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We went deep into r/CableTechs, pulled the most‑asked DOCSIS questions, and tackled them on air—now you can watch the full replay! I’m Brady Volpe, joined by cable legend John Downey, breaking down everything from upstream ingress hunts and OFDM migraines to T3/T4 storms and mid‑split mysteries.

🔍 What you’ll learn

  1. Why RxMER bounces and how to spot the real culprit
  2. The drop‑swap vs. plant‑sweep debate for return‑path noise
  3. Ideal DS/US power windows in a mid‑split (85 MHz) world
  4. Reading ICFR, Max P‑V & Tilt on an OFDM meter—when to roll a truck
  5. How to prove a fault is inside the customer’s wiring
  6. T3/T4 timeout triage, certifications that pay, and more

⏱ Run-of-show (times update after the stream)
00:00  Intro – Reddit‑powered DOCSIS troubleshooting
00:52  John Downey joins the stream
01:06  Q1  Why is my modem’s SNR / RxMER so low or bouncing? (u/RTT445)
06:05  Q2  Chasing & killing upstream ingress / return‑path noise (u/CableWarriorPrincess)
11:45  Q3  Ideal downstream & upstream power levels for DOCSIS 3.1 / 4.0 (u/Kaiden_On_Top)
22:22  Q4  High BER / FEC errors – what causes them and how to clear them (u/Various‑Charge7025)
26:02  Q5  Are SCTE / NCTI certifications worth it & best study tips (u/Difficult‑Wolf3100)
30:43  Q6  Proving the fault is inside the customer’s wiring (u/Colorado101373)
38:40  Q7  Where to install a MoCA filter or 75 Ω terminator (u/cheetahlip)
47:48  Q8  Reading ICFR, Max P‑V & Tilt on an OFDM meter – when are they “bad”? (u/Winter‑Home‑5652)
50:15  Q9  Upstream spectral response / pre‑EQ & fixing micro‑reflections (u/thousandislandstare1)
55:04  Q10  Why modems rack up T3 / T4 timeouts & first things to check (u/trapkingt)
57:23  Outro & viewer shout‑outs

Have a DOCSIS riddle we missed? Drop it in the comments or hit us up on r/CableTechs—your question might headline the next episode.

👍 Like • 💬 Comment • 🔔 Subscribe

If this replay saved you a truck roll (or a headache), smash Like, subscribe for weekly Get Your Tech On sessions, and ring that bell so you never miss our next live Q&A.

#DOCSIS #AI #vCMTS #CableTechnology #DOCSIS4.0 #Amplifiers #BroadbandSpeeds #CableTech #SmartAmplifiers

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Thank you for your time today. This was a great episode.  Episode 108 is next

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