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Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
I live about 12 miles away from the broadcasting antenna. I receive
about 40 OTA (over the air) channels. However, it seems like no matter which channel I'm watching, there are always drop outs. The picture or the sound does something weird. Then it goes back to normal. Although HDTV is much more clear. I actually prefer analog because I don't have to worry about a dropout. Stan |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
wrote in message
ups.com... I live about 12 miles away from the broadcasting antenna. I receive about 40 OTA (over the air) channels. However, it seems like no matter which channel I'm watching, there are always drop outs. The picture or the sound does something weird. Then it goes back to normal. Although HDTV is much more clear. I actually prefer analog because I don't have to worry about a dropout. Stan http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/fixes.html |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
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Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
"Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote:
In article . com, wrote: I live about 12 miles away from the broadcasting antenna. I receive about 40 OTA (over the air) channels. However, it seems like no matter which channel I'm watching, there are always drop outs. The picture or the sound does something weird. Then it goes back to normal. Oh, but it's DIGITAL quality! snicker Dont' listen to Elmo, he's a troll. I suspect your signal is too strong and is overloading your tuner. You may need to attenuate the signal. Chip -- -------------------- http://NewsReader.Com/ -------------------- Usenet Newsgroup Service $9.95/Month 30GB |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
wrote:
On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:31:48 -0700 wrote: | I live about 12 miles away from the broadcasting antenna. I receive | about 40 OTA (over the air) channels. However, it seems like no | matter which channel I'm watching, there are always drop outs. The | picture or the sound does something weird. Then it goes back to | normal. | | Although HDTV is much more clear. I actually prefer analog because I | don't have to worry about a dropout. Do you see any glitches or pulses or other interference on the analog? One possible cause if the problem affects all channels is some loose connection somewhere along the antenna lead line. The only loose connection involved is likely that between your pea brain and your typing fingers. I don't think I've seen a connection between the two, ever, you ignorant, self centered, hypocritical blow hard. Matthew -- I'm a consultant. If you want an opinion I'll sell you one. Which one do you want? -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
wrote:
On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:31:48 -0700 wrote: | I live about 12 miles away from the broadcasting antenna. I receive | about 40 OTA (over the air) channels. However, it seems like no | matter which channel I'm watching, there are always drop outs. The | picture or the sound does something weird. Then it goes back to | normal. | | Although HDTV is much more clear. I actually prefer analog because I | don't have to worry about a dropout. Do you see any glitches or pulses or other interference on the analog? One possible cause if the problem affects all channels is some loose connection somewhere along the antenna lead line. -- |---------------------------------------/----------------------------------| | Phil Howard KA9WGN (ka9wgn.ham.org) / Do not send to the address below | | first name lower case at ipal.net / | |------------------------------------/-------------------------------------| That or a tree in the way? I have zero problems with any kind of drop outs on my setup. If you have this issue on all stations, then its some global problem such as a bad connection, or something getting in the way of the signal. |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
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Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
On Aug 3, 5:45 pm, Alan F wrote:
