Sudden signal loss

[jimmylittleman]

Hi, it has been awhile since I posted. I have a Winegard HD8200U antenna, Winegard 2000 Pre Amp Winegard HDA 200 booster.

I have been able to receive channels out of Seattle and surrounding areas for years (75 miles out). NBC and CBS will come and go during bad weather - Fox always comes in at strength 90 or 100. PBS comes in mid 70s to 80 strength

OK so a week or so ago, everything but Fox went dark. Regardless of how I position the antenna (RCA remote control rotor) I am getting nothing but Fox and now Fox only comes in at strength 60 to 64 -

There have been no changes anywhere, no bad weather storms etc. Today a friend and I took down the mast enough to check the connections and everything looked fine. The coax into the house in the attic also is tight and unchanged and the connection at the TV and DVR all seem fine.

I am at a loss as to what might have happened and am looking for some insight and/or ideas. TX jimmylittleman

[Bobert]

Did any neighbors install equipment such as solar panels, etc., recently? It's a long shot, but the inverters used with such systems (particularly if poorly designed) can generate lots of electrical 'hash' that can knock out signals, particularly weak ones. Welders can do it also, although they'd have to be running 24/7.

[ZippyTheChicken]

Originally Posted by jimmylittleman

Hi, it has been awhile since I posted. I have a Winegard HD8200U antenna, Winegard 2000 Pre Amp Winegard HDA 200 booster.

I am at a loss as to what might have happened and am looking for some insight and/or ideas. TX jimmylittleman

Normally when an Amp goes bad then it doesn't pass any signal so you lose everything... but you say you're still getting Fox which is VHF.

I would eliminate the amps one at a time including their inserter power and see what happens...

It might also be possible that the amp didn't die but if you are running 2 inserters to power the amps that maybe one of the power supplies died and the other is not enough to power both amps at full power. SO check the power coming out of your power supplies with a volt meter and make sure its within spec of its label.

The other possibility is that you are over amping your system and knocking out channels.. I have done that and its something you don't realize at first and you look for other things. So maybe disconnect the distribution amp and keep the preamp.. but that should be your first tests anyway...

Another problem you might not catch is the Balun Setup at the antenna and if your dipoles are getting a good connection. Most of the larger antennas snap into place to open them.. and they make a metal to metal contact to pass signal.. make sure they are locked in tight.

And also the Balun can break so you have to check the crimp connectors and make sure that the wire coming out of the balun to those connectors hasn't corroded or come loose.

You check for power getting to the amps with a volt meter by touching it to the coax and you should see power whatever its rated for


Good luck...

Hope you already got it fixed and my post can help the next person.


__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

DON'T GIVE CABLE OR STREAMING YOUR MONEY BECAUSE THEY ARE SCUMBAGS THAT ARE FUNDING ALL KINDS OF STUFF I WON'T EVEN GO INTO BUT ITS BAD... USE MINIMAL INTERNET ACCOUNTS YOU DON'T NEED GIGABYTE CABLE INTERNET TO RUN A ROKU OR EVEN A FEW OF THEM IN YOUR HOME. 50MBit CAN RUN 3-5 ROKUS AND COMPUTERS AND PHONES AT THE SAME TIME SO DON'T BUY WHAT YOU DON'T NEED

AND THESE PAID STREAMING SERVICES ARE JUST AS BAD...

I JUST RESCANNED THIS MORNING 01/01/24 AND I GET 108 STATIONS FROM OVER 60 MILES AWAY AND MY TOTAL SETUP COST LESS THAN 4 MONTHS OF BASIC NO FRILLS CABLE TV... AND I NEVER HAVE TO PAY AGAIN...

I REALIZE NOT EVERYONE CAN GET THAT MANY STATIONS
BUT EVEN IF YOU JUST GET A GOOD GROUP OF STATIONS
YOU CAN USE THE MONEY YOU SAVE ON FOOD AND GAS AND LIFE

[OTAFAN]

Hey ZippyTheChicken:

Jimmylittleman actually posted his thread in two different places.

https://forum.tvfool.com/showthread....3849#post63849

He finally resolved the issue.

But your post today was probably more technically helpful than mine! I'm not as tech savvy as some others here on the forum. Like Mick Jagger has often said, "I'm just the stripper!" LOL

Anyway, good to hear from you in the New Year.

Keep on posting.....