OTA degradation as line gets longer.

[acuevas]

Hey All,

I recently installed an OTA antenna for digital channels. I noticed that as the line ( coax cable ) gets longer some channels start dropping off. I noticed that after about 100 feet I loose many channels.

I assume some signals are too weak to be pushed by the antenna at longer distances. Is there a 'signal booster' that I can install so that all my TVs would benefit from a stronger signal. Thanks.

 

[boba]

The higher the actual channel number the more signal loss there is per foot Channel 2 has less signal loss than channel 69.

The best thing is to use a better TV antenna to capture more signal to begin with. The more signal you have to begin with the more you can lose and still deliver a solid picture.

Yes you can get a VHF/UHF distribution amp to offset loss in cables usually from 15dB to 25 dB is used. If you don't have a good signal to begin with the amplifier won't help. If you are amplifying garbage all you output is amplified garbage.

 

[acuevas]

The best thing is to use a better TV antenna to capture more signal to begin with. The more signal you have to begin with the more you can lose and still deliver a solid picture.

Thanks boba,

I did install the biggest antenna we could buy. I know biggest doesn't mean best but I was told it was better than a smaller one. Before bolting it down I also moved it around to find the best angle for the best signal too.

What I noticed was that at about 110 feet I could scan in channel 18.6, after I installed about another 75 feet I rescan and this time the same channel did not come in - although the higher channels did to state an example.

I was told that a signal amplifier wold do the 'trick'.

 

[Mr Tony]

Is there a closer place to mount the antenna that you dont need to run 175 feet of cable?

 

[acuevas]

Is there a closer place to mount the antenna that you dont need to run 175 feet of cable?

Thanks Ice,

Actually we did a lot of looking at and trying to configure the best location for the antenna. This is a two story house we are talking about. The 'best' location was also the most convinient which was at the chiminey. Unfortunately, the 'box' which connects to all the TVs was clear on the other side of the house. So, as you can imagine we had a lot of line to run.

 

[cditty]

That is a very long run. If you go the amplified route, you want it as close to the antenna as possible, so you amp signal as opposed to noise. Higher rated cable will be better as well. You didn't mention, but I hope this is RG6. If the amp doesn't work, you may want to try RG11.

There are many amps you can mount at the antenna and power is fed down the line to it. This power would need to be inserted into the line with a direct line to the amp (ie, before any signal splitter).

 

[No Static At All]

Is there a 'signal booster' that I can install so that all my TVs would benefit from a stronger signal. Thanks.

Yes

If you post a TV Fool report, we can recommennd the best preamp/distribution amp for your situation. Your address will not be displayed.

 

[Mr Tony]

Thanks Ice,

Actually we did a lot of looking at and trying to configure the best location for the antenna. This is a two story house we are talking about. The 'best' location was also the most convinient which was at the chiminey. Unfortunately, the 'box' which connects to all the TVs was clear on the other side of the house. So, as you can imagine we had a lot of line to run.

is it just one TV with the issue?
How many setups (converter boxes/TV's?)

As noted, post the tvfool report because we can get a better idea of what we're working with.

Reason I wonder is because I have 2 runs that are about 130 feet (same idea as yours) and I only lost a few points on the meter

 

[acuevas]

Thanks,

We have two TV's for now and they are DTV ready so no converter box is needed. The image is great on the TVs and there is no 'pixilation'. It is just that we are not getting all the channels which we can get a shorter cable runs. Our address is: Corona, CA 92881. I tried the 'tv fool report' issue. Apparently this is the link to see our situation: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id=9fbec66fcf12e9. Thanks.

 

[Mr Tony]

What channels are you not getting?

I looked at your tvfool report and its pretty simple setup (lucky duck)
-bunch of locals
-all 40 miles way
-all pretty much same direction
-all on UHF but 3 (KCAL, Fox, My)

How big of an antenna is it? Can you take a pic or post a link? Sometimes bigger antennas dont mean bigger for UHF signal. When I was looking for a new antenna I saw 2. One was 85" long and the other was 132" long but both had the same UHF range so it didnt pay for me to get the bigger one for more VHF (VHF was already fine)

 

[acuevas]

What channels are you not getting?
How big of an antenna is it? Can you take a pic or post a link? Sometimes bigger antennas dont mean bigger for UHF signal. When I was looking for a new antenna I saw 2. One was 85" long and the other was 132" long but both had the same UHF range so it didnt pay for me to get the bigger one for more VHF (VHF was already fine)

Sorry Iceberg,
I was not able to scan in channel 18.6, as an example. But I was able to scan it in at shorter distances.

This antenna we installed at my folks home and they are not close by. It is the biggest outdoor one HOME DEPOT sold ( GE Universal Outdoor Antenna 36 Element with 110 In. Boom. ).