wrote: I live about 12 miles away from the broadcasting antenna. I receive about 40 OTA (over the air) channels. However, it seems like no matter which channel I'm watching, there are always drop outs. The picture or the sound does something weird. Then it goes back to normal. Although HDTV is much more clear. I actually prefer analog because I don't have to worry about a dropout. Stan Yes, there is such a thing as no or almost no dropouts. I rarely get dropouts for the strong signal stations. Only the more distant marginal stations have occasional dropouts and that is typically in poor weather. Drop puts such as you describe can be due to multipath or a marginal signal. What does you tuner signal meter show when you have dropouts? The signal meters can be a % from 0 to 100 or some variant of a series of bars. Do the signal meter jump over a wide range? Is the antenna indoors, in the attic, or outside? Another possibility - do you live near an airport or is the antenna aimed pass an airport? If you want help, please provide the antenna model #, your zip code, and what you are using as an ATSC tuner as a starting point. Alan F Alan, Thanks for helping me. I looked at my main channels 2,4,5,7,9,11, and 13 and it appears about 75% strength average. I think the 2 channels that barely have any dropout have a consistent strength at 75%. The other ones when there is a drop out, the signal varies from 75% to 40% or below. The antenna is in the attic. I don't know the model, I just know that it's one of those really big antenna VHF/UHF antenna that are suppose to be on the roof. Probably 5 feet big when it's open. I know the model, I just know I bought it 15 years ago for about $100.00. The antenna is hooked up with the same type of wire they use for cable TV. The closest airport is over 20 miles away. Is that close? My zip code is 91770. I typed my zip into some website and it told me that all the big channels are about 12 miles away from me. There aren't that many hills where I live also. The TV i have is a Philips 30PW9110D/37B that has a built in QAM digital tuner. I would apprecitate any help. Thanks, stan |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
On Aug 3, 5:46 pm, wrote:
"Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote: In article . com, wrote: I live about 12 miles away from the broadcasting antenna. I receive about 40 OTA (over the air) channels. However, it seems like no matter which channel I'm watching, there are always drop outs. The picture or the sound does something weird. Then it goes back to normal. Oh, but it's DIGITAL quality! snicker Dont' listen to Elmo, he's a troll. I suspect your signal is too strong and is overloading your tuner. You may need to attenuate the signal. Chip -- --------------------http://NewsReader.Com/-------------------- Usenet Newsgroup Service $9.95/Month 30GB My next question was should I buy a bigger antenna? My signal strength goes between 75% to 40%. Stan |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
Do you see any glitches or pulses or other interference on the analog? One possible cause if the problem affects all channels is some loose connection somewhere along the antenna lead line. My analog reception is consistently good. Stan |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
That or a tree in the way? I have zero problems with any kind of drop outs on my setup. If you have this issue on all stations, then its some global problem such as a bad connection, or something getting in the way of the signal. There is no tree in the way. The giant antenna I have is in the attic. I get two channels that are consistently pretty good that average a signal strength of 75%. My other channels with a lot of dropout average between 75% to 40%. Stan |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
The first thing to do in this case is to NOT use an amplified antenna, it will just make things worse. Try rabbit ears, but rotate them to find the best position. I have a electronic amplifer that I attempted to hook up. It actually made it worst so I removed it. Stan |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
On Aug 3, 11:15 pm, wrote:
The first thing to do in this case is to NOT use an amplified antenna, it will just make things worse. Try rabbit ears, but rotate them to find the best position. I have a electronic amplifer that I attempted to hook up. It actually made it worst so I removed it. Stan As an inexpensive experiment, you could try a couple different value attenuators say 3, 6 or 10 dB. If the amplifier made it worse, you may be simply overloading the front end(s). At 12 miles you shouldn't need any large antenna unless you have a difficult multipath issue that a more directional could help though it would have more signal output as well. Attenuators are excellent for that scenario. We're in LA and use a Winegard SquareShooter (little over 4 dB gain, 13 dB front-back) 35 miles out, line of sight, signal split 4 ways. Dropouts are so rare I don't remember the last one. GG |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
