Sony KD-34XBR960 Reception Issues

[bschmidt25]

Hi All,

Just picked up a new set this weekend and trying to get the digital OTA channels set up on it, and I'm having a hell of a time.  First, the scan takes about 20 minutes each time I run it, and I'm only getting 36.1 or 10.1-7 after it's done, where I used to get every channel except 12 relatively dependably with my old set.

Now... I'm having some serious doubts about my antenna, but am I missing something here?  Does anyone else have any similar experiences with this model?  Tips?

As for my antenna, I don't know if it's not big enough (it's only a DB2) or if I just have a ton of multipath interference (there's a bunch of trees, a pond, and buildings the way it's facing, and it faces north).  Unfortunately, this is my only placement option because I'm in a second floor condo with the balcony being my only option.

Any suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks,
Bryan

[Gregg Lengling]

Really need to know your location and whether you are sure you coaxial cable and connectors are good.  The position of the antenna (inside/outside) ect....please indulge us.

[bschmidt25]

Really need to know your location and whether you are sure you coaxial cable and connectors are good.  The position of the antenna (inside/outside) ect....please indulge us.

I'm on Good Hope Rd. in Glendale - pretty close to the towers (about 3 miles NW).  I'm using about 25 feet of RG-6 to get it in the house.  The connectors are crimp on (hex crimp) and both seem to be good and tight.

The antenna is outside and faces north on a covered porch (not ideal, but my only option).  It has always worked best on either the far east or west sides near a wall (brick).  There are a few branches that hang down about 15 feet from the antenna and there is a 3 story building to the right.  Hope this helps.  Thanks in advance!

Bryan

[Gregg Lengling]

If I conjecture properly the model of antenna DB2, are you saying it is a 2 element UHF bow Tie...if so pointing it North will only give you signal from reflections because it should be point south....If I misunderstood the antenna then at least point to a link where I can see what you have.  But no matter what if you can point that sucker south you'll have much better results.

[bschmidt25]

If I conjecture properly the model of antenna DB2, are you saying it is a 2 element UHF bow Tie...if so pointing it North will only give you signal from reflections because it should be point south....If I misunderstood the antenna then at least point to a link where I can see what you have.  But no matter what if you can point that sucker south you'll have much better results.

You are correct - the DB2 is a 2 element UHF bowtie.  I wish I could turn it around.  If I would, it would be facing inside my unit.  I don't have any line of sight to the transmitters, and pretty much the only clear view is to the north.  I'm pretty sure I'm getting the reflections off of the various things in front of the antenna.  I guess my question is, in this situation, would it be better to have a larger antenna, or would that just aggrevate the problem?

Thanks again,
Bryan

[Gregg Lengling]

You are correct - the DB2 is a 2 element UHF bowtie.  I wish I could turn it around.  If I would, it would be facing inside my unit.  I don't have any line of sight to the transmitters, and pretty much the only clear view is to the north.  I'm pretty sure I'm getting the reflections off of the various things in front of the antenna.  I guess my question is, in this situation, would it be better to have a larger antenna, or would that just aggrevate the problem?

Thanks again,
Bryan

A larger antenna would just aggrevate the problem....even though if you turn it around it is just facing your unit...with the amount of signal available it should penetrate your unit and you should get a better result.  You could also experiment with it facing different directions to be better reflections.  However also in your case a set up with an indoor antenna on the TV (UHF version) would probably yield acceptable results.

[Will]

I have the same TV.  I get all channels except 6.1 with 95-98% signal strength.  After the channel scan, the TV will not continue to attempt a signal lock unless the TV knows the channel is there (at least in my experience).  

Try tuning all stations directly at their real channel locations.  See http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx and enter your address to get channel frequency assignments.  Only pay attention to the digital stations.

For whatever reason, the TV tunes them as 34.3, 33.3, etc.  You may get an intermittent signal when tuning this way; the channel may go in and out on 33.3 vs. getting nothing at all on 6.1, e.g.  You can then see the real signal strength number, and if it fluctuates.  (Go to menu, applications, diagnostics to view.)

Try moving the antenna while watching the signal strength number.  From Gregg's post, I might try rotating your antenna so that it points at the towers, even if there are obstacles.

BTW, how do you like the TV?  And where did you get it?  They stopped selling them a while back i thought.

Good luck,
Will

[bschmidt25]

Thank you both for your help!  I'll give that a try.

So far I'm loving the TV.  The limited HD I have seen on it so far looked amazing (I was able to watch a few shows on PBS HD) and I watched a DVD on it last night, which also looked great.  I'm amazed by how good this TV makes non HD sources look  - even watching OTA analog stations.  I used to not even bother to watch non HD content, but since I don't have the reception issues worked out yet, I've had to the last few days.

I actually found this one on eBay through Circuit City.  There's a small scratch on the screen, but I was able to get it for an awesome deal ($350).  I can live with it for that price....