How to improve your Beyonwiz's reception
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 14:28
Improving Your Reception.
Introduction to the digital reception check list
The Beyonwiz is a complex and capable PVR that performs best with an optimal digital signal. Due to the variances between digital tuners, it is not uncommon for a newly installed digital receiver to discover reception issues not present with the old one. If you are experiencing reception issues, the following list of 'do-it-yourself' checks may rectify the problem. This advice does not replace quality, professional installation, which is always advisable should you experience ongoing problems.
Important Safety Advice
- Antenna installation and maintenance often requires working at heights. It is imperative that you take all precautions to ensure your safety. If there are any doubts about your safety - STOP! Professional installation is your best option.
- Ensure all power is disconnected from your units/mast head amplifiers etc before working with your antenna setup. This will not only avoid possible electrocution, but will reduce the chances of damaging your tuners.
- Safety warnings don't come much more obvious than this one - Don't work with your antenna during stormy conditions. Lightning strikes do occur, particularly towards the tropics or during summer. Is your antenna mast grounded (earthed)? Be sensible about reception problem solving.
The Antenna
Generally, if you have good analogue reception on all available channels, this should translate to good digital reception. Similarly, most modern antennas if installed properly will receive a digital signal. It?s important to recognise that antenna design and suitability can be complex. When selecting an antenna, always seek professional advice.
- Check the suitability of your antenna for your area, and that it?s directed appropriately. Ultimately, professional measurement is required to confirm this, as many of the inbuilt tuner signal strength meters represent a guide only. This is certainly true of the Beyonwiz.
- Indoor antennas are generally inferior to outdoor antennas, particularly when trying to receive a digital signal. Indoor antennas should be seen as a 'last resort' if an outdoor antenna is not feasible.
- Swapping from analogue to digital? The way poor reception manifests itself with a digital tuner is somewhat different from analogue. An analogue picture may look reasonable, however the digital equivalent may present with pixilation, sudden sound distortion, and/or momentary loss of sound or vision. Unlike analogue signals which progressively fade, digital signals tend to suddenly fail (remember the difference between your analogue and digital phone reception?), hence the description ?digital cliff.? In summary;
- A new digital tuner is often the way users discover their reception is only ?adequate?.
- Ensure the antenna design channel range matches that of the channels being used. See under 'Geography' a link to a comprehensive overview of channel frequencies based on location.
- Verify that your antenna is able to receive the digital band. An antenna boasting 'Digital Ready' may simply be analogue that can also receive digital. It cannot be stressed enough that correct antenna selection is the cornerstone for reliable reception. Do the research, review the DTV forum and seek (reputable) professional advice.
- High gain antenna already installed? The higher the gain, the more directional they tend to be. Is it truly parallel to the transmission? Has it been properly installed and calibrated?
- Is it secure and the connections well insulated? Are you getting reception issues under windy or wet conditions? This might indicate improperly installed supportive structures and lack of weather proofing connections.
- Look closely at the antenna. It's surprising how often an antenna is found to be damaged on closer inspection. Birds, wind, hail and tree branches are common causes of damage. Replacement is the best option for a damaged antenna.
- Check balun connections. Secure? Rusted?
These links provides detailed insight into digital reception and define terms.
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/basics.html
http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=12098
Geography
One size does not fit all. Each area requires specific needs, a list too great for the realms of this guide. Advice that may be right for someone in the suburbs can be irrelevant to those in rural areas.
- Where are you in relation to transmission towers? Do you have direct line of sight? Have a look around at your neighbour's antenna masts. Elevated/high masts may represent line of sight issues in your area due to terrain, buildings or trees.
- Do you require a high gain antenna or an antenna that receives a specific bandwidth in your area? Discuss with your neighbour's/local installer if they too have signal issues and the avenues they had to adopt to manage these.
