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Old 29-Sep-2015, 12:05 PM   #1
Alan909
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Why Better Reception When Raining???(DB8)

I bought a new DB8 antenna(and buying the C5 soon to add) and very happy with it...only had it for a week and noticed when it rains, I get better reception and more channels...Is this natural??? or do I have a grounding problem???
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Old 29-Sep-2015, 1:01 PM   #2
ADTech
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Insufficient information but probably atmospheric effects.

Need data (TVFool) as well as channel information and system configuration.
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Old 29-Sep-2015, 2:36 PM   #3
rabbit73
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That is sometimes a symptom of power line noise interference, but as ADTech said, we need the details.
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Old 29-Sep-2015, 7:12 PM   #4
Alan909
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TVfool Report

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...8e031037bd3a72

Here is my report as requested...I have a DB8 antenna 15 ft high and high quality 25ft coax direct to my TV...used a compass and have the antenna pointing at 315 degrees...it is pointing torward standard power lines across the road with a transformer on pole far to the left of line of antenna about 15ft...have one big Maple tree across the road direct inline of antenna about 50 yards away...hope this information is enough to help with my question...
p.s. I heard years ago that Ham Radio Operaters use to put a lawn sprinkler on there antenna tower to help transmitting and recieving???
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Old 29-Sep-2015, 7:28 PM   #5
rabbit73
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Thanks for the report. Looks like you are at the west side of Union City PA.

What channels do you get OK and what channels are a problem when it is not raining?

Ham radio operators wet the ground at the base of their tower so that the ground radial wires make a stronger transmitted signal when the tower itself is used as a vertical antenna.
Quote:
do I have a grounding problem???
The coax shield should be grounded with a grounding block that is connected to the house electrical system ground with 10 gauge copper wire for electrical safety and to reject interference. For further compliance with the electrical code (NEC), the mast should also be grounded in a similar manner to drain any buildup of static charge, but the system will not survive a direct strike.



There is a simple test you can make to listen for power line noise. Use a battery operated radio that tunes the AM broadcast band, tuned to an unused frequency at the high end (1600 kHz) and then at the low end (540). If you hear power line noise on AM, it is often on the TV bands. A VHF receiver that tunes the aircraft band will also work, because it is also AM. An FM radio doesn't work well to hunt for power line noise. Forum member MikeBear had a problem that he tracked down that way. He could also pick it up on his car radio.
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One channel issue, high VHF
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=15701
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http://forum.tvfool.com/showpost.php...00&postcount=5
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Originally Posted by MikeBear View Post
Ok, I did find heavy interference (buzzing) on AM band at 530. It starts as I drive into my 220' long driveway, and stays as I get into my garage. This parallels the power line wires going to my house.

Anyway, I read on Denny's antenna site (he's only about 35 miles from me) about another person that unplugged a "power tender" charger, and got rid of the interference. I also have a $20 Harbor Freight power tender charging a battery in my garage. I unplugged it, and the AM interference stopped IMMEDIATELY! http://www.harborfreight.com/15-amp-...ner-99857.html
Quote:
used a compass and have the antenna pointing at 315 degrees...
325 magnetic might be better.
Quote:
...have one big Maple tree across the road direct inline of antenna about 50 yards away
Uh-Oh, not good.
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Last edited by rabbit73; 29-Sep-2015 at 8:11 PM.
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Old 30-Sep-2015, 8:28 PM   #6
Alan909
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PA-18 and Noise Test

Thank you for the information...I did the noise test with the Jeep radio on AM and did find increase in noise the closer I got to my antenna...turned everything off in the house one by one and the noise was from my TV, a new Samsung HD Plasma...My antenna is just outside of my window where the TV is 15ft high...My problem channels was from 12-1, 12-2, and 12-3...now that the weather is clearing up, slowly loosing signal on those channels...next step is to ground both coax and antenna pole to see what happens...
Do you think the PA-18 low noise antenna amp will help as well???
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Old 1-Oct-2015, 1:10 AM   #7
ADTech
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No, that amp would only increase the noise also. You're may need to either replace the TV set as defective or increase the separation between the antenna and the set so that the antenna isn't picking up its electrical noise.

Before condemning the set, remove any accessories like USB dongles (Chromecast, for example) and any HDMI cables, turning off any external devices for testing. I've seen both of those types of devices that were radiating interference into the VHF bands. If everything is disconnected and turned off, it's probably the set.

Grounding the coax properly may help as it's certainly possible the interference is being picked up by the shield and re-radiating into the center conductor.
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Last edited by ADTech; 1-Oct-2015 at 1:14 AM.
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