Link to 5G filter 👉 bit.ly/3iZYEV0 Link to recommended preamplifiers: amzn.to/3U7NIHH bit.ly/3ZXoakt Link to ATSC 3.0 tuners: amzn.to/4eZdVAl amzn.to/3BCEa0W Link to video on the FCC repack 👉 ruclips.net/video/lTKL0zKG2I0/видео.html Link to my video explaining tropo 👉 ruclips.net/video/BYuDBL3-duI/видео.html Website with tropo maps 👉 www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html
A stupid reality is well with the rise of internet and how antiquated antenna technology is and the fact that in reality flat screen televisions don't use antennas anymore and haven't for about 25 years now the technology of televisions now is so vastly different that people just don't use nor would they use antenna anymore because in truth antenna broadcasting is seriously antiquated technology and the companies that still use it only sell to a dying off generation meaning baby boomers and older. Millennials and younger use internet and technology that runs off a different format of technology and when we watch stuff its online and not threw the television. In fact the only reason many millennials and younger have a television at all is for live streaming threw internet live streaming services where we can watch what we want when we want to watch it and we don't have to wait for pre set times. Hell I have a micro antenna thing attacked to my tv but I haven't turned on regular television for the betterment of well 5 to 7 years because the only thing they show is re runs if even that. The Simpsons has not been on Fox sense 2018 when it got bought by Disney which 2018 is 6 years will be 7 years in 2.5 months. So why use a service that doesn't give you anything at all? Also why should companies keep funding a system that they can't make money off of? Speaking in a pure capitalistic way or in reality human way. Why spend billions off something you don't get anything out of except exposure but the exposure doesn't put money in your pocket let alone food on the table. Antenna use to make money off selling add space to companies that buy add space but no one likes wasting time with adds anymore and the fact that add companies kind of left antenna tv behind years ago because less audience and less audience means less possible profit because less audience means less possible chances of people seeing the adds which means less people who see and think they might want to buy that which means less chance of someone going into a store and buying the item. Basically less and less people watch that style mixed with the fact that less and less funding goes into that style causes that style of technology to have less and less upkeep which causes it to completely fail over a short time mixed with the fact of reality that the technology has not had any real advancements sense it was fist created back in the 1930s making it nearly 90 years old making it seriously ancient technology. With how fast electronic technology advances almost 90 year old technology is beyond ancient and in reality there has not actually been much real advancements to it when you think about. The televisions have drastically advanced but the broad ban network it runs has not advanced almost at all sense it was created decades ago. People have long passed moved on and in truth I am surprised its still in operation actually. I am not surprised it is failing I am surprised it still works at all to be honest because of how ancient it is and how its still functional with blatantly no funding. What surprises me the most is the system is ancient and it still working. By the fact that its still working with such antiquated wiring and antiquated as fuck towers that were built around the late 1960s to early 1970s for the newest towers actually built. Yea I am surprised at how this ancient technology is still working. My surprise is both cool it was built with gusto and no wonder its dying because technology isn't really meant to last actually forever because technology is meant to evolve and advance so it doesn't grow stagnant and because well stagnant technology means serious corruption which means destruction of imagination and freedom. Stagnant technology leads to complete destruction of imagination and evolution.
I don't get fox anymore and it's all I used to watch. And like 15 years ago it was the only channel that worked in a storm. Now a days I only get 3 and it don't work when it rains. lol. (nobody watches 5). hahaha
The 5G filter before the preamp is a GREAT tip,never would have thought of it. 5G is becoming more and more prevalent. I am so old that I remember UHF going up to 83.
I miss analogue because even if the signal was bad you could still watch and hear your shows through a bit of static. With digital it’s either all or nothing and doesn’t leave a way to just watch with a weak signal
I build HDTV antennas from coax cable and a ball of tinfoil. I don’t agree with this guy’s video at all because you can still get good signal if you live near a major area, but of course, if you live somewhere more rural, you’re going to need a very strong antenna. In fact, I did a video on my channel showing this exact thing, where I build an HDTV antenna from a ball of tinfoil. It works amazingly well as long as you are within about 30 miles of a major city.
I had to use antenna in the Mojave desert. In the 80's. The problem was; semi trucks breaking the law using linear boosters on C.B. radio would cut through my broadcast. ( I worked for a huge trucking firm.) Interstate was close to my home.
Tyler, thank you for your regular videos which are so well researched and so useful. I had intermittent problems with Channel 12 WHHY in Philly with the video pixelated and the audio useless. At your suggestion, I added the 5G filter and its great now.
Let me tell you a story. 1978 while living on the South Side of Chicago. I used to install antennas back than especially for the old OnTv service. I had a ten element FM beam on my roof, a five foot tripod with a ten foot mast with a rotor. Now I loved two blocks from the lake and local channels were not a problem unless I pointed north than I got massive overload but with this setup, I could pull in ten watt high school stations in Iowa, full quieting. My rule is if your going to do the OTA thing, to mess around, spend the money and get the good stuff like Wingard or Channel Master with a rotor and preamp, stay away from the crap and don't scrimp on the coax, most important of all.
Yes, I always tell people to not bargain hunt with antennas. You'll spend more on junk that doesn't work compared to a decent antenna setup that lasts a long time.
Adding tin foil to your rabbit ears antennas can increase your reception to 1000 miles... New antennas are a joke as it's just marketing hype to separate you from your money. They're mostly junk with false claims. Regarding ATSC 1.0, the broadcasters have failed to implement it completely or correctly and you're lucky if they include guide information. Those are the same Bozos that are going to implement ATSC 3.0. Let's see how that works out.
I have a cheap antenna and find it OK. But good point on the coax, I'm on my third one. Fortunately my lack of confidence in the antenna didn't stop me from fixing the actual problem.
I swept some of those 5G filters on a network analyzer. They do block the 5G band well, but their insertion loss in the passband is worse than advertised, especially near the top end of the band. It’s best to properly understand the problem you’re having before choosing the equipment for the solution.
@@blackrifle6736 Just to clarify, the filter still may be appropriate depending on what channels you prioritize and what your loss margin is. It’s just not a brick wall filter function; they start to roll off in the broadcast TV passband, and one of the channels I care about is right there at the top of the band. Also, if interference from 5G isn’t your problem’s root cause, they’ll obviously offer no benefit. Very generally speaking, I think the problem most people have is a combination of insufficient antenna gain, improper antenna orientation, and transmission line loss between the antenna and receiver/amplifier.
You left out one additional reason reception has gotten worse, the conversion from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting. Before I might be able to receive a distant snowy, but viewable picture, but with digital signals, it's all or nothing.
So true! I'm an old timer, so grew up with analog TV. Born and raised in the Chicago area, we had a "get away" summer house over in Michigan in the sticks. We had a fairly decent antenna that had two separate antennas. One UHF aimed to South Bend and a large VHF aimed to Grand Rapids and was fitted with an Alliance antenna rotor! As a kid I would play with the antenna watching the old tube type 23" Zenith B&W TV. DX'ing was so much fun. Getting the Chicago stations was a treat. Those days are gone. Watching a snowy picture was totally acceptable then.
I guess you enjoyed the days when you had to get up and move the antenna around to try to get the picture back in when it would shadow, go fuzzy or you suddenly were pulling in 2 stations on the same spot on the dial. Those days were so damn frustrating. Why do you think the majority of people went to cable TV
@@GreyEagleSports Right. It depends on your signal reception circumstances from way back then, but today I find it so much better how the digital TV channels from Oklahoma City come in rock steady without a speck of snow compared to the specks of colored snow on some of the analog Oklahoma City channels from decades ago.
True. I'm surrounded by trees. One day sixty seventy channels. Next day twenty. Frequent no signals. I'm buying all kinds of junk from Amazon trying to get better reception. Nothing works. And then most of the channels I receive rarely change up. Continual looping repeat of the same shows. Then that same programming goes to another channel. And that channel sends the same programming to another channel and on and on. And most of these channels are owned by the TV station itself. That's how they cash in on adds. Funny thing. Back in the day when our TV would break. We didn't throw it out. We would run to the attic and retrieve another old broken TV. Stack them on top of each other and watch the picture on one and listen on the other. Ah the good ol days 😊.
To add to that, certain trees are worse than others. Cedar and pine are some of the worst offenders, and deciduous trees have effects that vary according to season.
I miss the old analog days where you could pick up practically anything from anywhere your TV was located. It may not always be crystal clear, but you'd get something that was watchable. Once again, leave it to the government to continually screw things up.
Yup. Grew up in Seattle where there were tons of trees and could still get VHF no problem. Now with UHF not at all. I appreciate the improved image quality but would love the option to get VHF if the uhf signal is not available.
One difference with analog and digital is that the digital signal is cut off if the quality is marginal. In analog days you could get channels full of snow. Also with analog the field pattern shifted, so you could sometimes get a channel several days a week but not get it other days.
I still use a roof top TV antenna. I bought a 120 mile vhf/ uhf digital antenna with an inline amplifier. I get 36 channels from my location. I am on a ridge in PA 2,300 feet above sea level. Elevation is the key to good reception. The old indoor rabit ear antennas only worked well if you were within 10 miles or less of a TV station.
Don't forget modern electronics in your house. I had 2 laptops that knocked out different stations when plugged in. Switching power supplies are NOISY as well as undependable. They radiate a LOT of interference. If you are having issues try unplugging everything and then check reception. If it improves start plugging things back in until you find the culprit. Chances are that you can get a different power pack for most items and fix the issue.
Yes, that is 100% true. My fridge puts out interference so bad there are 3 stations that were not even a blip on my TV, and they are strong stations. Once I installed an outside antenna (not a high end one either) I ended up getting 36 more channels than I ever got before with the inside antenna. Another thing is to keep your antenna wire as short as possible, this point is very critical.
Good to see this video. I’ve always felt that I have better reception in the winter when there are no leaves on the trees. It really does make a difference. Thank you.
I have a small USB 3 speed fan and it completely blocks most high VHF from 9 to 13. Small cheap electronics like this that throw tremendous amounts of RF interference doesn't help either.
Worst offender for me was the dimmable 100W LED bulbs I had, I was pulling my hair out going in and out of the attic dozen of times making adjustments just for the TV to start cutting out again, then I got fed up left the attic, and when I flipped the garage and kitchen lights off the tv started coming in perfectly and I realized what the problem really was.
Yea i don’t know how a lot of stuff today is passing the FCC not to cause harmful interference. Some of the junk out there really blows my mind. Just talk to any ham radio person about this and they can talk you all kinds of stuff.
@@Robert-Wilsonbecause the FCC doesn’t do their own tests for compliance. They never have. But companies have only been taking advantage of that the last few years. And if I remember right for stuff like that there aren’t even really standards it has to conform to. It would be nice if not everything had poor quality control switching electronics that put out RF.
I picked up a cheap LED downlight, it took out everything, from broadcast AM up thorough UHF and digital TV. I knew I was causing the problem as I could see it happen when I switched on, however you may have a neighbour or someone a little more away using something similar not knowing their trashing the RF spectrum.
In addition, some TV and radio stations have cut their transmit power as much as 10dbm to save money on maintenance and electric bills. One such station is in NYC, where they went from 6kw to 600 watts literally overnight.
I had some loss of reception and distortion on some OTA channels including low power channels just yesterday and last night but the Earth was being hit by a lot of solar flares. Today the reception seems to be better.
My OTA reception...which has been extremely good since my antenna upgrade a few months ago...has been wacky on some of the channels the past few days. Perhaps this solar storm has something to do with it.
I wanted to say thank you, I inserted a Philips 5G filter to help block out the interference from those signals to improve my signal and in turn I was floored on how it improved everything. I'm using a tower with an old Winegard antenna with a Winegard PS-7070 amp and now I don't even need to turn my antenna and all my stations are clean. I'm in Toledo and I'm picking up channel 9 in Ontario Canada clean and clear.
