HDHomerun & rabbitears

[Rf Burns]

Hi there. Anyone have more experience than I do with the “Station Page” that provides detailed signal information from rabbitears.info?

Specifically CH14-20. I am in the NY Metro area and generally except for tropo these are low. My stations pages reflects this. CH14-20 show signals mid 20-30’s as “background.

CH 19 500-506MHZ signal however is always mid 60-70’s. No tropo.

What are your thoughts, is the HDHomerun tuner seeing Public Safety Control channels in this band and reporting as higher RF levels?

I suspect this may be the case, if so it may mean a TV19 signal would have to capture this background in order to be decoded during tropo.

Thanks

 

[FTA4PA]

Hi there. Anyone have more experience than I do with the “Station Page” that provides detailed signal information from rabbitears.info?

Specifically CH14-20. I am in the NY Metro area and generally except for tropo these are low. My stations pages reflects this. CH14-20 show signals mid 20-30’s as “background.

CH 19 500-506MHZ signal however is always mid 60-70’s. No tropo.

What are your thoughts, is the HDHomerun tuner seeing Public Safety Control channels in this band and reporting as higher RF levels?

I suspect this may be the case, if so it may mean a TV19 signal would have to capture this background in order to be decoded during tropo.

Thanks

I have never used the HDHomeruns so not commenting - just welcoming you to Satellite Guys!

Perhaps Trip will answer as he runs the Rabbit Ears site.

 

[rabbit73]

Hi there. Anyone have more experience than I do with the “Station Page” that provides detailed signal information from rabbitears.info?

Hello, Rf Burns; welcome to the forum.

Until Trip comes along, maybe I can help.

I see you started a new thread. It would have been better to keep it all in one thread.

Is that your Bandscan site?

You gave us the link to your map in the previous thread:
TV stations received at Mount Bethel, NJ tuner0

but you didn't give us the link to the channel list so that we could see the problem:
RabbitEars Mobile

Specifically CH14-20. I am in the NY Metro area and generally except for tropo these are low. My stations pages reflects this. CH14-20 show signals mid 20-30’s as “background.

CH 19 500-506MHZ signal however is always mid 60-70’s. No tropo.

Channel 19 graph:
https://www.rabbitears.info/tvdx/render_graph/109018A2/tuner0/19/-1hours/now

What are your thoughts, is the HDHomerun tuner seeing Public Safety Control channels in this band and reporting as higher RF levels?

I suspect this may be the case, if so it may mean a TV19 signal would have to capture this background in order to be decoded during tropo.

Thanks

 

[Trip]

Yes, it's almost certainly from land mobile operation in the channel.

- Trip

 

[Rf Burns]

Yes, it's almost certainly from land mobile operation in the channel.

- Trip

Thanks so much Trip. Interesting. Loving rabbitears.info. Really really good!
Actually great.

 

[rabbit73]

The antenna is an Amazon China Five Star, soon to be replaced by Winegard HD7694P fed by 35’ RG6. Antenna up about 25’ and location about 400 MSL with no trees. Aimed at 200 degrees. No mast mount preamp.

That antenna contains an internal preamp. With your very strong signals, there is a chance of overload which can create spurious signals.

Based on your TVFool report image, here is a rabbitears.info signal report:
RabbitEars.Info

The HDHR GUI only gives Signal Strength up to 100%, which is about equal to what a TV wall outlet should give. However, TV set tuners can tolerate signals much stronger. But, SiliconDust support has a tendency to say you have overload if you call them with a reception problem.

To the Signal Margin on a rabbitears.info signal report you must add the antenna gain and the preamp gain for the above chart.

 

[Rf Burns]

rabbit73 thanks! I have fuzzy memory and decades ham radio and PS radio systems install and design. TV and FM DX new to me, and I am enjoying “new horizons”. Trip and site and groups like this motivate.

I am surprised 5 star junk has a preamp. I thought the black box on antenna was a matching transformer. I am not supplying any power to the coax, unless the HDRhomerun is.

I have RF hell here including near field TV8 less than 1/4 mile away. Trying to avoid signal amps.

For a first attempt reasonably pleased. The HDR box is clearly down a bit from the TV decoder, but manageable.

Waiting for first opening and scooping up knowledge.

Thanks, all. Will keep this to one thread too. Got it!

 

[Rf Burns]

After reading threads here it became changes were in order.

Added HDHomerun LTE filter. This completely removed cellular from the device.

Dumped 5 star China junk. Replaced with Winegard HD7694P. Immediately saw signals up. This includes VHF Low not seen on junk antenna that makes big claims. TV4 in at times almost 70 miles away.

Waiting for Tropo or Sporadic E.

Thanks all for feedback and your posts.

TV stations received at Mount Bethel, NJ tuner0

rabbitears.info

 

[Rf Burns]

Final step. Check and recheck antenna aiming path for desired MH.

Instead of guessing, I used proper tools along with Trips station page.
This shows Current SS and Current MER, it is fast and very helpful.

Adjusted 20 degrees and signals up about 20 percent as a result. Also getting NYC more off the back of the antenna.

 

[Rf Burns]

I had (2) RF 29 channels during a brief opening today. One at 160 miles and one at about 70 miles. Looking at the graphs. It seems they were at the same time. Scratching my head on that one.

TV stations received at Mount Bethel, NJ tuner0

rabbitears.info

 

[Trip]

I had (2) RF 29 channels during a brief opening today. One at 160 miles and one at about 70 miles. Looking at the graphs. It seems they were at the same time. Scratching my head on that one.

TV stations received at Mount Bethel, NJ tuner0

rabbitears.info

I see them at different times. WMDT was in, then W29FF-D came very briefly later on.

- Trip

 

[Rf Burns]

I guess we can make it 4 RF 29’s in 24 hours now. WUND @ 341 miles.

Love rabbitears. Thanks Trip.