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Old 20-Oct-2010, 5:17 AM   #1
BobHelms
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Another Pixelated Picture Conundrum.

I've been reading with great interest cardinalfanrc's struggle to get his antenna setup to work without picture pixelation. I'm glad he has solved his problem. I have a similar problem, here is my configuration. HBU22 antenna, 30' high, pointing 125*, 60' new RG6 cable, new PN50C550 Samsung HDTV. My problem is WRAL 5.1 (UHF 48) pixelates sporadically. However WRAZ 50.1 (UHF 49) is as good as it gets. I also receive 11, 17, 22 and 28 without any problems. I've tried swinging the HBU22 both directions in an attempt to find a sweet spot to no avail. My tvfool report is attached. TIA for any help received.
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Old 20-Oct-2010, 6:44 AM   #2
John Candle
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Tv Reception

I know it's not in the list , however it is wise to ask. Is any kind or type of signal amplifier involved? And what is the signal level of WRAL? The television transmissions are Very Strong at your location. What about big trees in the direction of the transmitters? Any tall houses or buildings close by that blocking direct reception from the Tv transmitters? Any tall buildings off to one side or other of front or sides of the antenna that could be causing signal reflections/multipath to the antenna?

Last edited by John Candle; 20-Oct-2010 at 9:13 AM.
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Old 20-Oct-2010, 7:02 AM   #3
GroundUrMast
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How much troubleshooting have you done so far?

I take it then that you have seen the list of suggestions offered to cardinalfanrc and have tried those, making note of the results in each case. If not... take it one step a a time... don't change more than one thing at a time. Test, observe, record, repeat if necessary.

Experimenting with aim point and antenna elevation is usually one of the easiest first steps.

Loose connections, defective splitters, defective matching transformers, un-terminated splitter ports, un-needed or low quality amplifiers and damaged or defective coax are all (but not listed in any particular order) possible causes of single or multiple channel reception problems.

I notice in my neighborhood that many antennas are pointed 90 or 180 degrees off the line toward the transmitters. The axis of antenna boom should be parallel to the line from the transmitter and you location, and, the the shortest elements should be closest to the transmitter.

Proving and resolving interference can be difficult but like any other trouble isolation step can be done methodically.

Finally, don't be too quick to say it can't be [....]. Also there can be more than one problem... (I met my wife while troubleshooting a Coast Guard Radar Control circuit that had a hardware failure and at least four separate maladjustment's. That gave a lot of time to get to know each other. )
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Old 20-Oct-2010, 12:32 PM   #4
No static at all
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Antenna height is the first likely culprit if the aim is in fact correct. Almost every time, I end up lowering the antenna 6-12 inches after installation when I find one channel to be problematic.
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Old 20-Oct-2010, 3:37 PM   #5
Tower Guy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BobHelms View Post
I have a similar problem, pointing 125*,
Your TV signals are extremely strong and there is nothing around you to cause multipath.

There are multiple super-strong FM stations that shouldn't get into the HBU-22 very well, but you never know.

Have you tried an attenuator?

To get the degree sign, hold down the ALT key: type 0176 on the number keypad on the right of the keyboard.

viola °

Last edited by Tower Guy; 20-Oct-2010 at 3:44 PM.
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Old 20-Oct-2010, 3:47 PM   #6
BobHelms
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No amplifiers. As I mentioned all new cable with new compression connectors. Signal strength goes up & down from 7 to 10, SNR goes also goes up & down from 27.0 dB to 32.0 dB. Have not tried lowering antenna, I'll do that next. Lots of big trees but no buildings in LOS. When my pixelation occurs there is no loss of audio. I have and still do suspect some kind of stray RF but I can't understand why it would only affect channel 48. I've got a CB'er down the street but I've used my scanner to monitor the CB channels and it's not coming from there. Thanks for the replies. I'll update after lowering antenna 12 inches or so.
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Old 20-Oct-2010, 6:15 PM   #7
No static at all
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If the trees are pretty close they are likely causing multipath interference(signal reflections) which can create the scenario that will make only one of the strong channels unreliable. Try lowering /raising in 6 inch increments to find a sweet spot.

Re-check all the channels once WRAL becomes reliable to make sure your other channels are still OK. You may have to compromise with the height to make all channels reliable.
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