Analog interference..?

[duncantuna]

Question for you tech guys:

I have a TV that's attached to cable without a set-top box, so get channels 1-99 in the clear.

Most of the locals, 4/6/10/12, (especially 4) have terrible ghosting.  My assumption is that .. there's a signal leak, and my TV picks up Channel 4 via cable, but also via OTA waves, so I get bad PQ.   We live within a few miles of all those transmitters.  Sometimes 4 is unwatchable.

I just realized .. when the analog signals shut off, and DTV is all that's out there .. I think that ghosting will go away.

Right?

[techguy1975]

Yes, it will.  Because, Ch. 4 will no longer be broadcasting on analog 4, they will be on analog 28, which will be virtually mapped to Ch. 4.  I get the same thing to a lesser extent here in West Allis.

[jkane]

A common occurrence is that some water got in the cable and is shorting the shield to the center.  The water may no longer be present, but there is still some current allowed to flow between them.  Mineral deposit or something is causing it to continue.  Replace the cable to clean it up.  Could also be as easy as cutting the connectors off and putting new one on too.

[John L]

I occasionally run into the same problem too, especially with the TV in the living room. It doesn't happen all the time, just occasionally so not sure why that is. But YES the truth is your TV is trying to receive the signal OTA while receiving it off cable.

I too believe sincerely that the problem will clear up for good once ch. 6's analog goes off.  I don't recall having a problem with ch. 4, just Fox 6.

-John L.

[ddeerrff]

May be leaky cables, may be the set itself.  If you disconnect the cable and put a 75 ohm dummy load on the connector, do any of the channels show through?

You may be able to help the situation by adding a booster amp to the cable, perhaps 10 - 15 dB.  As long as you do not start overloading the TV set's input you should be OK.  You would need to have this amplification ahead of wherever the OTA signal is leaking in.  

Adding the amp got rid of moderate ghosting on Ch12 for me in Brookfield.

[WPXE ION]

Had the same issue with 4 last summer. Tightened up the connections where the cable comes into the house, outside. Problem solved.

Check all connections to see if they are tight and also look to see if any critters have chewed through the cable.

[duncantuna]

I'm pretty sure it's not the coax.  I've had the problem for years, and about 2 years ago, ran new RG6.  

We live so close to the Estabrook transmitters, that I figure the towers are just so powerful, I get a leak somewhere, probably at the splitter (which I also replaced with a hefty one.)

Well, a couple months more, and analog will go bye bye, and I'll have my answer.

[techguy1975]

I can guarantee you that the problem will go away in June.  The stations will no longer be broadcasting a signal on those frequencies, thus eliminating the interference.