In article , "Matthew L. Martin" wrote: wrote: On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:31:48 -0700 wrote: | I live about 12 miles away from the broadcasting antenna. I receive | about 40 OTA (over the air) channels. However, it seems like no | matter which channel I'm watching, there are always drop outs. The | picture or the sound does something weird. Then it goes back to | normal. | | Although HDTV is much more clear. I actually prefer analog because I | don't have to worry about a dropout. Do you see any glitches or pulses or other interference on the analog? One possible cause if the problem affects all channels is some loose connection somewhere along the antenna lead line. The only loose connection involved is likely that between your pea brain and your typing fingers. I don't think I've seen a connection between the two, ever, you ignorant, self centered, hypocritical blow hard. Matthew ok, so Matthew has "won" in that he has shown the world, for now and forever, that he's not at all interested in the discussion at hand--that he will stalk phil and use anything and everything phil says, no matter how innocuous, as a springboard for attacking phil. Boo, bloody, hoo. Matthew -- I'm a consultant. If you want an opinion I'll sell you one. Which one do you want? -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
wrote:
Alan, Thanks for helping me. I looked at my main channels 2,4,5,7,9,11, and 13 and it appears about 75% strength average. I think the 2 channels that barely have any dropout have a consistent strength at 75%. The other ones when there is a drop out, the signal varies from 75% to 40% or below. The antenna is in the attic. I don't know the model, I just know that it's one of those really big antenna VHF/UHF antenna that are suppose to be on the roof. Probably 5 feet big when it's open. I know the model, I just know I bought it 15 years ago for about $100.00. The antenna is hooked up with the same type of wire they use for cable TV. The closest airport is over 20 miles away. Is that close? My zip code is 91770. I typed my zip into some website and it told me that all the big channels are about 12 miles away from me. There aren't that many hills where I live also. The TV i have is a Philips 30PW9110D/37B that has a built in QAM digital tuner. I would apprecitate any help. Thanks, stan In LA, all of the stations are currently digitally broadcasting on UHF. If you can tune to analog channels, how do the analog UHF stations look? I suspect your big antenna is not that a good performer for UHF. Also, if the co-axial cable was put in 15 years ago, it may have been RG-59 cable. RG-59 has higher loss for the upper UHF channels than RG-6 which is what is strongly recommended for antenna cable use today. The antennaweb.org digital list for your zip code is a rather long one which I trimmed to just the stations on Mt. Wilson. The key is the last number on each line which is the actual broadcast channel of the station. Stations are simulcasting the digital signal on a different channel because the analog channel takes up the channel # you know the station by. * yellow - uhf KTTV-DT 11.1 FOX LOS ANGELES CA 353° 11.2 65 * yellow - uhf KMEX-DT 34.1 UNI LOS ANGELES CA 352° 11.4 35 * yellow - uhf KCAL-DT 9.1 IND LOS ANGELES CA 352° 11.4 43 * yellow - uhf KCBS-DT 2.1 CBS LOS ANGELES CA 350° 11.7 60 * yellow - uhf KTBN-DT 23.1 TBN SANTA ANA CA 353° 11.2 23 * yellow - uhf KTLA-DT 5.1 CW LOS ANGELES CA 352° 11.4 31 * yellow - uhf KWHY-DT 22.1 IND LOS ANGELES CA 352° 11.4 42 * yellow - uhf KPXN-DT 30.1 ION SAN BERNARDINO CA 354° 10.5 38 * yellow - uhf KRCA-DT 62.1 IND RIVERSIDE CA 354° 10.5 68 * yellow - uhf KXLA-DT 44.1 IND RANCHO PALOS VERDES CA 352° 11.4 51 * yellow - uhf KSCI-DT 18.1 IND LONG BEACH CA 354° 10.5 61 * yellow - uhf KOCE-DT 50.1 PBS HUNTINGTON BEACH CA 352° 11.4 48 * yellow - uhf KDOC-DT 56.1 IND ANAHEIM CA 352° 11.4 32 * yellow - uhf KABC-DT 7.1 ABC LOS ANGELES CA 352° 11.4 53 * yellow - uhf KJLA-DT 57.1 IND VENTURA CA 352° 11.4 49 * yellow - uhf KNBC-DT 4.1 NBC LOS ANGELES CA 353° 11.3 36 * yellow - uhf KLCS-DT 58.1 PBS LOS ANGELES CA 353° 11.2 41 * yellow - uhf KCET-DT 28.1 PBS LOS ANGELES CA 353° 11.2 59 * yellow - uhf KCOP-DT 13.1 MNT LOS ANGELES CA 352° 11.5 66 * yellow - uhf KFTR-DT 46.1 TFA ONTARIO CA 352° 11.4 29 * yellow - uhf KAZA-DT 54.1 AZA