- Are there issues with reflected signals? Hills, buildings etc? Analogue reception would normally show these reflected signals as 'ghosting'. While digital's advantage is the lack of ghosting, the presence of ghosting during analogue viewing may indicate general reception calibration issues. Professional installers will often refer to 'Bit Error Rate', of which one determinant is the degree of reflected signal. Again, to achieve the cleanest signal may require advanced antenna selection and professional calibration.
- Trees and buildings can have a surprisingly negative effect if they lie in the line of sight. Is there a more suitable position for your antenna?
The ?DVT Forum? provides excellent information on how to best receive digital according to location. See:
http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showforum=82
Channels and Frequencies
For more advanced information on channels and frequencies, visit; http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_9150
The document at the end of the above link (entitled : ACMA Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations, ACMA stands for Australian Communication and Media Authority) is reasonably complex, so the following info will help you navigate through the numbers(credits to prl): Look up your location in this chapter "Chapter 8: Television by Area Served" , and the Digital TV channels are highlighted in light purple. The channel number is the digit(s) at the end of each station entry in the Callsign,Channel column. For example, in Canberra, the digital channel entries are CTC6, ABC9A, WIN11, CBN12 and SBS 30, the corresponding channel numbers are 6, 9A, 11, 12 and 30, so I have my BW set up to limit its scan to channels 6-30. Other locations will have different channel assignments; you can't assume the assignments from somewhere else will be the same where you are.
Channels and Frequencies viewed via Google Earth!
Listed on the Beyonwiz Software site, prl has written a terrific Perl script that lets you display most of the ACMA TV & Radio Broadcasters book information in Google Earth. You get placemarkers for each broadcast site, with a popup for the transmitter details. Highly recommended for those wanting exact localities of their closest towers, establishing the bearing from your home and the associative frequencies. For those unfamiliar with Perl scripts, the file contains a step-by-step guide to executing the script within windows... It's worth the effort!
Find it here;
http://www.beyonwizsoftware.net/softwar ... cemarks/0/
Cabling
Do not underestimate the importance of quality cabling and connectors. Coaxial cabling of poor quality can act like an antenna itself, actively digesting wayward electronic signals not associated with digital TV transmission.
- Check for frayed, cracked or generally poor condition cabling. Importantly, apparently intact cables can be damaged, as the fine woven conducting material inside coax can separate, yet the ductile outer sheath appears unharmed. If in doubt, replace.
- Distance = signal loss. Minimise cable length where possible.
- Use quad shielded RG6 cable and F connectors. Quad-shielded cable is well-isolated; i.e. it has good rejection of electromagnetic interference (other than what the antenna feeds it anyway). The shielding itself actually needs to be as good a conductor as possible. Good insulation is also important for signal strength, as the relative quality is measured by the lossiness of the insulator between the core and the shield. Theoretically, none of the signal field is outside the coax (this is the mirror property of the cable's good interference rejection), so the lossiness of the jacket insulation isn't important.
- The jacket insulation does need to be reasonably mechanically robust and thick enough to protect against any accidental contact with bare 240V connections. However, the lossiness of the core insulation isn't the only factor in signal deterioration, the resistance of the conductor is also important. So the overall loss figure for the cable (measured in dB/m) is the important thing for the loss component of cable quality: In short; The lower the dB/m figure, the better.
- Is the cabling loose? Tension and continual movement can fray cables internally, while the plastic outer shield may still appear intact.
- Likewise, installation that has created sharp, angular turns of the cable can damage cheaper coaxial types.
- Coaxial cabling requires unique connectors that demand patience and attention to detail to fit. Recheck connectors for their patency and quality of installation.
- An expensive professional installation that includes high quality quad-shielded cable can be significantly compromised by introducing ?Two Dollar Shop? cable, even in short lengths. Look for weak links in the chain.
Multiple tuners/receivers/TVs off the one antenna?
Splitters are often the weak link in the chain, and range in quality. ?Splitter? output signals are inevitably weaker than the signals from the antenna, particularly if many outputs are used.
- Be careful of splitters, they can often degrade reception, even in single use.