@@tdw5933 Yes, where we lived when I was a kid we could only get CBS and that wasn't even a very good reception. After a storm we could get NBC and ABC as well.
The digital is not the biggest problem, they sold all the VHF channels to cell phone companies and forced all OTA up to higher frequency UHF which is line of sight only signal and get blocked by trees, rain, etc.
RE: CBS2 WCBS-TV, I live in Cos Cob, CT (Greenwich) which is 32 miles from WCBS's tower at 1 World Trade Center and 84 miles (more or less) from WFSB's tower on Talcott Mountain in Avon, Connecticut. With a decent indoor antenna, I can get CBS 2.
That happens also on FM radio especially in the summertime where another radio station in the distance that's broadcasting in the same frequency would interfere & override the station I'm listening to!
If you live in an area with no trees or buildings, you can ignore the following advice. But if you have a treed neighborhood or you're in a city and you're having signal issues with picture dropouts, you might want to read further. I live in a city 13 mi. from all of our high power transmitters and I'm surrounded with 100 ft pine trees. I learned that trees and buildings cause Multipath. Multipath is where the primary signal bounces off trees and buildings and arrives at your antenna at different times. In the old analog days, this would appear as ghosts on your TV screen. Some would call it a reflected signal. It's important to understand that these multi-path (reflected) signals are at a lower level than your primary signal, but with a high gain antenna, it will pick them up! Also, If you just throw up an antenna anywhere you may accidentally position your antenna to a reflected signal vs. the primary signal. If you have a decent antenna with reasonable gain, your results will probably be poor because it will pick up both the primary and all of the reflected signals. No matter what, when the wind blows, your picture experiences drop outs because the antenna is picking up multiple paths instead of just one. I fought this issue for years thinking I needed a better antenna or MORE signal!!! My first mistake was thinking I need a HIGH signal level. I got a reasonable sized suburban antenna that gave me a 10 out of 10 for signal strength. But every time there was a breeze, the signal would be disturbed. I relocated the antenna MANY times, thinking I had found a better, stronger signal spot but couldn't cure the problem! I then decided I needed a BETTER, bigger antenna and even tried an amp! The problem was worse!! The problem was that my high gain antenna was picking up ALL of the multiple signal paths bouncing off trees, houses, etc. instead of just ONE path! I realized this by noticing something interesting. We have low power stations at that same distance that show the same programming as the high power stations. They are WAY more difficult to receive with any antenna, but with the right placement and height, they can be received with a good antenna and provides a marginal signal. I then noticed that when the wind blew, the reception on those weaker stations remained perfectly stable, even though the signal strength was only 3 out of 10. Those weaker stations provided perfectly stable reception. I also realized that (from another direction) I was able to receive a channel 70 mi away, which also had a low signal, 3 out of 10, and it always came in perfect, even with a tropical storm. I then realized that these weaker stations had NO multipath signals. Or if they did, they were so low that my antenna couldn't pick them up. I then began to understand that the real issue I was fighting with the high power stations, was MULTI-PATH signals!!! I decided I needed LESS antenna!!! Lower signals!! I purchased a simple flat plastic antenna. Since this is a very low gain antenna and I have a lot of trees, I had to find the best signal location, and then taped it to the side of the house. My average signal for the high power stations is now only 5 out of 10, much less than before, but with PERFECTLY STABLE reception. By LOWERING the antenna gain and positioning it the path for the the primary signal, the flat antenna is simply NOT strong enough to pick up the weaker multipath signals so they no longer interfere. In summary, with trees, houses and other objects, don't chase strong signals with big antennas. Keep the signal level down to a low level with a smaller antenna. You just need, like 4 or 5 out of 10 for a signal and you'll have less dropouts because the antenna won't be strong enough to pick up the weaker multi-path signals. I do believe multipath is the major problem people fight with OTA reception. Digital get's confused with multiple signals. Get an antenna that only provides the level of signal you need and don't chase 10 out of 10 signal levels with big antennas. Use medium or gain antennas ONLY for really distant stations where you really need them.
@@edwinschwank2446 True, but try not to use an amp at all. Unless you're 45 mi or more where your signal level is below 3 on a scale of 10 (using a Samsung TV signal meter). Amps, just like big antennas, will ALSO amplify the reflected multiple signal paths, which will cause disruptions in your picture! I wound up getting rid of all my amps, except for the station 70mi away. And that station actually comes in fine, at the antenna, but the amp had to be used to overcome splitter and coax losses. In the old analog days amps would actually give you a more watchable picture but with digital, you just need to get the signal level over the minimum threshold where it's watchable. Making the signal stronger doesn't add a thing, nor will it make it more stable, AND, using an amp may amplify more undesirable multi-path signals, resulting in picture disturbances!! RULE 1 with any antenna installation. Use a very low gain antenna and find your strongest signal path FIRST! THAT will be your primary signal path. If the signal level is too low, ONLY then experiment with a slightly larger antenna. In the old days we used to just put an antenna in a convenient and preferred location. That doesn't work today with digital if you want reception that is always perfect. You just HAVE to find your strongest primary signal path first and place your antenna there. Yep, that's a bummer! Is OTA digital a failure? Using it's current older technology I find it is certainly a huge failure for areas with trees, buildings, and even just houses. Digital multi-path should be discussed more and the television industry needs to update our current streaming technology to better reject multi-path signals. Multi-path IS our primary issue with digital reception. It makes the LOCATION of your antenna much more critical that the type of antenna you are using. I'm also an amateur radio operator and even 100w signals from 35 mi. away will reflect from the tops of pine trees and bounce down into my secluded yard so you can imagine how a 1M watt signal a mere13 mi away can generate MANY reflection paths to your antenna! Multi-path is our current war with DTV.
@@RickPaquin I noticed the ATSC 3.0 signals I get from around 45 miles are stronger then the 1.0 ones. That may mean they are more resistant to multipath.
I blame the FCC for selling the spectrum to cell phone companies and decreasing the signal of certain PBS and other broadcast stations! Even with a reliable antenna, I noticed more picture blackouts during popular shows.
@@illkid86 yeah, analog broadcasting was easier to use, but they need to produce new broadcasting equipment, because those analog systems have been obsolete for few decades.
I don't have much problem with reception where I live. When the trains go by I notice a difference in some channels. I have built my own food service grade DTV antenna. 2 8" metal baking pans with a matching transformer, and a cookie sheet for a reflector attached to a 12" 2x4. I don't have an amplifier but the filter sounds like a good idea, as there is a cell tower nearby.
I have T-Mo 5G internet in my house, and getting good Mohu indoor antennas with an include pre-amp since I'm fairly close to the towers in my area, along with 4G LTE filters on all 5 of my TV's made a noticeable difference in what I was picking up for ATSC 1.0 signals since there are NO ATSC 3.0 stations yet in the Augusta, GA/CSRA(Central Savannah River Area) market. Hopefully all the ATSC 3.0 BS can eventually get worked out as it should improve my signals even further. Edit: Also I hope we eventually see good sub 100 buck ATSC 3.0 tuner boxes, so more people can afford the ATSC 3.0 transition.
Oh, yes, I find the five ATSC 3.0 stations from OKC are somewhat stronger than the 1.0 counterparts. The 3.0 channels frequently broadcast in 1080p, but it's probably only upscaled. The NBC 3.0 affiliate broadcasted the Olympics in HDR! Good luck in getting them to Augusta soon! In my area, the Tulsa stations still need to go ATSC 3.0. That is really where I need stronger signals from!
@@brucelipsitz7545 it's most of the same crap that's on SCETV, & it's not not on any list I look up for ATSC 3.0 stations, so till the big 4 start lighting up, & ATSC 3.0 tuners come down in price, then I'm sticking to ATSC 1.0, as I also have RUclips TV.
You need to do one of these on WiFi reception (which is affected by people walking around) and even Blue Tooth, how it weakens long before 30-ft maximum distance. Thanks for doing this revealing TV reception report. I get pixels whenever a jet flies within earshot.
My mother is a senior citizen with Altzheimers and needs to have television. It can be really frustrating to keep her calmed and comfortable, without needing to move the antenna for reception.
FOX2 Detroit, Dodger/Padre game coming in clear and sharp....Nbc ch.4. Wheel o fortune scrambling and Jeopardy was stuck on a crazy loop, like old film clicking back and forth, throughout the show. Thanks, Antenna Guy, from Detroit🇺🇸
Over the years, I've noticed that my reception improves in the late Fall when the leaves fall, and declines in the Spring when the trees leaf-out; that's one reason I want a 60' antenna tower, but that's out of my financial reach. I've also noticed reception problems, with a definite pattern, since the REMC installed a smart meter on my service; and still more problems since a 5G repeater was set up just outside my mobile home park. I'm beginning to think there's a conspiracy to get rid of OTA television.
I found that putting an antenna low can sometimes work better because tree trunks don't wave like branches do. (If your trunks are waving, you probably should have evacuated.)
After getting my Televise antenna over the height of the peak of my roof, my local channels, that are 45 miles away, come is much better now. They used to be between 45~60, and are now 80~90! I used to have it mounted to the bottom edge of the roof. I added a 10' 2" conduit to the side of my house, and a 3' antenna post, atop an antenna rotator, and this difference is so dramatic! Also, I can now rotate the antenna 180 deg around, and pick up channels from another town, 60 miles away, LOL! The signal isn't that good, 40~50, but it's good enough to watch, on a good day. I've been cord free for a couple of years, and will never go back! Unless broadcast stations do away with over the air broadcasting...
Something you might enjoy; There's a curvy county road a few hours away, my car's back glass antenna is directional enough that it switches stations back and forth a bunch of times as the road zigzags along a stream for a half mile or so. Only place like that I've ran across.
The good old days of watching what we use to call skip stations. Whether it be TV or radio. Late night horror channels we a gift! Also use to listen to WWL in New Orleans at night, waiting to pick up my mother after her shift. I miss those days...😢
I grew up in a UHF only area a long time ago so seeing those E-Skips slowly buzzing in with horizontal lines on the clear low VHF channels (usually ch 2 or 3) using just rabbit ears where fun. Once watched a full episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus on E-Skip.
Same. Used to listen to KSL, Salt Lake City, Utah, on the car radio in a driveway in Lafayette, California. Fibber McGee and Molly, The Shadow, etc. Good times.
I may have mention I noticed that the bit rate for the network broadcast channels in my area in South Florida is often about half what it was 10 or 11 years ago. Also, the local news from the studio used to be crystalline sharp with an antenna, but now it seems like more blur and artifacts when looking closely, although maybe I shouldn't judge from looking recently because of the hurricanes in the area.
It's not you, they're packing way too many sub-channels into the bandwidth. Even the main channels get crap bandwidth. The FCC is making it all worse with the selling of RF. The OTA is overfull.
my house came with an antenna from the 1960's in the attic. on a good day, I can get channels from 100 miles away. all I had to do to it was install a coax adapter. local channels come in sharp and clear.
I was making antennas for radios in the late 70's. We did not watch a tell lie vision. We were out on the streets doing something. Basically I never watched a tell lie vision my entire life because it has been the biggest mind control weapon ever used. I will continue to enjoy stuff such as amateur radio. I don't pay for a signal, I make it!
Hi Tyler, I live exactly where your example points out in Southern CT. Luckily, I have an extra-directional antenna so I’ve pointed it exactly at WCBS NY (Empire State Building) and the channel 3 WFSB transmitter is off alignment. I can pick up Ch3 as an ATSC3.0 channel from the Farmington CT transmitter. I also added an amplifier just inside the house to avoid weather corrosion.
I'm glad you were able to figure out a solution to null out WFSB. Unfortunately, others who use antennas in your area don't have this knowledge and probably can't get CBS reliably.
WNPT, the PBS affiliate in Nashville moved from VHF 8 to VHF 7 during the repack. Before the repack, I received the station's signal extremely well. After the repack, the station pixelates a lot. Not helping matters is they use measly power. It is obvious they took the repack money to purchase a new antenna and transmitter.
