On 08/01/05 14:59 ET, barlow said...
I have been having problems with receiving 11.1
ABC in Raleigh NC.
This is an attic mounted 4228 fix mounted antenna
connected to a A/B switch which is than boosted
with a RCA booster. I think the booster is 24db
but don't hold me to it.
Sounds like you're right on the edge of an acceptable signal. With analog the result was some snow, with digital it's pixellation, loss of signal, and sound dropping out. That's the problem with digital... it's digital... you've either got it, or you don't!
By the way, I can not receive the signal 2 floors
down without using the booster.
You might benefit from a preamp with more gain, and possibly a lower noise figure. I'd look up your amp, and see if you can get something better at a reasonable price. I'd try to buy from somewhere local, if it doesn't work, take it back.
It also sounds like you might have the amp after an A/B switch. Note that the loss through the switch could easily be 3dB, so try moving the location of the amp to before the A/B switch.
I thought maybe it was a ghost problem but when
I switch to the analog tuner and view the same
channel I see almost zero ghosting. If I use
the a/b switch to switch to my other antenna in
the attic which is pointed in the other direction
I get significant ghosting as I would expect.
Unfortunately, the picture for HD is transmitted over two different channels, and presented to the user as one. Because you aren't seeing issues in the one band is not a guarantee that it isn't occuring in the other.
My guess is that this has gotten worse due to buildings, trees, sign's, etc causing multipath. Another possibility is that weather conditions are causing issues. For example, a wet roof will give slightly worse performance for attic mounted antenna's than a dry roof.
I believe the analog and digital xmitters are
mounted on the same tower.
I can't figure out what could be causing this
problem and hope one of you antenna experts have
an idea.
Can a amplifier fail causing this kind of problem
??
Doesn't sound like it's the amplifier failing from your description. If you are getting channels above and below this one, the amp failing is unlikely. It sounds to me like you were on the edge of an acceptable signal before, and something outside of your control has given you a little push.
I would try a better amp. If that doesn't work, you can always try temporarily putting the antenna outside. If that fixes the problem, chances are you can mount it outside even if you have Deed Restrictions or Covenannts that restrict. This has been shown to not be within state powers, and the FCC allows you to mount the antenna outside in almost all instances.
See the link:
[Link: fcc.gov]-Thanks in advance'
Don B