Digital Converter Problem - Your Diagnosis Please

[Jack]

If this is not the best newsgroup for this issue, please recommend others. Thanks.

New antenna 60 days ago followed by two digital converters, one upstairs and one downstairs. At first, both worked fine, but now the one upstairs fails to capture the digital signals. Replaced it with a different model, same problem. New coaxial cable from converter to TV has not helped.

Meanwhile the converter in the basement works fine.

We're thinking that the problem lies with the antenna cable from the roof to the upstairs location or some malfunction within the upstairs TV itself.

Any thoughts? Thanks again

[dpb]

Jack wrote: ...

... Swap the two first...if symptom follow you got your culprit. If not, it's somewhere in the feed to the first...

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[David L. Martel]

Jack,

Since the antenna was just installed I'd look there. Are things hooked up well at the antenna? Are you using the right cable? Is there a strain relief on the downlead, how about some mast standoffs? Ok, we're in the house, do you have a good connection to the signal splitter? Do you have good connections from the splitter to the converters? Just take it by the numbers, one step at a time, and check the antenna install. Since one tv works I'd bet the problem is with the connections at the signal splitter or the cable from the splitter to the converter is bad

Dave M.

[JimR]

Agree with the other post about being systematic. Odds are in favor of a problerm at one of the connectors. If you have a digital switch, it may be the problem and the fix may be as simple as a reboot. Do a check switch, and if it gives you the wrong results, you may need a switch replacement, or at least reconnect at the switch terminals.

[Red]

In the simplest form, you would have a coax cable coming from the antenna going into a splitter. The outputs from the splitter would go to each tv. If one tv has a good signal, that eliminates the antenna, coax from the antenna to the splitter, and the coax from the splitter to the good tv. All that is left after your substitutions is the splitter and the coax to the not working tv converter. The most likely culprit is the center conductor of the coax at either connector. They are easy to bend when screwing on the connector.

Red

[---MIKE---]

Coax could be the wrong type. For digital you should be using RG6 coax (same as used for satellite dishes).

---MIKE---