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- Troubleshooting Reception
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Troubleshooting Reception
Problem: I'm not getting any signals at all.
Possible causes:
1. You do not have a clear line of sight to the transmitting towers.
Most digital stations are on the UHF band and as such are line of sight. You will need to elevate the antenna higher either by placing it in a higher location or using a taller mast.
2. Signal is lost in the distribution.
Check for corrosion or bad cable fittings. Also, diplexers can cut a great deal of signal strength. Disconnect them and run the cable directly into your digital receiver.
3. You are more than 70 miles from the transmitting towers or out of the range of your antenna.
The curvature of the earth limits most people to about 70 miles of range. Go to www.AntennaPoint.com, enter your address and make sure you are within the range of your antenna and not greater than 70 miles away.
4. The cable from your antenna to your tuner is too long.
When cable lengths get over 100 feet, as much as 1/3 of the signal can be lost. If you require a long cable, consider investing in a good low noise pre-amp. (see our Antenna Amplifiers)
5. Your digital tuner may be bad.
Problem: I'm getting every channel except for one.
Sometimes people have a clear shot to the towers and are within range, but still cannot get a signal some have found success when they switch out their tuners.
Possible causes:
1. The channel is broadcasting at a reduced power.
Some stations do this to save on electric bills and there is nothing that you can do.
2. The station is at a lower spot on the transmitting tower.
Lower elevation can cause line of sight problems. You may be able to fix this by elevating your antenna.
3. The method of encoder the station employs may be incompatible with your model of digital tuner.
Occasionally there are software incompatibilities between certain types of broadcast encoders and some models of digital tuners. A software or firmware upgrade may be required to correct this.
Problem: The picture isn't clear or I see snow (fuzz).
Digital signals do NOT HAVE SNOW! If you are receiving snow or fuzz, you are watching an analog broadcast. Typically, people with this problem don't actually have the ATSC digital tuner built into their set. Consult the literature that came with your television understanding that you may need to purchase a digital tuner. (Typical models sell for $200 to $300).
Problem: I live 2 miles from the transmitter and I am getting signal breakups.
You are probably suffering from multi-path distortion. This happens when reflected signals are hitting the antenna in addition to the primary signal.
Consider trying a small directional antenna and keep it away from any metallic objects or other antennas. A variable inline attenuator may also make a difference by dropping the reflected signal below the threshold which the digital tuner can recognize.
A larger antenna will not solve this problem.
