Stations 'moving around'

DTVuser2009 · 07-26-2009, 01:15 PM

I don't know a better explaination, not that it's causing much trouble since i can still get a signal, but my UHF roof antenna used to stay still in one spot (facing my home's north end) and i could get all channels on that side fine. now it appears that WTVW Fox 28.1, WEVV CBS/My44, and WFIE NBC/Weather/THIS TV have 'moved around' that is no signal from where it has been for a long time since the transition, and i have to move the antenna 45* from where it used to be and i then get the same excellent reception, then a day or two later, i have to move it to the south end of my home, then back to north, then somewhere else. what's going on? are the stations 'moving' and if not, why do i have to reposition the antenna when no weather or other things are happening to get a signal? no wind, rain, or snow. just 'phantom' transmitters or something.

Don_M · 07-26-2009, 02:52 PM

Yeesh! Whadda pain in the neck, huh? The transmitters aren't moving around, that's for sure. No station would want to do this because it would be terrifically expensive, and as you may have guessed, ad revenues are rather far off their peaks these days. The ShamWow Guy and (posthumously) Billy Mays seem to be among the few and the brave willing to buy time these days!

If this popped up recently, I'd think it's related to the season somehow. It wouldn't be tree foliage, since the leaves have been out on your trees for probably close to three months now, although they may be a very small contributing factor. A tiny bit of tropospheric ducting might be the culprit. In UHF, faraway broadcasts wouldn't be enough to totally clobber the signals, but might be just enough to throw them off kilter a bit. Another possibility is extremely high humidity at just the right angle between you and those stations. Have you been getting a lot of fog off the Ohio River recently? Wouldn't think it would be the season for that yet, but the weather has been pretty strange this summer all around...

Yes616 · 07-26-2009, 03:20 PM

A strange problem and a PITA is true.

A bit off topic, I see DTV user was trying to create the degree sign. He settled for a star (asterisk).

Quote:

Originally Posted by DTVuser2009

move the antenna 45*

If you ever want to say 45°, hold the ALT key down while typing 0176. Maybe stuff like this deserves it's own thread somewhere.

DTVuser2009 · 07-26-2009, 03:26 PM

I would use Character Map but in Windows XP SP3 it appears to be nonexistant in the Accessories folder, at least with my Acer Aspire One. and there's no such app on a iPod touch, which i have been using today. and trust me i hate tapping all this out lol

There have been huge amounts of rain, but no thunderstorms, no wind, and no extremes other than extreme levels of humidity; even with the A/C going (which is in some way a dehumidifier as well, as water drains off the unit) the indoor humidity never falls below 80%, plus red-eye tree frogs, not in my opinion native to Kentucky, have seemed quite common during nighttime when humidity levels, dew points, and fog are at their highest, along with about 90% of my TV viewing, in prime time. i even saw a red-eyed tree frog on my window, clinging vertically.

I guess it could impact reception but it seems like if the transmitters were at point A, the antenna should be fixed in that position, not requiring continual (during one night's viewing) extreme adjustments of the antenna to maintain a watchable signal, maybe a small one, but not one within 180-degrees during a 30-minute show. and i haven't had any 'magic channels' show up on my box as i did a few months back as is a typical result of tropo ducting, and when i did have such channels temporarily show up, the others which disappeared (the ones mentioned here as well, gone, poof) during such temporary acquisitions of these channels were unable to be received, no matter where the antenna was pointed. they simply exchanged places, or so it seemed. one disappeared while a far away one shows up, when the far away one goes out, the local one re-appears.

I think it's time for a new UHF antenna. sometimes the ones used on travel trailers such as mine are such inferior quality and seem so prone to random crap such as this.

Don_M · 07-26-2009, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DTVuser2009

I think it's time for a new UHF antenna. sometimes the ones used on travel trailers such as mine are such inferior quality and seem so prone to random crap such as this.

If the antenna's old, or if corrosion is visible, getting a 4-bay UHF panel (CM 4221 and DB4 are the most-quoted examples) and replacing the coax would be a big, big help. If you're in Owensboro proper or nearby, even a RadioShack U-75R should do the trick.

DTVuser2009 · 07-26-2009, 04:34 PM

I live in Diamond Lake Resort, i'll see if i can get coordinates.

Aries · 07-26-2009, 05:58 PM

This may sound stupid and expensive (I've not used an antenna in -years-), but I think you should hire a hitman to... wait, too expensive. I think you might be able to hook up two antennae, or get a larger one to cover the range.

staticMHZ · 07-29-2009, 05:39 PM

it's probably the tropo


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