Cable ready? Sure...antenna-ready? Nah...

So, with a little help from my friends I finally got my cable-box open using a highly modified dinner fork. (Cue the MacGyver theme…there’s duct tape and pliers next!)

Inside I found the line from the ground running into two 3-way splitters, swirling around inside this rather small gray box, with one splitter leading to another like this:

  
      |---> Line 1  
      |---> Line 2  
\----> |  
      |-----> |--> Line 3  
              |--> Line 4  
              |--> Line 5  

After some experimentation, I found out that I couldn’t make the cable and the antenna co-exist using a combiner. So, I segregated it in the box so that the living room and master ran off the antenna, and the upstairs ran off the cable. This meant I had to move my cable modem upstairs, but that’s no big deal.

Anyway, nice little bonus: We now have great FM reception, as well. Lite 106.9 out of Louisville :D

Living right across the street from a cop, I kept wondering if I’d get arrested or something, but it was pretty obvious I was mucking around with an antenna, not stealing cable.