Coax-what-is-it-cable-orem-utah-provo-salt-lake-city-coaxial

As a cable guy, I read up on industry related technology.  I read this article recently and thought it was very informative so I'd share it on the blog.

Coaxial Cables

Many consumers, when they think of "coax cables," tend to think it refers only to the cabling used by cable and satellite companies for cable TV. However, this is only one example of coaxial cable. In this article we will breakdown what makes up a typical coaxial cable as well as go over a few common types.

Coax cable is defined as any cable with the following properties:

• A center conductor
• Insulation covering the center conductor, called a "dieletric"
• A braided shield surrounding the dieletric
• An optional foil shield
• An outer jacket

Each of these components plays a specific role. Let's take a look at each in more detail:

Center Conductor:
At the heart of a coaxial cable is a center conductor. Typically constructed of either pure copper (in higher-end cables) or copper-coated steel or aluminum (in less-expensive cables), the center conductor is responsible for transmitting the cable's signal. As such, it must meet certain electrical properties (such as wire resistance). The rest of the cable construction is primarily designed to help the center conductor maintain its electrical integrity.

Dielectric Insulator:
The dielectric insulator's purpose is two-fold; first, it acts as an insulator between the center conductor and the outer braided / foil shielding. Second, it helps physically hold the center conductor in the center of the cable. This is important, as signal loss can occur if the center conductor strays too close to the outer area of the cable. Various materials are commonly used for the dielectric. A few of the more common materials, in order of quality (from best to worst), are below:

1. Foamed Polyethylene (FPE)
2. Teflon
3. Polyethylene (PE)
4. Polypropylene (PP)
5. Polyvinylchloride (PVC)

When reading specifications on coaxial cables, you may see references to the dialetric constant. The closer this number is to 1.0, the better. Foamed Polyethylene (FPE), for example, generally has a dielectric constant somewhere around 1.5, while PVC's dialetric constant is around 3.0 to 4.0. (Foamed PE basically uses gas, often nitrogen, to create gas bubbles in the material to lower the dielectric constant. Marketing literature that refers to "gas-injected dielectric" usually indicates the use of FPE. It is one of the best dielectric materials in common use.)

Braided Shield:
Long copper cables have a tendency to act like antennas, picking up stray signals from the environment. These unwanted signals, known as "interference", disrupt the signal that the cable is supposed to be carrying. Interference tends to come in two different flavors: electromagnetic interference (known as EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI). EMI interference is often caused by heavy power lines, cell phone signals, etc. A braided shield protects the signal from EMI interference.

When looking at cable specs, the braided shield will often be expressed in a percent coverage, which often ranges anywhere from 30% to 95% coverage. The higher the coverage, the better the protection.

Foil Shield:
Although not always present on coaxial cables, the foil shield serves to protect from RFI interference. Foil shields are almost always made out of aluminum foil, and simply wrap around the inner parts of the cable. Unlike braided shields, which have a percent coverage, foil shields always cover 100%.

Outer Jacket:
The outer jacket is generally made out of flexible PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and serves primarily to hold the cable together and protect it from the elements. 

Connectors

There are many different connectors that can terminate a coaxial cable. We will now go over a few of the more common connectors.

RCA
The RCA connector was developed in the early '40s by the Radio Corporation of America to connect record players to amplifiers. The same basic connector is still in wide use today, and it represents a large portion of the connectors used for home theater cables. The fact that they are so easy to connect and disconnect makes RCA connectors a popular choice for home theater applications. RCA Cables can be used for audio, video and digital audio.
The biggest drawback with RCA devices is that each signal is sent on a different cable. For example, a single RCA-terminated coax cable only carries the left audio channel, or only the right, etc. Three RCA cables are needed for high-def video, along with two more for the audio. This makes for a mess of cables behind your equipment. This is one reason that has made HDMI Cables so popular.
Attaching RCA connectors can be a bit more time-consuming as, with some types of RCA connectors, the coaxial cable's wires need to be soldered to the connector after stripping the cable with a stripping tool.  RCA Connectors come in solder-on, weatherproof and compression styles. A special tool is required for compression connectors, and a soldering iron is needed for solder-on connectors

BNC
The BNC connector has two bumps on the female side that slide into corresponding grooves on the male side. The connector is then rotated a quarter turn to lock into place. BNC Connectors are widely used in commercial applications such as closed circuit television systems, where its ability to lock in place (unlike the slip-on RCA) makes BNC Cables a perfect fit. BNC connectors come in a wide variety as well, including twist-on and weatherproof connectors.

F-Pin

The F-PIN CONNECTOR  is probably the most recognized of the coaxial connectors as it's been in use with televisions and VCRs for decades. The familiar threaded connector makes for a secure connection that will not easily slip out of a device. This connector is also one of the easiest to attach to a coax cable as it does not require any soldering. Many different types are available including twist-on, crimp-on and compression. For outdoor use, weatherproof connectors are also available to create an F-PIN CABLE with a secure connection and loss-less signal transfer

Many manufacturers are doing away with the F-pin connector on their TVs. This is because that little F-pin connector is actually part of a device called a tuner. The tuner is what sifts through the signal coming through the cable and separates all of the TV channels. Since so many people change channels using a cable box or satellite receiver, these tuners are becoming obsolete. This can pose a problem for folks who have standard cable TV that still requires the TV to have an F-pin connector. Unfortunately, a small adapter or special cable won't do the trick. A tuner is required. There are a couple ways to do this. One way is to use an old VCR. VCRs have built in tuners. The other way is to use a device called an RF Demodulator. A demodulator is essentially a TV tuner that will let you change the channels.

Crimp-on, solder or twist-on?
There are 3 main styles of each connector available on the market. With each of these styles the coaxial cable must be stripped in such a way that a portion of each component of the cable is exposed:

• Crimp: This encompasses compression as well as crimping connectors. Crimping connectors slide onto the cable and then pinche the base of the connector onto the outer jacket. The compression connectors require a special tool to press the cable into the connector and pinch it all at the same time. Weatherproof connectors are most often compression style, where the connector seals to keep water out.
• Solder:This style, like its name implies, requires the center conductor and the braided shield to be soldered to parts of the connector. These offer the best connection, but are more labor-intensive to install.
• Twist-on:These are for the consumer that just wants a quick and easy solution. Especially handy if you are only trying to fix a single broken cable, these don't require any solder or tools. Simply twist the connector onto the cable and you're done. They're not the best for durability, but they get the job done.

Types of Coaxial Cable

RG58
Largely used in the commercial security camera industry, RG58 cable is a low profile, inexpensive choice for large projects where a high-bandwidth cable is not needed. Most often terminated with BNC connectors, this type of cable can also be found attached to testing equipment and 2-way radio systems.

RG59
Once the standard for cable TV, RG59 cables are still found packaged with VCRs and televisions. RG59 was a good low-cost option for cable TV for years until the cable industry recently began its move into digital cable television, which needs a thicker cable. Modern satellite television also requires a higher-bandwidth-capable cable and so RG6 coaxial cable is becoming much more popular, making RG59 no longer the industry standard.

RG6
RG6 cable is differentiated from RG59 cable by having a thicker copper center conductor. RG6 is primarily being used today for satellite and digital cable TV, where higher frequencies are required that RG59 cable cannot support. RG6 cable is most often sold with F-pin connectors for cable or satellite applications. 

