Having once been the Hub warehouse manager for Comcast, I was happy to give
stuff away, mainly because there was no way to sell it, even to scrap
dealers.
So, I would find the name and phone number of your local cable company
warehouse manager, ask any tech you meet in the street, he will have the
name and number in his cell phone. The techs will not have what you want,
because the cable we are after is used for new build outs, rebuilds etc. and
whoever is digging trenches like utility companies e.g. PG&E are more likely
installing the good stuff.
Mike
Cable TV Companies are good sources..As mentioned, they will often give
cable ends away, but recently, the local CATV company has been saving ends
for a scrap metals dealer who takes them away.
Another source of good 50 ohm stuff, are contractors who build Cell Sites.
At N6IJ a site went up nearby, and a large pile of scrap of all kinds
developed as the site was built, including pieces of Andrew 7/8" coax. Many
pieces of 20 ft or less, but a number that were greater than 100 ft. I
asked the Job Superintendent what was to be done with the 'scraps' and he
said they would be thrown away, and I could take anything that I wanted from
a specific designated Scrap pile. Lots of hardware, coax ground clamps,
lightning arrestors, and 7/8" Andrews.
The Superintendent almost let go a near full Andrews 7/8 spool, but decided
not to after thinking about it. He said that a standard shipping container
of stuff to build a site, complete is dropped at the site, and the crews
work out of that to build the site. The standard inventory often has
excess stuff, (including coax) depending on exact layout of the site. For
the most part the Superintendent said the standard site setup inventory
excess was not accountable after the site is buiilt.
73, DX, de Pat AA6EG aa6eg@hotmail.com;
Skype: Sparky599
\
>From: Scott Neader KA9FOX <ka9fox@qth.com>
>To: "Al Williams" <alwilliams@olywa.net>
>CC: TOWERTALK@contesting.com
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] free CATV
>Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:08:19 -0500
>I will share my limited experience, which landed me a 500ft length and a
>600ft length. I sent an e-mail to our local ham reflector and asked if
>anyone knew anyone at any local cable TV companies. I got two
>responses. Those hams then called their contacts at their respective cable
>TV companies, and explained what we we were looking for. Both companies
>had some "cable ends" that they were willing to part with. One company
>gave it free, the other wanted a little cash... but then later decided it
>was too much hassle to deal with the accounting, and just gave it to
>me. Both companies required that I come and haul it away on the spool (my
>lawn tractor trailer worked great).
>
>The short story for me was... find a ham who has a contact at a CATV
>company and then you're in the door!
>
>Thanks to K4JA and W0AIH for the 3/4" CATV connectors -- I'm QRV!
>
>- Scott KA9FOX
>
>At 09:46 AM 8/18/2006 -0700, you wrote:
>
>
> > >----- Original Message ----- >
> > > That expensive LDF5-50 (CATV?) and its ends often can be gotten at
> > > ridiculously low
> > > prices with some leg work and by keeping your nose to the ground. >
> > > Bill K4XS
> >
> >I have read on Towertalk countless times that plenty of low loss CATV is
> >available for free.
> >
> >However, I have yet to read a posting giving advice on how/where to find
>it.
> >Bill, be the first to tell us the various sources, please!
> >
> >k7puc
>>---------------------------------------------------------------
>Scott Neader KA9FOX ka9fox@qth.com
>Free Ham Radio Classified Ads: http://swap.QTH.com
>Web Hosting Services: http://hosting.QTH.com
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>KA9FOX Contesting & DXing Site: http://www.ka9fox.com
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