable leaks' as mentioned by keyser is leading me to believe this is what i am experiencing, especially since i live in a dense and monolithic loft complex. seems ive stumbled into some inadvertent cable hax0ring. i heart my cable leak.
posted by c at 7:18 PM on April 6, 2004

... maybe someone is amplifying the cable signal and broadcasting it nearby.
Possibly someone near you is using one of those devices that allows you to use your cable TV/VCR/DVD on more than one set without running cables and you happen to be close enough to pick up the signal from the transmitter.
posted by dg at 7:34 PM on April 6, 2004

Drop $35 on a powered antenna and you can get rid of the tin foil and such.
posted by pissfactory at 4:09 AM on April 7, 2004

Response by poster: Drop $35 on a powered antenna and you can get rid of the tin foil and such.

nope, already tried it, it just made the broadcast channels clearer. im assuming something like this defies most rational logic.
posted by c at 9:20 AM on April 7, 2004