Searching for a mediacom cable in my yard?

ThinIce

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Dec 1, 2015
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So the other day my dad and I were making a fence for my mom's garden and since then, my internet hasn't been working. My mom had explained to us that she had come across a cable buried not so deep within the ground. Hoping I would be able to find it, my dad requested that I rent a metal detector and look around. I spent 2 hours in my garden, digging and scanning which may have covered maybe 50 - 100 square foot of work space but I found nothing. The cord couldn't have been more than 3-4 inches unless one of the fence pegs interfered.

What is the best course of action? It's been 5 days so far. It's not a dire situation, but eventually I'm gonna run out of Data in my phone plan for this month and we're still paying for the internet.
 

relic nut

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Nov 29, 2014
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Call that utility company. Here you have to have all utility lines mark by the company before you dig. "Miss Utility"

HH RN
 

Jason in Enid

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Oct 10, 2009
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Yes, call your local utilities marker. Its almost impossible for a consumer metal detector to find a buried cable.
 

Msbeepbeep

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Jun 24, 2012
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Same in Mass. They come out and mark the underground uitilites for ya.

Did you run the detector in all metal no discrimination?
 

Treasure_Hunter

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Look for "One Call" in your area, they will locate your lines for free, there is one in every state....
 

SusanMN

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Jun 1, 2007
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If the reason your internet is down is damaged cable outside of the house, then your cable company will usually come out and fix it for nothing. Around here cable lines are buried but get dug up and eaten by squirrels or other critters all the time. I would give them a call - they can usually tell by checking the connection to the home whether the problem is inside or outside.
 

digger460

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Sep 19, 2015
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By accident I found my mediacom cable. Was hunting in the yard, and all of a sudden, my detector was going nuts. Then I remembered I buried the cable there. Don't get why you weren't getting the same interference.
 

kcm

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Feb 29, 2016
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By accident I found my mediacom cable. Was hunting in the yard, and all of a sudden, my detector was going nuts. Then I remembered I buried the cable there. Don't get why you weren't getting the same interference.
If they accidentally cut through the cable, then that would remove any electrical charge (data transfer) through the cable. I installed satellite TV after injuring my neck many years ago - was mostly a troubleshooter.

Under "normal" circumstances, I would also recommend the "One Call". Actually, I would recommend it anyway, regardless! Always good to know where electric/water/gas lines are running. But it sounds like maybe the cable was not run by MediaCom? If this is the case, it "may" be up to you to fix, or they may come out as a service call (ie; for a fee). ...Probably call both places and try to get them out.

When I ran the coax from the satellite dish (back when we were throwing our money away), I ran the coax in plastic conduit. Hard PVC conduit is preferred. That way, no more shovel problems, and no more animal chewings.
 

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