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A guy in Tucson told me to stop using zip ties on drops, and my callback rate dropped off a cliff
I had been using zip ties on every drop for about 3 years because they were fast and cheap. An older tech named Ray watched me cinch one down tight on a coax run behind a wall plate and said "that tie is gonna crush the shield when it heats up in the attic." I switched to velcro straps and loose loops the next Monday, and my signal callbacks in the Phoenix metro area went from about 4 a week to maybe 1. Turns out a little slack lets the cable breathe and stops the dielectric from getting pinched. Curious what you all use on long attic runs where velcro gets pricey.
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averymitchell10d ago
Man, this hits home! A buddy of mine ran a small install crew down in Mesa and he had the same thing happen, zip tied every drop for years, then his callback numbers tanked once summer hit. He finally traced it back to the ties pinching things down in those 140 degree attics and once he swapped to hook and loop his trouble tickets got cut way down. On the long runs he started using the cheap reusable cable wraps in bulk off Amazon, still way less than velcro brand, and just left them loose. Funny how one old tech's comment can save you a whole summer of truck rolls.
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