Courtesy of National Technology

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Until Next Time

The Cable Guy

HDMI-cable-utah-provo-ut-orem-salt-lake-city-slc-cables

Where can you find an HDMI Cable at a discount price? This is what many consumers are saying. I hear this all the time. "The retail stores are tying to sell me an HDMI cable for $90!" Well, no need to fear, WhataCable.com is here! WhataCable has a huge inventory of HDMI cables at factory direct pricing. Do not spend your hard earned money, especially in the poor economy, on a fancy packaged HDMI cable, when you can get a high-quality, HDMI 1.3V, 1080p compliant cable for a fraction of the cost. For example, a 6 feet HDMI cable from WhataCable in Orem, Utah is only $12.99. Can you believe it? The other question I hear all the time is, "Well then what is the difference between the WhataCable $12.99 HDMI cable and the one at the retail store where I bought my TV? There must be a difference because they were asking $90 for it!" Well, yes there is a difference. (They shake their head, because they knew there must have been a difference) The difference is about $77. That's $77 in your pocket. "How can it be?" Well, the retail stores are buying the fancy packaged expensive HDMI cables at Monster prices. I mean those prices are huge, like a... like a... monster! And those prices are scary.... like a... like a... what's the word? Oh yeah, a MONSTER! So stay away from scary and huge prices. What-a-Cable is friendly, and very un-monsterish. WhataCable! backs up every cable with a lifetime warranty. You deal with a small-business, sometimes directly with the owner. You get a high-quality HDMI certified cable, that is 1080p compliant (that is what you want, yes, even for blu-ray). You don't need the fancy cable. I don't care what the sales person told you. They get a kick-back for every fancy-packaged-expensive-cable they sell, so sure they'll tell you the world will stop spinning if you connect any other cable to your new blu-ray or plasma TV. They want their piece of that monster price in their greedy little pocket.

If I haven't' convinced you yet, just go down and visit WhataCable! They have a showroom and they can show you their cables and explain how you will get exactly the same beautiful image from your blu-ray, at the same amazing 1080p resolution, with the high-quality WhataCable! HDMI cable, as you will with any other cable on the market. HDMI sets the standards, and WhataCable cables comply to their specifications. What-a-Cable is located in the heart of Utah County, in Orem and it's easy to get to. Take the Center Street exit off of I-15. It's just west of the freeway off of Center Street at 77 South Mountain Way Drive, Orem, UT 84058. They are open Mon-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. You'll be glad you went by. http://www.whatacable.com/

Until Next Time -
The Cable Guy

Displayport-to-DVI-display-port-dp-cable-adapter-converter

So you have one of those funky Displayport connectors on your Dell computer. You've been told how great it is and that you can get 1080p resolution, but you can't find a monitor with the display-port (DP) to connect it. Well, WhataCable! in Orem, Utah just next to Provo, and close to Salt Lake City, has adapters in stock that will convert the DP to a DVI cable. http://www.whatacable.com/ You can order them online for about $15, or you can go to their office /showroom directly and pick them up at will call. They are located at 77 South Mountain Way Drive in Orem, UT. That is just west of I-15 off of Center Street. WhataCable! also carries a huge selection of DVI cables. A DVI cable in Utah will cost you anywhere from $40 to $80 at a retail store. WhataCable will save you a ton of money. Buy factory-direct from www.whatacable.copm and keep the extra change. A 10 Feet DVI fromWhataCable will cost you about $14. So with a 10' DVI cable, and the Displayport to DVI adapter, you're out the door for under $30 plus tax, which is still less than you'd pay for just the DVI cable down the street at any of the retail stores. Keep WhataCable in mind for all your cable needs and tell a friend. Friends don't let friends buy cables from the big retail stores!

Until next time -

The Cable Guy

Display-port-to-HDMI-DP-displayport-adapter-converter-cable

So you have one of those funky Displayport connectors on your Dell computer. You've been told how great it is and that you can get 1080p resolution, but you can't find a monitor with the display-port (DP) to connect it. Well, WhataCable! in Orem, Utah just next to Provo, and close to Salt Lake City, has adapters in stock that will convert the DP to an HDMI cable. www.whatacable.com You can order them online for about $15, or you can go to their office /showroom directly and pick them up at will call. They are located at 77 South Mountain Way Drive in Orem, UT. That is just west of I-15 off of Center Street. WhataCable! also carries a huge selection of HDMI cables. An HDMI cable in Utah will cost you anywhere from $70 to $100 at a retail store. WhataCable will save you a ton of money. Buy factory direct and keep the extra change. A 10 Feet HDMI from WhataCable will cost you about $15. So with a 10' HDMI cable, and the Displayport to HDMI adapter, you're out the door for $30 plus tax, which is still less than you'd pay for just the HDMI cable down the street at any of the retail stores. Keep WhataCable in mind for all your cable needs and tell a friend. Friends don't let friends buy cables from the big retail stores!

Until Next Time

The Cable Guy

United-Auto-Union-bail-or-jail?

Are we seriously thinking of handing billions of dollars to the big 3 automotive manufacturers? Isn't this just perpetuating the real problem with the U.S. auto industry? The problem with the U.S. auto industry, i.e. GM, Ford, & Chrysler is not the quality, though it may have been in the past. The problem is not the designs. Chrysler has been extremely innovative. Ford has brought the love of the muscle car back with its retro-Mustang. The U.S. is the world leader in trucks. Blue collar America goes to work every day in a pick-up. I own a 1969 Chevy pick up and I love it. So then the problem with the U.S. auto industry is just all about gas mileage right? Not even. Again, we are a leader in Hybrid and Electric cars. GM has made huge strides here. The real problem? Well, the dirty secret that nobody wants to tackle, including congress and the president, is the United Auto Workers. (The UAW). Yes, the union is our worst enemy. We have these unions that bully the company into paying ridiculous wages that are not in line with the job skills and make us uncompetitive in a world market. Back when every car on the road was American made, the unions could set the false wage, and the playing field was level. Now, who makes the best and least expensive cars? Japan? Korea? Germany? China? You name it. Wherever there is no UAW union dictating what a company should pay its people. So they are more competitive because the wages are really low in other countries right? Wrong. Cars are being built in America and these people who are Americans make good wages building them. But these foreign owned auto makers are not forced mafia-style into paying wages that are out of line with the current market and economy.

So let's bail out the poor auto industry and ignore the real problem.... Sounds great. Maybe with that bail out money, we'll increase the wages even more. Pad the retirements. All that instead of putting money where we need to, into R&D. We could easily out-build the foreign auto-makers, make cooler cars, that are extremely dependable, and fuel-efficient, if the friggin UAW union would just be outlawed. They should be put in jail for fraud. They are an antiquated organization that needs to be banned from our capitalist country (what's not been socialized) and allow good old American entrepreneurs and companies to thrive without jumping through all the hoops and red tape that unions create.

Until next time
The Union-free Cable Guy
www.professionalcable.com

Expresscard-to-DB9-RS232-serial-PCMCIA-Express-Card

Tech support email to the Cable Guy:

Cable Guy,

I have an IBM laptop that is running on Windows XP, but it does not have a DB9 RS232 Serial Port. Is there an adapter of some sort that will allow me to connect a serial cable to my Express Card slot or USB?

Help!
Sleepless and serial-less in Seattle
-----

Dear sleepless and serial-less in Seattle,

Yes! There are a couple ways that you can connect your serial devices to your laptop. My preferred way is through the Expresscard slot. You can pick up a converter for $20 from WhataCable! Item # EXP-DB9 Click here With this adapter you simply plug in the Expresscard to the Express-card slot, and there is a DB9 cable that attaches to the ExpressCard. A CD with drivers comes with it. It is really easy to use and works with most systems. (It does not work with Mac/Apple, but what does?)

The other option is more common, but less stable. It is a USB to Serial adapter / converter. WhataCable! carries this for about $15. Item # USBM-DB9M-01 click here. This adapter plugs into the USB port and the other side is a DB9 RS232 connector. The drawbacks with this solution is that it takes one of your USB ports, and if you're like me, you always seem to need more USB ports than you have. Also, the device that you are connecting needs to be supported by USB.

Everything considered, I like the Expresscard to RS232 DB9 converter the best. But either way, you can connect what you need, despite IBM and the other laptop manufacturers discontinuing the wonderful DB9 RS232 port.

Until Next Time -
The Cable Guy

www.professionalcable.com

pc-to-tv-converter-wireless-or-wired?

Have you ever wanted to watch a video on your TV using your PC (including laptop, notebook, mac, mabcook, etc.) But, how do you connect your PC that has a VGA 15 pin connector to your TV that has an RCA Composite, Component, or SVIDEO input? Can you convert that VGA signal to a TV connection? You can find the solution at WhataCable! www.whatacable.com has a wireless and wired solution for watching your PC on your TV.

