Convertor box moisture?

My Google search came up with no mention of this so I'm posting here for
help.
Several months ago I bought a RCA DTA800B converter box to use as back up
to my directv when the weather interfers with the signal and to get the
HD channels not offered (yet) by DTV. I connected it and tested it and
then the box has set mostly idle on top of the TV in an open
entertainment center. This morning after 2 days of constant rain and high
humidity (AC not on) I tried the converter box and got no signal from any
station as I had a week or so ago. I let the box try to find the
stations again and it came up with none. I disconnected the air antenna
lead to hook directly to the tv to test the antenna and when I tipped the
converter box backward, water started dripping from the back of the box.
I quickly unplugged the box and completed disconnecting. I drained
several more drops of water out of the box and am now in the process of
fan drying the box.
I'm assuming that the box drew moisture from the air which condensated
inside the box. There is no other way that water could get into the box:
no kids, no roof leak.

Has anyone heard of this problem?
Is there any hope for the box to work when dried and reconnected?
How can I avoid this happening again?

Thanks in advance for your helpful comments/suggestions

Steve

--
I don't know half of you half as well as I'd like;
And I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

- Bilbo Baggins

Steve IA wrote:
My Google search came up with no mention of this so I'm posting here for
help.
Several months ago I bought a RCA DTA800B converter box to use as back up
to my directv when the weather interfers with the signal and to get the
HD channels not offered (yet) by DTV. I connected it and tested it and
then the box has set mostly idle on top of the TV in an open
entertainment center. This morning after 2 days of constant rain and high
humidity (AC not on) I tried the converter box and got no signal from any
station as I had a week or so ago. I let the box try to find the
stations again and it came up with none. I disconnected the air antenna
lead to hook directly to the tv to test the antenna and when I tipped the
converter box backward, water started dripping from the back of the box.
I quickly unplugged the box and completed disconnecting. I drained
several more drops of water out of the box and am now in the process of
fan drying the box.
I'm assuming that the box drew moisture from the air which condensated
inside the box. There is no other way that water could get into the box:
no kids, no roof leak.

Has anyone heard of this problem?
Is there any hope for the box to work when dried and reconnected?
How can I avoid this happening again?

Thanks in advance for your helpful comments/suggestions

Steve



I'd heard rumors that these converter boxes included magical abilities
to suck TV signals from the air, but I hadn't considered that magic to
be disguised as water drops. But, if you think about it, it makes
sense. All electronic gizmos include a pre-packaged amount of smoke,
and when it all leaks out, they no longer work. If your magic has
dripped onto the floor, I'm afraid your TV day is done.

--
jer
email reply - I am not a 'ten'

On Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:34:37 +0200 (CEST), Steve IA
wrote:

Has anyone heard of this problem?

Of course... The two biggest enemies of electronic gear are moisture
and heat.

Is there any hope for the box to work when dried and reconnected?

If you dry it thoroughly it may work.

How can I avoid this happening again?

If the source is indeed condensation, store the box in a sealed
plastic bag with a few Silica-Gel packs while not in use.

A_C

On Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:34:37 +0200 (CEST), Steve IA wrote:

I'm assuming that the box drew moisture from the air which condensated
inside the box. There is no other way that water could get into the box:
no kids, no roof leak.
The only time I have seen "Condensate" is if the equipment was stored powered
down in a really cold location and then brought into a normal room. Even then,
I would expect to see only a few drops.

As others have suggested:
Your box may connect to another dimension
OR
You have a Cat,
OR
an over watered plant G.

"Steve IA" wrote in message
...
My Google search came up with no mention of this so I'm posting here for
help.
Several months ago I bought a RCA DTA800B converter box to use as back up
to my directv when the weather interfers with the signal and to get the
HD channels not offered (yet) by DTV. I connected it and tested it and
then the box has set mostly idle on top of the TV in an open
entertainment center. This morning after 2 days of constant rain and high
humidity (AC not on) I tried the converter box and got no signal from any
station as I had a week or so ago. I let the box try to find the
stations again and it came up with none. I disconnected the air antenna
lead to hook directly to the tv to test the antenna and when I tipped the
converter box backward, water started dripping from the back of the box.
I quickly unplugged the box and completed disconnecting. I drained
several more drops of water out of the box and am now in the process of
fan drying the box.
I'm assuming that the box drew moisture from the air which condensated
inside the box. There is no other way that water could get into the box:
no kids, no roof leak.