AVALON CA 352° 11.4 47 In February, 2009, after the analog shutdown, the four stations with upper VHF 7 to 13 analog channels - KABC-DT 7, KCAL-DT 9, KTTV-DT 11, KCOP-DT 13 - will switch their digital signal to their current analog channel. The stations at low VHF 2 to 6 - KCBS-DT 2, KNBC-DT 4, KTLA-DT 5 will stay at UHF. So for digital reception in the LA area, people need to get an antenna that has good performance for UHF and upper VHF. The Channel Master 4228 8 Bay bowtie directional UHF antenna is a popular antenna in LA because it has good performance for upper VHF. My advice is to first try to tweak your current setup. Check that the antenna is aimed at or close to Mt. Wilson. If you can, you might try to tilt the antenna aim upwards as the Mt. Wilson antenna farm is at over 6000'. The UHF yagi part of these big antennas is much more directional than the VHF antenna. So tilting the antenna up may help. Check your co-axial cable. If it is RG-59, can you easily replace it with quad shielded RG-6 cable? That should help performance for UHF. Also, if you have any connectors that you can access, open them and check for corrosion. If tweaking the antenna aim does not help, there are two options. One is to get a medium power low noise pre-amp from Winegard or Channel Master. But you are only ~ 11 miles from the antenna farm and a pre-amp may make things worse. The other option is to replace the antenna and co-axial cable run. How much room do you have in the attic? Do you need to get the analog stations at low VHF? At your close range, a Channel Master 4221 4 Bay is a good bet to get the upper VHF channels in 2009. Useful website for antenna info: http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ISSUES/erecting_antenna.html. Alan F |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
On Aug 4, 12:00 am, G-squared wrote:
On Aug 3, 11:15 pm, wrote: The first thing to do in this case is to NOT use an amplified antenna, it will just make things worse. Try rabbit ears, but rotate them to find the best position. I have a electronic amplifer that I attempted to hook up. It actually made it worst so I removed it. Stan As an inexpensive experiment, you could try a couple different value attenuators say 3, 6 or 10 dB. If the amplifier made it worse, you may be simply overloading the front end(s). At 12 miles you shouldn't need any large antenna unless you have a difficult multipath issue that a more directional could help though it would have more signal output as well. Attenuators are excellent for that scenario. We're in LA and use a Winegard SquareShooter (little over 4 dB gain, 13 dB front-back) 35 miles out, line of sight, signal split 4 ways. Dropouts are so rare I don't remember the last one. GG GG, I got to buy one of these. Thanks so much. At least now I know it's possible. Stan |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
As an inexpensive experiment, you could try a couple different value attenuators say 3, 6 or 10 dB. If the amplifier made it worse, you may be simply overloading the front end(s). At 12 miles you shouldn't need any large antenna unless you have a difficult multipath issue that a more directional could help though it would have more signal output as well. Attenuators are excellent for that scenario. We're in LA and use a Winegard SquareShooter (little over 4 dB gain, 13 dB front-back) 35 miles out, line of sight, signal split 4 ways. Dropouts are so rare I don't remember the last one. GG GG, interesting. I got to try one of these. I didn't even know they existed. thanks, stan |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
On Sat, 04 Aug 2007 06:08:49 +0000, theory4debate wrote:
The antenna is in the attic. I don't know the model, I just know that it's one of those really big antenna VHF/UHF antenna that are suppose to be on the roof. Probably 5 feet big when it's open. I know the model, I just know I bought it 15 years ago for about $100.00. The antenna is hooked up with the same type of wire they use for cable TV. The closest airport is over 20 miles away. Is that close? I'm sure Alan will cover this in great detail, but with that type of antenna, and it should be good enough at only 12 miles, it needs to be pointed precisely. So plug in your exact address in antennaweb and then make sure the antenna as close to the direction as possible. While it might work better outside, as long as there's nothing else between you and the towers and it's not a metallic roof, the attic should be fine. -- Want the ultimate in free OTA SD/HDTV Recorder? http://mythtv.org http://mysettopbox.tv/knoppmyth.html Usenet alt.video.ptv.mythtv My server http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/cpu.php HD Tivo S3 compared http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/mythtivo.htm |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
