Unfortunately for us, simply measuring a signal or looking at it on a spectrum analyser is not enough to troubleshoot or check the health of a digital system.
In order to measure BER accurately in a laboratory, a known bit pattern is continuously transmitted. The receiver compares what it knows has been sent with what should be received. If the error rate is low, that measurement can take several minutes. Even so, in the real world the receiver cannot know what bit pattern is being sent, so the actual measurement is …

There is a very good reason why professional installers run coaxial cable and actuator cable in conduit.
For some strange reason, larger birds love biting coaxial cable. None of them are strong enough to completely sever coax cable with a steel centre conductor such as RG/6, however they can easily chew through the outer jacket and braid, allowing the ingress of water which subsequently can cause a complete system failure.
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