WinTV not detecting some broadcast channels after frequency moved in ATSC Repack

[NightHawk]

You mention that the signals are strong. Do you have a signal amplifier on? If so try with it off.

Martin.

I have an outdoor antenna with a low noise preamp. I tried scanning with the preamp power off, same results except one lesser power signal disappears as expected.

[mvallevand]

It might be interesting to use TSReader Lite http://www.tsreader.com/purchase/purchas...dlite.html to scan the channels and see it what it says for those channels. Perhaps the ATSC ini file using defaults is wrong.

Martin

[NightHawk]

It might be interesting to use TSReader Lite http://www.tsreader.com/purchase/purchas...dlite.html to scan the channels and see it what it says for those channels. Perhaps the ATSC ini file using defaults is wrong.

Martin

I tried TSReader Lite but as with the other apps, the scan didn't find the channels that I'm having the issues with, so couldn't get any info on them.
I need some kind of diagnostic program that does more detailed channel scanning and provides more info if it finds something on a physical channel but discards it for some reason?

[mvallevand]

TS Reader is probably the most sophisticated utility you could find.

Martin

[sub]

Its odd that WinTV's latest release in its release notes mentions this exact issue, but its not clear if its a hardware issue, driver issue, or app issue, I would have thought PVR apps rely on the driver to detect a channel however.

I checked with the WinTV 8.5 guy. I'm off to his wedding in the UK in about a month.

This was just a WinTV bug related to updating the existing info about these channels in the database after rescanning after they moved frequencies. It didn't affect people scanning for the channels in an empty database.

If you want to supply the NextPVR logs after a scan, I'll check for any sign of these channels.

[NightHawk]

I checked with the WinTV 8.5 guy. I'm off to his wedding in the UK in about a month.

This was just a WinTV bug related to updating the existing info about these channels in the database after rescanning after they moved frequencies. It didn't affect people scanning for the channels in an empty database.

If you want to supply the NextPVR logs after a scan, I'll check for any sign of these channels.

Thank for that info!

I just did another NextPVR full scan for channels, the one strong channel that is at physical 26 still was not found at all.
I had the WinTV signal strength monitor app running at the same time and watched it during the physical channels it was scanning - it correctly showed good strength on the other channels, but while NextPVR was scanning 26 the monitor showed no signal...

Info on this local TV channel now at physical channel 26 here: https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?r...y_id=58827

[mvallevand]

That quality level for 26 does not look good

Code:

2019-04-01 10:49:03.547    [INFO][1]    DigitalRecorder.StartStream(c:\nowhere\null.ts)
2019-04-01 10:49:03.547    [DEBUG][1]    Switching BDA graph to tune:
<tuning>
  <type>ATSC</type>
  <locator>
    <physical_channel>26</physical_channel>
  </locator>
</tuning>

2019-04-01 10:49:03.547    [DEBUG][1]    Frequency has changed, so stopping recording from previous frequency. (Handle 19)
2019-04-01 10:49:03.547    [DEBUG][1]    tune@1
2019-04-01 10:49:03.547    [INFO][1]    Setting locator to BDA_MOD_8VSB

2019-04-01 10:49:04.692    [DEBUG][1]    tune@2
2019-04-01 10:49:04.697    [DEBUG][1]    Calling LockChannel()
2019-04-01 10:49:04.717    [DEBUG][1]    locked=0, present=0, strength=41000, quality=20   (took 31ms to check)

FWIW the red X on this guide means off the air https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?mktid=34

Martin

[NightHawk]

That quality level for 26 does not look good

FWIW the red X on this guide means off the air https://www.rabbitears.info/market.php?mktid=34
Martin

Does that log entry indicate that no signal was found at all on physical 26? locked=0 present=0

The channel listed now on physical 26 in that list KSWB is on the air though, thats the one I'm not getting on channel scans.
The other channel on physical 17 (KNSD) is detected on channel scans now, but not always will lock in NextPVR when I try to view it.

[NightHawk]

I observed only on the KSWB channel on physical 26 on my two TVs that with their signal level monitor its SNR is moving around a lot now, typically 29dB but can go up to 31+ and down to under 27 and even get a quick dropout after 10+min. This was never the case before it moved from its old physical channel 19, where it was as high and solid (no significant variation) of a signal strength and SNR as the other channels at his broadcast location, typically around 33dB SNR back then.

Could there be some kind of interference affecting only physical channel 26 in my location, or multipath effects only on that channel that might cause this effect?
Maybe the Happauge WinTV card in my PC is worse in handling whatever is causing this signal SNR variability on that channel and can't lock on it because of that?

[mvallevand]

Most TV's have much better tuners than any PC card. PC cards vary too my HDHR tuners aren't great. Rabbit Ears site noted it is low power. For interference they have an option to put in your long and lat to see what there might be.

Martin