Reception on 1 TV and not the other

[Steveatus]

Just self-installed a Channel Master 4228HD in the attic.

Old TV running off of a converter gets Denver station 31.1. My HDTV doesn't receive it.

I put a splitter right at the antenna and ran the cables directly to each TV.

I can't seem to get the HDTV to show be signal strength, but the A to D converter downstairs is showing about 40%.

[mtownsend]

Hello and welcome!

It would help if you could create a tvfool signal report for your exact location and then post the URL here. That will let us see what kind of signal strengths you're working with.



In lieu of that, a few general comments apply:

1) Splitters and cable runs reduce signal strength, so the fewer times the signal is split and the shorter the cable runs are, the stronger your signal will be. As an experiment, you might try to connect the antenna to only your HDTV (remove any splitters) to see if the increased signal strength is enough for your TV to lock on to.

2) TV signal strength meters measure signal quality (based on how well the digital data can be decoded) rather than actual signal strength. That is why most signal meters show nothing at all unless it's able to at least lock on to the channel. When the meter is working, the numbers represent how "clean" a signal is, but do not necessarily correlate with the true signal strength.

3) The tuners built into most HDTVs are usually a little less sensitive that the tuners built into set-top boxes. Converter boxes have only one job to do, so their designs are a bit better in the tuner department. If you install a pre-amp close to your antenna, it will probably overcome the lower sensitivity of the HDTV and make both setups perform about the same. However, in order to know if a pre-amp is appropriate for your situation (we must be cautious of amp overload) we need to see your tvfool report.

[Steveatus]

Here is the report for my location. I am getting all of the channels I desire, except for 31.1

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...b32b2f8e0a9eb1

[mtownsend]

It is odd that you don't pick up 31.1 on one of your TVs. All of your signals appear to be very strong. So strong, in fact, that I would recommend against using a pre-amp. This much signal would cause overload on most pre-amps. If you have any kind of amplification in the setup now, you might want to try taking it out.

Also, which direction is the antenna pointed? If your attic as ducts, plumbing, metal bracing, foil-backed insulation, or any other conductive material near or in front of the antenna, it may take some trial and error to find the optimum spot within your attic for best reception. There may be material (sometimes hidden) in your attic that is altering the antenna's performance.

You signals are generally nice and strong. It may just be a matter of moving your antenna around a little bit until you find a sweet spot that picks up your missing channel.

[OTAMAN2010]

Originally Posted by Steveatus

Just self-installed a Channel Master 4228HD in the attic.

Old TV running off of a converter gets Denver station 31.1. My HDTV doesn't receive it.

I put a splitter right at the antenna and ran the cables directly to each TV.

I can't seem to get the HDTV to show be signal strength, but the A to D converter downstairs is showing about 40%.

1-Check all your connections and make sure there on the right spiltter and tv hook up. Some time folk accidental use the wrong connections. 2-Read the digital scan info, and rescan. 3-Make sure you have a good RG-6 cable with good ends.
Hope this help.

[Steveatus]

I took out my portable GPS and alligned the antenna directly at the antenna. I am now getting the station. Seems wierd to me, being a novice, that I could get the other channels on the same antenna but not the one without a little more allignment.

Anyway, thanks for the help. I am glad I didn't go down the dirt road of putting a pre-amp on.