Tablo & Splitters

I frequently see users with signal problems asked to remove splitters. I have two splitters before the coax cable reaches the Tablo. And I get 100% signal strength on my Tablo.

My antenna is a db8 in the attic, with a 36db amplifier, then a three way split in the attic, a four way split on one of these splits in the basement, and a cable from the four way split to the Tablo. The Tablo reports 100% signal strength and I don’t have to dedicate an antenna cable solely for the Tablo. Five other devices and TVs get their signal from these splits and the cables run 50-60 feet throughout the house (three floors). Never a signal problem and I am 33 miles from the broadcast towers in a forest.

A solid antenna and a good preamplifier (or distribution amplifier) will allow for multiple splits to a variety of viewing devices including the Tablo. It’s best to plan for signal reception ahead of and before the Tablo.

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There is about 90 feet of coax between my antenna and the distribution amp in my basement (don’t ask, it is a long story . . .) so I also use a pre-amp. The distribution amp sends the signal out in five directions, 4 TV’s and the Tablo. Being only 18 miles from the broadcast antennas, I get great reception on all channels.

You can split your antenna out to a lot of places, but, you should be prepared to experiment a little and you should definitely be prepared to invest in a pre-amp and a distribution amp. Just the distribution amp was not enough for my setup, I needed the pre-amp as well.

I also grounded my antenna with #6 bare copper wire to a grounding post pounded 6 feet in to the dirt. Then we placed a lightning arrestor on the RG6 outdoor cable (just before it entered the house). The RG6 cable also had its own 16 gauge ground wire attached to it (this type of RG6 coax is hard to find in 100 foot rolls). We tied all of these ground together to protect the system. Perhaps overkill, but it does give you some piece of mind for lighting strikes.

I’m about 48 miles from most of the stations I care about. I have a Winegard YA 1713 VHF antenna with a CM-7777 pre-amp. I also have a CM-4228 UHF antenna with a KitzTech KT-200 pre-amp. I have them joined with a UVSL joiner. This then feeds an 8-port distribution amplifier. This is all up in my attic. I know this probably seems like a lot of gain, but I even go further. Since I want to input into multiple devices, once the cable comes out of the wall, down from the attic, I split it with a 4-port distribution amplifer. I initially just used a splitter, but this works better. I don’t have a lot of distance to cover, but it’s in multiple rooms, and I am driving old RG-59 cable. I know I should go with RG-6, but I’ve done that in the past, it’s a royal one to accomplish. Oh, and I do get good results.