Has anyone heard of this problem?
Is there any hope for the box to work when dried and reconnected?
How can I avoid this happening again?

leave it on. the heat will take care of the moisture.

On Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:34:37 +0200, Steve IA wrote:

Has anyone heard of this problem?
Is there any hope for the box to work when dried and reconnected? How
can I avoid this happening again?

Drill some vent holes in the top and bottom of the plastic case to avoid
the condensation build up.



--
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My Tivo Experience http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/tivo.htm
Tivo HD/S3 compared http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/mythtivo.htm
AMD cpu help http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/cpu.php

"Steve IA" wrote in message
...
My Google search came up with no mention of this so I'm posting here for
help.
Several months ago I bought a RCA DTA800B converter box to use as back up
to my directv when the weather interfers with the signal and to get the
HD channels not offered (yet) by DTV. I connected it and tested it and
then the box has set mostly idle on top of the TV in an open
entertainment center. This morning after 2 days of constant rain and high
humidity (AC not on) I tried the converter box and got no signal from any
station as I had a week or so ago. I let the box try to find the
stations again and it came up with none. I disconnected the air antenna
lead to hook directly to the tv to test the antenna and when I tipped the
converter box backward, water started dripping from the back of the box.
I quickly unplugged the box and completed disconnecting. I drained
several more drops of water out of the box and am now in the process of
fan drying the box.
I'm assuming that the box drew moisture from the air which condensated
inside the box. There is no other way that water could get into the box:
no kids, no roof leak.

Has anyone heard of this problem?
Is there any hope for the box to work when dried and reconnected?
How can I avoid this happening again?

Thanks in advance for your helpful comments/suggestions

Steve

--
I don't know half of you half as well as I'd like;
And I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

- Bilbo Baggins

And do you have a cat? If so, wait a day or so, your nose will tell you if
that's the culprit.

See?

That's how Neanderthal discovered *FIRE*.

Then some other dumb-asses beat the Hell out of them and did not bother to
remember the Secret Formula for extracting digital televisional data out of
the air onto the fire pit screen.

WRITE YOUR CON representative.

On Sep 13, 5:16*pm, "Rev. 11D Meow!" wrote:
See?

That's how Neanderthal discovered *FIRE*.

Then some other dumb-asses beat the Hell out of them and did not bother to
remember the Secret Formula for extracting digital televisional data out of
the air onto the fire pit screen.

WRITE YOUR CON representative.

Reminds me of my old Con job when the guy from IT came up to fix one
of the puters and the thing caught on fire. This was one of my
precious memories from that job. Not like I've done anything like that
myself.

Steve IA wrote:
My Google search came up with no mention of this so I'm posting here for
help.
Several months ago I bought a RCA DTA800B converter box to use as back up
to my directv when the weather interfers with the signal and to get the
HD channels not offered (yet) by DTV. I connected it and tested it and
then the box has set mostly idle on top of the TV in an open
entertainment center. This morning after 2 days of constant rain and high
humidity (AC not on) I tried the converter box and got no signal from any
station as I had a week or so ago. I let the box try to find the
stations again and it came up with none. I disconnected the air antenna
lead to hook directly to the tv to test the antenna and when I tipped the
converter box backward, water started dripping from the back of the box.
I quickly unplugged the box and completed disconnecting. I drained
several more drops of water out of the box and am now in the process of
fan drying the box.
I'm assuming that the box drew moisture from the air which condensated
inside the box. There is no other way that water could get into the box:
no kids, no roof leak.

Has anyone heard of this problem?
Is there any hope for the box to work when dried and reconnected?
How can I avoid this happening again?

Thanks in advance for your helpful comments/suggestions

Steve


I dried it in front of a small fan for 10 hours then reconnected it and
it works. I moved it so it isn't sitting on top of the warm TV and have
shot the cat.
Thanks for your input.

Steve
41N
--
"The Principle of Bull**** recognizes that things that aren't
true just aren't true. It doesn't matter how many people
believe it - it doesn't matter that people have believed it
for thousands of years - it doesn't matter if you want to
believe it - bull**** is bull**** - and if it isn't true - it
isn't true. There is a difference between something being
true and something being not true."