Antenna Amplifiers

1667 Views 7 Replies 3 Participants Last post by A J Ricaud, Aug 13, 2007

LoREvanescence

Discussion Starter · Aug 12, 2007

Hello everyone. I was wondering if anyone here could help me out on picking out an Amplifier for my indoor Trek HDTVi antenna or if a amplifier would even help me in my situation.

I was getting great reception on my antenna in my summer dorm room on the 4th of a dorm. However this past weekend I just moved into my senior year residence in an apartment. I am on the first floor.

What I have found is the signal is too weak for the antenna to get the signal on it's own. I can only pick up pixels when it's pointed absolutely in the right direction and its clear out side. However, I have also found that if stand next to the antenna and physically touch the base or put my hand near it the signal stabilizes at 64% and I get a clear picture on my tivo / tv. As soon as I move away I lose signal. I have found I can get an semi ok / poor image that pixelates here and there when it's clear by placing a plastic bin of dvd's right next to the antenna, but it still drops out during the late morning hours sometimes. However, as soon as it gets cloudy or rains I lose signal altogether again to where the tuner cant tune in the video. The networks broadcast tower is only 7.8 miles away according to antennaweb.org.

In my situation, would hooking up a amplifier solve my problem. And if so what kind should I get? When I look for antenna amplifiers on amazon.com I end up with this one http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-4840...0?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1186884540&sr=8-1

however it seems to be for cable, will it work for an antenna too? Also, does anyone have one they have found to work really well they recomend.

Thank you for your help. I'm looking forward to getting HD reception that is not all pixilated and dropped out again soon=)

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LoREvanescence

Discussion Starter · #2 · Aug 12, 2007

Well, after searching more I found these two. Does anyone know which one might be better for my situation

http://www.amazon.com/24DB-Dual-Out...0?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1186924772&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/Channel-Plus-...0?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1186924772&sr=8-5

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AbMagFab

· #3 · Aug 12, 2007

I prefer Viewsonics for Antenna amps. They do an amazing job, cleaning up weaker signals without over-amping already strong ones. Just do a search on eBay for "Viewsonics", and look for the HDTV splitter/amps (they have a single amp as well as splitter/amps, depending on what you want). Ignore the "Cable" ones, although they might work too (I prefer the ones that are specific to the signal range).\

I swear by these devices.

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LoREvanescence

Discussion Starter · #4 · Aug 13, 2007

AbMagFab said:
I prefer Viewsonics for Antenna amps. They do an amazing job, cleaning up weaker signals without over-amping already strong ones. Just do a search on eBay for "Viewsonics", and look for the HDTV splitter/amps (they have a single amp as well as splitter/amps, depending on what you want). Ignore the "Cable" ones, although they might work too (I prefer the ones that are specific to the signal range).\

I swear by these devices.

Thanks for the advice, but I ended up taking a trip to Radioshack and picked up one they had. So far it seems that it is working with out a hitch. Pre amp tivo reported the signal strenth to vary from between 32 and 58 percent where as after the amp its going between 64 and 79 percent with no pixilization / dropouts. So, I'm happy so far.

The model I bought was the TV/FM Antenna-Mounted High-Gain Signal Amplifier (HDTV Ready!)

The back reads:

The Radio Shack TV/FM Antenna-Mounted Signal Amplifier boosts HDTV, VHF, UHF and FM stereo signals up to 30dB -- perfect for pulling in weak stations. Adjustible gain control provides up to 10dB reduction of signal to prevent overload, or to allow custom matching of amplification to signal strength.

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LoREvanescence

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 13, 2007

Well, so fare it's working for the most part. But at the times of the day where I just got a gray screen saying searching for signal on tivo there are some glitches still.

With the amplifier I have video holing at 63 or so percent on the antenna meter. However, it will occasionally drop to 0 for a second or two then bounce back. This problem starts about 9 am and runs through the early afternoon. Atleast at night when the hd content is on air my signal strenth is steady at 78% with no bouncing.

I wonder what causes the signal problems late morning through early afternoon? Interference. About every 5 minutes or so the signal drops to 0 for a moment. At least in between that I have clean video, where as before I didn't have it at all or it was all pixilated with no audio.

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A J Ricaud

· #6 · Aug 13, 2007

Is there an airport btwn you and the broadcast tower? It sounds like something is momentarily blocking the signal as opposed to multipath interference.

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LoREvanescence

Discussion Starter · #7 · Aug 13, 2007

A J Ricaud said:
Is there an airport btwn you and the broadcast tower? It sounds like something is momentarily blocking the signal as opposed to multipath interference.

Yes, there is a air port about 8 miles form here. I never thought of that as a possible problem. As it worked fine on the 4th floor of the temporary dorm I had for the summer before I moved into my apartment. But it does appear something is disrupting it during the day time.

If it is something blocking the signal, that probably means there is nothing I can do during that time. At least my screen isn't pixelated 24/7 / dropping all the time like it was pre amp.

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A J Ricaud

· #8 · Aug 13, 2007

LoREvanescence said:
Yes, there is a air port about 8 miles form here. I never thought of that as a possible problem. As it worked fine on the 4th floor of the temporary dorm I had for the summer before I moved into my apartment. But it does appear something is disrupting it during the day time.

If it is something blocking the signal, that probably means there is nothing I can do during that time. At least my screen isn't pixelated 24/7 / dropping all the time like it was pre amp.

You might want to try moving the antenna around if you can. Maybe by getting a different angle towards the tower you can avoid the blockage.

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