Ok, Hoping someone here is wise with 'signal strengths' etc.. I have a job with a distibution booster in the loft (This is all new cables etc), high quality screened RF Cable distributing RF2 (For magic eye) on a Sky+ box, booster is an 'Slx Gold 8 way', a middle of the road booster but good for this type of application and everything in F-Type. I've used these units before and they've always done a great job with no issues. This one however, if I feed through to one TV, perfect picture, feed through to the another, again perfect picture. Run it through the distribution booster, picture is awful ! Grainy and fuzzy. Could this be a signal strength thats 'too' strong ? Only reason this has thrown me is these units are designed for this function, even has a picture on the back of the box boasting about its pass through feature so Magic eye's still work etc ! After thoughts and opinions before I go and by a variable attenuator just to find out, and i've tried another unit just to be sure and the problem remains.
I always carry an adjustable attenuator to help diagnose. Helpful to have a signal db meter too, but it's getting extreme for a spark to carry one of those and a sat meter! I have both, but when you need them, they're flat. Pretty pointless TBH. Stupid I know, but the booster has power? There are no shorted outputs causing the booster to shut down? When you are trying just one TV, is it using the same runs of coax just jointed with an F plug coupler? So you know it's not the cables? Dodgy amplifier perhaps? Assume this is watching sky on the analogue channel, rather than DVB?
As lec says, does the amp have power? does it have a power lead or is it powered off the sky box, maybe the RF2 needs the power turning on.
I don't know if the chap is in a Log Periodic signal area - but if he is then A VP10 Super Log Periodic seems to be indicated. I fitted one in my loft and no masthead amp was required, although Crystal Palace is knocking on my door so to speak. Use good quality cable and not that nasty RG58 stuff - WF100 is excellent.
The SLX Gold are the ones most wholesalers stock, mains powered. They have an FM and TV input, can't recall if labelled as TV FM, or UHF VHF? Assume you're using the correct input? I would try another dist-amp if it was me, it's not the first to go faulty.
Cheers for the replies folks. It does have UHF and FM inputs but im not using the FM input at all. It does have power, the LED is lit (These wont work at all without power, not even a fuzzy pic when its off) I picked up a second one on the off chance it was faulty, exactly the same problem though. I am running this amp with just the two upstairs TVs connected to the amp, I even tried just the one. If I connect my feed with a back-back to either of the two upstair tv's the picture is perfect. I've ordered a variable attenuator which I'll try when it arrives, this has thrown me as I've done many a TV / Sky setup with these units and they've always been fine. I've never seen an over powered signal and i wondered if it would look grainy, this certainly has me baffled at the moment, perhaps more so as signal strength on RF2 cant be altered in the Engineers menu so i'd assume they're pretty consistent.
The channel on the RF2 for sky isn't conflicting with a digital channel group? Assuming you're seeing grainy on the sky channel, not digital (either works or stutters), then try removing the terrestrial feed INTO the sky box. There is then no possibility of "too much signal".
Just to add, hopefully without sound obvious. This is to watch the Sky channels on other TV's with a Magic eye to channel change. The RF2 output is analogue and the TV's are both tuned in ok (Like I say, they work when directly connected)
The Sky only has its two LNB connections, suprisingly they dont have a roof aerial at all. The Sky itself works great, the LNB signal bars in the System menu are over 3/4 full.
LNB signal won't affect anything regarding your RF2 output. There can't be too much signal to your TVs if you're not putting anything into the skybox. It may be amplifying **** though, so perhaps a band pass filter could be tried. Have you tried passively splitting the feed to the two TVs?
Are you using the correct ports on the dis? Some only have pass-through on certain ports. Mr. HandyAndy - Really
Actually I did try that, I didnt have a T-Connector and I was getting frustrated, so I bodged three lengths together with a connector block (I know, but its not staying that way) and the signal to both TV's is perfect, I would have split this with a T-Piece but this setup is going to have 5, and sometimes 6 TV's connected so I wasnt sure if the loss would be a bit much. Mr HandyAndy, the GLx amps have pass through on all ports IIRC.
hi does the amp have lte stamped on it. if so you have to set the rf output of the sky box to rf channel 60 or less.
long term evolution. uk tv band was from channel 21-68 channels 61-68 have been sold off to mobile phone networks as new 4g frequencies.not EE as they currently use old frequency .thats why they were fist to offer 4g,with the other networks rolling out new freqencies now that tv band has been moved around. all new amplifiers need to be LTE compatable other wise signals from 4g can interfere with tv signals. so lte amps do not allow any signal above channel 60 through . so a sky box set at factory setting of 68 will give either no picture or a fuzzy picture dependent on how good the amp rejection/filter circuits are.
Makes perfect sense, and as you say, most sky boxes RF output is set to channel 68, but adjustable in the settings.
That sounds correct, the AMP does have 4g guff stamped all over the box but cant think off the top of my head what it is. The Sky was still on its default channel, cant remember if it was 63,68 but it was 60 something. Some good things to try when I return on Tuesday. I'll keep you all posted, thankyou all for you time Fyi, this specificaly is the amp http://www.amazon.co.uk/SLx-28105FG...on-Amplifier/dp/B00DJQL2CM/ref=dp_ob_title_ce
I think Telerepair has hit the nail on the head here, so me thinks you will have it sorted on Tuesday. Just set the RF channel to something different (below 60), and something away from the digital multiplexes.
You learn something every day, I knew LTE was something to do with 4G and I know they sell 4G filters in places like grax but I'd never bothered to find out the frequencies involved. If you do this sort of stuff day in day out as part of your main job then you will probably already be aware of it but for us that do it as an extra to a rewire its a handy thing to know.
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