The Poor TV Reception ,The Main Reasons Why

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Main Reasons Of Poor TV Reception

There can be a number of reasons you may be experiencing poor TV reception. The best way to determine this is to use an expert who can come to your home, asses your set-up then diagnose and resolve the problem.

The first thing we would look at is your antenna. Is it an analogue antenna? Or Digital? How old is it? These factors can determine the quality of your picture. We will then look at where it is mounted. Sometimes the position of the antenna can affect the quality of reception you will get. Ideally, it should be pointing in the correct direction for the signal (this is something only a professional can diagnose).

We will then asses the cabling. Most cabling can last 15-20 years so even if you have old cabling installed, unless it is kinked or damaged in some way, it should be fine for digital TV. An expert will also be able to assess the splitters and wall plates. These can be damaged during storms and in Sydney, we know this is not an uncommon occurrence.

Further to assessing the actual antenna and cabling set-up, we can then also check your tuning. All new TV’s are made with an automatic tuning feature. This means once tuned, they should stay that way however, in rare cases, there may be an issues with the manufacturing of the TV.

One of the most common reasons for poor TV reception is cheap cabling. Don’t spend thousands on a TV and one dollar on a cable. Using top quality wiring will guarantee you a top quality picture.

Lastly, interference can be the cause. This can come from computers, air conditioners/heaters and powerlines.

If you are having issues with your picture quality in Sydney/Hills District, contact us today!

Digital TV Antennas: Why it’s Time to Update

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In 2013 Australia completed a nationwide switch from analogue to digital TV. The reason for the switch is simple, digital TV frees up broadcasting space, allowing room for more channels which gives viewers more choice!
Digital TV has many benefits including better signal, clearer picture and sound as well as other features like a built in electronic programme guide. Once you change over to digital, TV you will never want to go back to analogue due to the massive difference in quality. No more messing around with coat hangers on top of your TV or banging on the side of it to fix the picture; your reception will always be clear!
Installing a digital TV antenna means we all now have the luxury of more free to air channels and who doesn’t love having more choice? The good news is, if you only have an older TV at home, most analogue TV’s can be converted to digital with the help of set top box so there’s really no excuse not to update. Another great thing about digital TV is that it gives people living in rural places the same range of channels and the same quality of reception as those living in major cities.
Before you have your digital TV antenna installed, make sure you have someone experienced do the job. Experienced installers will know the best place to put the antenna as well as how to carefully and neatly hide any wiring that goes along with it. They can also help you with tuning your stations if you are unsure of what to do.
Digital TV is just as easy to operate as analogue, if not easier! We service most of Sydney, so if you haven’t already, contact us today to make the switch to digital free to air TV!

Stay Tuned for the RETUNE

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WHAT IS THE RETUNE?

As the final step in Australia’s successful move to digital-only TV, some channels will be changing frequencies. After they’ve changed, you’ll need to retune your digital TV, set-top box or digital TV recorder to find the channels that have moved.

These moves will free up broadcasting spectrum so that it can be used for new services such as mobile broadband. Just like the successful switch to digital-only TV, the retune is being carefully planned to make sure the change is as easy as possible.

As the final step in the move to digital-only TV, some channels will change frequencies in a process known as the retune. These moves will free up broadcasting spectrum that will be used for new services, such as mobile broadband. Different areas will need to retune on different dates until the end of 2014. Just like the switch to digital-only TV, the retune has been carefully planned to make sure the change is as easy as possible.

Call 1300 115 727 or a FREE Quote

Different areas will need to retune on different dates, so to find your date visit the website at www.digitalready.gov.au/retune where you can sign up for a reminder SMS or email.

WHO DOES IT AFFECT?

digital-tv-ready-sydney-australiaThe retune will affect most TV viewers in Australia. But if you are watching TV via the Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST) service, the retune won’t affect you. If you watch your free-to-air channels via pay TV, your set-top box may be retuned for you by your provider.

