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-   -   Not getting any channels with antenna (http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=15849)

bex 26-Nov-2015 4:18 AM

Not getting any channels with antenna
 
Did I buy the wrong type of antenna?

I have this one and am picking up 0 channels. I tried putting it in a few different places. I am not sure of height, but I'm on the 2nd floor, and the window faces South.

TV Signal Analysis Results

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Update (3/3/17):

I have a new TV and tried the same antenna again. I set it to Antenna and had it scan for channels, but it only found 3, and they are all scrambled. I have the antenna temporarily stuck to my window, which faces SW (according to this compass app I have).

Pic of Channel List

MikeBear 26-Nov-2015 6:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bex (Post 53845)
Did I buy the wrong type of antenna?

I have this one and am picking up 0 channels. I tried putting it in a few different places. I am not sure of height, but I'm on the 2nd floor, and the window faces South.

TV Signal Analysis Results

Pretty much all your main stations are very slightly North of EAST. Very unusual that you don't receive anything though, even with the antenna in the South window. I'd have to say there might be something wrong with that specific antenna, it's defective.

Is this the first time you've even tried an antenna, or did you receive any channels previously with anything else?

What's outside your building? Is anything in the way East of you, that could be blocking the signal?

The more info you can give us about your situation, the better we can make suggestions that are more likely to work without total guessing.

bex 26-Nov-2015 6:35 AM

I have not tried an antenna before.

MikeBear 26-Nov-2015 6:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bex (Post 53847)
I have not tried an antenna before.

Did you use your tv sets menu, and actually scan for OTA channels? You have to do a scan when you change your antenna. I can't tell you how, as you aren't giving out any info that is very useful. This isn't 20 questions, so the more info you give, the more help you will get.

Also, can you answer my other questions specifically about the general area around your building, and if anything is blocking towards the East? Such as a high building or something?

I'm not going to continue to drag information out of you, so if you don't help US, we can't help YOU.

bex 26-Nov-2015 7:20 AM

There is a tall building, but it's West. Nothing East, just the street and then trees. I did an auto scan on my tv, and it found 0 channels. I previously tried hooking up cable but wasn't able to get it in this room, and figured it was because I was using a splitter. Could there be something wrong with my tv? I use it with a streaming media player currently. I was also having a problem with slow wifi (like 1/3 speed).

MikeBear 26-Nov-2015 7:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bex (Post 53849)
There is a tall building, but it's West. Nothing East, just the street and then trees. I did an auto scan on my tv, and it found 0 channels. I previously tried hooking up cable but wasn't able to get it in this room, and figured it was because I was using a splitter. Could there be something wrong with my tv? I use it with a streaming media player currently. I was also having a problem with slow wifi (like 1/3 speed).

What brand and model number is your tv set? I can then look up the manual, and see what options it has.

You are scanning for DTV channels in the menu? What options exactly are available to you when you bring up the SCAN menu? Many tv's have multiple options, and if you are scanning the wrong thing, you won't get channels.

Jake V 26-Nov-2015 11:26 PM

Bex, Try running your channel scan again. Read each screen carefully. There should be one screen which asks you if you want to use an "Antenna" (sometimes it says "OTA") or "Cable". Make sure to choose "Antenna". With your TV Fool plot you should be getting some stations. [A stucco or aluminum siding house will block much of the signal. As will a window with e-glass or a metal screen.]

bex 27-Nov-2015 1:51 AM

I have an LG 32LH30, and I go to Menu > Channel > Auto Tuning, and it scans for DTV and TV channels.

MikeBear 27-Nov-2015 1:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bex (Post 53862)
I have an LG 32LH30, and I go to Menu > Channel > Auto Tuning, and it scans for DTV and TV channels.

Do you let the channel scan run all the way through ALL channel scan options until the end?

I also own an LG, (42LA6200) and if you abort the channel scan early, it doesn't completely register the channels it's scanned in. So, you MUST let it scan for DTV, ANALOG, and all CABLE channels, and fully complete until the end.

If you are waiting all the way to the end of the full channel scan, and it doesn't find channel, there's something wrong with your tv set. Perhaps you can then take it to a friends house, and use their known-good connection to scan, and see what happens there.

bex 4-Mar-2017 1:04 AM

I have a new TV and tried the same antenna again. I set it to Antenna and had it scan for channels, but it only found 3, and they are all scrambled. I have the antenna temporarily stuck to my window, which faces SW (according to this compass app I have).

Pic of Channel List

Jake V 4-Mar-2017 11:44 AM

If your signals are coming from the east-northeast, placing the antenna in a south facing window is not going to help much. As an experiment I would hold the antenna outside the window with the flat part facing east to see what difference it makes. I'd also try it on an east facing wall (88 degrees) as high as possible.

I've done some basic testing with that type of antenna and didn't find it to be very good. You are going to need something much bigger and more powerful, like the Antennas Direct Clearstream 2V or similar. I know an apartment dweller who had success by mounting in very high in a closet and aiming it to "look" though walls past another apartment.

What type of building do you live in? House? Apartment? What is it made of? Wood structure with vinyl siding? Concrete apartment building? Stucco or brick?

ADTech 4-Mar-2017 3:15 PM

Try a simple straightened paper clip and re-run your scan. Yeah, I'm serious, a straightened paper clip.

Either your existing antenna is defective or your location/building is blocking signals. The paper clip will probably tell you if the antenna is the issue. If it's your building/location, the paper clip won't work worth a hoot either.


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