What is "TV Overload"?

[Slyclops]

I just put up a new UHF yagi antenna and high gain amp. to receive digital TV signals. I am getting worst reception on it then I am getting on my 20 year old VHF/UHF Combo TV antenna with a cannabilized old Mushroom RV antenna amp. Several tech's have mentioned my having "TV Overload" because I live within 5 miles of a UHF station that is about 20 degrees off the east side of my new antenna. What is "TV Overload"? How do I know if I have it? Is it like "Bleeder-Over", one channel bleeding over on another. Is it like in the old CB days, the guy with the most power owns the air? Does "TV Overload" cause signal loss to distant stations. My desire is to bring in those distant stations, how do I overcome "TV Overload" (if I have it??)?
Thanks for your help.
Slyclops

 

[icstephen]

you coud try the antenna without the amp, I have used high gain amps before and some will make the picture horrible. I think its just too much signal for the tv to take, try the antenna alone or get a lower power amp, that may solve your problem.

 

[vegassatellite]

Digital tuners have an ideal signal level input range. If you exceed this, it won't lock onto the signal. Also, with amplifiers, if you have a garbage signal going in, you will have a garbage signal coming out. I generally recommend amplifiers to overcome distribution problems as opposed to amping up weak signals. Amps gain a lot of distortion and so your signal to noise ratio isn't always good unless it was good to begin with. That 5 mile transmitter is also going to be a problem for your amp as you will not likely get max gain out of your amp because it will only put out a max level of signal and that is determined by the strongest signal received. So if your amp is only getting 5db of gain because of that strong transmitter, then your weak signals won't get amped up very much at all. As a matter of fact, if that transmitter is real strong, your distant signals can be getting pushed down towards the noise floor.

Your best options are to get a very directional antenna that doesn't pick up very well from the sides. A call to Winegard or ChannelMaster can help you find an antenna that doesn't pick up from the sides very well. Also, you can look for a notch filter to notch out the channel being broadcast by that nearby tower.