Poor antenna reception on channel 13
John
California (Orange County). I mounted the antenna to my chimney a
year ago. At the time I mounted it, I had reception problems on
channels 2 and 4. I tried everything to fix it and I was not able to,
so I paid an antenna professional to come out and adjust it. When he
adjusted it every channel looked great. Everything was fine for the
past year, until three days ago. I am now having problems with is
channel 13, which is so out of tune I cannot watch it. The picture
and sound is absolutely terrible. The reception on channel 13 looks
like it is not tuned in properly. It reminds me of a T.V. with rabbit
ears that need to be adjusted. I checked the antenna for physical
damage and everything looks fine. All the elements are extended out
properly and nothing appears to have changed. I don't think the issue
with channel 13 is interference, because the characteristics of the
picture do not look like interference.
When I paid the antenna professional to come out last year to adjust
channels 2 and 4, he told me he "fine tuned" the antenna. I remember
him telling me he had some kind of reception meter he attached to the
antenna to make the adjustment. Do you have any suggestions how I can
make the adjustment myself to get channel 13 to come in clear again?
Also, about the reception meter, I checked Radio Shack online to see
if they have something like that and I did not find anything. Do you
know where I could buy some kind of reception meter? I appreciate any
suggestions.
Chris Watson
hotels. Most of the problems I find with reception are related to
corroded connections between the coax and the antenna. Usually I crimp
a new connector on the coax, or replace old weathered coax and
everything starts looking good again. Since your problem happened
suddenly after a few days, it may not be corrosion related. I would
check the connection between the coax and the tv antenna. You probably
have a device called a balun connecting the coax to the antenna. It
converts the coax cable to a twin lead type of connection which usually
attaches to the antenna with wing nuts. Make sure both of those leads
are still attached to the antenna. If the balun looks corroded or
weathered, replace it with a new one, they are inexpensive. Look inside
the coax connector outside, the copper should be shiny and copper
colored, not rusty or dark. If it is replace the coax. Also check
inside for loose or bad connections at the tv. Very often I find bad
cables connecting tv's to the wall plate.
As far as a meter for off air reception, there are field strength meters
used in the cable industry, but they are expensive (>$1000) and you can
get by fine without one. I would buy/borrow a pair of family walkie
talkies and have one person check the tv channels while you work on the
antenna.
Good luck,
Chris
Philistine Phil
> I have a Radio Shack antenna (model VU-190XR) and I live in Southern
> California (Orange County). I mounted the antenna to my chimney a
> year ago. At the time I mounted it, I had reception problems on
> channels 2 and 4. I tried everything to fix it and I was not able
> to, so I paid an antenna professional to come out and adjust it.
> When he adjusted it every channel looked great. Everything was fine
> for the past year, until three days ago. I am now having problems
> with is channel 13, which is so out of tune I cannot watch it. The
> picture and sound is absolutely terrible. The reception on channel
> 13 looks like it is not tuned in properly. It reminds me of a T.V.
> with rabbit ears that need to be adjusted. [...]
KCOP's transmitter on Mount Wilson was experiencing difficulties or
undergoing maintenance. I experienced the same reception problems as
you via my roof antenna in the eastern San Gabriel Valley.
The problems were apparently corrected early Monday morning.
John
<nein...@antispametic.box> wrote "Re: Poor antenna reception on
channel 13":
>KCOP's transmitter on Mount Wilson was experiencing difficulties or
>undergoing maintenance. I experienced the same reception problems as
>you via my roof antenna in the eastern San Gabriel Valley.
>
>The problems were apparently corrected early Monday morning.
I was watching T.V. early Monday morning, around 1:00 a.m. I flipped
channels and noticed that there was nothing but snow on KCOP channel
13. When I saw that, I thought to myself that maybe the problem was
with channel 13's transmitter and not my antenna. When I woke up
around 9:00 a.m. I checked channel 13 and it was perfect again.
I became curious, so I checked the FCC website to see what has
changed. KCOP filed an application with the FCC on 8/14/03 for "a
slight relocation of its transmitting facilities." The application
states in part, "KCOP will take whatever preventative steps are
necessary, such as reducing power or leaving the air temporarily to
ensure that workers operating in the vicinity of the antenna are not
exposed to excessive RF energy."
