Confused about missing channel..

I am getting strange results with my Terk HDTVo (roof mounted, no major obstructions).

I am getting channel 10 in perfectly (98% signal).

I am not getting channel 7 at all. My TV (Samsung HL61A750) shows me the channel name, but 0 for signal. No picture, no sound. Same results on my HDHomeRun. Finds the channel name, no video/audio.

I am pretty sure that they are on the same tower down in Miami. They are listed at the same distance and bearing from my home.

I am confused and disoriented.

Can anyone shed some light on my dilemma?

StankNasty

p.s. Here is the channel info from AntennaWeb:

Perfect reception:
vhf WPLG-DT 10.1 ABC MIAMI, FL 195° 15.5 10

No reception:
vhf WSVN-DT 7.1 FOX MIAMI, FL 195° 15.5 7

While I would have hoped someone closer to the area would answer, you do deserve a response from this forum.

And I will take some stabs in the dark.

1. WSVN switched from an analog station to a digital one in early June of this year. If you have not rescanned your television since, your television will still think the station is analog.

2. Sometimes it takes more than one rescan to properly rescan the television, please check the FCC website for the double scan method.

3. Its possible that your antenna does not do well on real channel 7.

Maybe others can suggest other reasons, but the rescan need is a probable cause. When any station changes frequency or to digital, you simply will not pick it back up without a rescan. A fact that affects digital and not not old style analog televisions.

When any station changes frequency or to digital, you simply will not pick it back up without a rescan. A fact that affects digital and not not old style analog televisions.

This fact is also true for most analogue TVs still in use. Every TV that I have bought since the mid-1980's has required a channel scan to set it up. That's when the mechanical channel dials started being replaced by electronic synthesiser tuners. My "newest" still-functioning TV with a mechanical dial dates from 1976.

For the channel scan, this is the recommended procedure - disconnect your antenna from the TV. Do a channel scan (so no channels are detected). Turn off the TV. Reconnect the antenna, turn the TV on then do a channel scan. Any available channels should now show up.


Hope this helps.

My guess is that you have the wrong antenna.

The wrong antenna as in a piece of crap toy antenna that is not properly made to receive as many UHF and VHF stations as possible.

Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and spend real money and buy a real antenna and install it on a mast pipe 10 feet above the roof of the house and hope and pray that it receives.

Since there is never any really guarantee, the only thing I can tell you is that I spoke with the head engineer over at WSVN last week and I asked him how things were going, and he said that it was not good.

Many complaints about reception and that VHF was not working out the way they thought it would.

If you read some of my earliest posts, I wrote about the benefits of using a large outdoors antenna - such as the Winegard 8200U antenna. The 8200U antenna digs a little deeper in the VHF then does the 7698P antenna. The only benefit to the 7698P is a little less wind loading. You have to have a certain amount of surface area on the antenna to receive the VHF and the Terk does not have it.

I believe that your problem exists due to the fact that there is probably several low FM stations in your area and they are crowding the channel 7 signal.

You could try a FM trap first, but in my opinion - if you are sincere about trying to receive as many stations as possible, you would abandon your Terk and buy the 8200U or 7698P Winegard antenna and a FM trap.

You do not need a amplified antenna if the stations are only 10 miles away! Both stations transmits at about the same amount of power, so I cannot explain it as a overloading situation by the antenna into the tuner.

You could try a FM trap first, but in my opinion - if you are sincere about trying to receive as many stations as possible, you would abandon your Terk and buy the 8200U or 7698P Winegard antenna and a FM trap.


I'm no expert and do not claim to be, but ...

JB wouldn't an 8200U (or 7698) be overkill for the OP who is trying to pull in a station that is 15.5 miles away?

I'm no expert and do not claim to be, but ...

JB wouldn't an 8200U (or 7698) be overkill for the OP who is trying to pull in a station that is 15.5 miles away?

Of course it would be! I believe that your issue lies in rescanning. One more possibility, however. If you live close to FM transmitters, you may be experiencing an FM overload of the amplifier built into the HDTVo. Because the amplifier is integral to the antenna, it may be impossible to add an additional FM trap to rid yourself of the overload. In which case, I believe that your only other choice is to consider another antenna that doesn't contain an amplifier. The Winegard HD-7694p is such an antenna.

Thank you all for your input!

I am going to start with a channel rescan (I admit I have not done so since the official transition).

If that does not clear things up, I suppose a 'big boy' antenna would be the next step.

Is it possible to mount the 8200U in the attic and still get good signal? I have a massive attic, and I would hate to have to take it down every time a hurricane blew through.

I am still confused, though. Aren't channel 4, 7 and 10 in the same spectrum (VHF)? If I am getting near perfect signal on 4 and 10, why is 7 acting out?!

Ok, turns out that I am an idiot, and needed to follow the rescan procedure.

I hooked this all up right on the cusp of the first transition, and I guess I have some cached settings in my TVs/HDHomerun.

I am sorry to have wasted your time.

On the plus side, my el-cheapo antenna is rocking out on every channel in the area (including the ones that are in the opposite direction and 30 miles out).

On the minus side, the wife will never let me buy a new massive antenna and associated toys to one-up the neighbors when everything is working.

Thanks again for your input, and I am sorry my problem was not more interesting than human error.

Before you go out and buy a Winegard 8200u, please go to www.tvfool.com enter your actual address and post the link to the results here. Tigerbangs has recommended a Winegard 7694 and JB recommended the 8200U. Tiger has more street cred on the forum.

Is it possible to mount the 8200U in the attic and still get good signal? I have a massive attic, and I would hate to have to take it down every time a hurricane blew through.

Yes, it is possible to mount the Winegard HD8200U in an attic... a large attic. Please be aware that depending on the materials used in your attic and in your roof you could lose 50-90% of your signal. Make sure you are not placing duct work directly between the front end of your antenna and the signal you are trying to acquire.

Ok, turns out that I am an idiot, and needed to follow the rescan procedure.

I hooked this all up right on the cusp of the first transition, and I guess I have some cached settings in my TVs/HDHomerun.

I am sorry to have wasted your time.

On the plus side, my el-cheapo antenna is rocking out on every channel in the area (including the ones that are in the opposite direction and 30 miles out).

On the minus side, the wife will never let me buy a new massive antenna and associated toys to one-up the neighbors when everything is working.

Thanks again for your input, and I am sorry my problem was not more interesting than human error.

Glad you found a solution...:D