dumb TV antenna question

[Trav]

I'm relying on you guys (and girls) to save me again.

Story - just bought a new house. It already has an antenna on the roof with cabling running down to two points in the house. Reception from these points is absolutely terrible. Not even recognisable.

I had the foxtel guy out yesterday to connect the pay TV, but he was too busy to accept my offer to fix the free to air.

The antenna only has horizontal bars - not vertical and horizontal like most of the other antennas around. It does, however, have a booster box on the mast. This runs down to the roof level where there is a F connector splitter. Then two separate cables running down into the house.

Questions:

1. does the type of antenna make a difference?

2. the picture is so terrible, that I am hardly sure if it is actually working at all. When I pull the plug out of the TV, the picture goes to complete static.

3. Given I have only moved 2 streets across, I presume I wouldn't need to re-tune the picture on the TV, just fiddle with the aerial until it gets a better reception. Is that right?

4. Apart from trying to match the angles of the other antennas in the street, are their any tricks to getting better reception?

5. Unfortunately, a STB is not an option as I already have many, many devices plugged into the amp and SWMBO wants something simple that she understands.

Thanks

Trav

[JDub]

Hi Trav,

Will answer your PM here because I cant send them yet again (arrrggghhhh!):mad:



I didnt end up doing anything with the existing outside aerial, instead I just bought and digital set top box and connected it to an powered aerial I already had (the type that look like bunny ears but you plug it in)

I now have crystal clear reception and it only cost me about $100. Downside is I have yet another remote control to loose behind the couch ( and as you said it is one more confusing thing to operate).

I may hook up a outside aerial one day but it is low on the list of things to spend money on


Joel

[spartan]

I had a situation not too different from this. After much investigation it turned out that the problem was the coax terminations in the wall plates and splitters in the ceiling.

If you have a setting of antenna rabbit ears I'd use them to check the potential of the reception in your new place. Theoretically, you should be able to get a better picture with your main antenna than the rabbit ears. If you can't then start looking for obvious faults.

As far as boosters are concerned be aware that they simply amplify the signal. This will include amplification of any noise. So you may get a stronger picture but it will not make it perfect.

[Gumby]

When I put a booster on mine because of a poor signal in the foothills, I also had to install a filter which stopped the noise bars on the lower frequency channels (CH 2 for instance)

[Clinton1]

Trav,
I usually work on larger antennas - so hope this helps.
1. The large antenna you describe is for the lower frequencies only. Higher frequencies have the smaller antenna - often with a 'reflector" behind them in the form of a v shaped wire screen. Your antenna will only work for the frequencies it is designed for. i.e. if Canberra has SBS (for example) on the higher freq, then you will only get very poor, or nil, reception at the higher freq. Most areas have a requirement for both antennas.

2. When pulling the plug out (I'm assuming you mean the coaxial ) the picture goes to static - yep, the antenna works, however poorly. The problem may be in the antenna, the booster, the splitter, the coaxial connections or the coaxial. Or the whole thing may be poo, and the coaxial connector may be acting as the antenna. Simple hey.

3. That seems right - no need to retune unless moving to an area in which the stations are on a new frequency, unless your telly didn't hold the settings in memory.

4. Yes. Isolate the problem. Unfortunately without lots of mucking around, its really difficult to isolate where the problem is. A visual inspection of all the cable connections would be a start. Look for loose connections and corrosion on the joins. Is the antenna on the roof or in the roof? The antenna will not work under a metal roof. Raising/realigning the antenna may help if it improves the "line of sight" to the transmitting antenna. Remove the "Booster box" and the splitter. Each addition to the circuit will add complexity and more things to go wrong. Remember that each cable join/connection will halve the signal strength as it passes through. Make each change and then check before making the next, its a process of elimination.
Without expensive test gear, you may find it is simply better to get a quote to replace boxes and redo the wiring. Antennas you can do youself cost effectively. Cabling is a lot of mucking around and needs the connection crimper. A professional job is worthwhile here. Box (booster/splitter) selection needs pro advice.
Sorry if you need to replace it, and hope you get it worked out.

[Trav]

Thanks all. I think I may pull it all apart on the weekend and try and find a problem.

Cheers

Trav

[outback]

Not being scared to make a fool of myself, I offer the following.

if the masthead amplifier is indeed just that, and I don't doubt it is, do you have a power supply hooked up to it?

[Trav]

Well, you ask all the difficult questions outback!

No, there does not seem to be any power supply connected to it. The coax comes from the aerial, into this box half-way up the mast, then down to a f connector splitter, then into the house.

No power supply etc.

If that stops it being an amplifier, what is it?

Trav

[jshaw]

Trav, when we moved to our place in Stirling last year there was a horizontal, unpowered antenna in the garage so I stuck it up and greatly improved over our bunny ears. Now only have a colour to b&w flicker on Ten and the whole thing goes pretty poor in wet weather. We watch Ten through the VCR which seems to boost the signal enough to solve the flicker. From previous experience replacing the coax cable can work wonders. Do you have line of sight to Black Mountain? If so, good reception should be possible.

Cheers,
John

[outback]

Most likely an unpowered amplifier.

Someone who actually knows what he's on about will tell me I'm wrong, but what the hell.

I did my own setup, I use two separate antennas, both phased arrays, one for VHF one for UHF. Remember I'm in the middle of nowhere, the TV signal takes so long to get here, I only get last weeks news.

Each antenna goes into the masthead part of the amplifier, then a single run of coax down to the house to the rear of one TV, here there is the power supply for the amplifier, coax goes into the power supply, here thre is an option to split the signal to two separate Tv's, which I do.

[bennylaird]

I'd say the previous owner packed up your power supply when he left. Usually it's a plug in pack with an inline conector to pass power to the amp via the coax.

What brand is the masthead amp?

Without power it's an attenuator. Just reduces your signal.

[Trav]

Thanks all.

John - no line of sight to Black Mountain. The house, if anything, looks south (and is in Waramanga, just over from you in Stirling).

I can get OK reception with rabbit ears - not good enough that I want to use it very often - hence the move to foxtel.

Perhaps it is time to replace the coax. But for $100, I might be able to get a STB, so who knows.

Outback - I had heard (perhaps incorrectly), that the vertical parts of a combination antenna were for UHF, and the horizontal parts for VHF. As I only hvae the horizontal parts, does that mean that I can only get VHF, hence the crap reception?

Benny - I'll check the brand on the weekend. I'll also have a look to see if there was somewhere for a powerpack.

Cheers

Trav

[bennylaird]

Here's a ref for the Kingrays.

http://www.gme.net.au/matv/power_supplies.php

The power supply should look like this:

[Trav]

Thanks Benny

Definitely don't have something like that.

Cheers

Trav

[outback]

I'm in way over my head now, but might as well get shot as a sheep and not a lamb.


It depends.

In different areas the broadcast is vertical and some horizontal. You probably have a combo type antenna, that is, it does both. When you travel around, and I mean long way around, you will notice someone has the same antanna as you, but mounted at 90 degrees to what yours is. It just means that is the way the signal is broadcast.

Sounds like you really need a power supply for your amplifier, I reckon Benny smacked it fair over the head when he said the previous owner cleaned up when he moved out.