Antenna signal

General Discussion
1

 I have a deep fringe outdoor antenna. I live in southwest Oklahoma. I have tried fooltv and some other sites that claim to show available channels for my area. None do! I receive channels from north Texas as well, as from OKC. My tv scanner puts 24 available channels on my channel line up. Depending on time of day and weather as to what will actually show a picture. I can check signal strength and it might show above 90 with no picture or less than 50 with a picture. Sometimes I get searching for signal. If I’m getting a picture from north Texas, I most likely will not get one from OKC and vise-versa. And then there are those days where all 24 are perfect. Can anyone tell me why the OTA is so undependable? I would like to get a tablo so I could record programming but would wish to have a picture in the space that is supposed to be recorded.

2

Unlike the old analog signals of the past digital signals have what is called a cliff.  Basically at a certain signal strength the picture and usually sound just completely cut off.  So no fuzzy grey picture like 20 years.  You either have it or you don’t.


I have the same issue with Fox and NBC using my Channel Master CH-4228.  That tower is 92.4 miles away and I usually only get a picture at night and usually only under certain weather conditions.  Lots of sites to google if you want to learn why atmospheric conditions affect VHF/UHF signals.  

You are likely hitting this for all channels you are receiving.
3

Thanks, I’m told years ago in my area no signal was available. Locals were starting to buy televisions and found they couldn’t get reception. So they were returning them for a refund. Advertisers decided to put up a repeater ( some call it a translator). That tower is only about ten miles from my location.
I don’t know but I think now so many either have cable or satellite the stations have stopped sending strong signals for that tower to be helpful. None of the sites that are supposed to show available channels have that listed. I have directv and an am21, my tv finds the local pbs channels but the am21 from directv doesn’t. I was wondering if the tablo would find them. I read it ask for local zip code. That is what directv does. 

4

Connect an antenna to your TV. Whatever channels you see there will be what Tablo finds. Nothing more than that.

5

 digital is 1’s or 0’s, on or off, true or false, black or white - . There’s no “almost” or “30%” or “close enough” or “maybe” or gray.

6