Help in Austin, TX

[txhokie]

Hi all,

We recently moved into a new house in NW Austin, TX and I'm having some trouble getting good OTA reception - it's proven to be much more of a challenge than I expected.

Here's the TVFool report:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...46ae47c484e3ef


We really only care about receiving the first 6 in the chart, all of which should be only about 7 miles from us. We started with a cheap Philips table-top antenna and I'd say reception was about 75% with occasional dropouts. I figured adding a better antenna in the attic would get us solid reception but so far, no real improvement.

I bought an RCA ANT751 and installed in the attic pointed towards the towers for the above-mentioned stations. Signal goes straight from the antenna through 100ft of newly-installed RG6 Quad-shield, through a wall-plate and directly into one TV. Still having tons of dropouts (especially audio) even though signal strengths show good on the TV.

Then I bought an Antennas Direct Clearstream C2V and tried it inside the house (just holding it up) and also in the attic in place of the ANT751. Same results. Very strong signals (some as high as 98/100 on the TV meter) but frequent audio dropouts, some picture issues as well.

What's my next step? I would really prefer to stick to an attic installation if possible. Things working against us in this house are that the neighborhood is a bit hilly with lots of trees, and we are in a 1 story house with the neighbor to the south (tower direction) being a 2 story, and slightly higher on a hill than us.

Thanks for any help!

[GroundUrMast]

The ANT-751 and C2V should be performing very well according to your report. Please 'test' reception outdoors... http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=13646

Some indoor settings are simply not going to provide reliable reception. It could be that you have metal/foil insulation in the walls, ducts or attic. If you bought a nice camera, you wouldn't expect good pictures to be taken through a dirty window with the shade pulled down.

[ADTech]

Being in the shadow of both trees and a larger house puts you at a severe disadvantage.

I'd suggest picking up a 50 or 100' length of coax and taking the C2V outside to see if, at least, you can get the antenna out from behind the house and catch a clearer line of sight back to the towers. Look for a "tunnel" through or under the trees, anything that gives you a view of the horizon in the correct direction.

+=>
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Install the , ANT751 or CS2V , at a location Outside that provides a Clearer / Clear View to the South.

Unobstructed reception with a Tv antenna in the direction/s of reception , Is Really and Actualy Important.

The antenna Higher above ground and in the clear of obstructions in the direction/s of reception is Really and Actualy Important.

Can the antenna be moved to a location on your property that Avoids most or all obstructions in the direction of reception??
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Digital Broadcast Tv Tuners can develop - Digital Glitches - that are not cleared out with simple channel scans.

To clear tuner do Double Rescan.

www.wchstv.com/DoubleReScanAlert.pdf

[txhokie]

OK, I've moved the C2V to a spot outside that should have a pretty good view south. Same issues on almost all channels. FOX (the only VHF channel) is rock solid even though it has the lowest signal strength according to the TV. Channel 24.1 is showing 93-98 signal strength and still dropping out and having audio and video glitches frequently.

Here are some pics to try to show what I am working with.

Where the antenna is at the moment for testing:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...2015.31.51.jpg

Roughly what the "view" from the antenna south looks like:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...2015.32.04.jpg

Pic of the south side of my house showing the neighboring 2 story house. If I mounted the antenna at the highest point on this side of my house (the roof peak) it would probably be blocked more by the neighbor's house than it is in its current position, but of course it would be higher above ground. So I'm not sure which would be the better choice.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...2015.32.32.jpg

So is it just hopeless? I can't believe I can't get a solid signal this close to the towers. Or is my TV tuner just crappy or what?

Thanks again!

+=>
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Even so , you should be receiving more Tv channels.

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Maybe the CS2V has Defective Coupler that couples the , UHF loops / VHF dipole rods.

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To prove reception.

I recommend install a NEW ANT751 antenna.

Connect a NEW Continues length of coax to the New ANT751 matching transformer (balun).

Run the New Continues length of coax , through a open door or window , direct to 1 Tv.

The Digital Tv Must Channel Scan for the , OTA=Over The Air , ATSC-Digital Broadcast TV Stations/Channels , often named the ~ DTV Channels ~ Antenna Channels ~ Air Channels ~ in the Tv Setup Menu because the Tv transmissions travel through the Air from the transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna.

Some digital tv's will Automatic channel scan for cable tv channels.

DO NOT channel scan for cable tv channels.

Go into the Tv Setup Menu and select ~ DTV Channels ~ Antenna Channels ~ Air Channels ~.

The Digital TV Must Channel Scan for the , ATSC-Digital Broadcast TV Stations/Channels.

[GroundUrMast]

I'm a bit concerned that the aluminum ladder and metal flashing at the edge of the roof may be affecting the tuning of the antenna...

Perhaps you have some pipe, tube or similar item that can serve as a mast? If possible, try to test with the antenna 3' or more from metal except for a tube or mast running through the rear clamp.

[ADTech]

1. Verify that you didn't reverse the coaxial cables into the back of the loop (the combiner is built into the loop on the current model of C2V). Customers call in all the time who have done that.

2. Keep moving the antenna.

If you have reason to believe that the combiner might in fact be faulty after exhausting all other possibilities, please let me resolve the issue since QA is one of my responsibilities and I would like to get that loop replaced and back to me (at our expense, of course).

[txhokie]

Thanks for the additional suggestions. Unfortunately, things have not improved. I've tried both antennas outside now, sitting on a cardboard box (no metal ladder) about 6' away from anything. Clear view south.

Both antennas give signal strengths anywhere from mid-80's to high-90's and still give the dropouts.

Verified that the C2V is wired correctly. Have done channel rescans after each antenna move.

Not sure what else I can try. At some point I'll need to return the antennas before my 30 day window is up and start over at some point.

[ADTech]

Both antennas give signal strengths anywhere from mid-80's to high-90's and still give the dropouts.

That's usually a symptom of tree-induced multipath or some type of electrical or electronic interference or of a poor tuner. What set are you using and do you have an alternate to try out?

[StephanieS]

Do you have another TV you can test on? I don't like that even with different antennas the same problems are cropping up.

[txhokie]

The TV is a Sony KDL-46XBR9 from around 2009-2010. I just did a factory reset to see if it made any difference and it did not.

I do have another Sony TV (different model), I'll see if it performs any better.

Edit: The other TV is working MUCH better even though the antenna (ANT751) is currently just sitting on a box in the garage, not even aimed particularly well.

So either I have some interference that affects my main TV or its tuner is just not so great.

Edit 2: OK, I reconnected my main TV; had the same problems. Removed all of its connections (HDMI and network cables) and the problems seem to have gone away. So I think I just have interference from some other cables/connections. Will try to narrow it down to which one is causing the problem and put the antenna back in the original attic location and see if things are good!

Thanks for all the help - will update with a (hopefully) final resolution.

[txhokie]

Solved! The culprit was my Chromecast, which I was powering from a USB port on the TV. I need to try it powered from its external power supply instead of the TV's USB port to see if it still causes problems.

In any case, the ANT751 is performing just fine back in the attic. Obviously signal strengths aren't quite as good as they were when I was testing with it outside, but not a single dropout since removing the Chromecast.

A huge thank you to everyone for your help and suggestions!