Signal Booster/splitter for Digital TV

[quacka]

Hi,

Our house is around 10 years old in the Ringwood area of Melbourne. We get decent digital signals with a good set of indoor antenna usually.

What we have now is an outdoor antenna inside the roof with a amplifier and 8 way splitter going to 8 rooms. We had a power surge inside the house and it seem to have broken the splitter/amplifier. Only around 5/8 ports works properly, the other ones doesn't pick up all the channels as strong.

Can anyone recommend a good amplifier and splitter I can install to replace this with?

I am thinking of getting Kingray MHU42Fs with a new 8 way splitter. I can find the amplifier but not the splitter. I would prefer one with out the F type plugs and just screw mount cable type. Any ideas?

[mtv]

Ringwood generally has very high signal levels, being close to the Mt Dandenong transmitters, so you may not need an amp at all to split 8 ways.

Without accurate signal measurements, it's difficult to determine exactly what you need, but I would expect if you need any amplification at all, a low-power distribution amp would be all that's needed.

Whay you would be better off doing is to mount the correct antenna ON your roof... not in it... and providing you have well-shielded cabling (Eg: RG6 Quadshield), then just an 8 way splitter would likely work fine.

A Kingray MHU42Fs is a high-power UHF-ONLY masthead amp and would be unsuitable as all channels form Mt Dandenong are VHF except SBS and C31 and they will be moving to VHF as well in 2014.

There are some UHF translators in the Dandenongs, but from Ringwood, you should have excellent VHF signals.

If you really do need a little amplification, then a Kingray MDA20H should do nicely.

[quacka]

Thanks MTV. I am not going to try it then.

I just called one of the local antenna guy in Ringwood. He's coming tomorrow to have a look and install a new antenna in the roof if need be.

[quacka]

After one year. It seems like the signal problem still heere. Especially for UHF channel. Only getting 30% signal at night. No idea what is wrong.

The guy installed a new digital antenna when he was here last year. Improved for some room but not others. Had some cheap LED down lights installed and stuffed all the TV when its on as well. Do you think the cabling is not good and I should rewire the whole house?

I am just sick of calling him back as he have already gone back a few times and always say something else is the problem not the installation.

[mtv]

If the antenna is installed IN the roof, that's probably a big part of your problem.

As I mentioned previously.... the antenna must be mounted ON the roof, not inside it.

Without knowing what cabling is in your house, or better still, testing your antenna & cabling with my spectrum analyser, I can't tell if it's OK or needs replacing.

If it needed replacing, the antenna 'tech' should have advised you.

What make and model of antenna are you using?

Where and how is it mounted?

How many outlets are there (including any unused ones)?

Are you using an amp or not?

it sounds like the antenna 'tech' doesn't know what he's doing.

A good tech will find the problem and fix it.

Another distinct possibility is your signals are too strong, causing tuner overload.

This will also produce errors in the digital data stream, resulting in poor signal quality.

Without accurate signal readings, I can't say for certain, but this is a very common problem in areas like yours, being close to the high-powered transmitters.

In this case, the signals need to be attenuated... not boosted.

Once again, the tech should know all about this issue and fitted attenuators if required.

You shouldn't have any reception problems in Ringwood. (unless you have something blocking the signal path.)

[gordon_s1942]

One thing you havent said what sort of roof covering it is, ie Tiles (concrete/Clay) or Corrugated Iron/Decking and if there is any foil insulation under the roofing material.
If its a metal roof or there is foil insulation under the covering, that will kill radio signals big time and no amount of fiddling will improve the reception.
I am not going to be polite as MTV is and say straight out that after a year you need to change installers and get that antenna outside where it should be as thats where their designed to function.

If your worried about asthetics, you could always spray it Army Green..................

[quacka]

Sorry, I forgot to mention the guy came and installed a new antenna outside the roof. No idea what model it was as it was done whilst I was at work. He just took what ever was hooked up to the old internal antenna which had a booster hooked up to it. Then mount a new antenna and hook it to a new splitter without any booster. He also installed a new point which together

I guess I have to find a more reliable person to come and have a look which knows what they are doing.

[gordon_s1942]

Sorry, I forgot to mention the guy came and installed a new antenna outside the roof. No idea what model it was as it was done whilst I was at work. He just took what ever was hooked up to the old internal antenna which had a booster hooked up to it. Then mount a new antenna and hook it to a new splitter without any booster. He also installed a new point which together

I guess I have to find a more reliable person to come and have a look which knows what they are doing.

Aha, glad you added that trifling bit of info about the now outside antenna etc and I dont know if it was intended but there appears to be possibly something missing in your post after the word 'Together', more details of interest perhaps ?
But seriously I just went to the Myswitch site and put in a fake address of 12 John st Nth Ringwood and although I dont know the topography of the area, you are so close to the transmitters you should near pick up the channels with a proverbial wet piece of string !!!
If after all that work has been done and you still have a crap reception,there has to something seriously wrong there somewhere and I dont see any alternative but to call in someone else and try to arrange to be there when they call.
I am rather curious why you need a booster when you not that far from the transmitters unless you down in a gully or behind something.

[mtv]

Gordon,

I know the area (and the transmitters) well.

This is why I suspect it may be a case of overloading signals..... especially if the antenna is designed to receive signals below channel 6 (eg: ABC Ch 2 analogue and FM radio) because even though they are out-of-band for digital TV, they are so strong in that area that they cause overloading, which causes errors in the digital data stream (bit errors) which drops the signal quality, resulting in loss of reception.

Too much signal gives the same result as not enough signal, which is why the levels need to be adjusted to be within the 'operating window' that DVB-T requires for reliable reception.

I was up Mt Dandenong only yesterday... if I had known quacka's address I could have dropped by and looked at the problem.

quacka, can you post some pics of your antenna?

That will give me an indication of the antenna's suitability (not all installers install the most suitable antenna.... many use the same model antenna regardless of where it's installed).

[gordon_s1942]

MTV, I thought you would be familiar with the general locale and would be able to give accurate advise on how to solve the reception issues.
I missed something earlier in the original posting and that was the comment that quacka had a 'decent DIGITAL reception on an indoor antenna (Is there such a thing?) and then to have all these problems going external and using 'boosters' (why Boosters?) shows the need for an installer with your level of expertise.

[mtv]

....the comment that quacka had a 'decent DIGITAL reception on an indoor antenna (Is there such a thing?)

Yep... in good signal areas, indoor antenna can work fine, like you said.... a proverbial piece of wet string can work.

I've actually tested just a paper clip in the antenna socket in a very strong signal area to demonstrate, so knowing how strong signals are (both digital and analogue) in quacka's area, suggests to me he has a signal overload issue, which can only be determined accurately with a professional signal meter/spectrum analyser.

It's possible there may be a few contributing factors, like the wrong antenna installed, but generally it's a simple fix of attenuating signals to the correct levels.

[mtv]

quacka,

I'm in your area this Saturday, if you want your reception issues professionally checked.

You'll need to let me know by tomorrow (Friday) night if you do (and not leave it for another year before you post again...lol)

[gordon_s1942]

quacka,

I'm in your area this Saturday, if you want your reception issues professionally checked.

You'll need to let me know by tomorrow (Friday) night if you do (and not leave it for another year before you post again...lol)

This is an offer I suggest you jump at with both hands to get your reception issues sorted out once for all.