- Many external splitter boxes suffer from rust and weather damage, degrading signal.
- Check other reception access points in your house. Damaged? Poorly installed?
- If your antenna is amplified, does the splitter lie before or after the amplifier? It?s important that amplification occurs before splitting the reception, as one arm of the antenna network will not benefit from amplification. Indeed, amplification is often implemented to improve reception where more than one outlet has been installed. See below for further info on amplification.
Signal amplification
Signal amplification can improve signal strength, but can also exaggerate the effects of a poorly installed antenna, over-amplify a signal, amplify interference or simply be of poor manufacture so as to serve little or no purpose at all.
- Signal amplification cannot compensate for a poorly installed antenna. A low gain antenna mixed with amplification results in moderate gain and high noise/Bit Error Rate. Generally, signal amplification should be introduced after all other avenues at improving reception have been exhausted.
- Is the unit?s amplification adjustable? Start with minimal amplification first. Over amplification can overwhelm a tuner.
- Generally speaking, masthead amplifiers are more successful at improving reception, than the indoor style. Having the amplifier closer to the antenna (hence the term 'masthead') reduces noise and interference amplification.
Again, the DTV forum has a wealth of information in regards to masthead amplification.
http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=35056
Interference
Antennas can be a sponge for interference. While most antenna designs ensure specific wavelength reception, our wireless world with a high concentration of electronic devices make an uninterrupted signal all the more unlikely, and of course, you get what you pay for. Do not expect cheap antennas to achieve the ultimate reception in fringe areas, or those prone to interference.
- Common sources of interference include: Fridges, washing machines, microwaves (generally high wattage appliances), motors, computers, mobile phones or other electrical or electronic device. The 'blips', 'pops' and pixelation often associated with a compromised digital signal are referred to as 'Impulse' interferences. In short, can you associate the moment of interference with one of the afore mentioned sources commencing operation?
- Loose cable or a damaged antenna is a common cause of interference and poor reception.
- Check for close proximity of power cables, bundled or twisted-together cabling, particularly if cheap, poorly insulated coax is used.
- When running an in-line RF Surge protector (often contained within 'home-theatre' power-boards), check to make sure it's not the source of the problem by eliminating it from the setup.
...and finally, the Beyonwiz itself
After addressing all of the above points, it might be prudent to do the following.
- If you have altered the reception hardware, it may be worth re-tuning the Beyonwiz.
- Although factory resets are usually not necessary after firmware updates, if you are having reception issues after an update it may be worthwhile to reset and re-tune.
- Using the antenna loop to provide signal to a second device (TV, another PVR etc) does not degrade reception, according to BW tech staff who have tested this possible cause of signal degradation. It is noteworthy however that the cable used should be high quality and as short as possible. The signal can be degraded by interference from a short loop-through cable, particularly when surrounded by EMR inducing hi-fi equipment.
- Don't be misled by the '+5V' option listed in the system menu. This is for compatible masthead amplifiers, most of which in Australia require 9-12volts. In short, this option does not 'boost' your reception and should remain off.
- Finally, BW have recognised that tuner improvement needs to be investigated from a hardware/software side. It's worth keeping an eye on the conversation taking place the 'Official response to tuner issues thread;
http://www.beyonwiz.com.au/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1856
Other resources
A series of Government generated PDF help documents can be located at this address;
http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_300044
http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/ma ... ndbook.pdf
Want to know more about digital television. The Australian Communications and Media Authority web site can assist, here;
http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/ma ... ndbook.pdf
Furthermore, the DVT forum has a substantial section dedicated to digital reception.
http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showforum=79
The ABC have a reasonably detailed ?Reception advice guide? and even a contact number for those who are experiencing digital reception issues.
http://www.abc.net.au/reception/
Feedback
This is an evolving document that will grow with forum input. Feel free to offer advice, corrections or personal experiences
Introduction to the digital reception check list
The Beyonwiz is a complex and capable PVR that performs best with an optimal digital signal. Due to the variances between digital tuners, it is not uncommon for a newly installed digital receiver to discover reception issues not present with the old one. If you are experiencing reception issues, the following list of 'do-it-yourself' checks may rectify the problem. This advice does not replace quality, professional installation, which is always advisable should you experience ongoing problems.