Some viewers may find some of their equipment will automatically detect changes to the channels and retune itself, or it may prompt them to retune. If you are missing a free-to-air digital TV channel or channels you will need to retune.

HOW DO I RETUNE?

Most people would have scanned for channels when they bought a new television – retuning follows the same process. It is often called “auto-tuning”, “auto-scanning” or something similar.

Start by pressing the “menu” button on your remote then look for your “set-up” options. Next, try to find words like “channels” or “auto-tuning”.

You might want to write down your favourite channel, program recording and parental lock settings before you retune, as retuning may delete these settings.

If you live in an apartment, you may be using a shared antenna system. If you are experiencing issues trying to retune your digital TV equipment after your retune date, you should first contact your property manager or body corporate.

WHEN DO I RETUNE?

Your retune date depends on your location and the TV tower from which you are receiving your TV signal. To find your retune date, enter your address into the “Get retune info” box on the website at www.digitalready.gov.au/retune.

You’ll need to retune your digital TV, set-top box or digital TV recorder on or after your area’s retune date.

Some people within the same town or city will have different retune dates. This is because some areas may be serviced by a number of TV towers.

The retune will take place across Australia progressively until the end of 2014.

Q&A

Q: When is the retune?

A: The retune will take place across Australia progressively until the end of 2014. Different areas will need to retune on different dates, so to find your date visit the website at www.digitalready.gov.au/ retune where you can sign up for a reminder SMS or email. To find your area’s retune date, enter your address into the ‘Get retune info’ box on the retune website www.digitalready.gov.au/retune.

Q: Will this affect me?

A: The retune will affect most TV viewers in Australia. If viewers are watching TV through the Viewer Access Satellite Television (VAST) service, the retune won’t affect them. If viewers watch free-to-air channels via pay TV, their set-top box may be retuned for them by their provider.

Some viewers may find their digital TV equipment will automatically detect changes to the channels and retune itself, or it may prompt them to retune.

Q: What do I have to do?
A: After channels have changed, you’ll need to retune your digital TV, set-top box or digital TV recorder

on or after your area’s retune date (not before).

Q: Why is retuning necessary?
A: These moves will free up broadcasting spectrum so that it can be used for new services such as

mobile broadband.

Q: What do I do if I’m having difficulty?

A: For viewers having difficulty retuning their equipment, be sure to check the manufacturer’s handbook or manual for instructions on how to retune, ask a friend or family member to help, visit the retune website at www.digitalready.gov.au/retune or call the Digital Ready Information Line on 1800 20 10 13, 8am to 10pm (AEST), 7 days.

Antennas Discussions

Re-aligning TV aerial to receive freeview ?

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John asks…

Re-aligning TV aerial to receive freeview in the UK?

I just checked on freeview.co.uk and can’t get freeview on my local transmitter (Lydbrook, West). If I were to re-align or point an additional aerial to Ridge Hill, Central that broadcasts freeview, how do I go about where to point it?
I’d rather not pay my entire wages to someone to do it for me so I want to do it myself, is this possible?

Thanks
Jack

admin answers:

Not a clue. I have a freeview box in my bedroom and my son has one in his and ours work off indoor aerials.

Jenny asks…

Is there anyway of getting TV channels without a on the roof TV aerial in the UK???

admin answers:

You can get 5 or 6 channels from an indoor aeriel. But the best thing is to buy a tv with built in freeview, I got a little LCD on eBay gets 30+ channels with the indoor aeriel it came with.

Linda asks…

Why do I get intermittent and seemingly random interference with my analogue tv aerial in the UK?

When watching tv, my picture goes fuzzy after a while, on all channels. I currently have terrestrial tv, but the same used to interfere with my digibox, rendering most channels unobtainable.

To fix the problem, all I do is unplug the aerial lead either at the tv or the wall, and plug it in again – bingo, clear picture. Then a few minutes later the interference occurs again, and I have to get up again and repeat. Sometimes, just to be unpredictable, the picture clears again without me doing anything.

