Weak tuner / signal reception

With that TVFool report (the NM part), you should be getting all those channels at 90 to 100%. All of the stations are LOS with only PBS as 1-edge. 2-edge is problematic but the main channels are all LOS. A unidirectional antenna (yagi or 4 bay bowtie) mounted just a little above the roofline and pointed right at the broadcast towers would bring all those in at close to perfection. Channel 2 (ABC) should not be shakey.

Given Atlanta’s reception pattern, an omnidirectional is not a good fit for our locations and may even be sapped of signal strength. BTW the passing train will cause signal disruption (pixelation through metal reflection) just as cars and trucks on a nearby road do the same.

But since you have things already in place and working, no use spending more money (I’m cheap) just to get things perfect.

BTW the AmazonBasics does come in handy as a multi-directional if you also want ION which is 100 degrees away from all the other stations. Do you watch ION (from Rome GA)?

We get ION without any issues. That was one of the 8 channels we got when we first hooked up the Tablo. That tower is fairly close though.

I would have to put up another antenna to face in that direction since I don’t get it at all with my current setup. Do you think it would be worth it? I’ve entertained the idea. I don’t know anything about ION’s programming in Georgia and its sub-channels. Do you watch it?

Ion has a lot of of Law & Order, N3mbers, Leverage, Criminal Minds. Pretty much marathons of those shows daily is what it has. We sometimes watch it. I think they also have Flashpoint.

Qubo is the kids channel. Our grandson is not old enough to be into them however. He’s into Sesame Street and the Wiggles atm which we primarily stream. When he gets older, they might be appealing to him. Some older cartoons from the 80’s and some more recent stuff, for example Archie’s Weird Mysteries and Pippi Longstocking.

Ion Life has the cooking shows, but they also have some lifestyle type shows as well.We don’t watch that one at all.

There are religious programming on all the stations as well as the typical infomercials at random times.

I had the same problem. I think TV’s are better able to process signal noise than Tablo - also noticed this on my slingbox pro HD. After messing around with dinky window antennas, I just decided to go with a $130 big daddy attic antenna and that solved all my problems.

Yep, bigger is always better. One cannot evade physics. The more metal on an antenna, the larger the signal capture area. I always advise those asking for my help in installing antennas, get the biggest one you can (if for attic or roof). Never mind the question, “What antenna is appropriate for my location?” Saving $25 on a smaller antenna when paying three times that much for cable in just one month doesn’t make sense. Just get the biggest honker that fits your space! Women do that with diamonds LOL.

I have never seen a large antenna overload a tuner: it takes a hell of a lot of signal amplification to overload a tuner (maybe ten times the signal that the antenna brings in).

The bigger antenna, because it has a larger coverage space, is also more stable. Signals shift during the day and by season. A small antenna may be in a strong signal space one hour and then on the edge the next hour. That is why the signal strength indicator fluctuates during the day. The more signal gathering space an antenna has, the more stable the picture will be with respect to pixelation.

That is why the best antenna ever designed and made was the Channel Master 4251. It’s signal capture area is humongous even though it has a simple small two-bay driven element for signal conveyance to the TV! This is also why large reflectors add to the signal strength: in essence they extend an antenna’s reach.

I’ve noticed that too - my TV tuners are better than my DVR tuners. I surmise that it isn’t the chip itself (STBs tend to use the same tuner chipset as TVs) but that the TV tuner doesn’t have to contend with the recording paraphernalia inside a DVR.

The TV also, as you mention, tends to recover much better from noise and disruption than a DVR. It’s as if the TV tuner says, “OK so I had an interruption, so what, let’s just continue on, nothing I can do about it anyway, it’s in the past.” The DVR on the other hand starts thinking about that interruption…

Which is why I prefer to watch live events directly on the TV rather than through a DVR.