Which one is best? Well, if you are concerned about price, you’ll want to go with the PC-TV-1 wired version. The wired version works flawlessly. I like to watch episodes of The Office on Hulu.com. But, you can also play computer games, run PowerPoint presentations, or do a slide show of your favorite photos all on your TV. You’ll pay $56.99 for this version.

Don’t want wires running across your TV room? Check out the WI-PCTV wireless version from WhataCable!. It will set you back $119.99, but with 2.4 GHz transmission, it really works well. The only thing that might cause some interference is a wireless network. If you are worried about it, you can always go with the version that uses cables. WhataCable! carries both versions and have had good success with both.

Now sit back, enjoy a video, play a game, or share your photos on your sweet TV screen, instead of gathering around the 15” laptop screen.

Until Next Time
The Cable Guy

Everything-you-need-to-know-to-vote

Frequently-Asked-Questions-HDMI-1.3-Utah-Cable

Frequently Asked Questions about HDMI v1.3

Q: So what is HDMI?

Well, as defined on www.hdmi.org: “HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the first and only industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface. By delivering crystal-clear, all-digital audio and video via a single cable, HDMI™ dramatically simplifies cabling and helps provide consumers with the highest-quality home theater experience. HDMI™ provides an interface between any audio/video source, such as a set-top box, DVD player, or A/V receiver and an audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital television (DTV), over a single cable. HDMI™ supports standard, enhanced, or high-definition video, plus multi-channel digital audio on a single cable. It transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and supports 8-channel, 192kHz, uncompressed digital audio and all currently-available compressed formats (such as Dolby Digital and DTS). HDMI 1.3 adds additional support for new lossless digital audio formats Dolby® TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™ with bandwidth to spare to accommodate future enhancements and requirements.”

Q: OK, so what is HDMI 1.3?

HDMI is a fairly new technology and is therefore still evolving. Each revision brings new features for electronics manufacturers to incorporate into equipment designs. The HDMI 1.3 specification adds the following features (from www.hdmi.org):

Higher speed: HDMI 1.3 increases its single-link bandwidth to 340 MHz (10.2 Gbps) to support the demands of future HD display devices, such as higher resolutions, Deep Color and high frame rates.

Deep Color: HDMI 1.3 supports 10-bit, 12-bit and 16-bit (RGB or YCbCr) color depths, up from the 8-bit depths in previous versions of the HDMI specification, for stunning rendering of over one billion colors in unprecedented detail.

Broader color space: HDMI 1.3 adds support for “x.v.Color™” (the consumer name describing the IEC 61966-2-4 xvYCC color standard), which removes current color space limitations and enables the display of any color viewable by the human eye.

New mini connector: With small portable devices such as HD camcorders and still cameras demanding seamless connectivity to HDTVs, HDMI 1.3 offers a new, smaller form factor connector option.

Lip Sync: Because consumer electronics devices are using increasingly complex digital signal processing to enhance the clarity and detail of the content, synchronization of video and audio in user devices has become a greater challenge and could potentially require complex end-user adjustments. HDMI 1.3 incorporates automatic audio synching capabilities that allow devices to perform this synchronization automatically with total accuracy.

New HD lossless audio formats: In addition to HDMI’s current ability to support high-bandwidth uncompressed digital audio and all currently-available compressed formats (such as Dolby® Digital and DTS®), HDMI 1.3 adds additional support for new lossless compressed digital audio formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio™.

Q: How do I know that the cables I am buying are HDMI 1.3 compliant?

You need to make sure that you are buying from a trusted source. www.whatacable.com carries a full line of 1.3 compliant HDMI Cables. They are high-quality HDMI cables that support performance features associated with version 1.3 of the HDMI specification.

Here is a link to the HDMI cables page: http://www.whatacable.com/hdmi_cables.aspx

This tip brought to you by:
The Cable Guy
www.professionalcable.com

hdmi-switch-between-DVD-and-receiver-discreet-remote

-----Original Message-----
From: email
Contact Name: William

Comments or Questions:
I have a question about what to purchase regarding splitting my HDMI signal to my TV. My TV has only one HDMI connection and I want to connect another HDMI to my DVD Player/Home stereo, but I am confused as to what to buy (and what will work).

Basically I just want to hook up my DVD player and TV receiver with 1 HDMI connection to my TV (instead of switching cables each time) to my TV. Do you have anything available?

Thank You
William

----------------
Response:

Hi William

What you would need is a switch like this one:

http://www.whatacable.com/hdmi-V-v13-1-3-3-way-switch-with-remote-and-power.aspx

This will allow you to switch between up to 3 devices without plugging and unplugging cables. This switch comes with a discreet remote control.

Thanks

The Cable Guy
http://www.professionalcable.com/

How-to-connect-a-Macbook-mini-dvi-to-tv-with-regular-dvi

-----Original Message-----
From: email
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2008 8:29 PM

Contact Name: Kate

Comments or Questions:
Hi - I have a macbook with mini-dvi port I need to connect to a TV with a dvi female port. I think what I'll need is the mini-dvi to dvi adapter, then a gender changer, then a dvi male to male cable. Is this right, or is there a simpler way?

Thanks for your help

Kate

--------------------
Response:

Hi Kate

It sounds like you would need

1. Mini DVI to DVI female adapter. Here is the link:
http://www.whatacable.com/mini-dvi-to-dvi-adapter-cable-orem-utah-buy-onine-wholesale-converter-adapt.aspx

2. DVI cable (male to male)
http://www.whatacable.com/dvi-d-dual-link-cable-male-to-male-10-feet-3-meters.aspx

No gender changer would be needed.

Thanks -
The Cable Guy
www.professionalcable.com

WhataCable Get Connected Video

CATEGORY-6-cat6-cat-6-orem-utah-salt-lake-provo

So what is all the buzz about Category 6 Ethernet network cables? It's all about speed. Cat6 cables are gigabit rated, and will increase the speed of your network over CAT5e cables, which are only rated for 350MHz. Is there really a difference? Well, yes. Will you notice the difference? Maybe. Short distances may not be noticeable. But, if you want to be sure that you're getting the fastest speed your network can deliver, it's best to go with CAT6.

Where can you buy these bad boys? Well, online, WhataCable! has incredible wholesale prices. (www.whatacable.com) (located in Orem, Utah just 30 minutes south of Salt Lake City)

You can choose your length, and choose your color, and get connected. A 7 feet Cat6 patch cord will run you about $5.99. Retail price on these cables if you went to a big box store might be around $15-20. Here is the link: http://www.whatacable.com/CAT6_patch_cords_wire_ethernet_gigabit_utah_cable_supplier.aspx

This tip brought to you by

The Cable Guy
www.professionalcable.com

mini-dvi-to-regular-dvi-adapter-utah-cable-buy-online

You're admiring your Macbook, iMac (Intel Core Duo), or 12-Inch PowerBook G4 and you decide that you'd like to connect it to an external monitor. You take your cable from the monitor, and realize that it is a DVI connector... But your Macbook has something totally different called a "Mini-DVI" video output. So, is there an adapter for Mini-DVI to regular DVI? Oh yeah, and WhataCable! located in Orem, Utah has them in stock ready to ship. (www.whatacable.com)

Use the WhataCable! Mini-DVI to Regular DVI Adapter to connect any DVI monitor or projector to the Mini-DVI video port. You can also use this cable in both video mirroring and extended desktop modes.

Here is the link: http://www.whatacable.com/mini-dvi-to-dvi-adapter-cable-orem-utah-buy-onine-wholesale-converter-adapt.aspx


This tip brought to you by:

The Cable Guy
www.professionalcable.com

Mini-DVI-to-VGA-adapter-cable-where-to-buy

You've purchased a sweet Macbook, iMac (Intel Core Duo), or 12-Inch PowerBook G4 and you want to connect it to a VGA monitor... but it has some funky connector called a "Mini-DVI" video output. Is there an adapter for Mini-DVI to VGA? Oh yeah, and WhataCable! has them in stock ready to ship. ( www.whatacable.com )

Use the WhataCable! Mini-DVI to VGA Adapter to connect any VGA / SVGA monitor or projector to the Mini-DVI video port.

