I’m still having problems with commercial skip. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s a real hit and miss situation.
I have a long coaxial cable for my antenna, so I installed an amplifier, and that did improve the problem. When I run a scan I get all green dots on the scan. Will it improve if I install a “pre-amp”?
I am running an Antennas Direct ClearStream 2MAX 60 Mile Extreme Range Multi-Directional HDTV Antenna, UHF/VHF Channels Indoor/Outdoor 4K Ready. That’s 30 ft in the air…no obstructions.
I am 30 miles from the station tower.
There is one split connecting the antenna and coax which is grounded.
When I run the tablo channel scan I get all green dots…
I’m not looking for absolute answers…only suggestions!
This is too vague and generalized to go get a serious answer. Chances are you can get some valid tips and excellent advice, but unlikely anyone can provide an absolute answer… especially with out any details, like what type of antenna would you pre-amp. What’s your location or distance from broadcast towers and possible obstacles. How many splits, if any in that long coaxial cable.
And none of this may have any impact on commercial skip, there ave various conditions affecting how and why it may or may not work… as others may suggest.
This is a great resource for help… you don’t have to learn everything the hard way, sometimes you can learn from what others already learned doesn’t work
In a generalized fashion, the job of a preamp is to amplify the signal at the antenna in order for said signal to have sufficient power to traverse a long feed line to your distribution point.
The job of an amplifier is to amplify the signal prior to splitters and long household runs of cable.
ANT–>PreAmp/ LTE Filter (If needed)---->Cable run to Amplifier(if Needed)–>Splitters–>Tuners
PreAmplifiers are intended to be as close to the actual antenna as possible- usually directly on the antenna directly after the balun.
Distribution Amplifiers (What you normally see listed as just an amplifier) are intended to be used at the drop (Where the antenna line actually enters the house) before any splitters to overcome the signal losses due to splitters and/or long cable runs inside the home.
The biggest difference between the 2 is shown in a metric that you need a direct connection to (many?) televisions RF in: Signal QUALITY. (Tablo shows you signal STRENGTH.) Signal quality has to do with the ratio of SIGNAL to NOISE, which all amplifiers adversely effect. (A preamp will typically have better SNR numbers partially due to a better physical location closer to the antenna, but YMMV depending on brand/ model/ details)
Thanks for the clarification! amp vs pre-amp is often misunderstood or used interchangeably - incorrectly! I understand the difference, but not a technical understanding to attempt to explain it to someone looking for answers.
Above all, either is only going to amplify the signal you’re receiving, regardless of quality or interference. For some, over-amplification creates other issues.
You may have an excellent reception set-up and this may have nothing to do with you commercial skip issues. If you signal quality is great and generally get the thumbnails generated for shows you watch, you may this on.
My generalized non-expert input. Most basic quality should perform well if you can mount it 30ft up in a clear area! Yours is supposedly on the higher end, presuming you used quality coax and tight F-connectors with an amp for the long run. Looks like you know things. Thirty feet up, maybe a pre-amp could help with the long cable run… if you’re really loosing signal, from a weak signal.
I’m a newbie to tablo and of course learning. Love the concept of commercial skip. I don’t watch prime time tv. Antenna tv I watch is sports, news, and a lot of the sub channels. So far I’ve learned a bit and yesterday watched two recorded programs with some skip. Today’s recorded programs, one last night, and two before noon, still don’t have the skip option.
How long after a program is recorded does it normally take before the skip is available?
Once you turn the commercial skip option on, the length of time to generate the skip information is dependent on the size of the recording and your internet upload speed. Mine usually complete in 15 minutes to 1.5 hours.
this on.