Help Needed 4-way amp

jordo76

hi all

im a newbie here so please be nice, my problem is that i have an antenna on the roof witch works fine at the min but the problem is that when i connect a four way booster box to it the reception turns to sh*t, i tought it might be the unit so got it replaced and tryed again and of course its the same


any ideas please


jordash

bigpaddy2004

Your 'BOOSTER' could be amplifying back ground noise. Are you sure your picture is 'CRYSTAL' clear on all channels before you add the Amp?

mikedelaney16

jordo76 wrote: »

antenna on the roof... four way booster... reception turns to sh*t

Sounds like analogue. Is it?

If it is analogue, and if you normally have a strong signal, try replacing the booster with a 4 way passive splitter and also make sure to properly terminate any unused outputs from the splitter.

Too much signal can cause more problems than not enough signal

This could be especially true if your antenna already has a masthead amplifier.

watty

sounds like it is overloading. Watch the picture(or someone else via phone) and slowly pull out the input till it is almost touching... See what the picture does.

If there is a very critical point where the plug is almost connected and picture is OK, then fit a 12dB attenuator on the input.

Do not feed it with cable TV also or MMDS downconverter as that is too many channels for most ordinary TV amps.

jordo76

hi all

just to say thanks for the info so far, just so i'm on the same page as you guys i let u know what i have and what i have done so far

anolog arial with a box 2 feet away from it (top of mast)
small box in attic plugged into mains with 1 input and 1 output (????)
1 tv recption perfect

my problem is that when i insert the 4 way amp (220v)to the cables the recption gets very bad, i have also tryed bypassing the other small box in attic and still the same,

if there's any more info that u need just let me know and ill try and get it
thanks again for helping


jordash

bigpaddy2004

aha...it sounds like you have a uhf aerial with mast head amplifier and power supply.
Does the aerial look like this one:
http://www.tvaerials.com/product.aspx?productid=1834

What you could try do is get a 4 or 6 way power passing splitter. These splitters only allow dc power pass through them from 2 legs only.
What you do is take your feed 'out' from the power supply to one of the dc passing legs on the splitter and then take your feed from the mast head amp to the other dc passing leg in the splitter. You can then connect in all your other tv points to the other legs on the splitter.

Your signal is probably booming in already and all your doing with the booster is as another poster said, overloading all your tv's

Im trying to find a picture of the splitter im talking about but I cant find one at the moment.

maxg

The power supply is in the attic. It makes no sense to press a power passing splitter between psu and mast amp. The splitter should be placed behind the psu.
Beside that it looks like the signal is already strong enough and the additional booster overload the signal. A passive splitter is the way to go.

bigpaddy2004

maxg wrote: »

The power supply is in the attic. It makes no sense to press a power passing splitter between psu and mast amp. The splitter should be placed behind the psu.
Beside that it looks like the signal is already strong enough and the additional booster overload the signal. A passive splitter is the way to go.

Excusie me...I have been installing aerials for over 10 years now. If I have not put up several hundred aerials by now, well then I must not of put up any at all.
Please dont be talking about about something you clearly dont know about.

maxg

Are you kidding?
Its simply brain dead to install a splitter at the 3 meter between psu in the attic and mast amp.

watty

Not really.

Anyway this bickering won't help the OP.