Interfernce with TV and Internet

[sblake]

I live in the Huntsville, AL area and starting on Friday the 31st I have had an issue where occasionally I will get what looks like some background noise on my screen which at the lower channels is hardly noticeable but when I go up to the higher channels it's very noticeable.  When this problem occurs it also affects my internet.  When it first started it would happen for only a couple of minutes and my modem would reset, however lately it doesnt reset my modem, it just becomes very laggy, although a few times the lag is hardly noticeable.  The last couple of days when I have reported this problem they have checked the signal to my modem while the problem is occuring and can't seem to find a problem.  I don't have a digital cable box so they can't check that side of it, but when this problem happens, the unencrypted digital channels my HDTV can pick up go completely out.  And when the problem happens it just happens, and when it stops everything immediately goes back to normal.  Theres no gradual decline or improvement or degrees of severity.  I have taken my TV outside and connected it directly to the coax leading from the tap and noticed the problem as well, so I know this isnt the splitters in my home.  The main problem is this is happening mainly late nite, so when the technician comes out on the 9th he may not even notice the problem.  Does anyone have suggestions I could tell him to look for?  Any help would be appreciated.

[mudmanc4]

My first thought is that there's someone using either a ham radio, or a powerful "CB" at night, are there any noticeable huge "moon rakers " or star dusters pokin out from the tree's in your area ? Iv'e seen these guy's run several hundred watts (or more ) through a massive antenna near the ground to keep from being spotted, which will do exactly what your describing. And most of them will run at night, on a cloudy night to get  "skip" and talk with someone on the other side of the planet in between standard frequencies.  Although it may be a defect in the cable line itself, maybe lost a ground. It could also be a "leak" before the drop to your house.

May even be a deteriorating node, bad card  , whatever, thats allowing disturbance from something else.

[BSpot79]

I'm a technician for Comcast.  Most likely either the drop to your house has gone bad or maybe a bad fitting.  Cable is radio frequency, so if you have a cut in your drop, squirrel chew (in aerial drops), etc. it lets interference in, which alters the wave lengths causing tiling and loss of internet.  This is known as ingress, or signal getting into your cable system.  A trouble call is likely the only fix to check for ingress and possibly replace your drop