You can also use this cable in both video mirroring and extended desktop modes.

Here is the link: http://www.whatacable.com/mini-dvi-to-VGA-cable-orem-utah-buy-onine-wholesale-converter-adapter.aspx


This tip brought to you by:

The Cable Guy
www.professionalcable.com

Mini-DVI-to-HDMI-adapter-cable-where-to-buy-online

So you have a fancy Macbook laptop that has a Mini-DVI connector, and you want to connect it to your sweet HDTV via HDMI... What to do? Well, the answer is simple. You go to WhataCable! (www.whatacable.com) and get yourself a Mini-DVI to HDMI adapter cable. This handy adapter will have you watching sweet movies on your HDTV while running them off of www.youtube.com , www.nbc.com , etc.

You'll find the Apple Mini-DVI on the iMac (Intel Core Duo), MacBook, and 12-inch PowerBook G4.

Here is the link for the Mini-DVI to HDMI cable adapter: http://www.whatacable.com/mini-dvi-to-HDMI-cable-orem-utah-buy-onine-wholesale-converter-adapter.aspx


This tip is brought to you by-

The Cable Guy
www.professionalcable.com

CEDIA - The Expo for Home Theaters

Last week I spent the week in Denver. We were exhibiting at CEDIA in Denver, Colorado. CEDIA is the big show for manufacturers to show off their home theater equipment and for dealers and installers to come and get up to date on the latest technologies.

Now when I say home theater equipment, I'm not talking about something you put together that you purchased at Costco. These are posh theaters installed into high-end homes. Here is a picture of a home theater owned by a friend of mine in Washington.

As you can see, this is not just the stuff purchased from Costco. This is designed from the ground up, giving a true theater experience.

Professional Cable was there among the big names in home theater cables, such as Monster, but most of the home theater installers don't want to spend the money on a Monster cable, especially when these are often being run behind walls and can't be seen. So they turn to cables like what we manufacture.

Professional Cable is not the flashy BMW of cables, like Monster. We are more of the Honda of cables. Reliable. High quality. Lifetime Warranty. Lasts forever. But at more of a value price. Not cheap. We're not say, a KIA, or the cheapest cable out there. But we are a trusted name and offer these cables at a reasonable price.

Here is another shot of the same theater. When people have the money to spend on an elaborate home theater, the sky is the limit.

So, given how many people were there, we had a lot of success. HDMI is the most used cable in home theater installations. We manufacture and stock HDMI cables from 12 inches all the way to 150 feet. What attracted people to our booth was our super-long HDMI cables and our huge selection of adapters. VGA to DVI, DVI to HDMI, DVI to Component, VGA to Component, etc.

The other nice thing that we had going for us was that we are based in Utah. A lot of the attendees were from the mountain west, so we are only 1-2 days away via UPS ground for most companies.

It was also surprising, how many international attendees there were. I spoke with people from Russia, Belgium, Spain, Mexico, India, and Israel. All of these companies were looking for products that we carry.

Trade shows are fun, but they are not easy work. You are on your feet all day and if you are like me, at the end of the day your feet and back are aching. I relaxed each night by going to see a movie and treating myself to a nice dinner.

I've been back for over a week, and I'm still not caught up. But, that is the nature of the show, to get more leads, and eventually more customers.

Until next time

The Cable Guy

The Serial Entrepreneur

I admit it. I’m a serial entrepreneur. Most of my ventures have not been successful.

The first time I went into business for myself was when I was about 9 years old. I was reading Boys Life Magazine and I saw in the back that you could sell Christmas cards to earn points with which you could buy toys and other merchandise. I signed up and couldn't wait for my first business kit to arrive. When it arrived, I was so anxious to get out going door-to-door, that I left immediately (with my Grandma’s permission). Before I knew it, I had canvassed my Grandma’s neighborhood and had a bunch of orders. On Saturday I hit our home neighborhood . Again, after a few hours work, more orders. People need Christmas cards, and I was there to deliver. I did this for at least three years and loved the goods I earned.

I worked more traditional jobs from the ages 14-17, but when I was 18 I had a friend that mowed lawns and told me he had too many customers. I said, I’ll take them! The next thing I know, JB’s Landscaping was keeping me busy. I had an apartment complex that was my main customer. I did work, and they gave me checks. I really liked this.

My next venture would be many years later. I had started taking Metabolife (herbal speed) and had great results. I lost a bunch of weight. So I thought that I’d become a distributor. I bought stock, etc. and started selling it as a side business. Eventually it ran its course. I think I used most of the product myself.

I then had a run of several business ideas. Cable Broker was a full fledged LLC. I started it as a side business, and to my knowledge only got one order. It’s hard to run businesses on the side when you don’t put any time into them. While running this I also thought that an online company selling network products would be a hit. So I started Network-Stuff.com It actually got some traction and I sold a few thousand dollars worth of goods. But it was a side thing that was inconvenient because I was working a full-time job and going to the University at night. But, I thought what I really needed, was a couple more businesses on the side. I started WebPageBroker.com, a company that would list domain names for sale, and then take a commission when they sold. I also purchased a bunch of domains hoping to sell them. I actually sold one for $2500 (americanluxury.com) While running this I got another great idea. I would sell promotional items to Universities. Specifically Football shaped cups and mugs. JB Trading was born. When all of the local universities turned me down, I went ahead with the idea anyway. I got licensed with the CLC and started selling really cool football shaped cups and mugs at the BYU football games. I ended up with several hundred of these left over, and after keeping them in my garage for years, finally gave them to charity just this year.

So, with a string of unsuccessful side-businesses, I thought that I should try this out full-time. This is when Offspring Technologies was born. Call it a blessing, dumb-luck, or pure providence, this one took off. I can’t say that I was prepared for this, but I knew the industry, I knew the would-be customers, and I had committed to do this full-time. I also had the full support of my wife and family. Sink or swim. Me and my business partner were going to do this or go down in flames burning. But we worked like mad-men, and made it work. The company grew quickly. During this time we started two other companies. Crucialcables.com and IT Distributing. Neither one of those ever really took off. Crucialcable.com maybe did a couple thousand dollars a year and IT Distributing, while a great name, never even got much past the conference room brain storming session. Our focus was on the main company, Offspring, where it should have been. Now I’ve already blogged about the downfall of Offspring, (after we sold it), so I won’t go into the details of how it all ended, but it was a success. We grew it from nothing to a recognized national brand actually becoming the leading brand in some industries.

After I left Offspring, I started Bringhurst Consulting, and did real estate full time (similar to Webpagebroker.com, but with REAL estate, not web estate.) I had some success with this, but not enough to pay the bills. Bringhurst Consulting also did web design, marketing, and consulting. So I was doing all of this, but it still wasn’t enough. I worked a couple other jobs in sales and then the entrepreneur bug started calling again. So, with the blessing of the company that purchased Offspring from the company we sold Offspring to (it’s been sold twice), I started Professional Cable and WhataCable.com. Professional Cable is a manufacturer and wholesaler of computer cables, network cables & wire, and home theater cables. WhataCable! sells all of Professional Cable’s products online, and in addition to those products, sells other third party-products. Both companies are doing well. The reason for the success? It’s similar to Offspring. I’m working full-time at Professional Cable, it’s not a side-business. I know the industry. I have full support of my wife and family. I know the customers. I’m working like a mad-man. I carry a large inventory. I have a great location. I have good vendor partners. I have established a good customer base in a lot of different industries. I’ve exhibited at the InfoComm trade show in Las Vegas, and will be exhibiting at the CEDIA trade show in Denver in two weeks. I’m getting the name out there (and it’s a good name if I do say so myself).

So will Professional Cable become a national brand like Offspring? I’m not sure. I’m not worried about that. I’m glad the company is where it is today. I’m confident that it will keep growing and will be successful.

If you've always thought about starting your own business, what is stopping you? Make a plan. What are you going to sell? Who would be your customers? How would you get your name out there? My suggestion is to do it full time. Focus 100% of your efforts on this an make it fly. It's very rewarding.

