QAM HD 804 (~111mhz), HVR-2250, Signal Issues

[null_pointer_us]

Color coding:

Green (no problems)
Orange (some problems)
Red (not working)


Our cable setup:

• Comcast HD Cable
  • Electroline 8-port Distribution Amp (0 db gain)
    1. Living Room (a): Family Server's HVR-2250
    2. Living Room (b): Family Server's PVR-500MCE
    3. Kitchen: Digital STB (SD)
    4. My Bedroom: My PC's HD650
    5. <unused>
    6. <unused>
    7. <unused>
    8. <unused>

Problems:

1. Channel 804 recordings are extremely choppy on the HVR-2250. Signal strength is 30-60% and fluctuates wildly every second or so. No other QAM channel has this problem; they report a constant 100% signal strength, and recordings from 806+ have been great for months.

2. Another issue worth mentioning is that some analog channels on the PVR-500MCE have diagonal lines as if there is some kind of interference. But the quality is not so bad as to be unwatchable. This issue will be probably fixed later this week when I move the PVR-500MCE to DTAs.


My Local QAM Frequencies:

• 804 [98-0-3] 109250000 hz (mhz: ~111)
• 806 [73-0-2] 517250000 hz (mhz: ~518)
• 808 [5-0-4] 77250000 hz (mhz: ~77)
• 809 [73-0-1] 517250000 hz (mhz: ~518)
• 810 [29-0-2] 253250000 hz (mhz: ~253)
• 812 [45-0-3] 349250000 hz (mhz: ~349)
• 813 [29-0-1] 253250000 hz (mhz: ~253)
• 816 [45-0-4] 349250000 hz (mhz: ~349)

Troubleshooting (failed):

1. Rerouted amp power cable and ground cable away (and not parallel to) all cable lines. Problems persisted.

2. Removed ground wire from amp to household ground. Problems persisted.

3. Swapped living room lines between PVR-500MCE and HVR-2250. Same signal issues present on both tuners. Problems persisted.

4. Removed amp and all other lines from incoming cable. Connected *only* living room lines to cable input via 2-way splitter. Problems persisted.

5. Tried both the 27223 and 27323 drivers for the HVR-2250. Problems persisted.

6. Tested at different times of day and with as many AC devices off as possible (just for kicks). Problems persisted.

7. Replaced connectors on all cables between the living room PC's tuners and the amp. Retested between changes. Problems persisted.


In short, nothing I have tried has had any effect. Suggestions?

(Swapping the PCs and/or tuner cards (just for testing) would be a major pain.)

[null_pointer_us]

A tech came over recently and checked the amp and the signal strength.

The signal we were receiving at lower frequency levels was too high: 20dB in some cases.

5-15 dB is the recommended level at a household jack, or so I'm told.

So what I am looking at is an RF attenuator.

Is it likely to fix this problem? Could it cause other issues?

[JetreL]

Originally Posted by null_pointer_us

A tech came over recently and checked the amp and the signal strength.

The signal we were receiving at lower frequency levels was too high: 20dB in some cases.

5-15 dB is the recommended level at a household jack, or so I'm told.

So what I am looking at is an RF attenuator.

Is it likely to fix this problem? Could it cause other issues?

Sounds like an issue at the distribution amp for your neighborhood and Comcast can come out and balance the amp for your neighborhood to resolve that issue. Do a service call. Ask the tech who stops by to test the levels at the house and at the tap. If they are to high where you are at then have him get a Maintenance (Line) tech to come out and adjust the neighborhood amps.

Typically Amps have an auto-tune feature but when it starts heating up they can go haywire or if they are manually configured when the temperature changes outside it affects the signal levels.

Why buy equipment when they can and are supposed to fix it for you?

[null_pointer_us]

At the time, the tech double-checked the level coming into the house and said it was correct. He said the jacks had the problem.

I found some -6dB RF attenuators for $2/pc. with free shipping. We'll see what effect they have.

If they don't completely fix the problem, I'll call tech support and have them send out a line tech per your advice.

BTW, the cable line feeding the house has a badly corroded connector (on the outside; I did not check the copper line). Could corrosion cause this type of problem?