digital tv antenna

[GFtex]

My TV's tell me the digital signal is too low and will not tune to a station. Understandable if in the mountains, but in the middle of DFW metroplex it doesn't make sense. Advice? Thanks in advance.

[UKDUDE]

The signal booster in the locker above the drivers seat needs to be on (green light on) and the TV settings should be set to antenna "over the air". Then run the auto channel seek on the tv. It then ought to find a few stations.


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[joemikeb]

I am almost within shouting distance of you, ten miles from Bedford in East Fort Worth near the peak of the highest terrain in Tarrant County (less than 2 miles from the channel 5 transmitter tower) and even with the signal booster on, the TVs in my 2013 Interstate can lock onto several of the digital channels but some still have insufficient strength to produce a usable signal. Digital stations are on a subcarrier from a regular broadcast station and their signal strength is often pitifully low, apparently nowhere near as high as the analog channels. I have found atmospheric conditions and even the time of day can make a difference in whether or not a given digital channel will lock in.

I have also found there is enough signal loss inside the Airstream that the front TV, the one nearest the signal amplifier, will get a usable signal from channels the TV in the rear reports as insufficient signal strength. I have checked and double checked the coax connections at the signal booster and on both TVs and all of the connections appear to be good. The next thing for me to check would be to see if the is a signal booster with higher output, but I don't watch enough TV while camping to goad me into investigating further. I am more concerned about internet connectivity.

[joemikeb]

I just came across this article on digital channel strength you might find instructive.

[73shark]

I am surprised if the signal is that weak, that when you scan for channels, it will even pick it up.

[joemikeb]

Originally Posted by 73shark

I am surprised if the signal is that weak, that when you scan for channels, it will even pick it up.

It appears there are two different things going on

1. a marginal signal that fades in and out due to external factors — even leaves blowing on an overhanging tree.
2. The Television set detects the sub-carrier and locks onto that, but the data part of the signal is too weak for the audio/video to synch.

Even with shore power, so battery strength is is eliminated as a contributing factor, I have been in the middle of watching a show only to have the signal fade and lose the picture but still have audio or lose both picture and sound. Frankly the content of most of the digital channels I have seen, is not all that great so it is generally only mildly annoying.

[Al and Missy]

I think if you can't get stations in a signal-rich environment, there is something wrong in your setup. My 2001 had the original older Sensar antenna and it would receive all the Orlando stations around 75 miles away from my house. I added the "wingman" UHF attachment and it does even better. I got Charleston stations from Orangeburg. If the green led is lit on the switch panel you may have a bad cable somewhere, perhaps the one that connects to the antenna up on the roof.

Al

[Protagonist]

My 2012 Interstate with Winegard omnidirectional antenna picks up 22 stations in the parking lot of my apartment complex in the New Orleans metro area. By comparison, a Winegard Razor antenna in my second-floor apartment just 200 feet away picks up 18 stations.

But if I try with the antenna amplifier (AKA signal booster) off, the televisions in the Interstate pick up exactly ONE station. That amplifier makes a big difference!

[joemikeb]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

I think if you can't get stations in a signal-rich environment, there is something wrong in your setup. My 2001 had the original older Sensar antenna and it would receive all the Orlando stations around 75 miles away from my house. I added the "wingman" UHF attachment and it does even better. I got Charleston stations from Orangeburg. If the green led is lit on the switch panel you may have a bad cable somewhere, perhaps the one that connects to the antenna up on the roof.

Al

How about this one. One broadcast station in our area has five digital sub-channels. It is not uncommon to be able to pull in three or four of those sub channels but not the remaining one or two. The outermost channels are the most likely to not synch in. Another anomaly is I am less than two miles from one stations transmitting tower but the digital channels from another station whose tower is over 25 miles away are much more reliable.

[Aage]

One thing to check could be the connections between the antenna and the booster in your TT.

One or more could be corroded, or just plain loose. Yes, even on a 2013.