IP-011 - Last Internet Pumpkin!
Tim in Beulaville wrote in about some reception problems, (not with us this time!) and replied back with several good Internet Pumpkins.
1- Most CECB’s for sale today, has a feature I mentioned about Mom’s box, to allow users to scan channels and only add new channels, without losing the original data. It’s extremely important if you use a rotor because on older boxes, it would wipe out all the channels and only display those it found where the antenna is pointing. When you rotate to another direction, it would lose them and add the new ones. In my RCA CECB, the scan menu will wipe out the previous data. I have to press down to ADD channels to the lineup. I can’t remember the menu on Mom’s Zenith box, but it has the same feature.
Sometimes it is best to remove all channels, and some people will remove the antenna and scan to get a blank database, before starting a new scan. When UNC Public TV had 5 channels going, and reduced that to 3, the box remembered the channels they dropped over the air. Since I get 3 PBS stations, that’s 15 channels in the memory instead of the current 9 active streams. Wiping out the memory is about the only way to clear them.
2- Getting information, as in details of what features a CECB has is like pulling hen’s teeth. Like I said, most versions on the shelf today are configured the way you’ll want it, but make sure it has analog pass through, and ask if you can add channels to the existing database. I’m happy with mine, but it was a surprise since the outside of the box and web sites have little details to offer on what’s inside.
3- Several stations will be switching to lower channels at midnight Feb 17th, and everyone will need to rescan channels when they get up on 2-18. CECB units usually do this in a few minutes. TV’s will take up to 30 minutes to scan channels since they are looking for analog too.
4- I recommend rescans every week or two anyway. With the leaves falling off the trees, you may pick up something new you couldn’t get last week. TWC moved our QAM frequency last night, so even on cable you’ll need to rescan periodically.
5- (yeah, Tim was on a roll!) He swapped his RG-6 with RG-11. While he gained 1 station, he lost another. Normally, RG-6 cable is ideal and rated for broadcast frequencies. We do use the larger RG-11 for long runs from satellite dishes here at the station. Keep in mind it has a huge center conductor, and once you plug it into an RF connector, it opens it too wide to be used for RG-6 again. We usually use a barrel and a short piece of RG-6 so we don’t make the RF input connector unusable.
6- Tim said “Tinkering” with the antenna and seeing what I can get had been an old hobby that I thought gone until DTV brought it back to me, so I’m very much enjoying the info and videos on your blog.”
Thanks and glad you are enjoying the videos. I figured I’d do something no one else is doing; giving hands on advice. I have pulled in some interesting distant signals in the early morning scans, so by tinkering I expect to lock onto those signals better. I’m having fun with it, and so should you.
It looks like the weather will be perfect this weekend. Get out and get those signals NOW!!!!
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Comments
If you are using Time-Warner cable, they moved us to a new frequency, and I’m afraid you’ll have to re-scan. I don’t know of any reason over the air why you’d lose us, although power bumps and trees can affect it. Depending on your receiver, it may have a sub-option to add channels when it scans, and retain the original channel database. Rescans are normal though, and should be done once or twice a month if possible.
Try punching in 55-1 on the remote. Receivers often get corrupted data and do not map to 17-1 properly.
I’ve rescanned and get WNCN digital channels again, but Time Warner’s QAM signal strength for WNCN is coming in very low, ~82% on my tuner.
All the other clear QAM channels are coming in at 95% on my tuner, so there seems to be a problem with just WNCN’s signals on TWC on the new frequency.
Others on avsforums.com are reporting the same thing in the triangle area, so it’s not just my house/tuner.
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I lost NBC HD (WNCN) today and I would prefer not to rescan because I’ll lose my channel information. 17.1 used to be the location I used. Would you or anyone know where it moved to? Thanks.