Alan,
thanks for your help. Here is a reply to your questions... In LA, all of the stations are currently digitally broadcasting on UHF. If you can tune to analog channels, how do the analog UHF stations look? I just went through all my Analog UHF and here are the results for the channels that register on my TV.... 22, 28, 30, 34, 40, 54, 56 excellent picture. 33, 45, 46. 50,52, 58, 63 a little snow on picture, but very watchable 18, 25, 44, 57, 67 a lot of snow, barely watchable 24, 27, 62, poor, can see picture, but unwatchable I suspect your big antenna is not that a good performer for UHF. Also, if the co-axial cable was put in 15 years ago, it may have been RG-59 cable. RG-59 has higher loss for the upper UHF channels than RG-6 which is what is strongly recommended for antenna cable use today. Do you still recommend me changing the cable wire after knowing the results of my analog UHF channels? Channel Master 4228 8 Bay bowtie directional UHF antenna is a popular antenna in LA because it has good performance for upper VHF. I will look into that. My advice is to first try to tweak your current setup. Check that the antenna is aimed at or close to Mt. Wilson. If you can, you might try to tilt the antenna aim upwards as the Mt. Wilson antenna farm is at over 6000'. The UHF yagi part of these big antennas is much more directional than the VHF antenna. So tilting the antenna up may help. I never aimed the antenna at Mt. Wilson. I only installed the antenna without consider that. I don't even know which way is the front of the antenna. I'm guessing it's the side that is pointy like a arrow. Check your co-axial cable. If it is RG-59, can you easily replace it with quad shielded RG-6 cable? That should help performance for UHF. Also, if you have any connectors that you can access, open them and check for corrosion. I got to look at that. The other option is to replace the antenna and co-axial cable run. How much room do you have in the attic? A lot of space. I can stand up. Do you need to get the analog stations at low VHF? Here are my results for analog VHF channel.... 2, 5, 7, excellent picture 4, 9, 11, 13 very good, some lines on the picture, but no snow. 6, snowy picture and not watchable Thanks for your help, Stan |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
I'm sure Alan will cover this in great detail, but with that type of
antenna, and it should be good enough at only 12 miles, it needs to be pointed precisely. So plug in your exact address in antennaweb and then make sure the antenna as close to the direction as possible. While it might work better outside, as long as there's nothing else between you and the towers and it's not a metallic roof, the attic should be fine. Wes, Thanks, I'm going to try to aim the antenna. I never pointed the antenna at anything. I don't even know which side is the front of the antenna. I assume it's the pointy side that looks like a arrow. My roof is a cheap roof. No metallic. thanks, stan |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
On Sat, 04 Aug 2007 00:08:35 -0400, Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
tomfoolery snipped ok, so Matthew has "won" in that he has shown the world, for now and forever, that he's not at all interested in the discussion at hand--that he will stalk phil and use anything and everything phil says, no matter how innocuous, as a springboard for attacking phil. With a name like Shagnasty, it's got to be good! -- Chris McG. Harming humanity since 1951. "Well now you're just getting SILLY." -- Darla -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
ANOTHER IMPORT FACT!!!!!!!!!!
I've never tested my HDTV OTA channels on a saturday morning. All my previous test were always during prime time TV during the evening from 6pm to 10pm. Today is Saturday morning at 9:25 am and for the last hour I've been testing each channel about 5 to 10 minutes each. I actually watched channels 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13 without dropouts. The only channel with several dropout in 3 minutes was channel 5. In the past I always had a dropout every 5-10 minutes all every channel with the exception of two channels. |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
Hats off to Alan for always being so helpful here.
