I have two analog TVs set up with the boxes to pick up the new digital channels over the air. Both are using indoor antennas for pickup. The newer one has a Radio Shack amplified antenna going into an Insignia digital converter box. This is the one that I'm having a problem with. Just over the past few days, it is no longer picking up the CBS affiliate nor its MeTV second channel. The CBS affiliate is "channel 19". They are using what was analog channel 10. On my TV screen I'm seeing a black screen with "10-2" listed along with "no signal", instead of "19-1" and "19-2". When this problem first started, at least I was seeing the 19 designation as the box is supposed to give us the channels as we know them. All other channels come in fine. My older TV, which just has a standard UHF indoor antenna (the kind you attach to the rabbit ears) connected to the box is picking up every station, including the CBS affiliate and its second channel, just fine. Any ideas of why this is occurring and what can be done about it? I know that one answer would be to spring for an HDTV ... maybe someday, but not now.
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Tough TV help needed
- Thread starter johnbasalla
- Start date
How far from the towers are you?
I'm suspecting your digital signals are *too strong*; the amplifier in your antenna is overloading and generating interfering signals *within the antenna*.
Quite a few viewers of the station I work for (also on RF channel 10) have had problems with indoor amplified antennas in certain neighborhoods about 10 miles from our tower. I advise them to replace the amplified antenna with a set of old-fashioned rabbit ears. Usually, they call back & tell me it did the trick. (often, they tell me the rabbit ears brought in several other channels, besides ours, that they weren't getting with the amplified antenna..)
The Insignia converter box is really pretty good. I don't think replacing it with a HDTV will improve your reception any. (it will, however, give you a stunningly beautiful picture on the channels you do get!) Dump the Radio Shack antenna for a set of bunny ears & I'm betting you'll be back in the CBS business.
I'm suspecting your digital signals are *too strong*; the amplifier in your antenna is overloading and generating interfering signals *within the antenna*.
Quite a few viewers of the station I work for (also on RF channel 10) have had problems with indoor amplified antennas in certain neighborhoods about 10 miles from our tower. I advise them to replace the amplified antenna with a set of old-fashioned rabbit ears. Usually, they call back & tell me it did the trick. (often, they tell me the rabbit ears brought in several other channels, besides ours, that they weren't getting with the amplified antenna..)
The Insignia converter box is really pretty good. I don't think replacing it with a HDTV will improve your reception any. (it will, however, give you a stunningly beautiful picture on the channels you do get!) Dump the Radio Shack antenna for a set of bunny ears & I'm betting you'll be back in the CBS business.
I agree with w9wi. Radio Shack amplified antennas (and their in-line RF amplifiers) do not handle high signal levels well. Get rid of the RS amplified antenna.
K
kenglish
Guest
The biggest problem we've had with the Digital TV Transition is, people telling everybody that the DTV signals are "weak", and that you'll need all kinds of amplifiers and high-gain antennas.
Unless you're out in the boonies (where you probably already have a huge antenna and rotor on a telephone pole or tower), "minimal" is the way to go. Even if the signals are truly "weak", amplified antennas (and, improperly used amps) can be overloaded by strong FM and non-TV signals.
Unless you're out in the boonies (where you probably already have a huge antenna and rotor on a telephone pole or tower), "minimal" is the way to go. Even if the signals are truly "weak", amplified antennas (and, improperly used amps) can be overloaded by strong FM and non-TV signals.
The vast majority of amplified indoor antennas are junk and cause more problems than they solve. I'd get rid of it and try a decent non-amplified antenna.
One thing to keep in mind with digital television is that often it's not the signal strength that kills your signal, it's multipath and noise. This is very common with smaller, low gain antennas. Depending on the area you live, you can sometimes put an antenna like a Winegard HD1080 antenna in a window, or if all your stations are UHF just do something like a panel with bow-ties.
In our market we have a failure rate of about 80% on rabbit-ears, halos, and pancake antennas. They just don't work. But we have people from 50 miles away pulling both our VHF and UHF stations with an old style UHF and VHF antenna.
Antenna Guide
In our market we have a failure rate of about 80% on rabbit-ears, halos, and pancake antennas. They just don't work. But we have people from 50 miles away pulling both our VHF and UHF stations with an old style UHF and VHF antenna.
Antenna Guide
Thank you all for the knowledgable opinions. I've learned a good deal here. Now, how well would rooftop antenna's do with DTV/HDTV if you're in a major market?
johnbasalla said:
IMHO a rooftop antenna is *always* the best idea. It gets you away from all the possible sources of interference and multipath located within the house.
If you're getting *some* reception with an indoor antenna, you're probably close enough to the towers that pretty much any standard-design outdoor antenna will work fine.
Stick to the old-fashioned antenna designs. The ones with the crosspieces. Modern antenna designs are all about aesthetics -- they're designed to look nice, not to capture usable signals.
The two best brands IMHO are Winegard and Channel Master. They've been around for many years.
True, but they are very rugged and made more for the CATV and master antenna trade... and are priced accordingly. Like Scala.
K
kenglish
Guest
I've had problems with some of the Winegard (and, some others) recently. The insulators seem to be very susceptible to damage from sunlight, and crack after only a short period of time at high elevations...4500' ASL here.
Old Jerrold and CM antennas seem to just last, and last, and last.
Old Jerrold and CM antennas seem to just last, and last, and last.
I'm not exactly sure, but ATSC does deliver a ghost free picture from adequate received signal. Viewers are constantly reporting perfect pictures up until their receiver's microprocessor falls over the cliff and they see pixels or "weak signal" display. Handling dynamic multipath is definitley a flaw, esp. prohibiting mobile reception, thus the supplemental "mobile handheld" circuitry introduced somewhat later.RJ Kanary said:In response to Fred Richard's post.............Wasn't one of the promises of the Next Big Thing, ATSC television supposed to be immunity to ghosting/multipath complaints ?
RJ
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