Bad Signal in a Good Signal Area

Tribe123 · 25-04-2023, 19:47

Hi All,

I wondered if anyone could help. We’ve just had a roof aerial installed and everything worked well when the engineer left, it was a clear day so not sure if that helped, but every channel turned in to all of the TVs without a problem.

We have had one aerial installed with a splitter to three TVs.

Soon after we noticed that the signal wasn’t as good and was very intermittent. I installed a booster in one of the rooms and it sorted everything out and the signal is now perfect.

When I’ve done the same on another TV, it gives me a perfect signal on everything but the HD channels where it has a signal strength of 0%. We live in an area of good signal and we are picking up from Pontop Pike.

Any suggestions I find it baffling that a booster in one room works perfectly, but failed to work in another?

Thanks,

pip08456 · 25-04-2023, 22:39

Your booster should be the first in the chain after the aerial. Try aerial-booster-splitter. That will boost signal to all 3 tv's.

nodrogd · 26-04-2023, 11:35

You may be in a good signal area, but to drive the amount of coaxial cable required to service 3 TVs is pushing it unless you have line of sight to the transmitting mast. Is the splitter indoors or up next to the aerial? An internal splitter will not perform as well as one near the source. Any powered splitter is better externally fitted & powered through the coax.

Boosters have their own issues as they induce noise (as you have already found out). The BBC B HD mux is the highest frequency broadcast from Pontop Pike, so this mux failing is symptomatic of a high noise level in the coax.

So, I would be getting your aerial installer in again. I hope he wasn't one of the cheap & nasty brigade. CAI+ approved outfits are usually more dependable than the "guy down the road".

If you have not got line of sight to the transmitter consider, 1) whether a taller mast would be advantageous. Even a few feet of height in some locations can double the signal received at the masthead. 2) A powered masthead splitter, with as much as possible equal legs of coax going to where the TV sets are located.

Tribe123 · 01-05-2023, 12:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by nodrogd

You may be in a good signal area, but to drive the amount of coaxial cable required to service 3 TVs is pushing it unless you have line of sight to the transmitting mast. Is the splitter indoors or up next to the aerial? An internal splitter will not perform as well as one near the source. Any powered splitter is better externally fitted & powered through the coax.

Boosters have their own issues as they induce noise (as you have already found out). The BBC B HD mux is the highest frequency broadcast from Pontop Pike, so this mux failing is symptomatic of a high noise level in the coax.

So, I would be getting your aerial installer in again. I hope he wasn't one of the cheap & nasty brigade. CAI+ approved outfits are usually more dependable than the "guy down the road".

If you have not got line of sight to the transmitter consider, 1) whether a taller mast would be advantageous. Even a few feet of height in some locations can double the signal received at the masthead. 2) A powered masthead splitter, with as much as possible equal legs of coax going to where the TV sets are located.

Thanks for the advice, i think i'm going to get a booster near the source. Is there a register for CAI+ installers? The guy I used is very well recommended locally, but it would be interested to see if he is a registered installer and if not getting a registered one to add the booster.

epsilon · 01-05-2023, 12:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tribe123

Thanks for the advice, i think i'm going to get a booster near the source. Is there a register for CAI+ installers? The guy I used is very well recommended locally, but it would be interested to see if he is a registered installer and if not getting a registered one to add the booster.

https://www.getmeviewing.org.uk/