I mean, the simplest answer is to lay a new cable, and that is definitely what I am going to do - that’s not my question.

But this is a long run, and it would be neat if I could salvage some of that cable. How can I discover where the cable is damaged?

One stupid solution would be to halve the cable and crimp each end, and then test each new cable. Repeat iteratively. I would end up with a few broken cables and a bunch of tested cables, but they might be short.

How do the pro’s do this? (Short of throwing the whole thing away!)

  • Haphazard9479@lemm.eeEnglish
    2·
    1 year ago

    How do you know the cable is damaged? If you have a toner you can hook the generator to the damaged pair and listen along the length of the cable to where the tone changes. It’s not as fool-proof as a tester, but much cheaper.

    • PlutoniumAcid@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
      3·
      1 year ago

      I wanted to post a photo of my network tester but Lemmy gives me a JSON error.

      Anyway, the tester is supposed to light up each strand one at a time, but what I get is disco fever.

      • Haphazard9479@lemm.eeEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        I assume the disco fever is all the pairs shorted together. Is this cable buried or run through the house? I would start by redoing your ends. Make sure they are crimped fully and both sides are identical.

        • jrburkh@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          1 year ago

          I agree. If that doesn’t work, I’d give the whole line a visual inspection for any more obvious signs of damage. If that doesn’t work there are other options to troubleshoot, but I’d probably just replace the line and attempt to recycle the old cord into shorter lines for device connections, patching, etc.

      • jake_jake_jake_@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        short between pairs probably. tdr (time domain reflectometer) cable tester should help locate fault. might be pinched somewhere or something else

        there are “casts” you can get to repair buried cable. usually used in copper telephone plant, i wouldn’t trust it to certify to a gig but you could use it for a backup link or if you play with pots at some point. or “temporary repair”