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Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
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Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
On Aug 4, 10:12 am, (Cass Lewart) wrote:
wrote: : I live about 12 miles away from the broadcasting antenna. I receive : about 40 OTA (over the air) channels. However, it seems like no : matter which channel I'm watching, there are always drop outs. The : picture or the sound does something weird. Then it goes back to : normal. : Although HDTV is much more clear. I actually prefer analog because I : don't have to worry about a dropout. : Stan Location, location. You may also try an in-line amplifier form Radio Shack for around $35. It works great for me. Cass Apparently you're not following the thread. He already tried an amplifier which made things worse so he removed it. At that time I sugested attenuators but now that we know his other reception issues, antenna aim and good coax might clean it up for him. I use clear silicone grease on the outdoor connectors under the weather boots. The splitter is under the eave where it can get no rain - even when driving BAD. Due to the splitters location, a drip loop (good thing) is unavoidable. You also want drip loops where the coax enters the outside wall. Radio Shack has flanged cylinders for the passes through the walls. I use white bathtub caulk (stucco house) on the outside. GG |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
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Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
wrote:
Alan, thanks for your help. Here is a reply to your questions... In LA, all of the stations are currently digitally broadcasting on UHF. If you can tune to analog channels, how do the analog UHF stations look? I just went through all my Analog UHF and here are the results for the channels that register on my TV.... 22, 28, 30, 34, 40, 54, 56 excellent picture. 33, 45, 46. 50,52, 58, 63 a little snow on picture, but very watchable 18, 25, 44, 57, 67 a lot of snow, barely watchable 24, 27, 62, poor, can see picture, but unwatchable At your close range, you should be getting a decent analog picture for most of the UHF stations. Some of them may be at low power though. I suspect your big antenna is not that a good performer for UHF. Also, if the co-axial cable was put in 15 years ago, it may have been RG-59 cable. RG-59 has higher loss for the upper UHF channels than RG-6 which is what is strongly recommended for antenna cable use today. Do you still recommend me changing the cable wire after knowing the results of my analog UHF channels? Channel Master 4228 8 Bay bowtie directional UHF antenna is a popular antenna in LA because it has good performance for upper VHF. I will look into that. My advice is to first try to tweak your current setup. Check that the antenna is aimed at or close to Mt. Wilson. If you can, you might try to tilt the antenna aim upwards as the Mt. Wilson antenna farm is at over 6000'. The UHF yagi part of these big antennas is much more directional than the VHF antenna. So tilting the antenna up may help. I never aimed the antenna at Mt. Wilson. I only installed the antenna without consider that. I don't even know which way is the front of the antenna. I'm guessing it's the side that is pointy like a arrow. Aiming the antenna is likely to make a BIG difference. It probably works for VHF because it is picking up the VHF stations in the sidelobe, but not very well for UHF. Here is a example spec sheet for a Winegard VHF/UHF antenna: http://www.winegard.com/offair/pdf/HD7082P.pdf. If you look at the beam patterns, it is narrower the higher you go in channels and frequency. The front of your antenna should have shorter elements and a vertical V reflector. This is the UHF part of the your antenna. Aim the antenna at around 352° with a compass or around 20 degrees west of true north. Some trig for elevation angle. A check with google Earth shows the height of your zip code above sea level is around 300'. The antenna height for KABC-DT is 1821 meters ASL or 5973' (http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?call=KABC-TV). You are ~ 11 miles away, so arc tan (5673' difference / (11 miles * 5280')) = 5.6°, so the broadcast antennas are ~5.6° up! So tilting the antenna up a bit is worth doing. Check your co-axial cable. If it is RG-59, can you easily replace it with quad shielded RG-6 cable? That should help performance for UHF. Also, if you have any connectors that you can access, open them and check for corrosion. I got to look at that. Open the cable connectors you can easily reach or any that are located outside and check for any moisture or corrosion. It can sometimes help to wipe the inside and the center connector with tissue paper and then reconnect them, but make sure the connection is tight. The other option is to replace the antenna and co-axial cable run. How much room do you have in the attic? A lot of space. I can stand up. See what you can do with your current antenna. At your range, I would not be surprised if an indoor UHF antenna would work fine. Another thing to try, if you can, is to move the antenna around in the attic. Attics have dead spots, so the antenna could be at a poor location for some of the UHF channels. If you want to buy new cable or mounting gear, Lowes usually stocks antenna mounting gear & cables. I have seen posts that Frys Electronics often stocks Channel Master 4228 and 4221 bowtie antennas, if you don't have success with your current antenna. Do you need to get the analog stations at low VHF? Here are my results for analog VHF channel.... 