The repack offered broadcasters like for like coverage, so WNPT got the same transmitter power and antenna coverage as they had on 8. They didn’t apply for maximization, to increase their signal for reasons I am not certain about, but I know if they had tried to maximize their signal, they would have had to pay for any power increase over the coverage that they had on 8.
😢Channel 4's and 8's signal has sucked since the changeover. Other than those, I get great reception with a pair of old rabbit ears. I live about 35 miles due north of Nashville
Tropospheric ducting can be a blast to play with when it is happening. Occurs on FM radio too. It is amazing to tune in a channel from 300 miles away and it looks/sounds local.
Exterior coax and the transformer connection to the antenna can deteriorate over time being exposed to the elements. Easy and cheap to replace and makes a huge difference.
Make sure to use the tar-like tape "coax-seal" on all the connections (back-taping electrical tape underneath first) or moisture will eventually enter the connections.
As a kid in suburban Milwaukee, pre-cable, pre-VCR, I remember fiddling with the antenna on our 19-inch TV to pick up stations in South Bend, Indiana, Traverse City, Michigan, and occasionally, in Green Bay.
Here in the greater Chicago-land area. I'm fortunate to get good reception from my favorite OTA channels i.e. RetroTV, MeTV, and the True Crime Network. Wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm also quite fortunate to live in a market where there's very little interference from neighboring markets. It's very rare for Green Bay to have that problem, since the broadcast towers are far enough away where no stations in Milwaukee, Wausau or Marquette, Michigan interfere with the Green Bay stations...
When FCC went all digital in our area we lost all free TV here we had all of our St Louis stations now we can't get any from anywhere. It's either satellite or nothing because we are in the country so no cable, no Internet and we use propane too.
I live in the St. Louis metro area, about 14-15 miles from most transmitters, my reception is generally pretty good, on windy days (especially in the summer, when deciduous trees have all their leaves) I will get some choppiness. I did notice last year the local CBS affiliate started not coming in as well (perhaps 5G related) on my TVs, though it does come in ok on a Tivo Edge for antenna as well as (suprisingly) on an inexpensive NAXA digital tuner box (you know, the cheap ones you can get for 30-35 bucks), so tuner ability can be in play as well.
Heck, when I visited my brother in rural Oklahoma, I was amazed he was able to get both Oklahoma City and Tulsa stations with an outdoor antenna even though he was between 55 and 65 miles from the stations. I guess you're further than that from the St. Louis stations.
@@Boomerlake We are about 90 and more from the transmission towers I checked we would need a 2500' tower to properly bring a broadcast signal. Apparently that's not acceptable privately. Per the law .
Your post is very concerning. A target market that is not being used with OTA broadcasting seems very suspect sounds to me like there's some Mafia style or shady dealings going on and you need to find out what it is and pull back the veil.
Good info. I used to use the free over the air antenna on my boat but now I just use a fire stick when in the marina. I did notice a drop in performance in my reception while using the antenna
@dampergoldenrod4156 my mom bought a bunch in good shape at garage sales years ago. I told her to hang onto them and refuse to let her throw them out.
@@dampergoldenrod4156For this money you can buy a box right now that has an ATSC tuner and built-in DVR - just provide your own media via USB. VHS VCRs have been dead for 20 years.
Yes! My TV cuts out when ever the wind blowes... I didn't have any channels once about a week ago. And I haven't seen any of the PBS channels in about a year now. I've always just figured that they switched to digital braudcast because that would allow them to adjust the braudcast signal strength according to the weather, and therefore saving money on days that the weather is nice. I live in northern Michigan next to an airport and even airplanes passing over knocks out the signal.
I miss tropo DXing in the early morning hours. The band is so crowded now there isn’t many open channels to pick up stations in other markets. FM radio is also harder to get tropo on due to the HD radio sidebands.
The worst part of digital TV is the sound stopping before the picture is impacted. In analog you could get sound even if you couldn't get a clear picture.
The digital conversion resulted in a more perfect picture but only if your specific location enjoyed a 100% strength signal. For most of us this isn't true so we suffer with "worse than 1950's" picture quality.
The higher the frequency, the higher the maximum data rate that can be achieved, so the cell phone companies prefer UHF except in more rural areas because VHF has a bit more range with less total data throughput required.
I had a problem back when they moved away from analog to digital- the digital receptions are binary, where an analog signal we can fine tune the reception and even with a weak signal you can still potentially get a picture and sound.
Don’t forget, back in the analog day, max power for low vhf was 100000 watts high vhf was 3160000 and uhf was 5 million watts. With digital, none have even close to that power. Even though digital is easier to transmit, if they still had to same max, they would be way more reliable.
Duh I agree because radio waves don't care if the signal is analog or digital they travel the same distance regardless the FCC thinks that because it's digital that 20kw for low-vhf, would cover the same area as 100kw, it doesn't 20kw digital covers, it's about the same area as a LPTV analog signal, it's the nature of the beast
@@jcurnutte2007Another bad fcc decision. No reason they can’t have the same power as analog and no reason the tv dial can’t still go to at least channel 50
Analog NTSC was my baby. The ATSC 1 channels are so rude, I have no motivation to receive them. ATSC 3.0 is nonexistent in my neighborhood and non - 3.0 TV's are discounted and simpler. TV has shrunk in my life, but FTA free to air satellites are in the future.
I have two setups. I have an 8-bay that I bought for $15 at a yard sale. It sat for a few months until I got fed up with cable. I have an in-line amp. It's done okay considering I am shooting through trees to the antennas on the mountain. When the leaves are thick and it's windy I get the macro blocking, tiling, or other weird digital effects. I can't cut the trees because most are in the neighbor's yard. I get 48 channels of mixed quality 1920x1080 for a few of the main ones but a lot of 720x480 for most of the rest. I compare it to a low quality rural cable setup in the 1980s except this time around the repeats of old shows are better than the current content from a lot of networks. The other setup is in a bedroom/computer room. The antenna is one of those amplified indoor antennas that is a flat rectangular box with two antenna coming out the side. (GE) I have it in a window facing south or 90 degrees from the antennas to the east. Reception has been more of a reflection but okay. That feeds one of the Magnavox tuner boxes I bought from Walmart with the $40 discount card from congress. That feeds an old Symphonic TV (CRT) on top of a filing cabinet. I need to update this setup because the reception is going downhill.
Unless you live close to a lot of broadcast locations I wouldn't do an indoor amplified antenna. You're going to see dramatic results with that same external box on a CRT just by grabbing an old exterior rooftop antenna from someone that is giving it away or for cheap. Without any amplification or filters, it's going to perform three or four times better than your overpriced amplified indoor model.
I live in an area with a lot of military aircraft operations. Fixed wing and rotor wing. My reception goes to crap at times, and other times it is just fine. Even with a strong signal number. Or it could be what Tyler says, interference with long distance stations.
The issue with some channels going in and out when airplanes fly over is less of an issue with your antenna and more of an issue with signals reflecting off the planes. Reflected signals result in brief pixeling/drop outs on some channels. This probably might be mitigated with a better antenna and/or an ATSC 3.0 tuner but might not go away entirely
All these damn solar flares are causing major issues too. I can tell if there is a solar storm just by how pixelated TV is. Today (and the last couple of days) my channel 2.1-2.5 are completely unwatchable due to heavy pixelation, dropped signal and glitching sound.
Great analysis. I never considered tropo ducting for DTV. I suppose a Yagi would take care of it if the ducting is in a null direction. Certainly would take care of the non ducting co-frequency station interference though. I think the analog was more forgiving to weaker signals as well. You may have received a snowy picture but at least you had good audio. Digital is all or nothing unfortunately.
We lost a number of Translators from our Seattle CBS station that they shut down. Why? My option is they rather have the cable retransmission fees. I do get a Canadian CTV channel now that was on the same broadcast channel.
@@AntennaMan COX owned our channel. I think our Fox affiliate is the only one with transponders in Seattle market. Ironically it broadcasts on vhf-hi ch13 plus its transmitter is up 2000 feet. I’m 70miles north and receive it with a small RCA antenna.
I think you are mostly thinking correctly. Broadcasters are required to support their specified transmission in order to maintain their frequency. Translators are an add-on service. Optional. When they wanted OTA viewers they added them. Since so many get their stations over the internet or cable now they take them down as expensive relics. Some don't. As Tyler has said in MANY videos, the big money these days is in retransmission fees paid by streamers and cable. But....no transmission, no re-transmission, no re-transmission fees. FCC regulates the quality of the signal. If they degrade it, it become unreliable, or you have a beef complain to FCC. YOU WILL SEE RESULTS (if your're right and it's not your own fault you're not getting it).
On some summer mornings I will pick up Rochester, NY stations where I live East of Syracuse, about 70 miles away due to tropo, which I think is cool! Reminds me of the old low band VHF analog days when I would pick up very distant stations due to sporadic E
We also need updated antennas for the repack. Most TV antennas are still configured to receive channels 2-69. Not just 2-36. We need the highest gain of the antenna down at the lower channels.
@@kensmith5694 Congrats. Your lucky. I wish that was my case. I'm out in the fringe. All of the local TV station's towers are 45-60 miles away with multiple large hills in-between. To complicate things I live in the bottom of a valley. With a perfect set-up you can only get 7 stations ( 35 channels ) here. Cheap or small antennas here won't pick up anything. I tried 5 different antennas here. I just kept buying larger and larger antennas. My best result is with a UHF Yagi antenna. I'm using a Stellar Labs 30-2370, copy of an Antennas Direct (91XG), with a KitzTech KT-200 amp to just get 5 stations (24 channels). Even with this set-up, channels fade in and out depending on the weather and the seasons. I need all the reception power I can get. I've even been thinking about stacking another identical antenna to boost my reception some. I've also read about modifying my antenna to bring the gain down to channels 14-36. You have to make the directors longer. I don't think 5G is a problem where I live, cell reception is weak on all 3 carriers, but I'm going to buy a 5G filter anyway. I'm also going to try quad shield cable just for the extra 1 db, I might be losing in the cable.
I liked the old NTSC broadcasts. Granted it wasn’t spectrum efficient but even a marginal signal was still watchable. I used to enjoy watching fringe area stations and always enjoyed DX’ing distant UHF stations on a warm humid summers night. I could very often receive stations as far south as Virginia from Long Island as well as up to Boston. Fun times with channels up to number 69.
I have also noticed that my reception has been getting worse this past year. Like clock work after certain broadcasts the signal starts getting weaker usually after the local news.
my mother complained that her NBC affiliate had disappeared. I used her Sling account to check, and sure enough, the AirTV was complaining about weak or no signal. I checked back periodically through the day, and it magically reappeared around 3 PM. damnedest thing I'd ever seen. She does live on the gulf coast, so this very well could have been the reason (atmospheric conditions).
3 PM is the weakest time for tropo conditions to effect TV reception. Trop may likely be totally dead by then unless it's a rare and exceptionally long lasting opening. I've had to rely on short range tropo conditions to bring in most of my Tulsa stations every evening since they are between 76 to 80.5 miles away. The curvature of the earth issue surely sets in for the furthest station at 80.5 miles. Of course, they're gone by noon. In use is a big Televes UHF only antenna. Rabbitears rates all Tulsa stations as tropo.
This is good information, so I'm a new subscriber. We live in a townhouse where outdoor antennas are not acceptable. We need an interior one and are limited in how far the antenna can be from the the TV. I've bought a Mohu digital antenna from Best Buy, and it is supposed to be a really good antenna with lights that indicate strength. Two lights out of four is our best. We are not very pleased with it. I'm intrigued by the idea of using amplifier and will look into this. So far, it is frustrating that manufacturers don't seem to specify what amplifier will work best for a particular situation. We don't have a metal antenna on the roof, and so far that appears to what amplifiers are meant for. I hope that I find out differently as I look into it. Recommendations are welcome.
