2008-02-13, 01:31 AM
I have two HVR-1600 digital tuner cards in my computer. While my Samsung plasma TV has zero problems with my Comcast cable connection, the HVR-1600 tuners just refused to lock on to QAM channels reliably. I even went so far as to have the Comcast service tech come out and verify my signals were as good as they could be. I even bought an OnAir GT tuner to rule out the tuners, but it performed even worse. So, after fighting the futility of the cable connection, I decided to switch to over-the-air ATSC stations. According to antennaweb.org all of my stations are 20-22 miles away and in the same general direction (less than 5 degrees between stations).
I first bought a Philips PHDTV1 "Silvor Sensor Classic" desktop antenna, then later bought a Channel Master 4221 to put in my attic so I wouldn't have to stare at the desktop antenna. Unfortunately, while the antenna worked much better than cable, I still had many signal problems. Contrary to most reports I had read, my signal actually improved when we had snow on the roof, but then quickly declined when it melted off. I tried a 10db booster amp, but it had no effect on most channels and actually made other channels worse.
I finally had a day to myself, so I decided to experiment with different antennas and locations to see if I could figure out some way to improve my signal. Using the Hauppauge Signal monitor and the 4221 antenna I had in my attic, I received the following SNR levels:
KATU 25.7, KOIN 21.0, KGW 25.4, KOPB 21.0, KPTV 19.0, KRCW 17.5, KPDX 18.5
Today was a particularly bad reception day, and only two of those stations were reliable. Generally anything below 20 ends up unwatchable, and most of my channels were at or occasionally dipped below that level.
So, I disconnected the attic antenna, and tried the Silver Sensor on my office desk:
KATU 25.0, KOIN 25.0, KGW 24.0, KOPB 25.0, KPTV 23.0, KRCW 25.0, KPDX 12.5
To my surprise, the desktop antenna actually showed a better signal on most channels. But KPDX was so bad I never could get a lock.
Out of curiosity, I put the Silver Sensor in the attic and experimented with different locations.
KATU 26.5, KOIN 24.5, KGW 20.5, KOPB 23.5, KPTV 22.5, KRCW 17.5, KPDX 25.5
Ironically, some stations improved while others declined dramatically. This led me to believe the house structure or wiring was somehow interferring with my signals. So, I decided to set the Silver Sensor outside on a chair, just to see if it would behave any differenly:
KATU 26.5, KOIN 24.5, KGW 26.5, KOPB 25.5, KPTV 25.5, KRCW 23.5, KPDX 25.5
Bingo! Every channel came in strong with much fewer fluctuations. But, the Silver Sensor is not an outdoor antenna, so I pulled the 4221 out of the attic and set it on the same chair:
KATU 26.5, KOIN 25.5, KGW 24.5, KOPB 26.5, KPTV 24.5, KRCW 26.5, KPDX 24.5
Interesting. Not much different than the Silver Sensor, though still far better than I was getting in the attic. So, I decided to experiment with locations outside. The first was on the side of the house, hanging under the eave:
KATU 26.5, KOIN 25.5, KGW 24.5, KOPB 24.5, KPTV 25.5, KRCW 25.5, KPDX 26.5
Again, about the same readings. So, it came down to ease of installation. The eave location would have been out of the way, but it would have involved some complicated cable routing. In the end, I decided to mount the antenna at the very peak of the gable end, as this let me drill a single hole through the gable end and tie into the cable I already had run to the attic. After puchasing a mast and gable mounting bracket my final readings were:
KATU 26.7, KOIN 25.7, KGW 26.9, KOPB 26.4, KPTV 25.7, KRCW 25.7, KPDX 26.5
The best signal levels I had seen so far, and better yet they're consistant across all channels. KRCW is nearly 7 points higher than I was getting in the attic, and KPDX is an outstanding 13 points higher than I got with the Silver Sensor on my desktop.
Of course, I will be keeping an eye on my signal levels over the coming weeks, as I've had periodic improvements before and am not ready to call this problem solved. But it appears an outside location results in a much better signal than an indoor or attic location (regardless of the antenna used).
Hopefully my experiments will benefit someone else.
Take care,
Anthony
I first bought a Philips PHDTV1 "Silvor Sensor Classic" desktop antenna, then later bought a Channel Master 4221 to put in my attic so I wouldn't have to stare at the desktop antenna. Unfortunately, while the antenna worked much better than cable, I still had many signal problems. Contrary to most reports I had read, my signal actually improved when we had snow on the roof, but then quickly declined when it melted off. I tried a 10db booster amp, but it had no effect on most channels and actually made other channels worse.
I finally had a day to myself, so I decided to experiment with different antennas and locations to see if I could figure out some way to improve my signal. Using the Hauppauge Signal monitor and the 4221 antenna I had in my attic, I received the following SNR levels:
KATU 25.7, KOIN 21.0, KGW 25.4, KOPB 21.0, KPTV 19.0, KRCW 17.5, KPDX 18.5
Today was a particularly bad reception day, and only two of those stations were reliable. Generally anything below 20 ends up unwatchable, and most of my channels were at or occasionally dipped below that level.
So, I disconnected the attic antenna, and tried the Silver Sensor on my office desk:
KATU 25.0, KOIN 25.0, KGW 24.0, KOPB 25.0, KPTV 23.0, KRCW 25.0, KPDX 12.5
To my surprise, the desktop antenna actually showed a better signal on most channels. But KPDX was so bad I never could get a lock.
Out of curiosity, I put the Silver Sensor in the attic and experimented with different locations.
KATU 26.5, KOIN 24.5, KGW 20.5, KOPB 23.5, KPTV 22.5, KRCW 17.5, KPDX 25.5
Ironically, some stations improved while others declined dramatically. This led me to believe the house structure or wiring was somehow interferring with my signals. So, I decided to set the Silver Sensor outside on a chair, just to see if it would behave any differenly:
KATU 26.5, KOIN 24.5, KGW 26.5, KOPB 25.5, KPTV 25.5, KRCW 23.5, KPDX 25.5
Bingo! Every channel came in strong with much fewer fluctuations. But, the Silver Sensor is not an outdoor antenna, so I pulled the 4221 out of the attic and set it on the same chair:
KATU 26.5, KOIN 25.5, KGW 24.5, KOPB 26.5, KPTV 24.5, KRCW 26.5, KPDX 24.5
Interesting. Not much different than the Silver Sensor, though still far better than I was getting in the attic. So, I decided to experiment with locations outside. The first was on the side of the house, hanging under the eave:
KATU 26.5, KOIN 25.5, KGW 24.5, KOPB 24.5, KPTV 25.5, KRCW 25.5, KPDX 26.5
Again, about the same readings. So, it came down to ease of installation. The eave location would have been out of the way, but it would have involved some complicated cable routing. In the end, I decided to mount the antenna at the very peak of the gable end, as this let me drill a single hole through the gable end and tie into the cable I already had run to the attic. After puchasing a mast and gable mounting bracket my final readings were:
KATU 26.7, KOIN 25.7, KGW 26.9, KOPB 26.4, KPTV 25.7, KRCW 25.7, KPDX 26.5
The best signal levels I had seen so far, and better yet they're consistant across all channels. KRCW is nearly 7 points higher than I was getting in the attic, and KPDX is an outstanding 13 points higher than I got with the Silver Sensor on my desktop.
Of course, I will be keeping an eye on my signal levels over the coming weeks, as I've had periodic improvements before and am not ready to call this problem solved. But it appears an outside location results in a much better signal than an indoor or attic location (regardless of the antenna used).
Hopefully my experiments will benefit someone else.
Take care,
Anthony