I just got a 19 inch color television given to me and of the networks ( nbc -cbs-and abc ) I can only get abc ? It comes in clear as a bell ? On the ufh side I get all the channels assigned to my area ? They are fuzzy probably due to the antenna ? My question is = What do or can I do to get a picture on nbc and cbs ? Thanks to any help on this matter . Claude Rock... :-)
I guess you know why that TV got given to you? It's probably not worth getting repaired? But it's cheaper to give a tv to someone than to have to pay to toss it in the garbage?
Move closer to the nbc and cbs towers, or get a antenna that has some gain. You'll possibly need a rotor if the network affiliates are in different directions.
What kind of tuner does it have...electronic?. If so was it on cable or dish network before? And if so, did you reprogram the tuner to find stations available to it on an antenna rather than the cable/dish. And a final check...if it has a 75 ohm antenna connection, make sure the center wire didn't get bent to one side when you hooked it up.
Are you asking for permission?
You'd know better than we do.
Can't you tell by looking at the picture?
How's the reception through another TV or VCR? If they're hooked to the same antenna and those channels are clear, then you can rule out the antenna and probably also the antenna cables and splitter, unless somebody yanked on them.
List the channels, not the networks, because channels matter more since there are actually 3 frequency bands, and tuners, antennas, and master distribution systems (one antenna for whole apartment or cable TV feed) treat each band slightly differently. Master distribution systems may even have a separate amplifier for each, and often only one band goes out.
Is the TV programmed for those channels? In other words, when you flip through the channels, does it skip over them (in which case you need to go itno the setup and add them and make sure you set them properly for broadcast or cable), or does it show their channel numbers but no picture (signal could be weak, tuner could be bad, cable pulled out from the connector inside)? On the other hand, TV tuners often fail in just one band, either channels 2-6 (about 55-88 MHz), 7-13 (about 175-220 MHz), 14-83 (about 450-900 MHz), or the cable channels (I don't know them).
What kind of antenna do you have? If it's indoor rabbit ears, you should be able to improve the reception by moving or shortening them in different ways (the lower the channel, the long erthe antenna rods should usually be). If you have an outdoor antenna, is it a normal one with several horizontal rods of varying lengths, or is it a gimmicky/overpriced/useless one sold through ads in magazines? The best outdoor antennas are generally the larger ones from Radio Shack with the short horizontal rods sticking above and below the centerline (improves UHF), about $50-100. For lightning safety, be sure to ground the antenna mast through #6-8 wire to a 6-10' grounding rod driven into the ground, and also install a lightning arrestor inline with the antenna wire close to where it enters the building and ground the arrestor as well. Leave a drip loop in the antenna wire (let wire sag down before it comes in, so water will drip off).
I forgot to mention that if the TV itself is faulty, a very common problem is bad solder connections, and most likely the tuner is contained inside a small silvery metal box. This is not to say that you should try to resolder the TV yourself because it's very, very easy to be electrocuted (that means to be killed by electricity, not merely shocked) or to suffer lacerations if the picture tube explodes from being dropped, hit, or even scratched.
You may want to ask in sci.electronics.repair because somebody may know about specific problems related to your model, but post the model number and the channel numbers for NBC, CBS, and ABC and whether you're using a cable, satellite, or on-air signal.
If you have to buy a TV, either get something extremely cheap from a store with a very good policy for returns, or get a Sanyo or Panasonic (among the most reliable models) from such a store. Wal-mart sells a lot of Sanyos and I believe that many have a 1-year parts & labor exchange guarantee.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.