Mine has actually improved over the last couple of years. I live roughly 32 miles from the antenna farm and I have a crappy antenna in the attic, with a junk walmart amplifier and a channel master distribution amp. 2 years ago, any storms by the farm (which is daily here) and the signal would weaken - now it's solid even during the hurricane.
Some TV stations took the opportunity to improve their signal during the FCC repack, but in many areas reception isn't as good because of the TV band being overcrowded.
The same thing also happened here in Mexico because we depend a lot on American legislation, we didn't have many problems capturing distant channels, but after repackaging There are stations that are not captured well. For example, I live in an area where channels from the capital (Mexico City) and the city of Puebla are captured, There is a station that broadcasts on RF 32 in CDMX (XEW) and another in Puebla (XHTMPU) and when trying to mix the signal of both they are lost. In my humble opinion, they should not have sold the 600 MHZ band, since it only damaged the reception of over-the-air television.
Do a little homework and find out all the different locations of the over-the-air stations that you can pick up that you want to receive from the different directions and any competing signal that could be coming in from another location on the same frequency. Do you have a lot of trees or walls or anything that could be causing reverberation of the signal or bouncing because the primary signal will get distorted by the lower quality crossing of the same signal being bounced around. It might be in your case that you need to change the location of the antenna and the style of it and the size because a smaller antenna pointed where that you could bring in the stations you want the most will probably still bringing other stations you weren't expecting because it's now not collecting the reverberated signals well and it will even work better when you have wind and rain. Knowledge and trials is King
I live 50 miles from Pittsburgh and 30 miles from Johnstown, PA, we cannot reliably receive a single blessed channel of DTV, even the FCC signal strength website shows our county of 89,000 people in no reliable signal land. Analog TV gave us eight channels.
I was wondering when you would address this. My reception on 3 different TV's (and tuners) and on 3 different antennas on my house has gotten much worse. I tried a 5G filter from Channel Master, reception was worse so I took it out. I am always amazed windy days affect reception-what the hell?! Old analog, no problem.
The issue you're having with some channels on windy days is less of an issue with the antenna and more of an issue with the trees around your home. When they blow in the wind they cause multipath/reflected signals which causes brief pixeling/drop outs on some channels. This issue should be mitigated with a better antenna but might not go away entirely. If you would like me to take a look into your situation, sign up for my antenna recommendation service below: www.antennamanpa.com/antenna-recommendations.html
I used to get that in Janesville, WI in the 1990s in FM reception. Sometimes Chicago stations would overpower the ones on same frequency that are around Madison, WI.
I had trouble with pixelating channels during different times of the day and night (I live in an apartment and not allowed to put up an outdoor antenna, so indoor antenna and amplifier only). Channel Master makes a great OBTV (Out of Band TV) Filter that has greatly improved my over the air reception. The pixelation is gone and a few channels that were very hit or miss on any given day are now watchable.
I have to rescan three or four times a day. But for sure at 1900 you finally get channels. North Central Nebraska. I drive Semi OTR so I'm on the road. I will never go to cable.
Most if not all over the market TV antennas are somewhat wide banded. If your having real problems with a certain channel, tune your antenna for the specific channel. And if you live in a congested area, get a preselector to further match to that specific channel.
I AM ASSUMING SOME OF THESE TV STATIONS LOWERED THE SIGNAL QUALITY SO THAT YOU ARE FORCED TO PAY FOR VERIZON OR CABLEVISION OR FOR STREAMING BECAUSE THE STATIONS ARE GETTING PAID FOR REDISTRIBUTION
I pick up a lot more now with just rabbit ears. The old VHF stations 2 - 13 used to be able to travel further but when we went from 360i to 1080p transmisaion the VHF couldnt handle the data load so each station got 4 UHF stations. Some are transmitting only 720i so can use the other two stations as sub channels for alternate programming.
Another thing affecting clear reception is all the RF noise radiated by devices with cheap Chinese switching power supplies. It sometimes goes unnoticed, but if you're still trying to listen to broadcast AM or FM radio, you will see that cheap consumer electronics with these "wall wart" type plug in switching power supplies have made it impossible.
The Channel Master Preamp 1 specs indicate it already filters 5G, 4G, FM, and LoRa/Helium. Exercise caution adding another 5G filter between the antenna and the amp input on this one.
That is why I'm here, I can see the antenna on the mountains and aim the antenna at the those Antennas. We are only a few miles away and used to get all the stations no problem, now we get none.
it makes sense since they are higher frequency than the old analog signals, I was in the navy and we could detect lower frequencies from greater distances in passive sonar than higher frequencies.
my TV reception greatly improves in the fall and winter I can pick up better signals than in the middle of summer when a lot of times you get the pixelation and it usually always happens when when the news Weather reports come on
Mine works pretty good still I get 40+ channels but most channels are generic like super old TV shows ECT but get local channels. I am 40 miles south of a major city.
Most locations have pretty reliable reception, but in general it's not as reliable as it used to be thanks to congress and the FCC selling half the TV band to cell phone companies.
Unfortunately the only cure for a certain channel that is 180 degrees distant from each other is to 1. Get a yagi antenna mounted on a mast and turned by an antenna rotor. A yagi antenna looks like an arrow and points to the station you want and if you want to watch the other channel from the town 180 degrees opposite turn it to that location. 2. Get two yagi antennas pointed 180 degrees opposite each other with separate coax lines mounted to an A-B switchbox near your TV. That is a cheaper option as you could mount them on a mast on a chimney but the signal may not be the best in any case all of the time.
Yes that is fairly good advice. I have two antennas in my attic and I get good reception. I just happened to have made a video with a shot of them ruclips.net/video/gK3-IQkHkyo/видео.htmlsi=GoDGS6uDRTZRcjDx&t=86 At 1:26 in the video I show them. I have a yagi pointed at the city that is about 60 miles away. The other antenna is something I built myself. It is basically two bowties mounted about 1/2 a wavelength apart one above the other. The feed point is off the middle of the run between them. It has a classic dipole beam shape. The two other cities are in opposite directions from me.
You could also just get a quality UHF antenna that has a metal reflecting mesh on it and take off the mesh. Now it will receive in a figure-8 pattern - (receiving in the front and back).
People should also try unplugging any streaming sticks, consoles, or any other stuff they have plugged into or near their TV and see if it makes a difference. Sometimes things can go bad and cause interference.
The newer energy-efficient switching-type power supply wall warts are extremely RF noisy compared to the older and larger linear power supply wall warts.
If you have ANY open/unused coaxial ports ( unused splitter port, room with no tv but has a coax port ), place a 75 ohm termination plug in it. Cell phone signals migrate into them and cause interference.
In Memphis, my reception of WMC-TV (VHF 5) and WTME-LD (UHF 14) is now gone, I could not lock the signal, before WMC moves to UHF 30 (replacing WQEK-LD) which will move to another UHF channel. I then switched to DirecTV Stream.
It absolutely is. Big media companies that own local TV stations are doing the bare minimum to offer their channel free over the air because they prefer people to pay for it on a cable, satellite, or streaming service.
I live in apartments and it sucks. Our living room is facing a big tree in the courtyard. We have completely mostly lost access to ABC channel. I remember seven or eight years ago we were able to get all the channels on rabbit antenna and the tv was in a house in the middle of the living room.
Honestly, digital OTA TV is horrible. At least with analog, it might be a bit fuzzy with a weak signal, but you could still enjoy it. With digital, it's either there or not.
I have no trouble getting 55 channels in always rock steady from Oklahoma City by using an RCA 65+ flat antenna. Now if I tried getting the Tulsa stations with that same flat antenna there is nothing there. That is simply because Tulsa stations are way too far away to get with an indoor antenna. Then I can understand why some people just hate digital OTA TV.
Homemade DB 4 picking up over 50 channels indoors by my overhead door track in garage. Cheap signal booster and short high quality coax. 50 miles north of Indianapolis.
Paradoxically, sometimes one can deal with trees by putting an antenna lower. I found I got better reception closer to ground level because while the upper parts of trees wave in the wind, trunks tend not to wave very much, so there's less signal path changes for the TV to deal with.
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Link to 5G filter 👉 bit.ly/3iZYEV0
Link to recommended preamplifiers:
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bit.ly/3ZXoakt
Link to ATSC 3.0 tuners:
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amzn.to/3BCEa0W
Link to video on the FCC repack 👉 ruclips.net/video/lTKL0zKG2I0/видео.html
Link to my video explaining tropo 👉 ruclips.net/video/BYuDBL3-duI/видео.html
Website with tropo maps 👉 www.dxinfocentre.com/tropo.html
Tyler, which frequencies are most affected by 5G cell interference? I believe you mentioned the spectrum from uhf spectrum above Ch36, Yes?
Tyler.....also some Channel Master Amps have 5G filter built in..as I know you would know...thanks
A stupid reality is well with the rise of internet and how antiquated antenna technology is and the fact that in reality flat screen televisions don't use antennas anymore and haven't for about 25 years now the technology of televisions now is so vastly different that people just don't use nor would they use antenna anymore because in truth antenna broadcasting is seriously antiquated technology and the companies that still use it only sell to a dying off generation meaning baby boomers and older. Millennials and younger use internet and technology that runs off a different format of technology and when we watch stuff its online and not threw the television. In fact the only reason many millennials and younger have a television at all is for live streaming threw internet live streaming services where we can watch what we want when we want to watch it and we don't have to wait for pre set times. Hell I have a micro antenna thing attacked to my tv but I haven't turned on regular television for the betterment of well 5 to 7 years because the only thing they show is re runs if even that. The Simpsons has not been on Fox sense 2018 when it got bought by Disney which 2018 is 6 years will be 7 years in 2.5 months. So why use a service that doesn't give you anything at all? Also why should companies keep funding a system that they can't make money off of? Speaking in a pure capitalistic way or in reality human way. Why spend billions off something you don't get anything out of except exposure but the exposure doesn't put money in your pocket let alone food on the table. Antenna use to make money off selling add space to companies that buy add space but no one likes wasting time with adds anymore and the fact that add companies kind of left antenna tv behind years ago because less audience and less audience means less possible profit because less audience means less possible chances of people seeing the adds which means less people who see and think they might want to buy that which means less chance of someone going into a store and buying the item. Basically less and less people watch that style mixed with the fact that less and less funding goes into that style causes that style of technology to have less and less upkeep which causes it to completely fail over a short time mixed with the fact of reality that the technology has not had any real advancements sense it was fist created back in the 1930s making it nearly 90 years old making it seriously ancient technology. With how fast electronic technology advances almost 90 year old technology is beyond ancient and in reality there has not actually been much real advancements to it when you think about. The televisions have drastically advanced but the broad ban network it runs has not advanced almost at all sense it was created decades ago. People have long passed moved on and in truth I am surprised its still in operation actually. I am not surprised it is failing I am surprised it still works at all to be honest because of how ancient it is and how its still functional with blatantly no funding. What surprises me the most is the system is ancient and it still working. By the fact that its still working with such antiquated wiring and antiquated as fuck towers that were built around the late 1960s to early 1970s for the newest towers actually built. Yea I am surprised at how this ancient technology is still working. My surprise is both cool it was built with gusto and no wonder its dying because technology isn't really meant to last actually forever because technology is meant to evolve and advance so it doesn't grow stagnant and because well stagnant technology means serious corruption which means destruction of imagination and freedom. Stagnant technology leads to complete destruction of imagination and evolution.
I don't get fox anymore and it's all I used to watch. And like 15 years ago it was the only channel that worked in a storm. Now a days I only get 3 and it don't work when it rains. lol. (nobody watches 5). hahaha
@jordancambridge4106 BLAH BLAH BLAH, go finish your oatmeal and take your meds.
The 5G filter before the preamp is a GREAT tip,never would have thought of it. 5G is becoming more and more prevalent. I am so old that I remember UHF going up to 83.
Me too.
I remember that too now that you mention it.
Channel 70 to 83 was fun...the police and cell phones were on those back in the 1980s😮
It's just a 600mhz low pass filter.
