TV antenna doesn't receive all channels it's suppose to

[origionalgmf]

I have a fairly new visio, I think it is an E series, tv. I have it hooked up to a powered 360 degree scanning antenna by RCA. The antenna says that it should pick up anything within 60 miles. I can only pick up 1 out of the 4 channels I should be getting.
I first set up the TV with a set of rabbit ears and only got the ABC channel. The rabbit ears bit the dust last week, so I picked up the powered antenna, but it hasn't helped my reception. ABC and NBC broad cast off the same tower that;s roughly 30 miles away, but I only get ABC. CBS and FOX both broadcast off a tower that is about 45 miles away, and I get neither of those.
Also, not sure if this is relevant or not, but any time a semi drives past I loose signal. I have the antenna setting up by a window. And I think I live in the low end of town, and my house is surrounded by trees.
Thanks in advance

 

[ssddx]

unless signal is good in your area, a small antenna is not going to give good reception. also, signal is not always constant with distance as geographical features can sometimes hurt reception

want more channels? you might need to invest in a larger antenna.

we use one along the lines of http/cdn.instructables.com/FNY/J38K/GXQPMTQV/FNYJ38KGXQPMTQV.RECT2100.jpg mounted as high up as we can (its on a pole, but many people have it on the house) and we can get channels from 40-50mi away

as for the truck issue, i suppose it could be blocking the waves if it is between you and the source and happens to be at the correct location. an idea how radio waves act http/www.hdtvprimer.com/antennas/siting.html

usually higher up will give better reception (why rooftops are a good idea) although this is not always the case.. it depends on the area. a larger antenna (wider is better than taller) will however pick up a weaker signal easier so will often allow you to pick up signals from farther away.

 

[jsmithepa]

The number they quote you is always under IDEAL circumstances. Also a boosted antenna doesn't do anything if the signal is bad to begin with, it's just boosting garbage. If you are in a low part of town as you said, and the source has to go up then down to get to you, then you are in a no-win situation, you maybe be forced to buy basic cable. Am skeptical whether even a roof top will help much, given the circumstances.

Try this TOOL see if it helps. There are several on the web.

 

[origionalgmf]

Thanks for the responces. I live in a rental house and am only gonna be a here a couple years, so I don't think I want to mount an antenna to the roof. I haven't signed up for cable because its so dang expensive.
Looks like I'm just going with 1 channel.
Thanks guys

 

[hang-the-9]

Hulu, about 1/4 the price of cable, although not every show and you won't be able to watch live TV.

 

[Findingoutruth]

This claims to be "solved"? It's not true, any of this. I have been off of the cable system for over 12 years. Here's a few facts:

1. If your TV is less than 36 inches in size, it is more likely to have a minimal or even marginal OTA TV tuner in it. In fact, it can even fail to get CABLE channels. The FCC only forced TV makers of sizes above 36 inches to provide it. Only consumer demand makes them provide it in smaller TVs.

Take-away: don't rely on the TV tuner built into the TV, especially if your TV isn't large.

2. The antenna sees much more than what any tuner can accept. The tuner is the weakest link, not the antenna.

3. Older antennas, even old rabbit ears, can be better than new antennas, especially if they have a gain dial for the amplifier, so you can dial down or dial up the amplification. Modern antennas should be WITHOUT amplifier, or with optional amplifer. If you use the amp, then use a switch box to switch which signal is going to the tv or tuner box.

4. This part was right: Amplifying garbage = more garbage, but an amp can help you get marginal stations when it's not garbage, just weak, especially on cloudy days.

5. A good tv tuner can and does get the Channel number, type AND NAME of the network. A good one will also have a simple guide that tells you what is programmed in the next two hours. Almost NONE of the built in TV tuners do this unless it's a "smart TV."

6. A separate tuner will often have more options such as "Add channels" instead of having to re-scan from scratch every time.

My tv is not a smart tv, but it gets all this info from a good TV tuner box, that is separate from the TV. I tune my TV to channel 4, and use the controller for the tuner box to change channels.

I got my tuner box for free during the digital changeover (I got two), during the free offer while the signals were switching from analog to digital. It's the Zenith DTT900 which you can still buy, I believe. And there are probably others. That's the one they were giving away free in my area at the time, just get a used one if you want one now. There are lots of other "Digital Tuner Tv Converter" 's, so google for them.

My antenna is an RCA indoor multi-directional that cost me about $60 and goes out to 50 miles. The multi directional is important, since most channels, including ABC, are coming from SE, and the others including PBS, are coming from NW. Go to someplace like TV Fool (dotcom) and put in your address to find out how to orient your antenna and how far they are away.


You can also use one of the FireTV or other OTA + pay tv set top boxes. I don't know how they work, but you're more likely to get ABC (the most difficult channel to find) with an antenna and separate tuner than with any other system, except pay cable.

ABC is essential because for example, it has game shows which are often followed closely by low income people... not just riff raff, but your grandmother and mine.

Even more information about how to get ABC over the air is found in the ABC 11 archive: google ABC 11.1 tuning or go to http/abc11.com/archive/6867677/

Happy viewing!

(I decided to add this answer because it was the first result in google, so many people with this question are looking here and probably aren't getting an answer that works. I've never seen anyone suggest that you use a separate tuner box for a tv with a tuner, but that's what you need to do.)