Until next time
The Cable Guy
http://www.professionalcable.com/

The Cable Guy Rants - "I'm not your secretary! "

I'm not your secretary! I'm not! Why do I feel like I'm an outsourced secretary for other companies? Today I get an automated phone call from Wells Fargo at my office. (this has happened with at least 5 other companies in the past two months) "We are looking for (insert name). Please call 1-800-xxx-xxxx." So, I hang up. The next day, same phone call. and so on, and so on, until it drives me crazy enough to waste MY time to call the stupid 800 number to inform them that they have the wrong number. I have to wait on hold. Then I have to answer a bunch of questions because if I don't they will just keep calling incessantly. Can anyone tell me why I should have to do this for them? They can set up these stupid automatic calls to annoy me and waste my time at work, saying how important this call is, but they cannot pay a live person to call and find out if it's actually the right number! It drives me absolutely crazy. So in essence, I am their outsourced secretary or collection agent, informing them that they've got a bad number for Mr. So and So. It just infuriates me.

Do I have the only decent company left on the planet? Guess what happens when you call our office? Try it out! Tel. 801-765-4617. Monday through Friday 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM mountain standard time, you get a live person answering the phone. Yep. An actual person says "Hello, Professional Cable, how can I help you?" How about that? Novel idea eh? It's called good customer service. I don't have an automatic message dialing out to my customers saying "Your payment is past due". I don't have an automatic phone system saying, "For Customer Service please press 1." I just have people helping people. I know, it's crazy. If you don't get a live person, guess what you get? A real voice mail. And then guess what? Someone calls you back! What if you click on the "contact us" form on the website? Someone responds QUICKLY! Yeah, I said it. We respond quickly. Unheard of I know.

I recently had a customer in Texas email me and said, "I screwed up. I bought 50 SVGA cables that were Male to Female, but I actually need Male to Male. So I need to order the right ones and I need to know how much are you going to charge me to return them?" I responded by saying, "No charge. Just return them and I'll credit your account." He couldn't believe it. I know I hate restocking fees, so I don't charge them unless I have to. Now sometimes you have to. If it were a small order, and they didn't buy from my very often, I would lose money by not charging a restocking fee because originally I paid for a box, labor, etc. to process the order. But when they are placing another order, and it is a decent order, why penalize them and create ill-will, even though he was expecting to pay? I really like being my customers' favorite vendor. And you know what? They repay me with loyalty, and referrals. Take today for example, one of my regular customers referred another business to me. They told this business "You need to buy your cables from Professional Cable. They're the best." And so this new company is on board. By creating a fan from one customer, I now have two. Multi-level marketing companies know the power in this. Then they tell two friends, then they tell two friends, until it snowballs into a powerful force. I get a lot of referrals. I wonder how many referrals Wells Fargo is getting. "Hey Bob, I just got this real great automated phone call from Wells Fargo asking for some name I've never heard of. They've been calling me for like three months now every single day. So I was thinking, maybe you'd like to go deposit all your millions from the power ball lottery in their bank, because they really seem like great folks... you know... from what I can tell from that lady's voice on the other end of the automated phone call. I can't wait for her to call again tomorrow.

I guess I've ranted on enough. Wells Fargo, LEAVE ME ALONE!

Until next time
The Cable Guy

New Blog for non-work related blogs

I'm starting another blog for blogs that have a more religious focus. The Cable Guy Opines blog will also continue.

http://www.nowthatsgoodjello.blogspot.com/

Ciao
The Cable Guy

The Rise and Fall of a Cable Empire

Almost on a weekly basis someone asks me, "What happened to Offspring?" It's a good question.

Offspring Technologies was the company that I founded with my friend Shawn. It was back in 2001. The market was not good and tech companies especially were hurting because the dot com bubble had burst. I don't think anyone said to us "This is a great time to start a company!" There were many nay-sayers. In fact, the first two nay-sayers were the other two would-be partners in the company. Curtis Computer products was going out of business. Shawn and I had been let go, and these two other guys, Jason and Scott were going to be let go soon. Shawn and I were both in sales, Scott was the techie guru, and Jason was the finance guy. Shawn and I thought it would be a good team with which to start the company. But after our initial meeting in my home at the kitchen table, Jason and Scott walked saying that they didn't think the company would fly. They found employment elsewhere and moved on. Shawn was unemployed, and wanting to get going immediately. I was employed at another cable company, having been let go from Curtis several months prior to this meeting. So I had to decide just how much faith I had in this little start up. Granted, the odds were not with us. But there would be a window of opportunity with Curtis closing its doors. And someone would get the business in the void that Curtis was to leave. Could Offspring do it? Offspring was an "Offspring" of Curtis, and Curtis had acquired System Connection, the company that Shawn and I had originally worked for previous to Curtis' acquisition. So it was born. I decided that I would leave my good paying job to venture in the world of self-employment.

The early months were very hard. We didn't pay ourselves a dime. We kept putting everything back into the company. This is typical of small under-funded start-ups. It's also why many fail. They don't have the capital to keep going with out a paycheck. Six months into it, we hit it big with a large OEM account that I landed. It breathed air into the sails of the company, and from then forward, I felt like we would make it.

Later, we landed a huge distributor, that also brought a lot of badly needed cash into the company. We were on our way. This is when we really started to establish a brand. Selling to OEM accounts, you are not a brand. You in fact are brand-less. You are simply a factory supplying cables to the original equipment manufacturer. Your company name is not on the cable, the packaging, etc. You are transparent. To the end-user, you don't exist. With a distributor, we were private labeling all of or cables with our logo, our name on the packaging, our name on the boxes, etc. All of a sudden our products, branded "Offspring" were all over the Internet. Computer dealers and dot coms were selling our products. It was really exciting.

We eventually established our self as the leading computer cable brand in the college bookstore market. This was a real good niche for us and we ended up dominating the market. We surpassed billion-dollar competitors. There is something to be said for the small company, or the underdog. People like to support you. As long as your product is decent and your service is decent, people want to get behind you and help you succeed. No one cares to help the billion dollar company get richer.

Three years later we had a nice sized small company. We had done over a million dollars in sales, pretty much $2-3 at a time. The real underlying reason for what happened next was simply a difference in vision. I had a vision for the company that was to more or less stay small and run it until we retire. My business partner though had a different vision. He wanted out and wanted the stability of working for a larger company. There were too many headaches running a small business, especially one as complex as ours. I was not crazy about the idea of selling, but I could not see an amicable way of separating our company so that we could both be happy. We found a company that wanted to buy us out, and we sold it.

They made many promises and although I now have an MBA, this experience is worth 10 MBAs. I should make you pay for this advice. Here is my advice on selling your company:

1. GET EVERY LITTLE DETAIL IN WRITING & HAVE A GOOD ATTORNEY LOOK IT OVER.
2. GET CASH UP FRONT. NO LONG-TERM DEALS.

These two steps would have really changed the outcome for me. But, the promises that were made by this company, were not in writing. Also, they were supposed to keep the Utah location, but later decided to move everything to Florida. And, yes, you guessed it, I didn't get the cash up front. It was a 10 year plan... and some how 6 months into it, they decided that things weren't going as they had planned, so they weren't going to pay another dime. How can they do that you say? Refer to #1. They had written up the contract to favor them. Things continued to get worse and eventually they put pressure on me, threatened to sue me, and eventually forced me out of the company. Nice story eh?

-
Well this all was a horribly costly learning experience. I had put everything into this company. I felt like Dr. Norman Osborn (The Green Goblin in the Spider Man movie) when the board forces him out. Remember how mad he was? Well, I didn't turn into an evil villain... although... hmmm.

So a costly mistake it was. My real MBA didn't cost me this much! But, the story does have a happy ending. Two years later almost to the day, I am now running an offspring of Offspring, Professional Cable. This company has now replaced Offspring in many ways and I'm a 100% owner. Business is good, and growing rapidly every month.

