Cause of momentary signal loss?

Hi, first time poster here. I recently started receiving OTA HDTV in Ft. Lauderdale. I'm less than 20 miles from the transmitter. Have tried both a rabbit ears and a small yagi from Radio Shack, on 2 different TVs. Most of the time, I get a perfect signal, with a full scale 99% reading on the TV's signal strength meter.

However, once in a while, I get brief picture break up. When this happens, on the meter the signal strength drops from 99% to 0%. Within a second or 2, the picture comes back and the meter shoots back up to 99%. Some days it never happens, but other days it occurs often.

Any thoughts on what could be causing this and any possible cures?

Thanks,
bill

Hi, first time poster here. I recently started receiving OTA HDTV in Ft. Lauderdale. I'm less than 20 miles from the transmitter. Have tried both a rabbit ears and a small yagi from Radio Shack, on 2 different TVs. Most of the time, I get a perfect signal, with a full scale 99% reading on the TV's signal strength meter.

However, once in a while, I get brief picture break up. When this happens, on the meter the signal strength drops from 99% to 0%. Within a second or 2, the picture comes back and the meter shoots back up to 99%. Some days it never happens, but other days it occurs often.

Any thoughts on what could be causing this and any possible cures?

Thanks,
bill

Typically, an inside antenna is succeptable to electrical interference within your home....a toaster popping up, an A/C unit coming on, a light switch being turned on, a refrigerator beginning a cool cycle, cell phone use, computers, car motors starting, stove oven turning on or off....lots of things in and around your home can cause a temporary drop out.
These brief electrical surges disrupt the data stream traveling within the signal you are receiving, the TV looses the lock (stream), 0%, screen garbles, then the TV recovers the data stream, and you're watching TV again, 99%.
You might become aware of what is happening around your home when the drop outs occur, especially in the room the antenna is in, and equate those actions with the drop outs.

Thanks. That makes sense that the cause would be something electrical in the house. I seem to have the same issue with the yagi, is there no way to eliminate the problem?

Did it happen on WSVN or WPLG? These stations are broadcasting on VHF, which are more prone to electrical interferrence. I live up in Fort Pierce, and when there is lightning, WPTV and WPEC, which are both VHF stations are a big problem.

Thanks. That makes sense that the cause would be something electrical in the house. I seem to have the same issue with the yagi, is there no way to eliminate the problem?

Well, inside antennas....find out what's doing it and don't do it....
As far as outside, I had an issue with the neighbor starting his Jeep...I put some rf chokes on the phased coax cables before the pre-amp, and although it didn't stop it, it reduced the signal drop from below theshold to above threshold so there is no dropout now when the Jeep starts.
The advise above concerning VHF is very accurate, although a lightning strike drop out can not be cured on VHF, especially VHF-lo band, a man-made interference might be fixed....you need to know what's causing it first. Keep in mind, you don't need lighting right outside your door....a distant storm could interfere with you even tho you can't hear thunder....in fact, since you're in Florida, the distant lightning may actually be your issue, since sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't, it may all depend on the weather. Again, corollating the drop outs with what's going on around you, even seeing if a storm is within a 50 mile radius is the only way you will know what's causing the dropout.
Eyes wide open.....:eek:

If you read my older posts, I advise everyone to mount their antenna 10 feet above the roof of their house.

The same problems that gave people too many channels in Florida a couple of months ago - the atmosphere is now the same problem that is causing drop outs and flutter now that tropospheric reception has fallen off.

It's like trying to explain to people how in the summer you could have a station 10 miles away and have a station 100 miles away that is walking all over it one day and no signal at all the next!

When your reception depends on Rabbit Ears antenna's and get rich quick schemes Cereal Box antenna's, sooner or later the indoors antenna will let you down and you will get tired of the drop outs and will invest in a outdoors antenna as we have advised since day one.

I was working on a dead shorted remote control the other night and the signal from my antenna 50 feet away was dropping out and the antenna was outdoors and I was indoors. That's a 3 volt remote control that is supposed to control a antenna rotor that melted and burned my hand. Just think what a 120 volt toaster would do!

Thanks for the replies. I'll try moving the yagi higher and trying to correlate the dropouts with the weather and electrical events within the house. I'm aware that WSVN or WPLG are on VHF, although the main problem is with WFOR, which is on UHF. Interestingly, I'm also getting several Palm Beach channels off the back of the beam at 99%.
73,
Bill
NZ5N

Multi-path?

Multi-path?

Good chance of it, huh?
I just looked at WFOR....they're running 1000 kw on rf 22...
How far away from WFOR do you live, Bill, and what stations are you getting off the back of the yagi?
I'm wondering, Jim, if he lives close enough to the 1 megawatt transmitter, the power may be swamping the TV tuner....?
Man, that's a lot of power.....
Also, what are your exact coordinates, Bill, and are you using the yagi just for UHF and the inside antenna just for VHF?
Oops...never mind the coordinates, I didn't notice the call sign...
73,
Bill
K2YI

Oops...never mind the coordinates, I didn't notice the call sign...


Well....working the satellites, huh, Bill....hmmmm....
OK, this changes everything.....we're talking on the same level.
Here's the TVFool report for your address:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d8adfc1f3894074
Best bet, go buy a good multi element VHF-hi/UHF outdoor antenna (VHF-lo inclusive with it if you want to try for rf 2 KSFW or rf 3 KHPK), replace the yagi with it, add a rotor, and a good pre-amp if you want to stretch it and watch HDTV.
As you might (should) imagine, the rabbit ears will give you nothing but problems with internal home interference, outside antenna is always best (as you know).
With above equipment, you should be able to receive down the TVFool list to KQFW rf channel 7.
Good luck and 73!

You have my zip correct, but for some reason all the stations on the link you sent me are in Texas! I entered my address and ran the search again and this time got the correct listings. All of the stations I'm interested in (and several ham repeaters) are on a group of towers on the Broward-Dade county line about 11 miles to my south, so hopefully I'll be OK by raising the yagi a bit, except perhaps for WFOR if it is a multi-path issue.
Thanks,
Bill