Solved! Will 12DB Amplifier Boost Digital Cable Signal?

ospring87

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Jun 17, 2011
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I'm trying to boost the digital reception going to a TV Tuner I have from a coax cable that is being split at least three times.

I have a single output VHF/FM/UHF 12 dB Amplifier 50 - 900MHz amplifier and was wondering if this would help boost the signal? It's pretty old so I doubt it was even made for digital reception but anyone know if it would help?

If not, any good way to boost the reception of a digital signal? Trying to pull in to a USB TV Tuner and quality is good, just the audio skips/dies out every few seconds.
 
Solution
your caution is true.
for starters, the amplifier might not work with the same frequency the digital signal is (and i dont know what the digital signal frequency is.. i'll look it up when i have more energy, unless somebody else wants to).
the noise for a digital signal might be different when compared to an analog signal.
as the amplifier boosts a signal.. it also needs to know what the noise frequency is to filter it out, otherwise you will boost the signal and the noise together.

another problem could be, the analog signal is expected to excite the amplifier circuitry in a specific way.
if the digital signal excites the signal in a different way.. it could cause the amplifier to boost less than 12dB
or
more than 12dB .. harming...

anwaypasible

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Oct 15, 2007
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your caution is true.
for starters, the amplifier might not work with the same frequency the digital signal is (and i dont know what the digital signal frequency is.. i'll look it up when i have more energy, unless somebody else wants to).
the noise for a digital signal might be different when compared to an analog signal.
as the amplifier boosts a signal.. it also needs to know what the noise frequency is to filter it out, otherwise you will boost the signal and the noise together.

another problem could be, the analog signal is expected to excite the amplifier circuitry in a specific way.
if the digital signal excites the signal in a different way.. it could cause the amplifier to boost less than 12dB
or
more than 12dB .. harming anything connected to it.

also,
if the digital television works at a much different voltage level.. the amplifier might send too much electricity into the input of anything connected.


i would say to anybody willing to try connecting the amp.. first hear what i said above, and put the amp before the splitter to keep the voltage lower for each device.
but
as i said already, if the amplifier is spitting out 48dB of amplification because the digital signal is tickling the amp in a different way.. you might destroy everything connected to it.

the government might regulate what the amplifier can and cant do.. but if the amp was made before digital television was soon to be released (or simply not available anywhere yet) then the amp might still prove to be a problem.
 
Solution