Stand Alone ATSC Tuner Problems

If this is the wrong section, I apologize. I think this is the best section though.

Basically, I bought a Samsung SIR-TS160 TV Tuner. It's the stand alone type that is about the size of a large VCR. It's the equivalent to the innards of a regular TV. You plug a monitor, speakers, and antenna into it, and you're good to go!

I spent my ebay bucks on a new Samsung 22" Widescreen, so now I can dedicate my 20" Acer to this TV. I haven't done anything with sound yet, but I'll just plug its digital out into my receiver, shouldn't be a problem.

I bought a $10 antenna from Wal Mart.

The Problem:

I'm not picking up any channels! Well, I am picking up one, TBN,the religious channel, but I don't want to watch that. If I fiddle with the antenna I can get the channel ok, still really fuzzy, but ok for analog. Sometimes I can get channel 19 as well, but it's horribly fuzzing beyond being able to watch it. I tell the device to scan for all channels, and sometimes I'm lucky and get those two analog ones, but zero digital ones. I specifically bought this to receive the over the air digital channels.

I can hold down the menu button and press the right arrow twice to get into a hidden menu, but all it lets me do is reboot the unit, which hasn't helped. I've left it turned on, and off and plugged in trying to let it download some new firmware, but I have no idea if it's done that. There is a firmware update section of the hidden menu, but it's greyed out along with all the other fun options.

I also have a DirecTV card that is inserted into the back of the unit, but it doesn't appear to have any effect. I can't even pick up ABC AT ALL, so something is wrong. I just set up a converter box on my mom's ancient TV and it picked up all the digital channels perfectly fine, and I know there is tons in my area. It's in my computer room, so maybe there is tons of interference or something?

I am thinking about going to Radio Shack and seeing what antennas they have. By the way, unplugging the antenna makes me lose TBN instantly, so the antenna is doing something.

Is it possible that the unit is too old and there was a cut off date on these units receiving channels? I am thinking about going and getting one of those $60 converter boxes that I set up for my mom, at least that worked.

Ideas? I'd be really appreciative! Thanks!

there shouldnt be a cut off date. its my experence with these type of set top boxes that theyre complete junk, yea its basicly a set top box with some extra outputs. my dad and i got one simlar (had the other outputs) and it was junk but we did get channels with it so i think its odd.

are you sure the antenna is switched on?
i mean some antennas (like one i have arround here) have a button or a switch so you can switch from over the air stuff to something else you have plugged into it so you arent getting what i guess would be cross talk from both at once.

you ina house, apartment, other?
how far away from town are you?

I'm in an apartment, second story, with all my computer stuff. I am right smack dab in town in the CA Central Valley.

I looked for switches on the antenna already, there are none. There is a knob for adjusting frequencies, which makes it better or worse, but I haven't seen it help me get new channels, just improve the TBN. It's not a powered antenna, only has a UHF connector, nothing else. It has two metal antennas, and a rectangular one in the middle of them that swivels. Ah, here is a picture of it...

http://www.consumer.philips.com/catalog/SD/SDV2210_17_webImage370.jpg

I would think a stand alone unit would be better, that's why I got it. Is there a better product that I should buy?

I could be wrong since I have been spoiled with cable all of my life and never had to deal with an antenna but wouldn't the knob restrict you to a certain frequency? I.E. if the knob is at position X your box will only pick up the station at frequency X.

You know what, I think that you might be onto something. I am going to try adjusting the knob, then telling it to find channels. We'll see if we can find some digital ones that way.

I tried adjusting the knob to several different positions, letting the tuner scan channels after each adjustment. I did this about 5 times, without any different results.

Those small $10 antennas are crap IMO. My parents tried to use one until I could add another "Drop" from the huge antenna in their attic, and they also had lots of reception issues. It was a $10 Phillips antenna that also had the stupid dial on it. Completely useless. After I ran the extra "drop" from the big antenna, they picked up all DTV stations with ease.

You also have to consider how far you are from the broadcast towers. This is kind of lesser-known data, but it is known by people in my biz that the DTV signals WILL NOT travel as far as the older analog signals. The problem is analog would slowly deteriorate on the fringes of reception. Digital will essentially fall apart once you get close to the fringes of reception - leaving MILLIONS of people w/o a strong enough signal to get a lock. You might be one of those unlucky peeps.

You can check here to see what your antenna requirements are, and what stations you can expect to receive in your zip code (they don't need your whole address, just a zip):

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx

Good luck! PS - OTA HD looks SO DARN GOOD! It has more bandwidth than Cable or DSS, so the HDTV picture is actually BETTER than what you get off Cable or Satellite!

I'm definitely going to get a replacement antenna. We'll see what Radio Shack has.

I've one searches for what channels I should expect to get, and a lot of them come up on the list. I'm an hour away from both Sacramento and San Francisco, there's tons in my area.

I bought a $30 amplified antenna at Radio Shack. It did not help whatsoever. I see no difference between this, and the previous antenna. I still only get one analog channel.

Something is just wrong... I'm thinking the tuner is actually broken. It did get a good beating during shipping. When it arrived at my door it was falling out of the box, literally.

Maybe I will take it apart, and see if I can find anything.

Will keep you all posted!

i would try to return it for a refund or a replacment if you can

The tuner is big and heavy... It'll cost $20 alone to ship it back.... In my opinion, it's not worth it. I am going to try further diagnosing the problem.... Take it apart, examine it.

I am going to borrow one of those analog to digital boxes, and see if that will work with my unit. The converter boxes are their own tuner, so even though I have an ATSC tuner already, I am hoping to sort of "replace" it with the converter box, and still use my tuner as a base. The converter boxes can't be attached to the monitor/speakers on their own I don't think, so it's still good that I got the tuner, despite it being flawed.

I lifted the antenna up over my head today, and the reception became remarkably better. When I take it apart in the other room, I'll test it in there. Just maybe there is too much interference in here.

I'll keep you guys posted.

I took the tuner apart tonight. Everything inside looked fine. Nothing was out of place at all.

I hooked it up to a monitor in the living room, and brought my bunny ears in there too. I ran a scan for channels, and was shocked to find a digital channel! It was able to pick up CW! The signal was going from 30% to 36%, with a lot of garble on and off, but it was there! I did all of this while being on the floor, and the tuner on the chair, and bunny ears on the table. As I stood up, the signal was completely lost. If I sat down, the signal was restored. I now believe my tuner is working fine, and there is an incredible amount of interference, or some sort of shielding in my apartment.

I live on the second story of a 3 story apartment complex. It's a brand new complex, maybe only 3 years old or so. There is a hospital down the street, and another hospital further down the road in the other direction. I wonder if it's because I am under another floor.

Any other ideas?

turn the TV arround tward the window, and stick the antenna out the windo with your arm and see if it gets better, mines inside but i am also in a house in the corner on top of a hill in town.

i'd like to see if it works or not but i am leavin tommorow for a while.