No longer get any QAM channels even though TV still does

[ElihuRozen]

When Comcast first switched the standard cable channels like USA, ESPN, TNT, etc to QAM, I could receive them on my 1600. Recently, they moved them from the 70's & 80's to the 20's, 30's & 40's. The SD signals for the local channels are still in the 80's. Now, I can't get anything on my 1600. My 2 TV's still get the unecrypted channels on QAM at the new locations.

I got an 1800 since some people said that the QAM tuner in the 1600 wasn't always able to handle weak signals. It can't get anything either. I tried using the cable that is going into the 4-way splitter that I use since I need to feed my TV, a 500, an STB feeds the 1800 analog, a DTA that feeds the 1600 analog & the QAM tuner in either the 1600 or 1800. (Note for those of you counting along at home, the signal to the TV & STB gets split after coming off the 4-way.) Even without the splitter, I still couldn't get them.

When I tried WinTV 7 & TSReader Lite, they don't get anything either. (I'm not positive how to tell TSReader Lite which card to use. If you hold the ctrl key while it is starting, you can select the tuner. I don't know which is device 0 & which is device 1 or if it even sees both.)

I tried re-arranging the mess of wires behind my system so the TV cables don't go near power cables since that can cause problems.

This is my lineup from silicondust: http://www.silicondust.com/hdhomerun/lin...up_1299886 If you click that link, you might still need to select Comcast from the provider dropdown.

I tried a lot of different values in the qam.ini. Actually, now I've been using the qam-custom.ini, but I can see config using my values. For instance, the local SD stations are at channel 82. In the past, I configured channel 82 as 570250 with the 1600 & it worked. On the DTA it says 571.750 MHz when I hold the info button to get into the status screens. I tried 570000 (subtracting 1750 for the Hauppauge); I tried 571750; I tried 571000; I tried 572000; still nothing.

Some info screens from the DTA:

[whurlston]

You should be subtracting 1.75MHz so it would be 570000. You may need to adjust the following in your config.xml:

Code:

<BDAPsiScanStartupSeconds>5</BDAPsiScanStartupSeconds>
  <BDAPsiScanWaitSeconds>25</BDAPsiScanWaitSeconds>

If you still don't find channels, zip and post your config.exe.log and config.exe-native.log showing a scan.

[ElihuRozen]

Set logging to debug. Restarted Config. Did a scan with qam-custom.ini looking like this:

Code:

[CABTYPE]
1=All Countries
2=All Frequencies

[DVB]
0=1
1=570000,0,82

It found nothing. Hit OK four times. Zipped logs are attached.


Like I said above, I have tried a lot of different frequencies & it used to work with a value of 570250.

[whurlston]

The device doesn't seem to be finding a signal at all. Can you attach the same cable to a TV or use the cable that is going to the TV?

[whurlston]

I just noticed this:

I tried using the cable that is going into the 4-way splitter that I use since I need to feed my TV, a 500, an STB feeds the 1800 analog, a DTA that feeds the 1600 analog & the QAM tuner in either the 1600 or 1800.

You should be connecting the cable directly to the QAM tuner (same as the TV), not running through the DTA first.

[ElihuRozen]

I just noticed this:

You should be connecting the cable directly to the QAM tuner (same as the TV), not running through the DTA first.

Those are separate cables. One goes to the QAM tuner on the 1800. Another goes to the DTA & the out cable from the DTA goes into the 1600 analog tuner.



The cable that is attached to the QAM tuner on the 1800 was attached to the 500 earlier today & the cable that now works on the 500 was attached to the 1800 QAM tuner earlier. I think I said I had tried the cable that now goes into the splitter being directly attached to the 1800 earlier. Since my wife is asleep on the other side of the wall & will wake up if I start rattling cables, I will call it a day for now. Tomorrow, I will see if I bypass the signal amplifier that comes before the splitter if that makes a difference. I might also try moving the computer downstairs to a cable outlet that is not shared with the cable modem.

[whurlston]

Can you set the capture source to use the Default HRC frequencies, let it do a complete scan and then zip and post the logs? If that fails, we can try manually creating the tuning strings. Also, double check config.xml to make sure that <BDAUsePsiParser> is set to "true".

[ElihuRozen]

I selected "HRC Cable Frequencies" and scanned. Logs attached. Note that this is only the 1800. Right now the 1600 QAM tuner doesn't have a cable attached to it. Also, as I noted in another forum, I tried the ATSC tuner for both the 1600 & 1800 and both worked.