 

[mjslakeridge]

I know this is an old thread and has been "solved", but I bought a rather large (6 foot or so) antenna from radio shack and installed it in my 3rd floor attic and connected it to the cable tv cabling running throughout the house. I get excellent digital signals for about 50-60 TV stations (maybe more, there are a bunch of Vietnamese and Spanish Language stations I deleted except for a couple that carry soccer matches). Had to fool around with the direction it was pointed. Granted, I live in the city about 5-10 miles from the transmission towers all of the TV stations seem to use, with very flat topography, so your results may vary.

 

[Findingoutruth]

Nice! I also looked at DIY antennas and I think they're beyond my skills to make, but I did learn something about reflectors, and applied it by placing a horizontal, triple thick piece of aluminum foil in the vicinity of my antenna. That was the final touch on my setup. Without it I had no chance of watching ABC. I'm about 25 miles from most of the tv towers, between Raleigh and Durham. I'll probably upgrade to an antenna in my attic or roof at one point, but so far, it hasn't been annoying enough to need changing.

 

[mjslakeridge]

The beauty of putting the antenna in the attic is that once you have it positioned correctly, you don't have to worry about the wind or other weather elements moving it, or of the thing rusting or corroding (I think it is mostly aluminum, so it won't rust anyways). Plus, I didn't have to risk getting way up on the roof with a 24' extension ladder.

I have heard about people making homemade reflectors to strengthen the WIFI signal from a router/modem.

 

[jrozycki]

The tuner note may be correct. I have 2 tvs. One is 2011 and other 2015. Just started to use an antenna on both. The newer one displays channel info and I get all channels. Surprisingly the other doesn't get a strong channel like NBC. Newer tv does. Black Friday around the corner to get a new tv since a bigger one for new place looks better.

 

[rwbudtender]

Hey folks, jumping in to ask if anyone out west has noticed a change in receiving channel 5.1 and 5.2? I live in Hinckley (10 mi. west of Aurora) and get about 50 total channels on my homemade antenna. NBC's channels have been off the air for me since the end of September or so. All the other channels I've been able to view for the last year and a half are still good, so I figure my input hardware is good. Please reply if you've noticed a change, and thanks in advance for the help!

 

[bonzovt]

i have an older LG TV (circa 2011) and recently cut the cable cord. have been going with over the air HD for local and amazon fire tv for streaming. i had no problem picking up all local channels just fine. recently within the last few days or so, ive noticed that all of a sudden i can't get my local CBS station any more. i can still get NBC, FOX, ABC, and the crazier thing is, when the local news broadcasts or any local commercials air on CBS, i pick them up perfectly. once the local 6pm news finishes, back to "no signal" and the LG logo flashing on the screen.

i've tried 3 different antennas, still get CBS fine with all 3 antennas on the upstairs TV. is it possible that just this one tv's tuner is going bad?

 

[mjslakeridge]

i have an older LG TV (circa 2011) and recently cut the cable cord. have been going with over the air HD for local and amazon fire tv for streaming. i had no problem picking up all local channels just fine. recently within the last few days or so, ive noticed that all of a sudden i can't get my local CBS station any more. i can still get NBC, FOX, ABC, and the crazier thing is, when the local news broadcasts or any local commercials air on CBS, i pick them up perfectly. once the local 6pm news finishes, back to "no signal" and the LG logo flashing on the screen.

i've tried 3 different antennas, still get CBS fine with all 3 antennas on the upstairs TV. is it possible that just this one tv's tuner is going bad?

I would guess your tuner is going bad. It is unlikely the local CBS affiliate would broadcast a stronger signal during their news broadcast, and a weaker signal at other times. Could it be the difference between when they broadcast a HD signal vs. a standard signal. You will probably have to observe this behavior over a period of time to confirm what is happening.

 

[bonzovt]

i have an older LG TV (circa 2011) and recently cut the cable cord. have been going with over the air HD for local and amazon fire tv for streaming. i had no problem picking up all local channels just fine. recently within the last few days or so, ive noticed that all of a sudden i can't get my local CBS station any more. i can still get NBC, FOX, ABC, and the crazier thing is, when the local news broadcasts or any local commercials air on CBS, i pick them up perfectly. once the local 6pm news finishes, back to "no signal" and the LG logo flashing on the screen.

i've tried 3 different antennas, still get CBS fine with all 3 antennas on the upstairs TV. is it possible that just this one tv's tuner is going bad?

I would guess your tuner is going bad. It is unlikely the local CBS affiliate would broadcast a stronger signal during their news broadcast, and a weaker signal at other times. Could it be the difference between when they broadcast a HD signal vs. a standard signal. You will probably have to observe this behavior over a period of time to confirm what is happening.

is it possible for a tuner to go bad for just one channel? are there any cheapo tuners out there to replace the one that comes inside the tv?

 

[SNB26]

I had the same problem. I fixed it by navigating to "Antenna" and then selecting auto program". This runs a search for all available channels and saves them to memory...NBC should be available now.

 

[Kurt_18]

My 60inch Visio won't get CBS Chicago but my 32inch Samsung in the bedroomph does. Same antenna. Why one tv and not the other?