I remember seeing old analog TV’s whose UHF channel dials went up to 83 in person as a kid, I grew up poor 😂😂😂😂😂😂
I miss analogue because even if the signal was bad you could still watch and hear your shows through a bit of static. With digital it’s either all or nothing and doesn’t leave a way to just watch with a weak signal
Agreed
I build HDTV antennas from coax cable and a ball of tinfoil. I don’t agree with this guy’s video at all because you can still get good signal if you live near a major area, but of course, if you live somewhere more rural, you’re going to need a very strong antenna.
In fact, I did a video on my channel showing this exact thing, where I build an HDTV antenna from a ball of tinfoil. It works amazingly well as long as you are within about 30 miles of a major city.
I had to use antenna in the Mojave desert. In the 80's. The problem was; semi trucks breaking the law using linear boosters on C.B. radio would cut through my broadcast. ( I worked for a huge trucking firm.) Interstate was close to my home.
@@TechCloset Analog signals went close to 100-110 miles by me back in the day. Digital signal lucky to get 45-50 miles from tower.
Not really, they compressed so much the quality that is not enjoyable watching those sub channels.
Tyler, thank you for your regular videos which are so well researched and so useful. I had intermittent problems with Channel 12 WHHY in Philly with the video pixelated and the audio useless. At your suggestion, I added the 5G filter and its great now.
Let me tell you a story. 1978 while living on the South Side of Chicago. I used to install antennas back than especially for the old OnTv service. I had a ten element FM beam on my roof, a five foot tripod with a ten foot mast with a rotor. Now I loved two blocks from the lake and local channels were not a problem unless I pointed north than I got massive overload but with this setup, I could pull in ten watt high school stations in Iowa, full quieting. My rule is if your going to do the OTA thing, to mess around, spend the money and get the good stuff like Wingard or Channel Master with a rotor and preamp, stay away from the crap and don't scrimp on the coax, most important of all.
Yes, I always tell people to not bargain hunt with antennas. You'll spend more on junk that doesn't work compared to a decent antenna setup that lasts a long time.
Cheap coax can ruin a good antenna setup, every time.
Adding tin foil to your rabbit ears antennas can increase your reception to 1000 miles...
New antennas are a joke as it's just marketing hype to separate you from your money. They're mostly junk with false claims.
Regarding ATSC 1.0, the broadcasters have failed to implement it completely or correctly and you're lucky if they include guide information.
Those are the same Bozos that are going to implement ATSC 3.0.
Let's see how that works out.
I have a cheap antenna and find it OK. But good point on the coax, I'm on my third one. Fortunately my lack of confidence in the antenna didn't stop me from fixing the actual problem.
*Yep, good coax. Belden 7731 (RG-11) and Canare FP-C71A or PPC connectors for the win!*
I swept some of those 5G filters on a network analyzer. They do block the 5G band well, but their insertion loss in the passband is worse than advertised, especially near the top end of the band. It’s best to properly understand the problem you’re having before choosing the equipment for the solution.
Best informative comment for this video. I too discovered the insertion loss degraded the signal.
Excellent point, especially if you live in a fringe area like me. Checking the loss using a NA was a great idea. Thanks.
A/G should have mentioned that if you don't live in an area where 5G is prevalent, you don't need one of these filters anyway. FYI
*Thanks for the headsup. Was curious about pass band insert loss.*
@@blackrifle6736 Just to clarify, the filter still may be appropriate depending on what channels you prioritize and what your loss margin is. It’s just not a brick wall filter function; they start to roll off in the broadcast TV passband, and one of the channels I care about is right there at the top of the band. Also, if interference from 5G isn’t your problem’s root cause, they’ll obviously offer no benefit. Very generally speaking, I think the problem most people have is a combination of insufficient antenna gain, improper antenna orientation, and transmission line loss between the antenna and receiver/amplifier.
You left out one additional reason reception has gotten worse, the conversion from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting. Before I might be able to receive a distant snowy, but viewable picture, but with digital signals, it's all or nothing.
So true! I'm an old timer, so grew up with analog TV. Born and raised in the Chicago area, we had a "get away" summer house over in Michigan in the sticks. We had a fairly decent antenna that had two separate antennas. One UHF aimed to South Bend and a large VHF aimed to Grand Rapids and was fitted with an Alliance antenna rotor! As a kid I would play with the antenna watching the old tube type 23" Zenith B&W TV. DX'ing was so much fun. Getting the Chicago stations was a treat. Those days are gone. Watching a snowy picture was totally acceptable then.
I guess you enjoyed the days when you had to get up and move the antenna around to try to get the picture back in when it would shadow, go fuzzy or you suddenly were pulling in 2 stations on the same spot on the dial. Those days were so damn frustrating. Why do you think the majority of people went to cable TV
@@GreyEagleSports Right. It depends on your signal reception circumstances from way back then, but today I find it so much better how the digital TV channels from Oklahoma City come in rock steady without a speck of snow compared to the specks of colored snow on some of the analog Oklahoma City channels from decades ago.
I wish they would’ve waited like 10 more years. Digital RF got so much better after ATSC 1.0 came out.
@@GreyEagleSports I think it was channels such as HBO that led many into cable.
It's called the shrubbery effect, Other condition is called RF ducting (I'm a retired TV broadcast engineer)
hashtag monty python and the holy grail...
@@donstar8318 Beat me too it! Ni !!!!
@@donstar8318 Just don't say NEEK
True. I'm surrounded by trees. One day sixty seventy channels. Next day twenty. Frequent no signals. I'm buying all kinds of junk from Amazon trying to get better reception. Nothing works. And then most of the channels I receive rarely change up. Continual looping repeat of the same shows. Then that same programming goes to another channel. And that channel sends the same programming to another channel and on and on. And most of these channels are owned by the TV station itself. That's how they cash in on adds. Funny thing. Back in the day when our TV would break. We didn't throw it out. We would run to the attic and retrieve another old broken TV. Stack them on top of each other and watch the picture on one and listen on the other. Ah the good ol days 😊.
To add to that, certain trees are worse than others. Cedar and pine are some of the worst offenders, and deciduous trees have effects that vary according to season.
I miss the old analog days where you could pick up practically anything from anywhere your TV was located. It may not always be crystal clear, but you'd get something that was watchable. Once again, leave it to the government to continually screw things up.
I think ATSC-1 was a good idea. They just need to allow more power and to give back that bandwidth
Yup. Grew up in Seattle where there were tons of trees and could still get VHF no problem. Now with UHF not at all. I appreciate the improved image quality but would love the option to get VHF if the uhf signal is not available.
Yep. Living in Michigan it was fun watching Miami, Ft. Worth and Boston roll in and out on channel 2.
Except the government now run by corporations (i.e. FCC regulatory capture).
One difference with analog and digital is that the digital signal is cut off if the quality is marginal. In analog days you could get channels full of snow. Also with analog the field pattern shifted, so you could sometimes get a channel several days a week but not get it other days.
I still use a roof top TV antenna. I bought a 120 mile vhf/ uhf digital antenna with an inline amplifier. I get 36 channels from my location. I am on a ridge in PA 2,300 feet above sea level. Elevation is the key to good reception. The old indoor rabit ear antennas only worked well if you were within 10 miles or less of a TV station.
Thanks for this update. My problem exactly on an NBC channel out of Seattle. Not bad but irritating on a windy day when before it was perfect.
Same and with KIRO (CBS ch7)
Interesting 🤔
I hooked a new antenna up to my friends tv and it doesn’t like the NBC channels 🤔
Don't forget modern electronics in your house. I had 2 laptops that knocked out different stations when plugged in. Switching power supplies are NOISY as well as undependable. They radiate a LOT of interference.
If you are having issues try unplugging everything and then check reception. If it improves start plugging things back in until you find the culprit. Chances are that you can get a different power pack for most items and fix the issue.
Yes, that is 100% true. My fridge puts out interference so bad there are 3 stations that were not even a blip on my TV, and they are strong stations. Once I installed an outside antenna (not a high end one either) I ended up getting 36 more channels than I ever got before with the inside antenna. Another thing is to keep your antenna wire as short as possible, this point is very critical.
turn off your WiFi & Bluetooth devices when using NEXT GEN tv , only use Wired Ethernet like Google fiber or DSL & cable internet.
Good to see this video. I’ve always felt that I have better reception in the winter when there are no leaves on the trees. It really does make a difference. Thank you.
You are correct. Also wet leaves on trees affect tv reception badly also.
I have a small USB 3 speed fan and it completely blocks most high VHF from 9 to 13. Small cheap electronics like this that throw tremendous amounts of RF interference doesn't help either.
Worst offender for me was the dimmable 100W LED bulbs I had, I was pulling my hair out going in and out of the attic dozen of times making adjustments just for the TV to start cutting out again, then I got fed up left the attic, and when I flipped the garage and kitchen lights off the tv started coming in perfectly and I realized what the problem really was.
Yea i don’t know how a lot of stuff today is passing the FCC not to cause harmful interference. Some of the junk out there really blows my mind. Just talk to any ham radio person about this and they can talk you all kinds of stuff.
@@Robert-Wilsonbecause the FCC doesn’t do their own tests for compliance. They never have. But companies have only been taking advantage of that the last few years. And if I remember right for stuff like that there aren’t even really standards it has to conform to. It would be nice if not everything had poor quality control switching electronics that put out RF.
Wifi and computers/laptops seem to interfere as well, and visa-versa.
I picked up a cheap LED downlight, it took out everything, from broadcast AM up thorough UHF and digital TV. I knew I was causing the problem as I could see it happen when I switched on, however you may have a neighbour or someone a little more away using something similar not knowing their trashing the RF spectrum.
In addition, some TV and radio stations have cut their transmit power as much as 10dbm to save money on maintenance and electric bills. One such station is in NYC, where they went from 6kw to 600 watts literally overnight.
No one says anything about it, but
They don't do it to save money, they do it to make money. They get paid by the big Cable Companies to do that.
This has always been common practice. They change power based on conditions - primarily day vs night.
Thanks for shedding some more light on this, Tyler!
I had some loss of reception and distortion on some OTA channels including low power channels just yesterday and last night but the Earth was being hit by a lot of solar flares. Today the reception seems to be better.
5G broadband has eliminated many OTA channels.
@@arricammarques1955 No problem where I live and i'm miles from the city !
My OTA reception...which has been extremely good since my antenna upgrade a few months ago...has been wacky on some of the channels the past few days. Perhaps this solar storm has something to do with it.
@@Anothertominohio It is possible, it was on the news a couple days ago to expect loss of radio and tv and other types of issues.
I live in Washington DC area and have noticed this over the last few months
I wanted to say thank you, I inserted a Philips 5G filter to help block out the interference from those signals to improve my signal and in turn I was floored on how it improved everything. I'm using a tower with an old Winegard antenna with a Winegard PS-7070 amp and now I don't even need to turn my antenna and all my stations are clean. I'm in Toledo and I'm picking up channel 9 in Ontario Canada clean and clear.
Analog to Digital ruined OTA Broadcast .
Remember TV signals skipping,especially after a storm?
@@tdw5933 Yes, where we lived when I was a kid we could only get CBS and that wasn't even a very good reception. After a storm we could get NBC and ABC as well.
The digital is not the biggest problem, they sold all the VHF channels to cell phone companies and forced all OTA up to higher frequency UHF which is line of sight only signal and get blocked by trees, rain, etc.
With analog I got 5 snowy standard definition channels. Now I get 30 and some are in crystal clear HD.
i agree in my market you are lucky to receive digital 2 channels it truly stinks
RE: CBS2 WCBS-TV, I live in Cos Cob, CT (Greenwich) which is 32 miles from WCBS's tower at 1 World Trade Center and 84 miles (more or less) from WFSB's tower on Talcott Mountain in Avon, Connecticut. With a decent indoor antenna, I can get CBS 2.