So what did happen to Offspring? Well, this company continued to run Offspring into the ground and later sold it to another company in Michigan. They bought it for pennies on the dollar. They too continued to mess things up more, and well, go to website and its no longer there. It is in the ruins of cyberspace. The company does not exist. Like the ruins of the Roman Empire, you wonder what Hubris might have caused this fall. I'm not sure. But, I'm glad that a new empire is being built to fill the dreams of this cable guy.

Until next time
The Cable Guy
http://www.professionalcable.com/

HDMI Cables In Orem, Utah - Close to Salt Lake and Provo

This post is simply to inform those of you out there who are looking for an HDMI cable (for your new HDTV) that you really shouldn't go pay full retail at Circuit City, or any other big box store, because you will pay a "Monster" price for those fancy packaged cables. You can order them online at http://www.whatacable.com/ or pick them up at will call in Orem. Their address is:

77 South Mountain Way Drive
Orem, UT 84058

They are open Monday through Friday
8:30 AM to 5 PM.

You will save at least 50% on this purchase, yet still get a high-quality, HDMI certified cable with gold contacts, backed by a lifetime warranty. These are manufactured by Professional Cable, and they are designed for professional installers and integrators who put these into million-dollar homes that have exquisite home theaters. These are not the "cheapy" low-quality cables that you find on e-bay or Wal-Mart. They just don't have the shiny clamshell package that takes an industrial saw to cut through, and they don't have the expensive price tag. You'll be glad you saved yourself a lot of money. Just think of all the popcorn, Milk Duds and Diet Coke that you'll be able to buy with that saved money!

WhataCable! supplies HDMI cables from 12 inches all the way up to 150 feet. Give them a call. 801-765-4617.

Buy your cable, and enjoy the movie!

Until Next Time

The Cable Guy
http://www.professionalcable.com/

The Dream Ticket - Obama and McCain

The Economist had an interesting article in its July 19-25 issue. It tried to nail down the best choice for both presidential candidates.

The article mentions that fourteen Vice Presidents have gone on to be Presidents of the United States. It's an important decision. The right VP in this race seems very critical to the outcome and both candidates are holding their cards close to their chest, hoping in this VP chess match, that the other will make the move first so that they can pick the best VP to counter the other's choice.

The Economist suggests that both candidates should ere on the side of caution. McCain, it says, "is the oldest candidate (71) in American history. He needs to appoint someone who could instantly step into his shoes" It goes on to say that he must compensate for his fatal weakness, economics.

Obama also has may weaknesses, most of which is his lack of experience and he also has trouble connecting with blue-collar America.

The Economist says that McCain has an easier choice. Their choice (and mine) is Mitt Romney, a youthful-looking 60-year-old with plenty of executive experience and a businessman with Wall-Street credibility. They go on to say "True, he is a Mormon with unreal hair, and he and Mr McCain don't like each other much. But running for the White House is not a road trip."

Romney stands out among the "short-list" as the obvious choice for the Dream Ticket for the Republican Party. He fills in where McCain falls short. Like Dick Cheney was for George W. Bush, he would almost be a co-president.

Obama's choice is not as clear. Hillary Clinton would be a disaster. The Economist says, "It would spell dysfunction in the White House.. and might suggest weakness on Obama's part." They run through a number of possibilities, leaving Mr. Warner, Bayh, and Kaine stating that they might be a little dull, but a boring white man may be exactly what Obama needs.

I think that the Economist has nailed it here. McCain is extremely weak when it comes to the economy. He is strong on the war in Iraq, but who is talking about that anymore? Energy Independence and the Economy are the two flags this camp needs to fly high. Let Romney hold the Economy flag and McCain hold the Energy Independence flag.

Obama can't choose Hillary. It just won't work. Both Obama and Hillary will always be overshadowed by Bill, and his reputation will follow them through the presidency. Obama needs to break away from that reputation. But he needs someone on the Democratic Party ticket to give him the experience he lacks. He needs his Dick Cheney to be a co-president of sorts to fill in where he is weak.

I'm not crazy about McCain. In fact, I, like many other conservatives out there, may not vote for McCain without a strong conservative VP running mate. Without Romney, I may just end up writing Romney in. McCain alone doesn't stand quite up to the conservative values that I'm looking for. And as a business owner, who is not fond of being over-taxed, I can't vote for Obama. So in my opinion, without Romney on this ticket, I'm without a party.

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“Un-politically Correct Comments” or “The Plainness of Their Words”

*Occasionally I will blog about things that pertain to my personal beliefs, my religion, or simply my opinion. These blogs are not affiliated or endorsed by my company. This is one of those blogs. It is also written more for an LDS (Mormon) audience.*

Today on my morning commute to le bureau, I was listening to the Bob Lonsberry show on AM radio. Bob was asking for thoughts comments on a situation where a father & husband, told his wife of many years that he had decided that he was gay. And he had decided that he first knew he was gay when he was about 9 years old. And he was thinking of telling his two oldest children (ages 9 and 11) that he was gay, but that he and their mom would likely still stay together. He said that he would probably stay with his wife and not look for any one else. But, he had recently realized the leaders of the Church were wrong when it came to same-gender attraction because they didn’t approve of it. It wasn’t his fault he said because God made him that way. Lastly he said that he had a rock-solid testimony of the gospel, the Book of Mormon. Riiiiight.

Well, I wanted to call in and opine about this, but I couldn’t get through. I may not have even called the right number. Hint to Mr. Lonsberry, “Say your number a little slower and maybe repeat it once in awhile!”

In any case, this is what I wanted to say this morning.

I have a confession to make. I too have a problem like this gentleman. I have an opposite-gender attraction. Yes. I’m embarrassed to say this. I know it must be shocking. I am indeed attracted to the opposite sex.

I first noticed my opposite-gender attraction when I was around 8 years old. I however lived a normal childhood, despite this problem. I went on and served an honorable full-time 2-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church). I served in Bordeaux, France. I would occasionally see a beautiful woman, (yes, imagine that, a beautiful woman in France!) and my opposite-gender attraction would tempt me, but I suppressed it and put it out of my mind. I later married, and had a wonderful family with four children. But I knew that I still had this opposite-gender attraction.

So I think that I should confront my wife with this and admit, when I see a beautiful woman, I am attracted to her. I can’t help it. God made me this way. So I should probably tell my children about my attraction…the two oldest anyway, because they are 8 and 10 and should handle this OK. I will probably stay with my wife, but I’m not sure. I know I made all those covenants in the temple and all, promising to be faithful for time and all eternity… but then this whole opposite-gender attraction thing came along. I thought that I’d magically be cured after getting married in the temple. I guess I too must now need to question the leaders of the Church because they do not approve of me fornicating with other women, even though I clearly have this desire to. You know, I have this opposite-gender attraction that God gave me, so really, what else can I do? Of course I have a rock-solid testimony, just not about adultery, keeping covenants, and being a good father, and maybe some other things that I will decide at my will and convenience if they jive with how I want to live my life with my problem of opposite-gender attraction.

OK, now as you know I’m being facetious here. But, it sounds so ridiculous when you change the attraction from same-sex to opposite-sex. Of course it’s not OK to act on either of those feelings. Most men do have opposite-sex attractions even after years of marriage. So if you have gay tendencies, boo hoo. Why should you get a free-pass to ignore all the commandments just because you have same-sex attraction? We all have our temptations, and like or not, there are commandments. God has His laws. And just because you don’t like them because you can’t go off and do anything you want, well, welcome to the club! I’m bound to the same laws, and I’ll tell you what, I have every bit as much temptation as you gay folks. (or you folks with gay tendencies). I don’t believe for a second that your desires are any stronger than my desires.

In summary, we all must live within the bounds God has laid for us. If you don’t live within these bounds, you are not in accordance with God’s commandments. That is the truth. Some take the truth to be hard because of the plainness of the words. Well my brothers and sisters, this life is a test for us all. We all have our temptations. I love my wife, and I don't want to hurt her. I'm attracted to my wife, so it's all good. I love my children, and don't want to hurt them. I believe that we are here for a purpose. That's where that whole Plan of Salvation thing comes in and families can be together forever. We do have a prophet here luckily to guide the Church and teach us the will of the Lord. The scriptures are clear. The Book of Mormon especially is clear. The Ensign and General Conference words are even clearer. Read "The Family -A Proclomation to The World." We know what we are supposed to do. Look in your heart and pray about it. Be ye not deceived.

