Free to air antenna's
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Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,288
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From: Leamington, Ontario
Free to air antenna's
Does anybody know anything about these things? I'm talking about the ones that are mounted on the tower outside the house. We've got one to pick up to local channels that we don't get on our satellite, but lately the thing hasn't been picking up any channels at all, so all we get is fuzz.
I climbed up the thing to take a look, but because I don't have a clue what I was looking at I didn't see anything wrong, no broken wires either. Anybody have any ideas what could possibly be wrong?
I climbed up the thing to take a look, but because I don't have a clue what I was looking at I didn't see anything wrong, no broken wires either. Anybody have any ideas what could possibly be wrong?
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 26,966
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From: Texas
When does Canada switch to digital signals? There's a big deal in the US right now since all broadcasts will be digital next year, so older TV's will not work.
Have you tried just rotating the antenna? What looks like the back end needs to be pointed toward the broadcast towers. Sometimes those things will spin around in the wind.
I have no idea what a balun is either.
Have you tried just rotating the antenna? What looks like the back end needs to be pointed toward the broadcast towers. Sometimes those things will spin around in the wind.
I have no idea what a balun is either.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 153
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From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
2011 for switchdown in canada
http://jtsang.blogspot.com/2007/05/c...down-date.html
or google "tv analog canada" (the above was the first legible one I hit)
http://jtsang.blogspot.com/2007/05/c...down-date.html
or google "tv analog canada" (the above was the first legible one I hit)
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 153
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From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
balun
from http://searchnetworking.techtarget.c...342213,00.html
A balun is a device that joins a balanced line (one that has two conductors, with equal currents in opposite directions, such as a twisted pair cable) to an unbalanced line (one that has just one conductor and a ground, such as a coaxial cable). A balun is a type of transformer: it's used to convert an unbalanced signal to a balanced one or vice versa. Baluns isolate a transmission line and provide a balanced output. A typical use for a balun is in a television antenna. The term is derived by combining balanced and unbalanced ...
Well that's it - I've learned something for today. Time to shut 'er down!
A balun is a device that joins a balanced line (one that has two conductors, with equal currents in opposite directions, such as a twisted pair cable) to an unbalanced line (one that has just one conductor and a ground, such as a coaxial cable). A balun is a type of transformer: it's used to convert an unbalanced signal to a balanced one or vice versa. Baluns isolate a transmission line and provide a balanced output. A typical use for a balun is in a television antenna. The term is derived by combining balanced and unbalanced ...
Well that's it - I've learned something for today. Time to shut 'er down!
Cargo Master
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,476
Likes: 224
From: Frequently frozen MN
You probably have a balun if your feed line is coax ( round black cable). coax is unbalanced -- it has a center conductor and a ground.
Antennas used to generally have twin lead -- flat cable with two leads. These lines are balanced.
A balun would probably be some small gizmo between the antenna and the coax. Older tvs also needed them if the feed was coax -- because they had 2 screws for attaching twin lead.
As for your antenna, look for corrosion or broken elements. You could also check continuity in the cable. ( Will take some looong test leads). You could just short the ends in the house together and see if you have fairly low resistance -- then check with the ends unshorted to make sure that there isn't an internal short.
Good luck and be safe
ford2go
Antennas used to generally have twin lead -- flat cable with two leads. These lines are balanced.
A balun would probably be some small gizmo between the antenna and the coax. Older tvs also needed them if the feed was coax -- because they had 2 screws for attaching twin lead.
As for your antenna, look for corrosion or broken elements. You could also check continuity in the cable. ( Will take some looong test leads). You could just short the ends in the house together and see if you have fairly low resistance -- then check with the ends unshorted to make sure that there isn't an internal short.
Good luck and be safe
ford2go
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