That happens also on FM radio especially in the summertime where another radio station in the distance that's broadcasting in the same frequency would interfere & override the station I'm listening to!
We get the issue on am and fm
"Capture Ratio" of FM at work, that's why airplanes broadcast using AM instead and just put up with the static.
If you live in an area with no trees or buildings, you can ignore the following advice. But if you have a treed neighborhood or you're in a city and you're having signal issues with picture dropouts, you might want to read further.
I live in a city 13 mi. from all of our high power transmitters and I'm surrounded with 100 ft pine trees. I learned that trees and buildings cause Multipath. Multipath is where the primary signal bounces off trees and buildings and arrives at your antenna at different times. In the old analog days, this would appear as ghosts on your TV screen. Some would call it a reflected signal.
It's important to understand that these multi-path (reflected) signals are at a lower level than your primary signal, but with a high gain antenna, it will pick them up! Also, If you just throw up an antenna anywhere you may accidentally position your antenna to a reflected signal vs. the primary signal. If you have a decent antenna with reasonable gain, your results will probably be poor because it will pick up both the primary and all of the reflected signals. No matter what, when the wind blows, your picture experiences drop outs because the antenna is picking up multiple paths instead of just one.
I fought this issue for years thinking I needed a better antenna or MORE signal!!! My first mistake was thinking I need a HIGH signal level. I got a reasonable sized suburban antenna that gave me a 10 out of 10 for signal strength. But every time there was a breeze, the signal would be disturbed. I relocated the antenna MANY times, thinking I had found a better, stronger signal spot but couldn't cure the problem! I then decided I needed a BETTER, bigger antenna and even tried an amp! The problem was worse!! The problem was that my high gain antenna was picking up ALL of the multiple signal paths bouncing off trees, houses, etc. instead of just ONE path!
I realized this by noticing something interesting.
We have low power stations at that same distance that show the same programming as the high power stations. They are WAY more difficult to receive with any antenna, but with the right placement and height, they can be received with a good antenna and provides a marginal signal. I then noticed that when the wind blew, the reception on those weaker stations remained perfectly stable, even though the signal strength was only 3 out of 10. Those weaker stations provided perfectly stable reception.
I also realized that (from another direction) I was able to receive a channel 70 mi away, which also had a low signal, 3 out of 10, and it always came in perfect, even with a tropical storm.
I then realized that these weaker stations had NO multipath signals. Or if they did, they were so low that my antenna couldn't pick them up.
I then began to understand that the real issue I was fighting with the high power stations, was MULTI-PATH signals!!!
I decided I needed LESS antenna!!! Lower signals!! I purchased a simple flat plastic antenna. Since this is a very low gain antenna and I have a lot of trees, I had to find the best signal location, and then taped it to the side of the house.
My average signal for the high power stations is now only 5 out of 10, much less than before, but with PERFECTLY STABLE reception. By LOWERING the antenna gain and positioning it the path for the the primary signal, the flat antenna is simply NOT strong enough to pick up the weaker multipath signals so they no longer interfere.
In summary, with trees, houses and other objects, don't chase strong signals with big antennas. Keep the signal level down to a low level with a smaller antenna. You just need, like 4 or 5 out of 10 for a signal and you'll have less dropouts because the antenna won't be strong enough to pick up the weaker multi-path signals.
I do believe multipath is the major problem people fight with OTA reception. Digital get's confused with multiple signals. Get an antenna that only provides the level of signal you need and don't chase 10 out of 10 signal levels with big antennas. Use medium or gain antennas ONLY for really distant stations where you really need them.
Interesting finding....and good to know. Good reason to buy an amp that has variable output.
@@edwinschwank2446 True, but try not to use an amp at all. Unless you're 45 mi or more where your signal level is below 3 on a scale of 10 (using a Samsung TV signal meter). Amps, just like big antennas, will ALSO amplify the reflected multiple signal paths, which will cause disruptions in your picture! I wound up getting rid of all my amps, except for the station 70mi away. And that station actually comes in fine, at the antenna, but the amp had to be used to overcome splitter and coax losses.
In the old analog days amps would actually give you a more watchable picture but with digital, you just need to get the signal level over the minimum threshold where it's watchable. Making the signal stronger doesn't add a thing, nor will it make it more stable, AND, using an amp may amplify more undesirable multi-path signals, resulting in picture disturbances!!
RULE 1 with any antenna installation. Use a very low gain antenna and find your strongest signal path FIRST! THAT will be your primary signal path. If the signal level is too low, ONLY then experiment with a slightly larger antenna.
In the old days we used to just put an antenna in a convenient and preferred location. That doesn't work today with digital if you want reception that is always perfect. You just HAVE to find your strongest primary signal path first and place your antenna there. Yep, that's a bummer!
Is OTA digital a failure? Using it's current older technology I find it is certainly a huge failure for areas with trees, buildings, and even just houses. Digital multi-path should be discussed more and the television industry needs to update our current streaming technology to better reject multi-path signals. Multi-path IS our primary issue with digital reception. It makes the LOCATION of your antenna much more critical that the type of antenna you are using.
I'm also an amateur radio operator and even 100w signals from 35 mi. away will reflect from the tops of pine trees and bounce down into my secluded yard so you can imagine how a 1M watt signal a mere13 mi away can generate MANY reflection paths to your antenna! Multi-path is our current war with DTV.
Rick this is good stuff. Thanks!
@@RickPaquin I noticed the ATSC 3.0 signals I get from around 45 miles are stronger then the 1.0 ones. That may mean they are more resistant to multipath.
I blame the FCC for selling the spectrum to cell phone companies and decreasing the signal of certain PBS and other broadcast stations! Even with a reliable antenna, I noticed more picture blackouts during popular shows.
Bring back analog from it's 2009 tech grave
@@illkid86 the only way they can bring it back if the FCC allows analog broadcasting on a small scale.
@Markimark151 it should be optional because ever since that transition of 09 it's been a big mess
@@Markimark151 analog was easier to deal with
@@illkid86 yeah, analog broadcasting was easier to use, but they need to produce new broadcasting equipment, because those analog systems have been obsolete for few decades.
I don't have much problem with reception where I live. When the trains go by I notice a difference in some channels.
I have built my own food service grade DTV antenna. 2 8" metal baking pans with a matching transformer, and a cookie sheet for a reflector attached to a 12" 2x4.
I don't have an amplifier but the filter sounds like a good idea, as there is a cell tower nearby.
I have T-Mo 5G internet in my house, and getting good Mohu indoor antennas with an include pre-amp since I'm fairly close to the towers in my area, along with 4G LTE filters on all 5 of my TV's made a noticeable difference in what I was picking up for ATSC 1.0 signals since there are NO ATSC 3.0 stations yet in the Augusta, GA/CSRA(Central Savannah River Area) market. Hopefully all the ATSC 3.0 BS can eventually get worked out as it should improve my signals even further.
Edit: Also I hope we eventually see good sub 100 buck ATSC 3.0 tuner boxes, so more people can afford the ATSC 3.0 transition.
Oh, yes, I find the five ATSC 3.0 stations from OKC are somewhat stronger than the 1.0 counterparts. The 3.0 channels frequently broadcast in 1080p, but it's probably only upscaled. The NBC 3.0 affiliate broadcasted the Olympics in HDR! Good luck in getting them to Augusta soon! In my area, the Tulsa stations still need to go ATSC 3.0. That is really where I need stronger signals from!
But you do have one low-VHF station. WCES Georgia Public Broadcasting. Virtual Channel 20, RF 6. WJBF's old spot on the dial.
@@brucelipsitz7545 it's most of the same crap that's on SCETV, & it's not not on any list I look up for ATSC 3.0 stations, so till the big 4 start lighting up, & ATSC 3.0 tuners come down in price, then I'm sticking to ATSC 1.0, as I also have RUclips TV.
You need to do one of these on WiFi reception (which is affected by people walking around) and even Blue Tooth, how it weakens long before 30-ft maximum distance. Thanks for doing this revealing TV reception report. I get pixels whenever a jet flies within earshot.
My mother is a senior citizen with Altzheimers and needs to have television. It can be really frustrating to keep her calmed and comfortable, without needing to move the antenna for reception.
FOX2 Detroit, Dodger/Padre game coming in clear and sharp....Nbc ch.4. Wheel o fortune scrambling and Jeopardy was stuck on a crazy loop, like old film clicking back and forth, throughout the show.
Thanks, Antenna Guy, from Detroit🇺🇸
I remember UHF to channel 83. Ben Tongue (of Blonder -Tongue) still lived in NJ and was a member of the same radio club as me. my brush with fame.
Over the years, I've noticed that my reception improves in the late Fall when the leaves fall, and declines in the Spring when the trees leaf-out; that's one reason I want a 60' antenna tower, but that's out of my financial reach. I've also noticed reception problems, with a definite pattern, since the REMC installed a smart meter on my service; and still more problems since a 5G repeater was set up just outside my mobile home park. I'm beginning to think there's a conspiracy to get rid of OTA television.
I found that putting an antenna low can sometimes work better because tree trunks don't wave like branches do. (If your trunks are waving, you probably should have evacuated.)
After getting my Televise antenna over the height of the peak of my roof, my local channels, that are 45 miles away, come is much better now.
They used to be between 45~60, and are now 80~90!
I used to have it mounted to the bottom edge of the roof.
I added a 10' 2" conduit to the side of my house, and a 3' antenna post, atop an antenna rotator, and this difference is so dramatic!
Also, I can now rotate the antenna 180 deg around, and pick up channels from another town, 60 miles away, LOL!
The signal isn't that good, 40~50, but it's good enough to watch, on a good day.
I've been cord free for a couple of years, and will never go back!
Unless broadcast stations do away with over the air broadcasting...
Something you might enjoy;
There's a curvy county road a few hours away, my car's back glass antenna is directional enough that it switches stations back and forth a bunch of times as the road zigzags along a stream for a half mile or so. Only place like that I've ran across.
The good old days of watching what we use to call skip stations. Whether it be TV or radio. Late night horror channels we a gift!
Also use to listen to WWL in New Orleans at night, waiting to pick up my mother after her shift. I miss those days...😢
The late night horror movies ended when they put that pollution called Saturday night live on which had to be the most uncool show ever
I grew up in a UHF only area a long time ago so seeing those E-Skips slowly buzzing in with horizontal lines on the clear low VHF channels (usually ch 2 or 3) using just rabbit ears where fun. Once watched a full episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus on E-Skip.
@@dampergoldenrod4156simple solution. Don't watch it. Follow me for more advice on life
Same. Used to listen to KSL, Salt Lake City, Utah, on the car radio in a driveway in Lafayette, California. Fibber McGee and Molly, The Shadow, etc. Good times.
@@dampergoldenrod4156lmao
I may have mention I noticed that the bit rate for the network broadcast channels in my area in South Florida is often about half what it was 10 or 11 years ago. Also, the local news from the studio used to be crystalline sharp with an antenna, but now it seems like more blur and artifacts when looking closely, although maybe I shouldn't judge from looking recently because of the hurricanes in the area.
It's not you, they're packing way too many sub-channels into the bandwidth. Even the main channels get crap bandwidth. The FCC is making it all worse with the selling of RF. The OTA is overfull.
my house came with an antenna from the 1960's in the attic. on a good day, I can get channels from 100 miles away. all I had to do to it was install a coax adapter. local channels come in sharp and clear.
*Thanks for covering tropo "skips" phenomenon and co-channel interference issues.*
I was making antennas for radios in the late 70's. We did not watch a tell lie vision. We were out on the streets doing something. Basically I never watched a tell lie vision my entire life because it has been the biggest mind control weapon ever used. I will continue to enjoy stuff such as amateur radio. I don't pay for a signal, I make it!
I love this.
Hi Tyler, I live exactly where your example points out in Southern CT. Luckily, I have an extra-directional antenna so I’ve pointed it exactly at WCBS NY (Empire State Building) and the channel 3 WFSB transmitter is off alignment.
