After storm last night, lost most TV channels

[sparkinstx]

Hey guys,

I have an antenna question (I think). Last night we had a storm (Dallas-Fort Worth area), and since then, we’ve lost most of our OTA TV channels (I'm OTA only). Now we only get ones that are on real channels 42, 29, 36, 39, and 30. We have two DTVs and two W7MCs. I rescanned digital channels on one of the DTVs, but none of the missing channels came back. I downloaded the TV Towers USA iPhone app and used it to check the alignment of my rooftop antenna (a 13-year-old Winegard VHF/UHF yagi), and the alignment is fine. Also, no physical damage to the antenna, no evidence of a lightning strike, although we had a couple of strikes very close by (less than half a block away). Any ideas? Do I need to look at replacing the antenna? Thanks!

[tzr916]

Power outage at the broadcast towers? check with others in your area-
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/45-local- ... -hdtv.html

Remove ALL splitters, connect a direct line from antenna to one tuner, run channel scan. Any different?

[sparkinstx]

Thanks, I did that (before I read this). One of my HTPCs is a laptop with a Hauppauge 950Q USB stick, so I carried it up to the attic and connected it directly to the antenna, and I was able to get all the channels. I'm wondering if the static in the air from the nearby lightning strikes might have blown the splitter.

[Mike88]

We had a storm a couple months ago & there was a loud lightning crack. It burned the circuit board in the microwave & somehow damaged the small circuit board in refrigerator's ice dispenser. It also ruined 3 GFI outlets. The TV system & PC each have their own UPS & I'm guessing that might have saved them. It also burned up 3 of the motors in my neighbor's ceiling fans.

From other storms one of my friends TV's had an HDMI go out. Thankfully he had 2 HDMI inputs. And later a storm took out his Comcast cable DVR, yet his Comcast modem with internet & phone was OK.

I'm told lightning does strange things.

[dmagerl]

Do you have an amp somewhere in the distribution system? A nearby strike could have fried it. Just saw your later posting. Could it be an amp'ed splitter? It could also be that a nearby strike can take out a passive splitter but it'd have to be a really nearby strike for that to happen.

[Jimmersd]

Are the DTV's connected directly to the same antenna distribution system as the WMC7 boxes? Splitters? Amps? Line taps? Can you hook a DTV directly to the headend antenna and get programming?