<http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=144501>
This didn't explain why my neighbors reception was good, but mine was
poor. I thought they were getting channel 13 through their antenna.
Come to find out they are getting local channels through Dish Network.
I was under the impression that they got local channels through their
antenna, but they haven't used their antenna for years. Well, I'm
glad everything is working again. Thanks for the reply.
Philistine Phil
> I became curious, so I checked the FCC website to see what has
> changed. KCOP filed an application with the FCC on 8/14/03 for
> "a slight relocation of its transmitting facilities."
Thanks for the news. Especially since I was too clueless to consider
searching for FCC filings that might have provided answers.
> This didn't explain why my neighbors reception was good, but mine
> was poor. I thought they were getting channel 13 through their
> antenna. Come to find out they are getting local channels through
> Dish Network.
I've often wondered whether companies like DirecTV and Dish Network
acquire local stations through direct fiber feeds from their studios
(at least in major markets), or through simple off-air antenna farms.
This appears to answer that question (in favor of the former).
Of course, it's still possible that Dish takes L.A. stations off-air
from a farm -- one close enough to Mount Wilson that KCOP's momentary
maintenance wouldn't have affected reception. But where I live, the
transmissions from Mount Wilson are very beefy -- so much so that I'm
often more easily able to see the video noise levels inherent in the
playback sources of many programs and commercials than from the actual
analog OTA signals. And yet during the KCOP transmitter maintenance,
channel 13 looked quite aweful.
Are there any engineers here who know the facts on how Dish Networks
(and DirecTV) acquire major-market stations?
Doug Smith W9WI
> Are there any engineers here who know the facts on how Dish Networks
> (and DirecTV) acquire major-market stations?
In Nashville both services use fiber.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com
Michael Drainer
others over the air. It just depends on the location of the stations
facilities from the Sat Providers head-in.
MD.
"Doug Smith W9WI" <w9...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:3F56179...@invalid.invalid...
Alan N
up "on the bird" earlier this year.
We feed them baseband composite video and analog audio since they are in
our building. A few stations come in via fiber and the rest are picked
up off the air using Tektronix receivers. Dish is across town at
another local station. Same thing there, some fiber, some local, some
off air.
In our place it leaves via fiber on a DS-3 link to Richmond, D.C. then
N.Y. then out west to Colorado and LA.
Cameron Dorrough
news:alann19-D6D02E...@news.east.cox.net...
> We are the "gathering point" for Direct TV in Roanoke, VA. We just went
> up "on the bird" earlier this year.
>
> We feed them baseband composite video and analog audio since they are in
> our building. A few stations come in via fiber and the rest are picked
> up off the air using Tektronix receivers. Dish is across town at
> another local station. Same thing there, some fiber, some local, some
> off air.
Alan, what model Tek receivers are you using?? Just curious..
Thanks,
Cameron:-)
Alan N
"Cameron Dorrough" <cdor...@spamspamgoawayrmna.com.au> wrote:
> "Alan N" <ala...@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:alann19-D6D02E...@news.east.cox.net...
> > We are the "gathering point" for Direct TV in Roanoke, VA. We just went
> > up "on the bird" earlier this year.
> >
> > We feed them baseband composite video and analog audio since they are in
> > our building. A few stations come in via fiber and the rest are picked
> > up off the air using Tektronix receivers. Dish is across town at
> > another local station. Same thing there, some fiber, some local, some
> > off air.
>
> Alan, what model Tek receivers are you using?? Just curious..
>
> Thanks,
> Cameron:-)
>
Well, not ME, Direct.. :)
They are the only current Tek produced demod.. DS1000.. Might be an A or
something, not sure. Although knowing Tektronix, they are no longer
produced and/or supported..
I won't buy ANYTHING with Tektronix on it unless it is the ONLY option.
Yea, they make good stuff but thier support is next to nothing.
news group
"John" <joh...@iwon.com> wrote in message
news:s0o0lv406neqo6pi4...@4ax.com...