I can pick up Ch3 as an ATSC3.0 channel from the Farmington CT transmitter.
I also added an amplifier just inside the house to avoid weather corrosion.
I'm glad you were able to figure out a solution to null out WFSB. Unfortunately, others who use antennas in your area don't have this knowledge and probably can't get CBS reliably.
WNPT, the PBS affiliate in Nashville moved from VHF 8 to VHF 7 during the repack. Before the repack, I received the station's signal extremely well. After the repack, the station pixelates a lot. Not helping matters is they use measly power. It is obvious they took the repack money to purchase a new antenna and transmitter.
The repack offered broadcasters like for like coverage, so WNPT got the same transmitter power and antenna coverage as they had on 8. They didn’t apply for maximization, to increase their signal for reasons I am not certain about, but I know if they had tried to maximize their signal, they would have had to pay for any power increase over the coverage that they had on 8.
We are 25 miles northwest of Nashville and used to get it great and now we can't even receive it any more. Very frustrating!
😢Channel 4's and 8's signal has sucked since the changeover. Other than those, I get great reception with a pair of old rabbit ears. I live about 35 miles due north of Nashville
Tropospheric ducting can be a blast to play with when it is happening. Occurs on FM radio too. It is amazing to tune in a channel from 300 miles away and it looks/sounds local.
Exterior coax and the transformer connection to the antenna can deteriorate over time being exposed to the elements. Easy and cheap to replace and makes a huge difference.
Make sure to use the tar-like tape "coax-seal" on all the connections (back-taping electrical tape underneath first) or moisture will eventually enter the connections.
@@AL_9000Terrific idea. Thank you.
As a kid in suburban Milwaukee, pre-cable, pre-VCR, I remember fiddling with the antenna on our 19-inch TV to pick up stations in South Bend, Indiana, Traverse City, Michigan, and occasionally, in Green Bay.
Your work is fantastic!
Here in the greater Chicago-land area.
I'm fortunate to get good reception from my favorite OTA channels i.e. RetroTV, MeTV, and the True Crime Network.
Wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm also quite fortunate to live in a market where there's very little interference from neighboring markets. It's very rare for Green Bay to have that problem, since the broadcast towers are far enough away where no stations in Milwaukee, Wausau or Marquette, Michigan interfere with the Green Bay stations...
When FCC went all digital in our area we lost all free TV here we had all of our St Louis stations now we can't get any from anywhere. It's either satellite or nothing because we are in the country so no cable, no Internet and we use propane too.
I live in the St. Louis metro area, about 14-15 miles from most transmitters, my reception is generally pretty good, on windy days (especially in the summer, when deciduous trees have all their leaves) I will get some choppiness. I did notice last year the local CBS affiliate started not coming in as well (perhaps 5G related) on my TVs, though it does come in ok on a Tivo Edge for antenna as well as (suprisingly) on an inexpensive NAXA digital tuner box (you know, the cheap ones you can get for 30-35 bucks), so tuner ability can be in play as well.
Heck, when I visited my brother in rural Oklahoma, I was amazed he was able to get both Oklahoma City and Tulsa stations with an outdoor antenna even though he was between 55 and 65 miles from the stations. I guess you're further than that from the St. Louis stations.
@@Boomerlake We are about 90 and more from the transmission towers I checked we would need a 2500' tower to properly bring a broadcast signal. Apparently that's not acceptable privately. Per the law .
@@jenniferbohner7815 To overcome the curvature of the earth problem you may have to go with an extreme option that isn't practical to meet.
Your post is very concerning. A target market that is not being used with OTA broadcasting seems very suspect sounds to me like there's some Mafia style or shady dealings going on and you need to find out what it is and pull back the veil.
Good info. I used to use the free over the air antenna on my boat but now I just use a fire stick when in the marina. I did notice a drop in performance in my reception while using the antenna
VCRs were still viable media for recording OTA shows and sporting events. But, the stores didn't see it that way.
Around 2007 they were selling VCRs for $39 I should have bought four of them so I would have enough to last a lifetime
@dampergoldenrod4156 my mom bought a bunch in good shape at garage sales years ago. I told her to hang onto them and refuse to let her throw them out.
@@dampergoldenrod4156For this money you can buy a box right now that has an ATSC tuner and built-in DVR - just provide your own media via USB. VHS VCRs have been dead for 20 years.
Like they did with record players, China is starting to make VCR's again.
Yes! My TV cuts out when ever the wind blowes... I didn't have any channels once about a week ago. And I haven't seen any of the PBS channels in about a year now.
I've always just figured that they switched to digital braudcast because that would allow them to adjust the braudcast signal strength according to the weather, and therefore saving money on days that the weather is nice.
I live in northern Michigan next to an airport and even airplanes passing over knocks out the signal.
I miss tropo DXing in the early morning hours. The band is so crowded now there isn’t many open channels to pick up stations in other markets. FM radio is also harder to get tropo on due to the HD radio sidebands.
I gave up on FM DXing over 20 years ago because there were too many new FM stations blocking DX conditions.
The worst part of digital TV is the sound stopping before the picture is impacted. In analog you could get sound even if you couldn't get a clear picture.
The digital conversion resulted in a more perfect picture but only if your specific location enjoyed a 100% strength signal. For most of us this isn't true so we suffer with "worse than 1950's" picture quality.
Your technical advice is a game changer
why couldn't they give the phone companies the vhf bands and and we kept the uhf one and had simpler antennas.
Because VHF is worse indoors and they care about the interests of phone companies more than the general public.
The higher the frequency, the higher the maximum data rate that can be achieved, so the cell phone companies prefer UHF except in more rural areas because VHF has a bit more range with less total data throughput required.
I had a problem back when they moved away from analog to digital- the digital receptions are binary, where an analog signal we can fine tune the reception and even with a weak signal you can still potentially get a picture and sound.
Don’t forget, back in the analog day, max power for low vhf was 100000 watts high vhf was 3160000 and uhf was 5 million watts. With digital, none have even close to that power. Even though digital is easier to transmit, if they still had to same max, they would be way more reliable.
Duh I agree because radio waves don't care if the signal is analog or digital they travel the same distance regardless the FCC thinks that because it's digital that 20kw for low-vhf, would cover the same area as 100kw, it doesn't 20kw digital covers, it's about the same area as a LPTV analog signal, it's the nature of the beast
@@jcurnutte2007Another bad fcc decision. No reason they can’t have the same power as analog and no reason the tv dial can’t still go to at least channel 50
Do you have any idea on the cost for 250kW RF amplifier? You must sell boat-loads of advertising to fund it.
@@johnpoldo8817 yeah I know. Its a lost cause. I just miss full power analog
broadcasters have been Reducing transmitter power.
The 5G filter has made all the difference as of now. Thank you for all your hard work.
Analog NTSC was my baby. The ATSC 1 channels are so rude, I have no motivation to receive them. ATSC 3.0 is nonexistent in my neighborhood and non - 3.0 TV's are discounted and simpler. TV has shrunk in my life, but FTA free to air satellites are in the future.
I'm using my sega game gear to watch tv via a converter box I miss the old ways of tv
I have two setups. I have an 8-bay that I bought for $15 at a yard sale. It sat for a few months until I got fed up with cable. I have an in-line amp. It's done okay considering I am shooting through trees to the antennas on the mountain. When the leaves are thick and it's windy I get the macro blocking, tiling, or other weird digital effects. I can't cut the trees because most are in the neighbor's yard. I get 48 channels of mixed quality 1920x1080 for a few of the main ones but a lot of 720x480 for most of the rest. I compare it to a low quality rural cable setup in the 1980s except this time around the repeats of old shows are better than the current content from a lot of networks.
The other setup is in a bedroom/computer room. The antenna is one of those amplified indoor antennas that is a flat rectangular box with two antenna coming out the side. (GE) I have it in a window facing south or 90 degrees from the antennas to the east. Reception has been more of a reflection but okay. That feeds one of the Magnavox tuner boxes I bought from Walmart with the $40 discount card from congress. That feeds an old Symphonic TV (CRT) on top of a filing cabinet. I need to update this setup because the reception is going downhill.
Unless you live close to a lot of broadcast locations I wouldn't do an indoor amplified antenna. You're going to see dramatic results with that same external box on a CRT just by grabbing an old exterior rooftop antenna from someone that is giving it away or for cheap. Without any amplification or filters, it's going to perform three or four times better than your overpriced amplified indoor model.
I live in an area with a lot of military aircraft operations. Fixed wing and rotor wing. My reception goes to crap at times, and other times it is just fine. Even with a strong signal number. Or it could be what Tyler says, interference with long distance stations.
The issue with some channels going in and out when airplanes fly over is less of an issue with your antenna and more of an issue with signals reflecting off the planes. Reflected signals result in brief pixeling/drop outs on some channels. This probably might be mitigated with a better antenna and/or an ATSC 3.0 tuner but might not go away entirely
I am buying a new antenna. I did not know about 5g. My current antenna is now doing the job now. Thank you
If your current antenna works fine, you don't necessarily need to upgrade.
All these damn solar flares are causing major issues too. I can tell if there is a solar storm just by how pixelated TV is. Today (and the last couple of days) my channel 2.1-2.5 are completely unwatchable due to heavy pixelation, dropped signal and glitching sound.
Your videos keep getting better and better - looking good dude! Those blue eyes....
Great analysis. I never considered tropo ducting for DTV. I suppose a Yagi would take care of it if the ducting is in a null direction. Certainly would take care of the non ducting co-frequency station interference though. I think the analog was more forgiving to weaker signals as well. You may have received a snowy picture but at least you had good audio. Digital is all or nothing unfortunately.
We lost a number of Translators from our Seattle CBS station that they shut down. Why? My option is they rather have the cable retransmission fees. I do get a Canadian CTV channel now that was on the same broadcast channel.
Nexstar also shut down broadcast repeaters in my area. I thought the FCC was supposed to protect the consumer from these types of incidents.
@@AntennaMan COX owned our channel. I think our Fox affiliate is the only one with transponders in Seattle market. Ironically it broadcasts on vhf-hi ch13 plus its transmitter is up 2000 feet. I’m 70miles north and receive it with a small RCA antenna.
I think you are mostly thinking correctly. Broadcasters are required to support their specified transmission in order to maintain their frequency. Translators are an add-on service. Optional. When they wanted OTA viewers they added them. Since so many get their stations over the internet or cable now they take them down as expensive relics. Some don't. As Tyler has said in MANY videos, the big money these days is in retransmission fees paid by streamers and cable. But....no transmission, no re-transmission, no re-transmission fees. FCC regulates the quality of the signal. If they degrade it, it become unreliable, or you have a beef complain to FCC. YOU WILL SEE RESULTS (if your're right and it's not your own fault you're not getting it).
On some summer mornings I will pick up Rochester, NY stations where I live East of Syracuse, about 70 miles away due to tropo, which I think is cool! Reminds me of the old low band VHF analog days when I would pick up very distant stations due to sporadic E
We also need updated antennas for the repack. Most TV antennas are still configured to receive channels 2-69. Not just 2-36.
We need the highest gain of the antenna down at the lower channels.
I can get about 90 perfectly good stations on a set of rabbit ears
@@kensmith5694 Congrats. Your lucky.
I wish that was my case. I'm out in the fringe. All of the local TV station's towers are 45-60 miles away with multiple large hills in-between. To complicate things I live in the bottom of a valley. With a perfect set-up you can only get 7 stations ( 35 channels ) here.
Cheap or small antennas here won't pick up anything. I tried 5 different antennas here. I just kept buying larger and larger antennas. My best result is with a UHF Yagi antenna.
I'm using a Stellar Labs 30-2370, copy of an Antennas Direct (91XG), with a KitzTech KT-200 amp to just get 5 stations (24 channels). Even with this set-up, channels fade in and out depending on the weather and the seasons. I need all the reception power I can get.
