Hey all, i have a question about tv boosters. Here's the jist...
I live in what many would call "the boonies," or perhaps "the sticks," and i am using an external antenna. I can pick up channels in town easily. I can also get stations from afar with a 30dB booster. Problem is i don't want to boost the local stations. I've been getting around this by using a channel master 7777 booster, which has the option of separating uhf and vhf sources. Just so happens the local stations are 9.1 and 9.2 -- vhf. So i can use a crap antenna and plug it into the vhf input and use the hi gain antenna in the uhf input. This would work great, except... The local station also broadcasts on 32.1 and 2. I think i ended up overdriving my booster and blowing something inside. The only thing i have going for me is that they are in two completely different directions. The local signal loses a little power, but not nearly enough.
It'd be great to stick an attenuator in there to kill channel 32, but for the cost of an attenuator like that i could probably pay to have cable tv buried the rest of the way to my house.
Anybody have any ideas how to remedy a situation like this?
Amplifier question
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Sammy2
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Have you poked around antennaweb yet?
You might search here as well and if you don't find what you are looking for, ask.
You might search here as well and if you don't find what you are looking for, ask.
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dmagerl
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Your description is a bit vague.
Is that 9.1 & 9.2 a logical channel or is it actually physical ch9. Also is it logical ch 32.1 on physical ch2?
Two things to try
1. you could bypass the 7777amp entirely and just combine the output of the amp with your vhf antenna with a reverse connected 1to2 splitter.
2. If you have multiple tuners, you could dedicate a tuner to VHF only and run the VHF feedline down to only that tuner. Then edit your sources for each channel to allow only that tuner for the vhf stations and exclude that tuner for the UHF stations.
Is that 9.1 & 9.2 a logical channel or is it actually physical ch9. Also is it logical ch 32.1 on physical ch2?
Two things to try
1. you could bypass the 7777amp entirely and just combine the output of the amp with your vhf antenna with a reverse connected 1to2 splitter.
2. If you have multiple tuners, you could dedicate a tuner to VHF only and run the VHF feedline down to only that tuner. Then edit your sources for each channel to allow only that tuner for the vhf stations and exclude that tuner for the UHF stations.
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bmblank
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Sorry for the long post.
The problem is that there is one station in uhf that is too strong to need the amp. I'm unsure which are physical, but i believe both 9 and 32 are.
I'll check out that website. The only other one i could think of is tvfool and it didn't seem they quite had the info I'm looking for.
The problem is that there is one station in uhf that is too strong to need the amp. I'm unsure which are physical, but i believe both 9 and 32 are.
I'll check out that website. The only other one i could think of is tvfool and it didn't seem they quite had the info I'm looking for.
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dmagerl
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How do you know its too strong for the amp?
whats your zip code and whats the station?
whats your zip code and whats the station?
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bmblank
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On my tuner setup page (2x hdhr duals) i get 100% signal strength but somewhere in the range of 70-80% signal quality. If i change up antennas i can get a higher signal quality with less power. It kind of seems like I'm overdriving and getting allot of distortion because of it. With a 30dB amp overdriving is definitely a possibility as well.
My zip code is 49601. Channel 9.1 & 9.2 are cbs and fox respectively. Channel 32 is a rebroadcast of fox, and i think cbs. Those are both from town, sub 10 miles... Channel 27 and 29 are pbs & create and then nbc & abc. Those are from the kalkaska area, i think 35 miles or more north.
With the uhf amp i can get the kalkaska channels alright, but channel 32 is then very strong.
My zip code is 49601. Channel 9.1 & 9.2 are cbs and fox respectively. Channel 32 is a rebroadcast of fox, and i think cbs. Those are both from town, sub 10 miles... Channel 27 and 29 are pbs & create and then nbc & abc. Those are from the kalkaska area, i think 35 miles or more north.
With the uhf amp i can get the kalkaska channels alright, but channel 32 is then very strong.
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dmagerl
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I wouldnt necessarily assume you're overloading your amp but you're right, I wouldnt discount it either.. If you're changing antennas, they could very well have different patterns and thus could be getting different levels of multipath.
You're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place there. The close in local stations are both UHF & VHF, and the Kalkaska stations are also both VHF & UHF. About all you can do is point your antenna at Kalkaska and get the locals off the sides or back of the antenna. But then you have a far away PBS station that would be off the side/back and you'd probably lose that..
I would go with the higher signal strength and ignore the signal quality as long as the symbol quality is 100%
You're kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place there. The close in local stations are both UHF & VHF, and the Kalkaska stations are also both VHF & UHF. About all you can do is point your antenna at Kalkaska and get the locals off the sides or back of the antenna. But then you have a far away PBS station that would be off the side/back and you'd probably lose that..
I would go with the higher signal strength and ignore the signal quality as long as the symbol quality is 100%
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dmagerl
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Oh, forgot to mention that it looks like WPBN has a repeater. WMC may combine the two stations into one listing and you may end up with reception problems as it tries to tune the weaker station. You should edit that channel and verify that there is only one source per tuner and then uncheck those you cant receive.
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bmblank
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Yeah, my uhf antenna is directional with a ground plate on the back (bow tie style antenna), so like i said, the best thing i got going for me is they're two different directions.
Anyhoo, I'm just trying to make sure there aren't other options before I risk burning up another $80 amplifier. Maybe I'll get a weaker, cheaper, amp and try that out.
Anyhoo, I'm just trying to make sure there aren't other options before I risk burning up another $80 amplifier. Maybe I'll get a weaker, cheaper, amp and try that out.
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dmagerl
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I'm pretty sure you didnt burn out the amp with signal strength. It takes an awful lot of signal to do that. After all, a nearby lightning strike will generate much much more RF than a TV station 10 miles away. Now if the station was right next door it'd be a different story, but antennaweb didnt show that.
What a strong signal does is overloads the amp and clips the signal creating all kinds of harmonics and intermodulation distortions which generally destroys signal quality. But it usually doesnt burn out the transistors.
But you're still in a jam thats gonna be hard to fix. If the locals are strong enough to cause problems your best bet is an antenna with really good front to back or front to side rejection and just aim it at the distant stations and hope the antenna can reject the local stations enough for everything to work.
What a strong signal does is overloads the amp and clips the signal creating all kinds of harmonics and intermodulation distortions which generally destroys signal quality. But it usually doesnt burn out the transistors.
But you're still in a jam thats gonna be hard to fix. If the locals are strong enough to cause problems your best bet is an antenna with really good front to back or front to side rejection and just aim it at the distant stations and hope the antenna can reject the local stations enough for everything to work.