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When cable tv was new in Memphis, they blocked HBO by using a tool to pierce the cable. They would use this every few inches and then make a loop of the cable. You could tell which homes had HBO and which ones didn't by looking at where the cable from the house connected on the pole. If there was a loop of cable no HBO, no loop HBO. As the service techs were doing calls they would look at the poles with no loop and check to see if that address had HBO, if not and there was no loop they were busted. I knew people that would climb the poles and remove the loop of wire. When Cinamax came along they added an extra trap at the pole. Same problem with cable theft though. People would just climb the pole and remove the trap and the cable loop then they had all the channels. Then came scrambling and a lot of bootleg cable descramblers came on the market. Some worked fairly well. You just didn't want the cable guy to find one on your set. They frowned on it.
I think cable systems are required to be all digital sometime in 2012. Then I guess we will all have to have boxes.
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