Any pearls of wisdom on this annoyance greatly appreciated!

admin answers:

Agc control in your tv is faulty
the cable is broken internally [not likely]
an aircraft has flown over? [not likely either]
a tree has grown in direct path with your aerial’s line of sight to the transmitter and is blowing in the breeze [a possability]

try the aerial in a different tv set

what sometimes happens is rainwater runs down the inside of the coaxial cable and runs into the tuner of the tv causing faults – though you mentioned you had a wall socket – but its worth a look to see if there is corrosion at the wallsocket plate

Indoor TV Antenna ?

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Maria asks…

clearvue tv booster antenna review?

Does anyone have any experience using this tv booster antenna? I live in LA and would like to use it with a second TV now that it is hooked up to a digital converter box. Thanks.

admin answers:

There’s no problem with adding a 2nd TV set to a booster, but it does split the total power output to 1/2 for each TV set.
All you have to do is SPLIT the signal AFTER the booster.

I will suggest you buy a DISTRIBUTION Amp to keep the signal constant, and use that instead of a splitter.

The booster boosts….the distribution amp distributes. They both serve a purpose.

Nancy asks…

Indoor TV Antenna? Where can I get a good one? I live in Chicago. We got over 25 free stations. Brands? Stores

Why is it that there is virtually no advertizing for tv antennas? <Most of what I bought is lousy. I think there must be a magazine, or store, or manufacturer getting ready for the digital switch. I’ve heard that antenna tv with the digital converter has outstanding reception, great sound, and a superior picture quality. Yet, I’ve heard nothing NOTHING! about who makes a good indoor tv antenna. And why not? Cable is a bad as having a high credit card bill. I watch basic channels, the TWC, in Chicago CLTV, and maybe History or Discover or fishing. Other t han that, on cable I only watch maybe 5 or 6 out of nearly 100 non-free channels. So, who, what company, has anyone reviewed good quality indoor tv asntennas, and if not why NOT? Besides, with the USA economy being so bad, people are going to be cancelling cable and needing tv by antenna sooner than the digital complet conversion. I personally think, they are milking Americans of as much money as possible, before tv conversion.

admin answers:

I use an indoor powered antennae. They cost about $35 at Wal-Mart or Best Buy. I’m 50-75 miles from 2 major cities and I get all kinds of stations – VHF and UHF. Don’t worry about the brands – there will only be one or two. I’ve owned several and had good luck with all.

Steven asks…

Can a digital tuner VCR or combo replace the converter box when using an outside antenna’ed analog TV?

I have newish TV, old VCR, both analog. Tried the converter boxes and don’t like them. Can I buy a digital tuner VCR or a combo and continue to record on the VCR into the switch next year? Reviews I read say, in many new combos, the VCR will remain analog and will not record digital programming in 2009. So what’s the digital tuner for? Don’t want to pay for cable, satellite or tivo because I don’t watch much on TV.

admin answers:

The VCR is put in combo units mostly so people can play their old VHS tapes.

There is no good reason why they can’t be designed so you could record on with the DVD burner or VCR. I suppose they save a few $ in parts by leaving out the VCR recording capability.

The idea is that you would record programs on DVDs. Walmart sells DVD recorders that have both DVD burners and hard drives. You can record to either DVDs or to the hard drive.

In any case, you can use a DVD recorder with digital tuner instead of a converter box, but you will not be able to record one channel while watching another. You can even daisy chain your old VCR between the DVD recorder and TV and record on your old VCR.

If you are going to stick with your old TV, I suggest that you get a DVD recorder with digital tuner and hard drive. If you think you will want to watch one channel while watching another, set things up so you can watch one channel on a converter box while recording on the DVD/hard drive.

I have the Zenith/Insignia model and think it’s fine. In the next couple of months a new model will become available (“DTVPal”) that would let you program recording digital channels on your old VCR.