Until Next Time
The Cable Guy

Family Home Evening Song

Tonight we had our family home evening. This is something that Mormon's are instructed to do each Monday night. We are supposed to set this night aside from work and play and even church activities, and spend the night with the family. We get the family together for a spiritual message or a short lesson, we read the scriptures, we say an opening and closing prayer and have an opening and closing song. Usually we have a treat at the end.

Tonight for the closing song we sang "If you chance to meet a frown" a favorite Mormon primary song that the kids love. I spontaneously I kept singing and made up a new verse.

If you chance to meet a clown
Do not let him stay
Quickly kick him out the door
And scream all the way.
(cause clown's are creepy of course, especially if you chance to meet him in your house)

As you can imagine this got the whole family laughing because it is supposed to be a cute song:

If you chance to meet a frown
Do not let it stay
Quickly turn it upside down
and smile the frown away

Leave it to me to get the kiddies all wound up and irreverent right before the closing prayer.

We are now making chocolate chip cookies to take to a couple neighbors.

Gotta run!

Until Next Time
The Cable Guy
www.professionalcable.com

Frenchy Food - My favorite recipes

I loved my time living in France. I especially loved the food. I have a hand written recipe book that I had kept back in 1991-1993, and it's getting worn. So this post is simply my recipe book. Feel free to try them. I wouldn't have written them down if I didn't like them. There is a mix of recipes that I discovered in France, and recipes that were sent from home of things that I missed. You really start to crave things that you took for granted back home. (Like peanut butter). Some have European measurements and others U.S. I’m just copying them the way they were written.

Never Fail Pie Crust

4 cups flour
2 cups shortening
1 cup boiling water
1 Tsp baking powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
Add hot water to shortening and then add flour, salt, and baking powder, then mix.

Snicker Doodles
2 ¾ Cups Sifted Flour
½ Tsp. Salt
1 ½ Cup Sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 cups soft butter
2 eggs

4 tsp. Cinnamon
5 Tbsp Sugar

Mix and sift flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cream the butter (mix it) and add 1 ½ cup sugar gradually making it fluffy.
Add beaten eggs and mix
Add sifted dry ingredients, gradually mixing in.
Chill in refrigerator
Mold dough into small balls
Using mixture of cinnamon and sugar, roll dough ball in it.
Bake about 2 inches apart on un-greased baking sheet at about 400 degrees for ab0ut 10 minutes
Store and hide from companion.

Root Beer

Root beer is generally legal in the Mormon Faith, but Elder Johnson and I made a huge batch that started to ferment. It was an accident that it started to ferment on us and we tried to drink it all very quickly, but the fermenting root beer combined with us drinking large quantities was probably not a good idea. Now I’m not saying we got drunk, but I’m not not saying we did either. It was more of an innocent root beer tipsiness.

2 ½ Cups Sugar
¾ yeast cake
½ bottle root beer extract
1 gallon water
Mix together
Set in warm place for 4 hours
Then get it into the fridge (the part we didn’t do because we had mass produced many gallons and had a small fridge)

Rochers
3 egg whites
250 grams of sugar
250 grams of almond powder or coconut powder (or half and half)
first add sugar then the egg whites in the sauce pan and mix well
Stir over low flame constantly until sugar dissolves
Take off flame
Do not let whites cook
Add substance (almond powder, etc.) and mix well
Form balls
But on buttered sheet
Cook at low temp. in oven for 15 minutes

Chi Chis
2 cups of flour
add hot water to make thick pate
Deep fry in long shape like a hot dog
Roll in cinnamon and sugar

Poubelles
Fry hamburger
Cut up green pepper, onion, (red and yellow peppers if available) and fry with hamburger
Add in Vache Qui Rit (laughing cow cheese) about 10 triangles
Add in tomato paste, water, salt, and pepper
Mix it all together in the pan
Cut a baguette (French bread) in half and hallow out the middle
Put the mix into a hollowed out baguette

Lovey Truc (Elder Loveland’s stuff)
Put oil into fry pan, enough to cover the bottom of the pan
Heat the pan
Break up spaghetti noodles and brown them in the pan in the oil
Add hamburger and onion or ham
Add rice and cook until the rice is white
After all is cooked, add a can of corn and simmer for 1 minute
Then add to cans of water (you haven’t added any water till this point)
Continue to add water until rice is cooked
Let is simmer
Remove lid, let water boil out
Mix 1-2 eggs together in a separate bowl
Pour over stuff in pan and mix until cooked
Serve with chop sticks, soy sauce

Breakfast truc (breakfast thing) from Sister Ray
Cook some rice
Add sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and stir into rice
Cook for 8 minutes with rice
Mix in peaches.
Serve hot or cold

Another Breakfast truc from Sister Ray

Smash up some fruit like peaches(1/2 cup or so)
Add to fat free fromage blanc or fat free yogurt
Mix in some cinnamon and sugar to taste

Rice a Roni a la Elder Rusch

1 cup rice (cook it)
1 cup small broken up spaghetti noodles – fry in butter on the stove until browned
Add 2 cups of water to browned noodles
Add a bouillon cup (chicken or beef)
Boil till water evaporates in pan
Add rice in before the water has completely evaporated
Mix and serve with some salt and pepper

Rice Crispis
½ cup butter
1 package of marshmallows (try finding these in France)
5 cups of rice crispies (try finding these in France)
Melt butter in large saucepan
Add in marshmallows
Stir constantly until melted
Remove from heat
Add rice crispies
Spread on to buttered pan
Cool and cut

Meat Loaf (Grandma Alldredge)
1 package of hamburger
1 egg
1 small onion
½ cup bread or cracker crumbs
Mix all together & put in a baking dish
Cover with tomato sauce and bake

Spanish Noodles (Mom)
Brown 1 lb. of hamburger
Add 1 medium onion cut up
Add 1 bell pepper cut up
Then drain off grease
Mix in ½ cup chili sauce
Mix in ½ water
Top with 2 cups of noodles
Add 1 large can of tomatoes (1 quart)
Add 1 teaspoon of parsley flakes
Add ¼ cup grated cheese
Cover, cook until noodles are soft (1/2 hour)

Potato Salad for 2 people (Grandma Alldredge)
4 potatoes cooked & chopped
1 tsp. salt
Boil 2-3 eggs (hard)
1 small onion chopped
1 cup mayonnaise, enough to cover potatoes
1 tsp. mustard mixed with mayo

Macaroni Salad (Grandma Alldredge)
1 ½ cup macaroni cooked and cooled
2-3 hard boiled eggs
1 small onion diced (this might be a green onion)
Add baby shrimp or tuna
Add Mayonnaise with some mustard and mix into salad

Potato Cheese Soup (Gavin Duckworth, though I often took credit for this soup because I added hamburger to it to J-manonize it – and to make Gavin mad)
6 potatoes in a pot
1 tsp salt
Peal and cut into chunks
Boil until tender
In another pan while the potatoes are cooking, make the sauce
1 Tablespoon salt
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp onion salt
Melt butter & stir in the other ingredients (the potatoes are still cooking in the other pot)
Add enough milk until it makes a thick gravy.
Turn off burner and add 1 ½ cups of grated cheddar cheese
8 oz. of sour cream
Stir until the cheese is melted
Add the sauce to the potatoes, water, and all. Stir till blended and creamy.
That’s all. You’ll love this soup.
Now if you want to J-Manonize it, you also add in some cooked ground hamburger. It is better that way, in my humble opinion. Though most things on earth are better with either hamburger or bacon.

Best Brownies On Earth – Elder Sim
(dry ingredients)
2 cups flour
1 cup cocoa (Nestle Quick is preferred in France. It’s not real dark)
1 ½ tsp salt
1 package of the pink package chemique (I’m pretty sure this is baking powder)
Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl.