As a reminder, there should be QAM channels at least at 25-30, 44-47, 82-84 & 89.

The BDA section of my config.xml:

Code:

<!-- BDA settings -->
  <BDAMultiplexer>TS Mux</BDAMultiplexer>
  <BDAAutoDetectTuner>true</BDAAutoDetectTuner>
  <BDAUsePsiParser>true</BDAUsePsiParser>
  <BDAPsiScanStartupSeconds>5</BDAPsiScanStartupSeconds>
  <BDAPsiScanWaitSeconds>25</BDAPsiScanWaitSeconds>
  <BDAPsiSendsCaPMT>true</BDAPsiSendsCaPMT>
  <BDAAutoScan166KHzOffset>true</BDAAutoScan166KHzOffset>
  <BDAQuickPidSwitch>true</BDAQuickPidSwitch>
  <BDAAutoMapPids>true</BDAAutoMapPids>
  <BDATSMuxQuickSwitch>true</BDATSMuxQuickSwitch>
  <BDAIgnoreAC3Channels>true</BDAIgnoreAC3Channels>
  <BDASubmitTuningRequestTwiceOnRecord>true</BDASubmitTuningRequestTwiceOnRecord>
  <BDASubmitTuningRequestTwiceOnScan>true</BDASubmitTuningRequestTwiceOnScan>
  <BDASubmitTuningRequestTwiceOnDVBEPG>true</BDASubmitTuningRequestTwiceOnDVBEPG>
  <BDASubmitTuningRequestTwiceOnLivePreview>true</BDASubmitTuningRequestTwiceOnLivePreview>
  <BDAIgnoreRadioDuringChannelScan>true</BDAIgnoreRadioDuringChannelScan>
  <BDAIgnoreHiddenChannels>true</BDAIgnoreHiddenChannels>
  <BDASubmitTuningRequestAlways>true</BDASubmitTuningRequestAlways>
  <BDASaveDisplayNameDuringScan>true</BDASaveDisplayNameDuringScan>
  <BDAEnableDvbSubtitles>false</BDAEnableDvbSubtitles>
  <BDADisableStatusChecks>false</BDADisableStatusChecks>
  <BDAAlwaysAddTIFAndSections>true</BDAAlwaysAddTIFAndSections>
  <BDAEnableCI>false</BDAEnableCI>
  <BDAEnableWinTVCI>false</BDAEnableWinTVCI>
  <BDAEnabledMDPlugins>false</BDAEnabledMDPlugins>
  <BDACacheMDFilter>true</BDACacheMDFilter>
  <BDAMaxMultidecInstances>1</BDAMaxMultidecInstances>
  <BDAUseMDAPIDuringPlayback>false</BDAUseMDAPIDuringPlayback>
  <BDAEnabledMDOnlyOnEncrypted>false</BDAEnabledMDOnlyOnEncrypted>
  <BDACheckSignalStatusDuringRecording>30</BDACheckSignalStatusDuringRecording>
  <BDAStartOnUnencryptedChannel>false</BDAStartOnUnencryptedChannel>
  <BDATwinhanDiseqcMethod>1</BDATwinhanDiseqcMethod>
  <BDARecordOutOfProcess>false</BDARecordOutOfProcess>
  <BDAUseCachedSequenceHeaders>true</BDAUseCachedSequenceHeaders>
  <BDAEnableMultiRecord>true</BDAEnableMultiRecord>
  <BDAUseGenericNPForATSC>true</BDAUseGenericNPForATSC>
  <BDAAllowSidOnlyAutoMappingOnQAM>false</BDAAllowSidOnlyAutoMappingOnQAM>
  <AllowMappingATSC>true</AllowMappingATSC>

[ElihuRozen]

Things I learned:

• Apparently, the Hauppauge 1800 I got on EBay doesn't support QAM, even though it is supposed to & says it does on its label.
  
• The new freqencies that Comcast uses for QAM channels cannot pass through my amplifier in a form that the 1600 can see them.
  
• The actual coax cable can affect the signal so a tuner card won't get QAM even though a TV will.
  

Now, I have a splitter before my amplifier & have one of the cables going directly to the 1600. I get all the QAM channels I expect to on the 1600. The 1800 digital is connected to an indoor antenna & get the OTA channels. The TV, STB & DTA all still get QAM channels through the amplifier. I might try removing the amplifier someday.