Agile modulator broadcasting

[Dave A]

Your cable box is now probably all digital and it does not understand an analog signal coming at it. And it is mapped by TW to only look for their digital signals on their channel assignments which are in a language all of their own. The video inputs on the box are near useless. Any old box will not work as the cable world is now all digital. And I am assuming a modern set...not a vintage 2-13 set.

Their actual channel 55 in the spectrum may show on your box as virtual 155 or any other channel they tell it to display. There is no cure for this. To borrow a phrase..."we control the vertical, we control the horizontal"...and all settings.

Your only solution is to run the set direct from the wall and find an empty channel and use the wall connection combined with the BT to fool your set. This wall signal is only the local stations that they have to carry but that will end soon. FCC gave permission to the cable ops to drop this service recently. It will go away at some time but you can still use your BT in the end as below.

You have to find a digital cable RF test unit and scan your cable input before the box and find an empty channel and then add the BT via a combiner (backwards splitter) on that channel to the antenna input. If you scan your set, it will find the BT channel. You may have to refine the RF levels from the BT as digital works with a much lower signal. Lower the BT RF output level to match.

I do this at home. Most sets have component/HDMI and I use this with my box for pure cable from the box. I then use the separate antenna input for the cluge from above. And the wall input for HD is usually better than the box while it lasts. The BT channel will outlive the transition but be lonely on your set in the end as long as the cables do not dedicate that channel for broadband.

When they fill the spectrum I will think of something else. Stay tuned.