I have a cable tv uhf outlet in my apartment. I brought my usb video capture card from home that has a coax cable port. I went to home pro today and showed them some pictures of what I have. They sold me some cable, a uhf plug, and a coax plug. It appears the only important part of the cable is the copper wire in the middle. I THINK the silver wiring in between layers is just to give strength to the cable. Is this true or do I need to do something with the silver wiring in the cable?

thanks,

Perry

Both the inner (center) copper wire and the 'silver' wrap is important. The silver, usually braided but can be like a foil, is the return path for the signal (effectively ground reference). Without it the impedance is mis-balanced and will not get a good signal at all. The connector will have a center pin and a sleeve. The sleeve needs to be pushed into the cable so it makes contact with the outer shield.

thanks tywais,

It's a good thing I didn't put it together myself then, lol.