(wet ingredients)
4 eggs
1 ½ cup oil (melted butter tastes the best)
2 cups of sugar
1 package of vanilla (probably the same as a teaspoon in the U.S.)
Mix all wet ingredients in one bowl
Slowly stir in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring constantly to avoid clumps.
Pour into baking pan and bake
Cook at 4 ½ for ½ hour (In France 4 ½ is probably 375 degrees)

Yogurt Cake – Elder Johnson
Mix each time you add something. Use the yogurt cup for measuring everything else.
Add 1 Yogurt (personal Yoplait size) (whatever kind you want, plain, strawberry, blueberry, etc.)
½ Yogurt cup of oil
½ yogurt cup of milk
3 eggs
a pinch of salt
2 full yogurt cups of sugar
1 package of vanilla (1 tsp. vanilla)
3 heaping yogurt cups of flour
Package of levre chemique (baking powder, maybe 1 tsp.)
Grease pie pan/cake pan with butter and sprinkle flour over greased pan
Bake on # 6 (probably 350-400 degrees in the US)
Add fruit, coconut, etc. for flavor
No frosting required. They don’t do that in France really.

Les Crepes – J-Man’s crepes taken from several comps. and added my touch
1 ½ cup flour
Tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Mix dry ingredients
Add to wet ingredients
2 cups of milk
1-2 eggs
Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl before adding dry ingredients
After ingredients are mixed well (stirring constantly as you add the dry ingredients to avoid lumps) grease the crepe pan (or regular frying pan)
I use a paper towel and fold it up, and dip it into a little bowl of olive oil, then grease the pan with the paper towel. I do this between every 2 crepes.

Use a ½ cup to poor the batter onto the hot crepe pan, tip the crepe pan to cover the entire pan. Watch the crepe to see when the one side is slightly browned/cooked. Loosen the edges with a butter knife or spatula, and then flip it. (You can try to turn it with the spatula, but it wouldn’t be the French way) Cook is slightly on the 2nd side. Put onto a plate and add toppings such as Nutella, fresh strawberries, whip cream, butter, and sugar.

Rice Salad
Cooked rice, chilled
2-3 tomatoes cut up
1 avacado cut up
1 can corn, drained
3-4 boiled eggs
Add all the ingredients together. Pour Vinaigerette sauce over it.

Vinaigrette Sauce (Elder Stokes)
½ Tsp Mustard (tres fort) Stronger the better
½ Tsp pepper
Add vinegar and olive oil to taste, about ½ and ½

Now I’m hungry after copying these all down. I think that I'll make dinner.

Bon appetite
The Cable Guy
www.professionalcable.com

The ins and outs of HDMI cables

The most common question I get asked is, "Is there a difference between all the HDMI cables out there?" This is often followed by, "It's so confusing because there seems to be such a variety in the costs." If you are frustrated and confused by the myriad of HDMI cables on the market, stay tuned.

The answer to the question is simply, "Yes." There is a difference to all these cables when it comes to HDMI. If you are talking about a PS/2 keyboard cable, or a DB9 serial cable, there are a few differences, but generally, whatever you get will work because there is not a lot of date being transferred. However, HDMI is a very complex, high-speed, high-tech cable designed to carry a lot of data, both video and audio simultaneously, and there are certain characteristics which need to be met in order to comply with HDMI specifications. HDMI has specified how an HDMI cable should be manufactured. If you comply with these specifications, you should be OK. However, there are factories that try to cut corners by using less shielding or thinner wire gauges. This is when you run into trouble because you will not get true HDMI performance from these cables. So, in this sense, you get what you pay for. Does this mean that you need to go buy the most expensive cable you can find to get the best performance? No. This also is not necessary. You’ll get great performance from cables like “Monster” at the big retail outlets, but you are paying for a lot of fancy packaging, marketing, and “fluff” or “bling” that does not affect performance. Unless you’ve got money to burn, your cables don’t need bling.

As an AV installer, or a professional audio video integrator, you simply want to make sure that you are consistently getting the best quality cables at a fair price (the best value for your money). You need to partner with a manufacturer like Professional Cable that manufactures pro-grade cables, without all the extra gold monster “bling”. If you are looking to connect an HDTV at home, you can turn to WhataCable! for your cable needs. Both Professional Cable (for resellers, distributors, and professional installers) and WhataCable! (for home users) offer a lifetime warranty on high-quality HDMI certified cables.

We ran into this same problem back in the 90’s with SCSI cables. There were only so many short-cuts you could take with a SCSI cable before it affected the performance. Then later you had factories trying to use really thin wire on USB cables, and they couldn’t obtain true USB 2.0 speeds because of poor shielding or sub-par components or wire gauge. There are a lot of things that go into the quality of the cable during the manufacturing process. These are copper cables, so the copper must be of good quality. They have to meet the AWG that is specified for the technology. They are susceptible to EMI (interference from electricity) and data loss because of poor shielding. They require an aluminum foil shield and in addition to that, a copper braided shield. This is all very costly, especially with the shortage of copper and rising costs of copper and PVC. So again, factories will try to take short cuts. Aluminum braiding can replace the copper braid shield, but strict testing and quality control must take place to make sure that there is a sufficient shield to pass EMI testing.

Hopefully this clears up the question, “Is there a difference between HDMI cables?” and “Which HDMI cable should I buy?” You don’t want to be left with a fuzzy screen or loss of that crisp clear picture that you saw at Circuit City when you bought the HDTV. At the same time, you don’t want to pay the outrageous price for a tricked out HDMI cable that will give you no more clarity than the one that costs half the money at http://www.whatacable.com/ After all, these are the cables that the professionals are using to install the mega-home theaters that you see in the homes of the Rich and Famous. If it’s good enough for the professionals, it’s good enough for the home users, and you’ll have plenty of money left over for popcorn.

Until next time
The Cable Guy
http://www.professionalcable.com/

CAT5e still hanging around - for how long?

About 6 years ago, someone told me that CAT5e was going to be replaced soon by CAT6. Now in 2008, I'm still seeing a lot of CAT5e sales. CAT6 is selling as well, but we just did a recent poll on our website, and about 70% of the cables being purchased are still CAT5e over CAT6. Why is this? Isn't CAT6 way faster?

Nobody sells CAT5 anymore. CAT5e replaced that technology in 2001-2002. My opinion? I think that there is no NOTICEABLE difference for the average user. In fact, I would say there is no difference, especially if you are just going from the wall to your desktop or laptop computer (say 7-14 feet). I think you might notice if you get above 50 feet. BUT, in order to have a truly CAT6 system, EVERYTHING must be CAT6 including the wires in the walls. Also, if you are connecting to wireless routers, the difference between CAT6 and CAT5e really doesn't matter. So, we still sell both. I don't know that CAT6 will every fully replace CAT5e because other technologies are becoming more cost effective.

The challenge with both CAT5e and CAT6 is that they are both using copper conductors. And copper is now so expensive, not to mention that there is a copper shortage, other technologies like Fiber Optics, is likely to become just as cost effective as the copper wires. Fiber is, well, the speed of light. How does copper compete with that?

I think that with the rising costs of copper, we'll see a move to affordable Fiber Networks even for the SOHO industries. You'll enjoy blazing speeds, and no copper wires. This also is great for EMI. Electrical interference is not an issue when data travels through light beams instead of electrical pulses. I love you CAT5e and CAT6, but the writing is on the wall... You'll be old technology as the world goes to fiber. You'll even see HDMI and USB replaced by Fiber. Toslink (fiber optic audio) is really making a move replacing the composite and component audio cables. It was stalled somewhat because HDMI combined audio and video, but there is a lot of copper in those HDMI cables. They are heavy, expensive, and the factories are strugling to get enough copper to fill orders.

Like all changes in industry standards, it will take awhile, but it will happen. Do you have any bulky SCSI or Parallel cables still in a box somewhere? Don't they look like old heavy technology compared to our slim USB and CAT6 cables? We'll look at USB and CAT6 cables the same way as we use light, thin fiber optic cables to connect our external storage device to our TV, home theater, and computer (which will all be one and the same eventually).

Until next time
The Cable Guy
http://www.professionalcable.com/