Problem Solved: ATSC signal strength

[dksagetv]

I am relatively new to SageTV. I was able to get it working, except for one nagging problem - one ATSC (OTA) channel stuttered.

Solution: 90% signal strength was not enough!

SageTV reported the signal strength on WBBMDT (CBS Channel 2, Chicago) as 90%. However, the signal strength meter on the TV set registered only about 30-40%. I went up to the attic and was able to find a "sweet spot" for the antenna, where SageTV signal strength increased to 97% (and the TV reported about 70-80%). The stuttering stopped! I moved the antenna back to the original position, then back to the sweet spot, and sure enough, the results were repeatable.

The weird thing is that one other channel had all the same qualities as Ch2; namely, with 88-90% signal strength, and an HD signal, same video and audio formats. Yet this other channel (Ch20) had no stuttering.

Also, my TV set recieved Ch2 with some pixelation, but no stuttering. Yet the same program, when viewed through SageTV, had moderate to severe stuttering. And only channel 2. I tried lots of filters for audio and video, and while some combinations were better or worse, none solved the problem.

To make a long story just a bit longer, this was a difficult problem for me to troubleshoot, but in the end, relocating the antenna solved the problem.

If you are getting 90% signal strength as reported by SageTV, on an over-the-air (ATSC) signal, it may, or may not, be strong enough!

I live about 30 miles outside Chicago, and have a Terk HDTVa antenna in the attic.

Hope this helps someone else!

[mdnttoker]

Where do you live dk?

I'm in Schaumburg, and have given up on WBBM until they move to channel 11's higher powered transmitter in June. I have a Wineguard HD antenna in the attic, and get great reception on every channel but WBBM, where I can't even get a lock.

[dksagetv]

mdnttoker-
I'm NW of downtown Cgo, about 30 mi. The Terk HDTVa has rabbit ears for VHF, in addition to a seperate UHF antenna. It is amplified. I found that moving the rabbit ears to horizontal and extending them all the way out gave the best reception on WBBMDT. This, in addition to finding the sweet spot in the attic, has proven to work well. Now getting good reception with Ch2.1.

I tried moving the rabbit ears around, and completely lost the signal in some cases. Nothing was as good as extending them all the way out and putting them nearly horizontal.. Rabbit ears are the key to good reception on Ch. 2 for me.

[src666]

ATSC is plagued by multi-path interference, especially in cities. That means that even if you have good signal strength, the multiple reflected/delayed signals confuse the decoder and it has a hard time locking onto the primary signal.