2, 5, 7, excellent picture 4, 9, 11, 13 very good, some lines on the picture, but no snow. 6, snowy picture and not watchable Thanks for your help, Stan The lines in the analog picture suggest some interference. A shielded RG-6 cable run can sometimes help with that. But again, try aiming the antenna first. Analog 6 could be XETV Fox 6 located just across the Mexico border serving San Diego. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XETV-TV. Let me know what results you get by tweaking the antenna aim. Good luck! Alan F |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
valvejob wrote:
On Sat, 04 Aug 2007 06:10:58 -0000, wrote: Do you see any glitches or pulses or other interference on the analog? One possible cause if the problem affects all channels is some loose connection somewhere along the antenna lead line. My analog reception is consistently good. Stan Attics can block over 50% of your signal strength. You should have no lower than 90% signal strength on all the channels you watch. You need to get that antenna out of the attic and on the roof. Your problems will go away. Yes, attics do reduce signal strength. But Stan is only 11 miles from the huge antenna farm on Mt. Wilson, so he has a clear shot at the broadcast towers. Attic mounts are usually easier to put in and access. If he can get good reception from the attic, he should stick with it. That is why I always ask for zip code, what model and where the antenna is before I try to give any specific advice. What someone needs at 5 miles from the broadcast towers is very different that what someone needs at 70 miles & over a ridge. Alan F |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
Alan F wrote:
valvejob wrote: On Sat, 04 Aug 2007 06:10:58 -0000, wrote: Do you see any glitches or pulses or other interference on the analog? One possible cause if the problem affects all channels is some loose connection somewhere along the antenna lead line. My analog reception is consistently good. Stan Attics can block over 50% of your signal strength. You should have no lower than 90% signal strength on all the channels you watch. You need to get that antenna out of the attic and on the roof. Your problems will go away. Yes, attics do reduce signal strength. But Stan is only 11 miles from the huge antenna farm on Mt. Wilson, so he has a clear shot at the broadcast towers. Attic mounts are usually easier to put in and access. If he can get good reception from the attic, he should stick with it. I installed a deep fringe VHF/UHF in my attic in Sutton MA. I was able to get good watchable pictures from southern NH, through Boston and down to Providence. I was able to get a barely watchable signal from Mt Washington, NH when WWMT was there. I would estimate that to be a distance of ~160 air miles (It's just over 200 driving miles). That is why I always ask for zip code, what model and where the antenna is before I try to give any specific advice. What someone needs at 5 miles from the broadcast towers is very different that what someone needs at 70 miles & over a ridge. That's because you are genuinely helpful, unlike poor old phil. Matthew -- I'm a consultant. If you want an opinion I'll sell you one. Which one do you want? -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
Matthew L. Martin wrote:
Alan F wrote: valvejob wrote: On Sat, 04 Aug 2007 06:10:58 -0000, wrote: Do you see any glitches or pulses or other interference on the analog? One possible cause if the problem affects all channels is some loose connection somewhere along the antenna lead line. My analog reception is consistently good. Stan Attics can block over 50% of your signal strength. You should have no lower than 90% signal strength on all the channels you watch. You need to get that antenna out of the attic and on the roof. Your problems will go away. Yes, attics do reduce signal strength. But Stan is only 11 miles from the huge antenna farm on Mt. Wilson, so he has a clear shot at the broadcast towers. Attic mounts are usually easier to put in and access. If he can get good reception from the attic, he should stick with it. I installed a deep fringe VHF/UHF in my attic in Sutton MA. I was able to get good watchable pictures from southern NH, through Boston and down to Providence. I was able to get a barely watchable signal from Mt Washington, NH when WWMT was there. I would estimate that to be a distance of ~160 air miles (It's just over 200 driving miles). That should WMTW, Channel 8. That is why I always ask for zip code, what model and where the antenna is before I try to give any specific advice. What someone needs at 5 miles from the broadcast towers is very different that what someone needs at 70 miles & over a ridge. That's because you are genuinely helpful, unlike poor old phil. Matthew -- I'm a consultant. If you want an opinion I'll sell you one. Which one do you want? -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
"Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote
