tv antennas not working so well
August 13, 2020 9:40 AM Subscribe
Since last August, my two indoor tv antennas (same model) have been working just fine. Every once in a while there would be a little interference with a station, but if I moved the antenna just a little all would be okay. But for the last two months both of my televisions are have a lot of trouble getting several stations at a time. (more below)
I move the antenna and maybe one station will come in all right, but then another one won't. A friend suggested that "construction" of some sort has recently occurred and that is what is causing the interference. Are there tv antennas that are more powerful than others? I don't want to change to an outdoor antenna, and I am in Salt Lake City, UT, if that makes a difference.
I move the antenna and maybe one station will come in all right, but then another one won't. A friend suggested that "construction" of some sort has recently occurred and that is what is causing the interference. Are there tv antennas that are more powerful than others? I don't want to change to an outdoor antenna, and I am in Salt Lake City, UT, if that makes a difference.
Have you tried rescanning stations? As I understand OTA, an occasional rescanning is necessary to make sure you're getting all the signals from stations in your area.
posted by Gino on the Meta at 11:20 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Gino on the Meta at 11:20 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
To buttress Gino on the Meta's point:
Some local TV stations in cities across the U.S. will be changing their over-the-air broadcast frequencies between now and July 2020. People who watch free over-the-air television with an antenna will need to rescan their TV set each time a station moves to continue receiving the local channel.posted by jamjam at 11:51 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Go over to AntennaWeb.org and enter your zip code. Looks like SLC has multiple antennas - some stations are coming at you from the north, and others from the west, for instance. Does that jibe with your experience, in 'I was getting NBC just fine until I moved the fridge / antenna / they built that new office tower'.
It also happens that a station will change antennas for broadcasting business reasons, and a signal that used to come in from across a river, now is broadcast from the other side of a mountain. (On preview, what jamjam said.)
posted by bartleby at 11:57 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
It also happens that a station will change antennas for broadcasting business reasons, and a signal that used to come in from across a river, now is broadcast from the other side of a mountain. (On preview, what jamjam said.)
posted by bartleby at 11:57 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]
Some PBS stations recently moved from UHF frequencies to VHF frequencies in return for payments, which can make them more difficult to receive. See this video from Tyler the antenna man.
posted by jkent at 2:22 PM on August 13, 2020
posted by jkent at 2:22 PM on August 13, 2020
More information via a Channel Master email:
If you are not already aware of the FCC Spectrum Repack, here are the details. In 2017 the FCC organized an auction of several TV frequencies which was intended to make room for the expansion of 4G, 5G and other wireless services. The frequencies being vacated for the use of wireless services are in the UHF band between 600 and 700 megahertz. After the auction was completed a timeline was established for broadcasters of TV channels to migrate off of these TV frequencies and onto unused frequencies under 600 megahertz.
The final phases of the repack is happening now and is scheduled to be completed by July 2020.
posted by obliquity of the ecliptic at 4:04 PM on August 13, 2020
If you are not already aware of the FCC Spectrum Repack, here are the details. In 2017 the FCC organized an auction of several TV frequencies which was intended to make room for the expansion of 4G, 5G and other wireless services. The frequencies being vacated for the use of wireless services are in the UHF band between 600 and 700 megahertz. After the auction was completed a timeline was established for broadcasters of TV channels to migrate off of these TV frequencies and onto unused frequencies under 600 megahertz.
The final phases of the repack is happening now and is scheduled to be completed by July 2020.
posted by obliquity of the ecliptic at 4:04 PM on August 13, 2020
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I'm not sure what sort of antennas you have, but a directional antenna (you can get a used Yagi at TV frequencies for a few tens of bucks) can work inside. The free and easy option is a reflector made out of metal, such as a baking pan or an oven rack, placed behind your antenna. VHF TV has a wavelength of a meter or two, so that's the size and distance that might matter when moving things around. Holding the metal a few feet behind the antenna and rotating while listening or watching the signal and walking around the house might provide clues. Good luck!
posted by eotvos at 10:48 AM on August 13, 2020 [1 favorite]