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We are in Orchidland and use an antenna for television and have seen a disappointing drop-off in signal strength over the past several months. We're wondering whether others are affected as well.
Channel 9 (KGMB) almost always comes in strong, as do the two PBS channels (10.1 and 10.2, I believe Ð although the latter is always children's programming). Channel 13 (NBC) comes in maybe half the time and for the past month or so the "sister" channels 11.1 (Fox) and 11.2 (CW) barely come in, if at all. Channel 4 (ABC) has been virtually nonexistent for months.
I don't think the conversion to digital many months ago is a major factor, as for a while after that occurred all of the channels came in well (except for PBS which was awaiting an equipment upgrade), which also suggests it isn't our antenna's aim, which hasn't changed. However, it does seem with digital over-the-air signals one either gets a decent signal (at least 10 percent, according to the signal strength meter) and comes in or it doesn't (either heavy pixelation or no signal registering at all).
My guess is that the stations just don't maintain or upgrade their broadcast equipment because they consider us antenna-folks a low priority. Does anyone know about this?
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Many years back sitting in a booth at a Denny's I got to overhear a conversation by some staffers of the incoming Cable Industry. They were discussing how and when the white noise generator would be online and it's ability to drive the masses to cable. Start it up low and gradually increase the white noise until the broadcast signals are frustrating.
Nothing quite like Free Enterprise.
That was years and years back. No idea what your reception problem night be today.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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Right nothing quite like the free enterprise, when industry lobbyists do your homework and produce your testimony, then give you a monetary donation/incentive for your next campaign at the same time.
Dave we have noticed the same situation here in the Sacramento Valley. 70 miles from Sacto and when the conversion to HD happened, well the channels we use to get perfectly on antenna out of Sacramento started to fade more and more to the point that our antenna is now useless totally. I don't know why this has happened but it has.
mella l
mella l
Art and Science
bytheSEA
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Did you get a more capable antenna for digital signal reception when it changed over or are you still using an older design antenna?
I would tend to agree with the cable industry plot scenario, except that by an odd chance people I know just bought an antenna this week and tried it out in Waikoloa. Not only are they getting good signal, they're getting high def without cable. I haven't seen it for myself, but my son who is very picky about TV says it looks great.
This makes me wonder if Dave's problem really is localized.
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"drive the masses to cable"?
I wish! We don't even have cable, and we live in one of the most densely-populated areas of HPP.
"Never attribute to malevolence that which is adequately explained by stupidity"
If antenna signals are declining, maybe somewhere somehow something is rusting away.
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With digital, you either get the signal or you don't. With analog, you could get a partial signal, still get some picture and get sound along with snow. Digital also has a lessor range than analog signals. Radio Shack sells some really decent outdoor digital antennas. I had previously purchased a $30 one that I placed in my attic since I didn't want to put holes in the roof nor did I want the ugly thing up there. I received more channels with that antenna than I had previously received with a 3x larger sized analog one mounted up on the roof. (before the conversion)
The one I was talking about is a
Phillips uhf/vhf digital hdtv ready flat panel (6" x 10") from Walmart, $39
Apparently the TV picture looks even better than it did with Roadrunner, go figure. (It's an HD flat screen, Panasonic I think, about one year old.)
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mdd, as for our antenna, we purchased it from Radio Shack in 2006. I'm not sure if it's designed for the digital signal but it worked fine for the first few months after the digital changeover and then some of the channels started dropping out.
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I may be that Radio Shack is your problem. I have never bought anything from them that worked for more than a few months.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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