ok, so Matthew has "won" in that he has shown the world, for now and forever, that he's not at all interested in the discussion at hand--that he will stalk phil and use anything and everything phil says, no matter how innocuous, as a springboard for attacking phil. He's actually doing a service to mankind. The pompous blowhards need negative feedback loops, which makes all of our days a bit sunnier while also helping to stop global warming. --oTTo-- "You can only eat a goat once, but you can make cheese from their milk for years." -- Stanley Fish, October 25, 1987 |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
Otto Bahn wrote:
"Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote ok, so Matthew has "won" in that he has shown the world, for now and forever, that he's not at all interested in the discussion at hand--that he will stalk phil and use anything and everything phil says, no matter how innocuous, as a springboard for attacking phil. He's actually doing a service to mankind. The pompous blowhards need negative feedback loops, which makes all of our days a bit sunnier while also helping to stop global warming. --oTTo-- "You can only eat a goat once, but you can make cheese from their milk for years." "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will drink beer in his boat all day long". Matthew -- I'm a consultant. If you want an opinion I'll sell you one. Which one do you want? -- Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
On Aug 4, 12:16 pm, valvejob wrote:
On Sat, 04 Aug 2007 06:10:58 -0000, wrote: Do you see any glitches or pulses or other interference on the analog? One possible cause if the problem affects all channels is some loose connection somewhere along the antenna lead line. My analog reception is consistently good. Stan Attics can block over 50% of your signal strength. You should have no lower than 90% signal strength on all the channels you watch. You need to get that antenna out of the attic and on the roof. Your problems will go away. KABC-DT is reporting 65% on the HDTV Wonder in this computer. Several others are about the same. The best one is 88%. I have no issues at all with the 64% channels or any of the stronger ones. I _have_ had a Tektronix spectrum analyzer on the antenna feed and I know that _all_ the channels have nearly texbook response but it did take raising the antenna another 5 feet to get it all to behave. GG |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
Thanks for all the help. I will be trying to fix my reception soon.
I will post my results afterwards. thanks, stan |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
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Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
Have you been able to check the aim of the antenna yet? Alan F The last time I was up there, there was a mouse about 2 feet in front of me. I've been scared to go up there for the longest time. However, now since the temperature is so hot, I don't think there are any mouse up there now. I will try to go up today. Stan |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
On Aug 8, 7:51 am, wrote:
Have you been able to check the aim of the antenna yet? Alan F The last time I was up there, there was a mouse about 2 feet in front of me. I've been scared to go up there for the longest time. However, now since the temperature is so hot, I don't think there are any mouse up there now. I will try to go up today. Stan The mouse was probably more scared than you... Before I raised the antenna the last 5 feet to clear the house across the street, the antenna aim was very fussy because of the reflections/ diffractions. The Winegard SquareShooter has a very broad pickup angle (60 degree) but changing the antenna aim just a few degrees would cause all sorts of anomalies. I had the fortune of having a spectrum analyzer to verify my suspicions. GG |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
On Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:51:51 -0000 wrote:
| The last time I was up there, there was a mouse about 2 feet in front | of me. I've been scared to go up there for the longest time. | However, now since the temperature is so hot, I don't think there are | any mouse up there now. I will try to go up today. Take along a non-flammable non-toxic-to-humans aerosol spray can or an air horn. -- |---------------------------------------/----------------------------------| | Phil Howard KA9WGN (ka9wgn.ham.org) / Do not send to the address below | | first name lower case at ipal.net / | |------------------------------------/-------------------------------------| |
Is there such thing as OTA HDTV without dropouts?
FINALLY COMPLETED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I went up in the attic and looked at the position of the antenna. The antenna was actually aimed West (it should be aimed North at Mt Wilson's antenna farm.) I aimed the antenna North and checked the reception. The HDTV reception remained at about 75%....however this time it was consistent. There were no dropouts. Wow! I then checked my analog station and it actually made some channels worst. Since I have ReplayTV, I still need analog TV. I then moved the antenna out of the attic and on the roof. On my roof, I can actually see the antenna farm where the TV stations antenna are. I never noticed the Antenna Farm until Alan F mention it on the thread. I pointed my antenna directly at the Antenna Farm. Now both my analog TV works fine, and my Digitial HDTV works perfect. I was watching TV for about an hours and there wasn't even one drop- out. AWESOME!!!! |
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