I've even been thinking about stacking another identical antenna to boost my reception some. I've also read about modifying my antenna to bring the gain down to channels 14-36. You have to make the directors longer. I don't think 5G is a problem where I live, cell reception is weak on all 3 carriers, but I'm going to buy a 5G filter anyway. I'm also going to try quad shield cable just for the extra 1 db, I might be losing in the cable.
I think Televes antennas are updated.
@@Boomerlake You are correct!
You're information is so Helpful for us who don't want to be slaves to cable. Thanks
your
I liked the old NTSC broadcasts. Granted it wasn’t spectrum efficient but even a marginal signal was still watchable. I used to enjoy watching fringe area stations and always enjoyed DX’ing distant UHF stations on a warm humid summers night. I could very often receive stations as far south as Virginia from Long Island as well as up to Boston. Fun times with channels up to number 69.
I miss the analog days. In the rural location I grew up, I could pick up probably a dozen channels. After the digital transition, I now get nothing.
I have also noticed that my reception has been getting worse this past year. Like clock work after certain broadcasts the signal starts getting weaker usually after the local news.
yes, they are cutting power after Primetime. 8 - 10pm.
my mother complained that her NBC affiliate had disappeared. I used her Sling account to check, and sure enough, the AirTV was complaining about weak or no signal. I checked back periodically through the day, and it magically reappeared around 3 PM. damnedest thing I'd ever seen. She does live on the gulf coast, so this very well could have been the reason (atmospheric conditions).
It was likely tropo related especially if she lives in the gulf. The moist air contributes to tropo conditions.
3 PM is the weakest time for tropo conditions to effect TV reception. Trop may likely be totally dead by then unless it's a rare and exceptionally long lasting opening. I've had to rely on short range tropo conditions to bring in most of my Tulsa stations every evening since they are between 76 to 80.5 miles away. The curvature of the earth issue surely sets in for the furthest station at 80.5 miles. Of course, they're gone by noon. In use is a big Televes UHF only antenna. Rabbitears rates all Tulsa stations as tropo.
Gremlins........ok maybe digital gremlins.
This is good information, so I'm a new subscriber. We live in a townhouse where outdoor antennas are not acceptable. We need an interior one and are limited in how far the antenna can be from the the TV. I've bought a Mohu digital antenna from Best Buy, and it is supposed to be a really good antenna with lights that indicate strength. Two lights out of four is our best. We are not very pleased with it. I'm intrigued by the idea of using amplifier and will look into this. So far, it is frustrating that manufacturers don't seem to specify what amplifier will work best for a particular situation. We don't have a metal antenna on the roof, and so far that appears to what amplifiers are meant for. I hope that I find out differently as I look into it. Recommendations are welcome.
Mine has actually improved over the last couple of years. I live roughly 32 miles from the antenna farm and I have a crappy antenna in the attic, with a junk walmart amplifier and a channel master distribution amp. 2 years ago, any storms by the farm (which is daily here) and the signal would weaken - now it's solid even during the hurricane.
Some TV stations took the opportunity to improve their signal during the FCC repack, but in many areas reception isn't as good because of the TV band being overcrowded.
The same thing also happened here in Mexico because we depend a lot on American legislation, we didn't have many problems capturing distant channels, but after repackaging There are stations that are not captured well. For example, I live in an area where channels from the capital (Mexico City) and the city of Puebla are captured, There is a station that broadcasts on RF 32 in CDMX (XEW) and another in Puebla (XHTMPU) and when trying to mix the signal of both they are lost.
In my humble opinion, they should not have sold the 600 MHZ band, since it only damaged the reception of over-the-air television.
Do a little homework and find out all the different locations of the over-the-air stations that you can pick up that you want to receive from the different directions and any competing signal that could be coming in from another location on the same frequency. Do you have a lot of trees or walls or anything that could be causing reverberation of the signal or bouncing because the primary signal will get distorted by the lower quality crossing of the same signal being bounced around. It might be in your case that you need to change the location of the antenna and the style of it and the size because a smaller antenna pointed where that you could bring in the stations you want the most will probably still bringing other stations you weren't expecting because it's now not collecting the reverberated signals well and it will even work better when you have wind and rain. Knowledge and trials is King
I live 50 miles from Pittsburgh and 30 miles from Johnstown, PA, we cannot reliably receive a single blessed channel of DTV, even the FCC signal strength website shows our county of 89,000 people in no reliable signal land. Analog TV gave us eight channels.
I was wondering when you would address this. My reception on 3 different TV's (and tuners) and on 3 different antennas on my house has gotten much worse. I tried a 5G filter from Channel Master, reception was worse so I took it out.
I am always amazed windy days affect reception-what the hell?! Old analog, no problem.
The issue you're having with some channels on windy days is less of an issue with the antenna and more of an issue with the trees around your home. When they blow in the wind they cause multipath/reflected signals which causes brief pixeling/drop outs on some channels. This issue should be mitigated with a better antenna but might not go away entirely. If you would like me to take a look into your situation, sign up for my antenna recommendation service below: www.antennamanpa.com/antenna-recommendations.html
I used to get that in Janesville, WI in the 1990s in FM reception. Sometimes Chicago stations would overpower the ones on same frequency that are around Madison, WI.
Just wait until 6G comes along... there won't be any OTA TV at all. But everyone will be able to watch cat videos on their phone faster than ever!
I had trouble with pixelating channels during different times of the day and night (I live in an apartment and not allowed to put up an outdoor antenna, so indoor antenna and amplifier only). Channel Master makes a great OBTV (Out of Band TV) Filter that has greatly improved my over the air reception. The pixelation is gone and a few channels that were very hit or miss on any given day are now watchable.
use small Outdoor Antenna while Inside.
I have to rescan three or four times a day. But for sure at 1900 you finally get channels. North Central Nebraska. I drive Semi OTR so I'm on the road. I will never go to cable.
Most if not all over the market TV antennas are somewhat wide banded. If your having real problems with a certain channel, tune your antenna for the specific channel. And if you live in a congested area, get a preselector to further match to that specific channel.
I AM ASSUMING SOME OF THESE TV STATIONS LOWERED THE SIGNAL QUALITY SO THAT YOU ARE FORCED TO PAY FOR VERIZON OR CABLEVISION OR FOR STREAMING BECAUSE THE STATIONS ARE GETTING PAID FOR REDISTRIBUTION
I pick up a lot more now with just rabbit ears. The old VHF stations 2 - 13 used to be able to travel further but when we went from 360i to 1080p transmisaion the VHF couldnt handle the data load so each station got 4 UHF stations. Some are transmitting only 720i so can use the other two stations as sub channels for alternate programming.
The free broadcast TV of today is unmatched in the variety of old shows that are enjoyable to watch
It sure is. But you can get option paralysis trying to select a channel to watch.
That might be true, a lot of us will never know. Trying to get a signal is a MIRACLE in the age of digital TV.
Another thing affecting clear reception is all the RF noise radiated by devices with cheap Chinese switching power supplies. It sometimes goes unnoticed, but if you're still trying to listen to broadcast AM or FM radio, you will see that cheap consumer electronics with these "wall wart" type plug in switching power supplies have made it impossible.
The Channel Master Preamp 1 specs indicate it already filters 5G, 4G, FM, and LoRa/Helium. Exercise caution adding another 5G filter between the antenna and the amp input on this one.
Yep, that's why I bought a Channel master amplified splitter.
That is why I'm here, I can see the antenna on the mountains and aim the antenna at the those Antennas. We are only a few miles away and used to get all the stations no problem, now we get none.
it makes sense since they are higher frequency than the old analog signals, I was in the navy and we could detect lower frequencies from greater distances in passive sonar than higher frequencies.
However, higher frequencies penetrate buildings better so work better with smaller indoor antennas.
my TV reception greatly improves in the fall and winter I can pick up better signals than in the middle of summer when a lot of times you get the pixelation and it usually always happens when when the news Weather reports come on
Sun spot cycle (solar flares).
Possibly because in the fall and winter the trees lose their leaves.
@@cheesyvideo leaves do **NOT** affect HDTV signals
@@bellytripper-nh8ox Leaves can affect any TV signal, whether its HDTV or SDTV.
Mine works pretty good still I get 40+ channels but most channels are generic like super old TV shows ECT but get local channels. I am 40 miles south of a major city.
Most locations have pretty reliable reception, but in general it's not as reliable as it used to be thanks to congress and the FCC selling half the TV band to cell phone companies.
Unfortunately the only cure for a certain channel that is 180 degrees distant from each other is to 1. Get a yagi antenna mounted on a mast and turned by an antenna rotor. A yagi antenna looks like an arrow and points to the station you want
and if you want to watch the other channel from the town 180 degrees opposite turn it to that location. 2. Get two yagi antennas pointed 180 degrees opposite each other with separate coax lines mounted to an A-B switchbox near your TV.
That is a cheaper option as you could mount them on a mast on a chimney but the signal may not be the best in any case
all of the time.
Yes that is fairly good advice.
I have two antennas in my attic and I get good reception.
I just happened to have made a video with a shot of them
ruclips.net/video/gK3-IQkHkyo/видео.htmlsi=GoDGS6uDRTZRcjDx&t=86
At 1:26 in the video I show them.
I have a yagi pointed at the city that is about 60 miles away.
The other antenna is something I built myself. It is basically two bowties mounted about 1/2 a wavelength apart one above the other. The feed point is off the middle of the run between them. It has a classic dipole beam shape. The two other cities are in opposite directions from me.
You could also just get a quality UHF antenna that has a metal reflecting mesh on it and take off the mesh. Now it will receive in a figure-8 pattern - (receiving in the front and back).
People should also try unplugging any streaming sticks, consoles, or any other stuff they have plugged into or near their TV and see if it makes a difference. Sometimes things can go bad and cause interference.
The newer energy-efficient switching-type power supply wall warts are extremely RF noisy compared to the older and larger linear power supply wall warts.
If you have ANY open/unused coaxial ports ( unused splitter port, room with no tv but has a coax port ), place a 75 ohm termination plug in it. Cell phone signals migrate into them and cause interference.
In Memphis, my reception of WMC-TV (VHF 5) and WTME-LD (UHF 14) is now gone, I could not lock the signal, before WMC moves to UHF 30 (replacing WQEK-LD) which will move to another UHF channel. I then switched to DirecTV Stream.
I think this is being done deliberately.
It absolutely is. Big media companies that own local TV stations are doing the bare minimum to offer their channel free over the air because they prefer people to pay for it on a cable, satellite, or streaming service.
@@AntennaMan 🎯👏👏👏💯
yep i believe that too!
They Want You To Pay For It! The Original WABC 7-1 & CW PIX 11-1 In New York Are Going In & Out All The Time.
They're planting trees to obstruct signal. OK..
I live in apartments and it sucks. Our living room is facing a big tree in the courtyard. We have completely mostly lost access to ABC channel.
I remember seven or eight years ago we were able to get all the channels on rabbit antenna and the tv was in a house in the middle of the living room.
i know just how you feel it really does suck. especially anti antenna HOAs
Honestly, digital OTA TV is horrible. At least with analog, it might be a bit fuzzy with a weak signal, but you could still enjoy it. With digital, it's either there or not.
I have no trouble getting 55 channels in always rock steady from Oklahoma City by using an RCA 65+ flat antenna. Now if I tried getting the Tulsa stations with that same flat antenna there is nothing there. That is simply because Tulsa stations are way too far away to get with an indoor antenna. Then I can understand why some people just hate digital OTA TV.
Digital is soooo binary. 🤔🤪
Homemade DB 4 picking up over 50 channels indoors by my overhead door track in garage. Cheap signal booster and short high quality coax. 50 miles north of Indianapolis.
Hi just became a channel member not too long ago i am a long time viewer
Really appreciate it!
Paradoxically, sometimes one can deal with trees by putting an antenna lower. I found I got better reception closer to ground level because while the upper parts of trees wave in the wind, trunks tend not to wave very much, so there's less signal path changes for the TV to deal with.