What model converter did you try ?

Can you help me with my reception problems ?

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Lisa asks…

can you help me with my reception problems. Can I hook my sirius radio to my tv dish for better recpetion an?

I have a Sirius home radio and live in a hole lined with trees. I cannot get on the roof. is there a way to hook this up to the cable from my DirectTV Dish?

admin answers:

No, The music channels already on there though, are XM Radio

Helen asks…

Problems with reception on some channels with new TV Tuner Card installed?

I installed a TV Tuner Card on a GATEWAY DeskTop with a Flat Screen LCD. I’m running VISTA Ultimate and the software is VISTA compatible. Problem that I have encountered is some stations(CBS NBC FOX) are not receiving well. I added a radio shack amplifier to boost the signal which improved the reception somewhat but I am unable to fine tune for better reception. I’m accessing Internet via DSL. TV tuner software is WinTV-HVR 1600. I’m not sure if I’m not running with the proper pixel setting. I also tried viewing using the Windows Media Center but have encountered the same problem with the same Channels. Channels 7 and above come in crystal clear. Can anyone offer any suggestions. Thanks!
I’m connected directly to cable.

admin answers:

How you’re accessing the Internet isn’t important; what TV service you have is the important factor. Do you have cable TV? And the cable is connected to the TV tuner? Or do you have a non-cable TV service with your DSL provider? I have a pretty old tuner, and I have cable, and mine works well.

You might be able to contact your TV provider for advice from them.

Joseph asks…

Could a cell tower be a problem with TV reception?

There is a cell tower basicly a block from my house could it be interfering with my tv reception?

And if so, is there anything I can do to improve my signal?

admin answers:

You didn’t say if you were on cable or not.

Cell phones operate on different frequencies than TV signals. So they should not be interfering with Over The Air reception. If you are on cable and having signal quality problems, you need to call your cable company and have them fix it. You pay for quality service and should get what you pay for.

How can we differntiate between an analog and digital signal ?

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Linda asks…

Why such a great picture while analog/digital simulcasting, and awful signal strength since the analog cutoff?

I bought a converter box and took a chance on an indoor HD antenna and was frankly blown away byt the results…at first. The original signal being picked up appeared to be digital because it occasionally pixelized during bad storms, and there was no snow as there was with the old rabbit ears antenna. From the day of analog shut-off, I can still get only one station [poorly] in my area.

admin answers:

First rescan for the stations. Some changed channel numbers. They may have also gone to the UHF band so you might need a (primarily) uhf antenna.

Mary asks…

How can we differntiate between an analog and digital signal?

i am writing a message to someone at internet ,,,,,,what is the process…Is there any analog digital signal conversion happening???

admin answers:

An analogue signal is one where the values are continuous. The information for a specific value is proportional to voltage, current, frequency etc.

A digital signal has the current, voltage, frequency etc. Broken into separate states that transmit information by encoding. The states represent logic signals. The information for a specific value is represented by encoding the digital states.

In this case, the computer sends a digital signal, via a serial connection of some sort, to the local network. The local network connects to the modem. If it is an ADSL modem, the modulation process converts the signals from the network into a set of symbols, made up of various tones. These represent various chunks of the serial signal from the computer, so are now a combination of digital signals transmitted simultaneously. This allows more information to be transmitted in a given bandwidth. The difference is that there are more than 2 states present at any instant. It is still digital. Other modems have related methods. The digital signal is transmitted on an analogue medium, the telephone wires.

Just to add to the confusion, there may actually be analogue to digital converters and the reverse digital to analogue converters used in the modem, as part of its method of modulating and demodulating the signals transmitted on the line or other medium such as radio.

Some would consider a modem converts analogue to digital and back again, but this is not true. It transmits digital signals through various medium, by translating them to a suitable form. The transmission itself is some form of digital modulation. This potentially enables signals to be transmitted over wires, radio, optical cable, taking advantage of the medium, with greater rate, distance and less errors than an analogue system.

