Checking signal strength of OTA

[rdefino]

I need to check my signal strenght of my OTA signal. I'm getting spots of pixelation during recording. What's the best tool to use for this?

thanks

[rdefino]

Anyone?

Thanks

[gplasky]

Doesn't Sage give you a signal strength in the Setup Video source when you setup the tuner? Or are you looking for something better? Doesn't the card manufacturer supply one with the card's original software?

Gerry

[rdefino]

They do. Fusion divco. I using it right now. when I do a scan with it for OTA channels it finds channels 11,12,18,19, etc...

I'm not sure how these corresponds with channels I watch like, 4,5,7.

So I don't know if the channels I watch are getting a goods signal.

any thoughts?

Thanks

[freedml]

In Channel Setup, when you 'view' a channel, SageTV shows you the signal strength.

[rdefino]

But how does the channels that the Fusion signal check is finds corrasponds with the channels that sagetv finds.

Fusion finds channels 11,12,18, etc...

not sure which ones of those are the 4,5,7 I watch.

Thanks

[rdefino]

I just checked the signal strengh in sagetv and all channels 4,5,7,25 have 100% signal. But during the recoeding I'll get pixelation. Any other things I should be looking at?

thanks

[rdefino]

Should I be looking at decoders or something?

Thanks

[sic0048]

I would be a little surprised that all your OTA channels are getting 100% signal. It seems to me that they would be some fluctuation. How close are you to the broadcast towers?

Can you use the original software that came with your tuners to check the signal strength? It is possible that you might be overdriving the signal strength at times which is causing your issue.

Can you hook the OTA signal directy to the plasma (or another TV with an ATSC tuner in it) and check the signal strength using the TV's tuner. It won't be exactly the same as what the other tuners might read, but it would give you another set of data to compare to.

[rdefino]

I did test with the sinal checker that came with the cards. But it finds channels 11,12,18,19,20,21, etc.

It doesn't find chanels like 4,5,7. So it's hard to know which channels it's find are the main chanels like 4,5,7,25.

Is there a way to determine that?

thanks

[GKusnick]

Originally Posted by rdefino

Is there a way to determine that?

It's right there in the channel setup screen. The numbers in brackets show the physical channel number for each logical channel.

[71_Cuda]

Originally Posted by rdefino

I did test with the sinal checker that came with the cards. But it finds channels 11,12,18,19,20,21, etc.

It doesn't find chanels like 4,5,7. So it's hard to know which channels it's find are the main chanels like 4,5,7,25.

Is there a way to determine that?

thanks

If you're in the U.S., you can use antennaweb.org. Put in your zip code (or address). Click Submit and then on the next page confirm your location and click Continue.

You will get a listing of available OTA channels in your area. You can select the "Show Digital Stations Only" radio button to filter out any analog stations. In the list, "Channel" should be the same channel number that SageTV shows you and that you're familiar with. The "Frequency Assignment" column should be the corresponding values that your signal checker finds.

Hope this helps.

[stanger89]

FWIW, the HDHR has by far the best (and really, the only useful) signal meter of any of the cards I tried. It gives you three parameters, Signal Strength, the actual strength of the RF carrier, Signal Quality, the quality of the signal, and symbol quality which I think is basically the integrity of the demodulated data (it better be 100%).

Most of my channels give me good strength but a few I had trouble with turned out to be signal/symbol quality issues. The HDHR's app was helpful in tweaking the antenna orientation to improve that.

[paulbeers]

Originally Posted by stanger89

FWIW, the HDHR has by far the best (and really, the only useful) signal meter of any of the cards I tried. It gives you three parameters, Signal Strength, the actual strength of the RF carrier, Signal Quality, the quality of the signal, and symbol quality which I think is basically the integrity of the demodulated data (it better be 100%).

Most of my channels give me good strength but a few I had trouble with turned out to be signal/symbol quality issues. The HDHR's app was helpful in tweaking the antenna orientation to improve that.

I agree with Stanger. I live close to my towers (I can see them blinking at night from my front windows). Sage would show my signal strength as 90+ on all channels, but I was getting all kinds of garbage videos. It turns out I am just too dang close and while my signal strength (according to Sage) was 90%+, my signal quality (according to HDHomerun's setup software) was constantly dropping to <50% (assuming due to multipath or due to actually having TOO much signal).

[Zetavu]

Ok, I've been looking for a signal monitor in Sage. I'm using Hauppauge cards, where can I find the monitor? Is it in setup, in channel info, is there one for Hauppauge?

[m0ng00se30]

Originally Posted by paulbeers

I agree with Stanger. I live close to my towers (I can see them blinking at night from my front windows). Sage would show my signal strength as 90+ on all channels, but I was getting all kinds of garbage videos. It turns out I am just too dang close and while my signal strength (according to Sage) was 90%+, my signal quality (according to HDHomerun's setup software) was constantly dropping to <50% (assuming due to multipath or due to actually having TOO much signal).

paulbeers have you found a solution to your being too "close"? I'm running into the exact same problem that you are describing. I'm less that .5 mile from the transmitting towers. I just ordered a attenuator hoping to dial down the signal some and see if that helps. Have you found anything that has worked for you?

--Mike

[gjvrieze]

Originally Posted by m0ng00se30

paulbeers have you found a solution to your being too "close"? I'm running into the exact same problem that you are describing. I'm less that .5 mile from the transmitting towers. I just ordered a attenuator hoping to dial down the signal some and see if that helps. Have you found anything that has worked for you?

--Mike

WOW, .5 miles from the tower! That is a hot zone, you are prolly greater then -10dBm signal at the antenna, NOOOO amps at all and I would pad the signal with an attenuator as you are doing! (cool location for watching antenna swaps atop the tower though!)
I have never helped anyone that close to the transmitters before. Can you upload your tvfool data, so I can see the numbers? (Pre and Post transition please!)
I help with antenna/pre-amp spec-outs on another forum and could use the data for someone that close to the towers...

[m0ng00se30]

Originally Posted by gjvrieze

WOW, .5 miles from the tower! That is a hot zone, you are prolly greater then -10dBm signal at the antenna, NOOOO amps at all and I would pad the signal with an attenuator as you are doing! (cool location for watching antenna swaps atop the tower though!)
I have never helped anyone that close to the transmitters before. Can you upload your tvfool data, so I can see the numbers? (Pre and Post transition please!)
I help with antenna/pre-amp spec-outs on another forum and could use the data for someone that close to the towers...

gj,

I hope this is the info you were looking for... I guess my problem this whole time is I should have been going smaller rather than bigger on things. I really hope the attenuator will help with my problem as its really becoming a pain the butt! I'll keep ya posted once I get the attenuator in this week.

Thanks!

[HuMan321]

Originally Posted by stanger89

FWIW, the HDHR has by far the best (and really, the only useful) signal meter of any of the cards I tried. It gives you three parameters, Signal Strength, the actual strength of the RF carrier, Signal Quality, the quality of the signal, and symbol quality which I think is basically the integrity of the demodulated data (it better be 100%).

Most of my channels give me good strength but a few I had trouble with turned out to be signal/symbol quality issues. The HDHR's app was helpful in tweaking the antenna orientation to improve that.

I saw this feature in the literature that came with my HD Homerun, but since it recommended having Sage scan for the tuners I didn't load any HD Homerun software. Can the SiliconDust software/setup be done on newer installed HD Homeruns to view signal quality?

[stanger89]

hm, I thought you had to have the HDHR software installed on the Sage machine