DTV Boondoggle

OK, some more info:

House is about 90 years old without many modern upgrades. First floor stucco, second floor redwood siding. I doubt there is any sigificant insulation (that's for another group and another thread!) or anything metallic in the walls.

All TVs get excellent analog reception.

TV/DTV convertor box on second floor on side facing antenna farm gets decent digital reception with only old UHF loop.

TV/DTV convertor box on first floor has basic Radio Shack antenna and now seems passable but not gerat.

Antenna is placed on top of china closet in dining room.

New Toshiba LCD DTV on opposite side of house is the main problem. (But analog reception there is so good that a casual observer might think it is a DTV signal on most channels.)

I like the idea of an experiment hanging a wire outside the house to see if that helps, though it's on the wrong side to be really effective.

Attic is full of junk (I bet you're not surprised), so plopping large antenna there is probably not an option, though there is a crawl space that is empty.

-- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ:

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

Good point but varies with cable company. The legal details are in the TOS at:

under: 6. Maintenance And Ownership Of Equipment -> c. Inside Wiring which proclaims: "Regardless of who installed it, we consider the Inside Wiring your property or the property of whomever owns the Premises." So it is written, so it must be.

The apartment buildings that I'm familiar own their own wiring, which was installed when they were built or remodeled, usually by an independent wiring contractor. Locally, the cable companies (Comcast and Charter) hire such contractors to do their major inside wiring, who bill the owner directly. The owner also supplies his own distribution amp and splitter/couplers. Comcast may have inspected the system before connecting, but I don't think so.

Yep. RG-59/u sucks. Many apartment systems use "smurf tube" (Carlton Flex-Plus Blue ENT) which offer the ability to add additiona coax, fiber, CAT5, alarm, or whatever later:

Yep. We have a local repeater output on 145.25Mhz, which is dead on the CH18 CATV video carrier. The local system leaks somewhat and I can barely hear anything. Worse, the various subcarriers are landing on other repeaters. I've complained, but haven't pushed the issue. Driving around listening to 145.25 shows that there are at least a dozen leaks along our 1 mile long branch (most caused by falling branches and trees).

I checked the recent FCC rulings. One fine for CATV leakage found in

Otherwise, I couldn't find any fines:

I know of plenty of complaints laundered through the FCC, but no fines.

Since when is a lock suppose to stop me? Around here, the pedestal has a cheap lock, that's easily picked, but not much additional security.

True. However, if there's metal window screening, aluminized mylar on the glass, or metal famed panes, the RF is not going to get through. That's why I wanted Sam to run the test with the antenna outside the window. The idea is not to test the effectiveness of an admittedly lousy antenna. It's to test if there's anything in the walls or windows that is preventing his existing DTV antenna from working.

It depends on how it's packaged. These days, CATV wiring usually gets snuck in after a few bad experiences installing satellite dishes. Also, as part of a shared internet system, where the labor involved far exceeds the cost of the additional wiring. Some landlords don't want to spend a penny on anything that can't be immediately passed on to the tenants. Others want to use the wiring as an inducement to attract tech savvy tenants. It varies.

Maybe MATV antenna? or is this something new?

MikeB

For that one company. That is Comcast's way of not having to pay for any repairs.

That may be true in new buildings, but some were wired in the '70s, when single shield RG-6 was the best available.

Tell them were the leaks are, and suggest they fix them before the FCC gets a written notice about interference to licensed radio users. We had 'sniffer' receivers in our service trucks, and the techs were required to report any radiation to their supervisor so he could investigate the cause with the spectrum analyzer & bucket truck.

That is because they get a simple warning, and if the problem is corrected, they aren't written up & fined.

The wall cabinets we used were steel, and you would have to drill the lock, or use a cutting torch to get inside. Any physical damage could result in termination of servixce to the entire building, or even all apartment buildings belonging to the same company or individual.

Metal screning isn't common in Florida. Most is fiberglass.

Bingo. Under the stucco is probably chicken wire or galvanized metal screen. These will block RF quite nicely.

That's because the chicken wire is in the way. See if you can move the antenna up over the edge of the stucco. Put a little coax extension on whatever indoor antenna you're using and try moving the antenna upstairs, where it doesn't have to go through the chicken wire.

Is that above the chicken wire line?

Is the Toshiblah on the ground floor? If so, it has the same issue as the other TV. Move the antenna above the chicken wire layer.

Just run a long length of coax cable temporarily across the house to see if it helps. We're testing the house, not the antenna.

I spent my first 50 years accumulating the mess. I'm going to spend the next 50 years getting rid of it.

Right, like cell phones were a step forward. Our grandparents had better phones.

Possible. It's getting close to the top of the stucco.

Should have mentioned. It is on the second floor, but on the opposite side of the house from where most of the transimtters are.

Me too, unfortunately. :( :)

Thanks.

-- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ:

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.

Richard J Kinch wrote: > Samuel M. Goldwasser writes: >

With DTV, computer DVRs are practical - I have 4. If the rotator moves while a recorder is going, you lose it.

G=B2

I am so surprised that no one has mentioned the (to a bunch of people, anyway) best site for antennae information:

Both analog and digital information is available along with a .png file for either, or after the February 2009 cutover. The Kw ratings and db figures are there, along with the actual and virtual channel numbers.

Someone did a very good job

tom walsh