Edit:
Made improvements to clarify the answer.

John asks…

If you subscribe to cable or satellite services will you need a converter box to comply analog/digital?

conversion? I have an analog T.V. but have satellite service through direct tv
On February 17, 2009, all US TV broadcasters are required to turn off their older analog transmitters and be exclusively digital. .
From all those submitted? Do you know something I don’t?

admin answers:

Once you subscribe to any services you will be fine. With cable or satellite your tvs will work after February 17.

I cannot get a digital signal either ?

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Chris asks…

Television Problem, Please help!!!?

My uncle bought me a TV tuner for my laptop. I was so glad because in my apartment, I have no means to watch TV. So then, I bought an indoor antenna so I could get signals from local TV channels here in my country. But when I tried it in my apartment, I can barely see the pictures of my favorite channel. The reception was very bad. I then asked my landlady if I can connect to the cable TV, she said okay but I have to add a certain amount on our rent. Its fine with me, but I think it may be illegal to split cable tv in our area. I wanted to subscribe, but I saw it was very expensive. Can there be ways that I can receive local TV signals aside from my useless indoor antenna? Or should I just share cable privileges at a price? Your help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

admin answers:

I’d share cable privileges at a price. Make sure, however- that your landlady gives you a receipt that clearly shows the added charges & what they’re for & save it along with all future ones. That way- if she’s splitting it illegally- it will be your landlady that will get fined for it; not you.

Helen asks…

my freeview used to have a good signal now it has a poor signal (please read)?

the last few months its been crap now i cant get most of my channels why?

all my channels used to work great i could get nearly every channel i was happy but now i cant get most of my channels including the main popular channels like itv/itv+1 channel 4 channel 5 sometimes bbc depending on where my aerial is pointing all the main 1s that should be there are not there i have rescanned my freeview box and now i have lost all the channels that didnt work due to a poor signal i have moved my aerial about and sum direction i get some channels that didnt work but then the other channels that did work now dont before i had my aerial in 1 position and every channel worked ive check all the wires scart aerial and power there is nothing wrong there i just don’t get it is the satellite not in my area at the moment??

that’s the only thing i can think of yeah there’s a digital switch over but as am all digital i shouldn’t have any problem unless i get help here am stuck to watching crap tv and paying for a tv licence is disgusting with the reception am getting

set up:
onn digital freeview box (2 yr old)
digital roof aerial (in my bedroom) only 1 year old never been outside
and a sanyo widescreen tv (5+ yr old)

my outdoor aerial is not ment for indoor use but it did used to work fine for about a year in my bedroom i could get every channel that existed

Seeing the words (No Signal) is doing my head in if this tv wasnt so big id throw it out the window

HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oooooooo i live in uk newcastle northeast

admin answers:

I think I’m right to say that your aerial needs to be pointed toward the transmitter for the multiplex in your region. Even when the aerial is fixed to your roof, bad weather can affect its orientation and lead to a loss of signal. The fact that its in your bedroom suggests to me that it isn’t fixed down and you have probably only been getting a good signal to date by chance and you have moved it without realising. Try adjusting the aerial, the old-fashioned way!

Jenny asks…

I cannot get a digital signal either.?

I live in a rural area and cannot get cell phone reception or broadband internet service at my home because it is in a valley and surrounded by trees. However I was always able to receive the local stations on my analog TV set with my antenna.

I recently bought a set top converter box and switched to digital only to find a had a very weak or no signal. Either way the weak signal showed multiple colored squares and no picture that I could make out and the sound skipped so much I couldn’t hear either.

I believe someone is going to have to solve this problem before Feb 2009 or alot of us will be without a public service.

admin answers:

First, try a better antenna. Digital works differently than analog. With digital, if you have a poor signal, it will look like nothing is there. Check http://www.antennaweb.org , put in your ZIP code and you will get a list of digital stations in your area and guidance on choosing an antenna and where to aim it. This solves many of the reception problems.

