I bought a couple of video baluns. The description reads: FEATURES & SPECIFICATION • Allows traditional 75 ohm coaxial cable to be replaced by one-pair UTP in the CATV, VHF and FM video signal. • Saves extra cost of expensive and space-consuming coax cable and connects RF video equipment to TV, monitors, etc shortly. • 100% tested for reliability & durability to quarantee signal integrity. • Command Rejection: -20dB or higher at 40-500MHz. • Insertion Loss: CATV channels 2-61 <= 3db. • Return Loss: -18dB or higher to 10-550 MHz. • Bandwidth: 5 MHz to 550 MHz. • Distance(Max): 100M via Cat5 UTP.

Signal level at my outlet is ~11dBmV. Connected 1 balun to the outlet in my TV room and the other to my digital cable box. I then connected them with an old 14' CAT5 patch cord. I then tried it with a new, 7' CAT5e patch cord still in the bag. Both cables yielded comparable results, which were horrible. Not 1 of my locals was watchable (multiple images that were so bad that sometimes the DCT couldn't even process the signal) and there was not 1 channel (out of ~70 analog) that was even acceptable. Cable channels in the mid 60s through mid 70s where there is a local UHF channel occupying part of the same bandwidth can't even be processed. No picture. Channels 95-97, which are in the broadcast FM band, were the same. No picture. Not 1 digital channel could even be processed at all. Nothing at all on any of the ~190 digital channels to which I subscribe (which includes Music Choice and Video on Demand).

Using coaxial cable, no picture problems. Using CAT5e, see below. Can CAT5e cable be used for CATV distribution? You decide.

Channel 2 -- Our Local CBS affiliate

Channel 4 -- Our Local ABC Affiliate

Channel 5 -- Our Local NBC Affiliate

Channel 7 -- Our Local PBS Affiliate

Channel 71 -- The Discovery Channel

Channel 78 -- The Highest Analog Channel in our System

Channel 95 -- An Analog Channel Located in the Broadcast FM Band (90-96MHz)

Digital Channel 272 (687MHz)

Utilizing a signal level meter, I measured the signal levels of each analog channel at the outlet. I then connected 1 Video Balun to the outlet, a 7 foot CAT5e patch cord to the Video Balun, and plugged the other end of the patch cord to the Video Balun that was connected to my signal level meter. The resultant chart speaks for itself.

In a CATV system, the signal levels of adjacent channels should be no more that a couple of dB or so apart. Ideally, there would be no more than about 0.5 dB separation. But, this is less than an ideal world. The signal level of a channel must be fairly close to the levels of adjacent channels to prevent co-channeling and/or the overdriving of amplifiers or TV sets. This is called linearity.

When measured at the outlet, all of my adjacent channels are within ~2dB of each other. After going through the Video Baluns and CAT5e patch cord, they range anywhere from equal in signal strength to a difference of ~15dB. Not very linear at all.