I have a new 4 channel from Best Buy. The thing runs hot as hell but works. I pull in many stations in my area, but it won’t grab and of the ABC locals HD ones. Hooking directly to my TV it comes in fine. I had to change my zip code because it was bringing in the wrong market guide info, so I put in a lower NYC zip. Now the guide is good but no WABC. Antennaweb shows the transmitter co located with WPIX channels and they come in. I want this to work and don’t want to go back to my Tivo.
The tuners in the Tablo are less tolerant of ‘iffy’ signals than the typical turner in a TV. This is in part because a four tuner Tablo is splitting the signal four ways.
Your antenna is everything. The Tablo is only as good as the signal it receives. I am also in the greater NYC area and get ABC just fine.
What can you tell us about your antenna? What type? Where is it located?
I have same issue in FL. THE ABC network is choppy or cuts in and out. On a regular antenna I got from Walmart gets the reception better.
I’m curious what Rabbitears.info has to say about the signals available in your exact location. My bet is the “problem” transmitter is somehow different (direction, distance, power, pattern, frequency, etc), resulting in the signal being marginal relative to the others. Compare the available s/n ratio on the Rabbitears.info report, as this is really the critical figure. Other parameter differences like frequency, direction, and distance are also important.
If this transmitter is in a different location, direction/distance, it can be more challenging to solve the problem as you will have to find a way to improve this signal selectively. This could mean a more directional antenna pointed “preferentially” more toward the problem transmitter at slight expense to the others. If the transmitter happens to be VHF and the rest are UHF, this could require a different solution (different antenna design). In extreme cases, it could require multiple antennas and a combiner to solve the issue.
I suspect the “right” antenna located in the “right” spot and pointed in the “right” direction will work fine. It’s just a matter of figuring out what that combo is.
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