Don’t fall for the “digital” or “HD” antennas. There is nothing about an antenna that makes it “digital” or “HD; this is all marketing hype. An antenna is made for a set of channels (frequencies), it doesn’t care about what’s on the channels. It’s just a dumb piece of metal.

Choose a good quality VHF/UHF TV antenna like we have been using for the last 50 years.

I hope this helps. Please return and select a Best Answer from all of those submitted.

digital converter box/tv setup ?

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Lisa asks…

My government mandated tv digital converter box has an inadequate signal. What can I do?

I have a 20 inch Phillips bedroom TV with a direct current amplified rabbit ear antenna which cost 30 dollars at Radio Shack. The reception has always been borderline to fair depending on the weather and channel. With the addition of a digital converter box the signal is so weak that I can get only a couple of the main channels adequately. Is there any reasonably simple way to boost the signal strength? I live in a suburb of a large city.

admin answers:

Listen to Garrison above. Give him Best Answer. You need a better antenna.

Sandra asks…

digital converter box/tv setup?

i have a sansui tv with the following connections on the rear: audio/video in and out, ant. 75 ohm(a coaxial connection),s video.
I have a ge digital converter box and have it interfaced with the tv as per instructions. Problem is, I am only getting one channel(channel 8) and three different versions of it to boot! i am not getting any more channels. I have a radio shack hdtv antenna interfaced with the digital converter box also. HELP!
THNX in advance
sue in dallas tx usa

admin answers:

The problem is your antenna. It’s not good enough to get anything but the one channel. Consider installing an outdoor antenna if possible. That will get you the most channels. If that’s not possible, try different indoor antennas, possibly by taking advantage of Radio Shack’s or some other retailers satisfaction guaranteed return policy.

Sandy asks…

analog to digital signal for TV receptions sucks?

I bought a cheap walmart digital converter with a amp. I assumed the signal amp should be in the line that has the aerial and not in the spot it is can I purchase an in line 75 OHM digital signal booster somewhere like at radio shack and DO THEY EVEN WORK ? I want to hook directly to the line coming from the antennae then into the digital converter and the rest is the way it is set up. How much to these devices cost ?

admin answers:

Why do you think you need a signal amplifier. Those are primarily needed for long cable runs to overcome signal loss. And they need to be up on the antenna, not inside your house.

Most likely your antenna is insufficient to receive a strong signal. Contrary to what another poster said, digital TV is on both UHF and VHF, so you may need an antenna that handles both. Take a look at:

http://www.antennaweb.org

to see what channels are in your area. If any of the physical RF channel numbers are less than 14, then you need VHF capability. If your channels are over 50 miles away, then you need a REALLY good antenna.

WHAT IS THE BEST INDOOR AERIAL FOR DIGITAL TV IN A POOR RECEPTION AREA?

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Robert asks…

WHAT IS THE BEST INDOOR AERIAL FOR DIGITAL TV IN A POOR RECEPTION AREA?

admin answers:

None really. Try a mains operated signal booster, but if your in a poor reception area like me, you will need a big external aerial

Charles asks…

How can I watch Freeview without having a cable plugged into my tv?

I have a tv in my bedroom and don’t want to run an aerial from the living room all round the house to have it plugged in to my tv. I have heard of indoor digital tv aerials/ receivers (the metal one). Is this what I need or does it just boost the signal?

admin answers:

You need an aerial, and for best results, an outdoor or loft aerial.

Indoor aerials only work if you are reasonably near the transmitters.

Ken asks…

Can I use an indoor digital aerial on a second TV without a line out?

admin answers:

Don’t tell us that you have fallen for the old ‘Digital aerial Crap ” was it in a fancy box ! Yes you CAN use the same old aerial if it is in good cond without a line out !
Cheers Pete