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Old 9-Sep-2010, 12:49 AM   #11
mtownsend
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 632
Most people report that their TV Fool signal analysis is pretty accurate as long as they get the precise location right.

The main exceptions to this are going to be situations where there is an error in the database (e.g., incorrect FCC record, a mistake in the application filed with the FCC, etc.) or if there is some kind of local obstruction that is affecting you that is not taken into account in the TV Fool model (e.g., hills that are too small to show up in the TV Fool terrain database, trees, buildings, etc.).



What strikes me as odd is that you're seeing some channels with a high reading on your signal meter, yet you get no picture at all. You mentioned seeing signal readings in the 85 to 97 range, yet on most receivers, a reading this high means that the channel can be easily decoded. There's usually no official word on exactly how these numbers are calculated, but on almost all of the receivers I've ever used, this means you should be seeing something.

Do you get a plain black screen or a message that tells you there's no signal lock?

Are there any units (like dBm or dBu) displayed next to the signal strength indicator? Maybe there's a way to figure out if the numbers represent anything real like signal power (and not signal quality, like most meters read).

Is there any way to confirm via the receiver's user interface that you're "locked on" to a channel or not? I wonder if the tuner has indeed locked on the the channel but is unable to display anything because perhaps the broadcast contains some data that the decoder does not understand.

There may be some minor problems with the way the Coolsat 8000 HD deals with OTA signals (http://www.satelliteguys.us/fta-mpeg...tml#post807547).

It's also possible that there is another signal source nearby that shows up strong on your signal meter, yet is interfering with the original broadcast. I have seen at least 1 situation where the local cable company's system was "leaking" enough signal to be picked up by a receiver even when it was not directly connected to the cable.



I'm not familiar with the Coolsat 8000 HD, so I'm afraid I can't offer much more. If you have any other converter boxes or tuners to test with, that might be the only way to check if the problem is specific to the Coolsat or if there's something wrong with the RF signals.
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