Antenna Help

[Mags]

I was hoping you guys could help me troubleshoot a problem.  I installed a TV antenna in the attic of my mom's house about 3 months ago.  She lives about 50 miles outside of Chicago.  I got the biggest Channelmaster I could get.

Well, after setting it up, she got all the digital stations from Chicago - they all scanned in and were working fine.  I did have an inline amp added - which helped immensely.

Now she tells me that none of the channels are "working" again.  I am going down there next week to try to fix it.  But I don't know where to start.  I can't imagine why it would stop working.

Does anyone have any ideas or things I could check?  Of course, I'll check the obvious (did she disconnect the antenna by mistake, is her TV on the right input, etc).  But any ideas outside of that?  I'll also rescan the channels to see if that helps.  But I just can't think of anything that could have happened to the antenna to make it stop working.

Does anyone have any ideas to help?  Thanks!

[jimbop99]

First thing I would check is the cabling and the amp.

[Mags]

When you say check the cabling, I assume you mean to ensure that it is not broken, no cracks, etc.

How do you "check an amp"?  

Those 2 items I was going to do - however, how do you know if either is bad or not working?

[tazman]

Does anyone have any ideas or things I could check? Of course, I'll check the obvious (did she disconnect the antenna by mistake, is her TV on the right input, etc). But any ideas outside of that? I'll also rescan the channels to see if that helps. But I just can't think of anything that could have happened to the antenna to make it stop working.

Do the obvious things you listed above first.  If that all checks out, then check the cable.  If you have a simple ohm meter you can check for shorts and continuity.  Disconnect the cable at both ends.  Put one lead on the center conductor and one on the sheild.  If you get no reading when the meter is set for checking resistance, then there's no short.  On one end or the other, short the center conductor to the sheild.  Then test the opposite end again with the ohm meter.  If you get a high resistance or I should say a low one, one thats close to zero, then you know there are no breaks in the cable.  As far as checking the amp. goes.  Take it out of the line and connect the antenna direct without it.  You should at least get some kind of signal.  Provided the cable is good.  That will tell you whether the amp is causing the problem. :wave:

[Mags]

Thank you very much - that was a very helpful explanation!

Just curious - given how far she is from Chicago, and that her antenna is in the attic - is there any specific amplifier for the antenna that one would recommend?

Thanks for the help everyone!

[tazman]

Thank you very much - that was a very helpful explanation!

Just curious - given how far she is from Chicago, and that her antenna is in the attic - is there any specific amplifier for the antenna that one would recommend?

Thanks for the help everyone!

My personal preference is an inline amp.  If your not splitting the signal to a bunch of different rooms, they work great and their easy to install.