Zero length recordings

[stoenjes]

Had two zero length recording yesterday (20jan13) out of the blue. First zero length in a long time.
1900 Once Upon a Time, channel 13.1
2000 Revenge, channel 13.1

nPVR shows the recording failed, "No errors, but no data delivered. This is usually because the device failed to lock a sig"

I noticed the failure yesterday, and could watch and record 13.1 with no problem not long after the failures.

I placed a tuner (Hauppauge Win TV 418 BDA) that has a different connection to the antenna to try and improve my odds.

Stan

[Graham]

I placed a tuner (Hauppauge Win TV 418 BDA) that has a different connection to the antenna to try and improve my odds.

The ... 22.log has

2013-01-20 18:59:08.078 [DEBUG][8] locked=0, present=0, strength=-23, quality=0 (took 766ms to check)

and

2013-01-21 06:29:44.187 [DEBUG][8] locked=1, present=1, strength=-23, quality=100 (took 62ms to check)

My experience was that a weak signal would cause similar symptoms. An amplifier in the antenna coax worked for mr.

[stoenjes]

What value is considered a weak signal?

[mvallevand]

Any that creates zero byte recordings. Seriously I haven't found that there is a hard and fast rule for my Hauppauge 1600 for comparing between channels but the locked=1 is important

Martin

[Graham]

What value is considered a weak signal?

My understanding is that the Strength and Quality values are returned by the tuner. From what I have seen, the Strength value is only useful as a comparison with the Strength value from an identical tuner. For example, your tuner gives 23 ... another model of tuner on the same signal might give a value of -1000. The Quality value seems to be a little bit more reliable. In the past, I would see glitches in the video for any value below about 80 - 90 and the video would be missing for values below about 60 -70. My experience was that a weak signal would come and go depending on the weather and leaves on trees in summer and all sorts. I tried several (increasingly expensive) signal amplifiers but had to get a new aerial to fully fix it.