I am about 7 miles away from tower and my tablo has pixilation pretty often (couple times a minute). I have my antenna in the attic pointing directly at the tower (so says tvfool) and is about 30 feet high. I have tried multiple antenna (currently using an antop big boy, I was using a clearstream max 2). I have also replaced my cable with rg6 quad. I have a tablo 4 tuner. Any advice? Oh, I have also tried a 4g filter.
Thanks!
If you think the broadcast signal is too strong and overloading the Tablo’s tuner, you might try inserting an attenuator between the Tablo and the coax cable. Unless you can actually measure the signal, you could just get several attenuators in, say, 3dB increments and go by trial and error. The 4g filter might be effective in reducing 4g signal levels, but it won’t necessarily reduce the desired broadcast signal levels. Another option is to try an antenna that’s not quite as good, and if you have an in-line amplifier, take it out.
I have tried attenuators from 3dB all the way up to 29 dB. I have also used a 4g LTE filter, and multiple antennas from a windows cling thing, to a piece of copper, even old school rabbit ears.
At 7 miles from the towers, a paper clip would give you reception. That being said, pixelation can occur for multiple reasons, from interference from electronic devices, airplanes, street traffic, etc…
Personally, I would recommend getting a smaller yagi style antenna (like the GE model for around $30-$40) instead of the expensive longer range antennas…
Another possibility is obstructions between you and the towers, such as an airport with planes taking off and landing frequently, a freeway with large trucks passing by, or perhaps tall buildings are in the way. I knew a guy with DirecTV back in the day who lived near Oakland airport, and every time a plane got between his dish and the satellite, his picture was interfered with.
You might want to eliminate the possibility of a bad hard drive by disconnecting it. You’ll only be able to watch one channel without the hard drive connected, but it may give you some additional information.