Important Safety Advice
- Antenna installation and maintenance often requires working at heights. It is imperative that you take all precautions to ensure your safety. If there are any doubts about your safety - STOP! Professional installation is your best option.
- Ensure all power is disconnected from your units/mast head amplifiers etc before working with your antenna setup. This will not only avoid possible electrocution, but will reduce the chances of damaging your tuners.
- Safety warnings don't come much more obvious than this one - Don't work with your antenna during stormy conditions. Lightning strikes do occur, particularly towards the tropics or during summer. Is your antenna mast grounded (earthed)? Be sensible about reception problem solving.
The Antenna
Generally, if you have good analogue reception on all available channels, this should translate to good digital reception. Similarly, most modern antennas if installed properly will receive a digital signal. It?s important to recognise that antenna design and suitability can be complex. When selecting an antenna, always seek professional advice.
- Check the suitability of your antenna for your area, and that it?s directed appropriately. Ultimately, professional measurement is required to confirm this, as many of the inbuilt tuner signal strength meters represent a guide only. This is certainly true of the Beyonwiz.
- Indoor antennas are generally inferior to outdoor antennas, particularly when trying to receive a digital signal. Indoor antennas should be seen as a 'last resort' if an outdoor antenna is not feasible.
- Swapping from analogue to digital? The way poor reception manifests itself with a digital tuner is somewhat different from analogue. An analogue picture may look reasonable, however the digital equivalent may present with pixilation, sudden sound distortion, and/or momentary loss of sound or vision. Unlike analogue signals which progressively fade, digital signals tend to suddenly fail (remember the difference between your analogue and digital phone reception?), hence the description ?digital cliff.? In summary;
- A new digital tuner is often the way users discover their reception is only ?adequate?.
- Ensure the antenna design channel range matches that of the channels being used. See under 'Geography' a link to a comprehensive overview of channel frequencies based on location.
- Verify that your antenna is able to receive the digital band. An antenna boasting 'Digital Ready' may simply be analogue that can also receive digital. It cannot be stressed enough that correct antenna selection is the cornerstone for reliable reception. Do the research, review the DTV forum and seek (reputable) professional advice.
- High gain antenna already installed? The higher the gain, the more directional they tend to be. Is it truly parallel to the transmission? Has it been properly installed and calibrated?
- Is it secure and the connections well insulated? Are you getting reception issues under windy or wet conditions? This might indicate improperly installed supportive structures and lack of weather proofing connections.
- Look closely at the antenna. It's surprising how often an antenna is found to be damaged on closer inspection. Birds, wind, hail and tree branches are common causes of damage. Replacement is the best option for a damaged antenna.
- Check balun connections. Secure? Rusted?
These links provides detailed insight into digital reception and define terms.
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/basics.html
http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=12098
Geography
One size does not fit all. Each area requires specific needs, a list too great for the realms of this guide. Advice that may be right for someone in the suburbs can be irrelevant to those in rural areas.
- Where are you in relation to transmission towers? Do you have direct line of sight? Have a look around at your neighbour's antenna masts. Elevated/high masts may represent line of sight issues in your area due to terrain, buildings or trees.
- Do you require a high gain antenna or an antenna that receives a specific bandwidth in your area? Discuss with your neighbour's/local installer if they too have signal issues and the avenues they had to adopt to manage these.
- Are there issues with reflected signals? Hills, buildings etc? Analogue reception would normally show these reflected signals as 'ghosting'. While digital's advantage is the lack of ghosting, the presence of ghosting during analogue viewing may indicate general reception calibration issues. Professional installers will often refer to 'Bit Error Rate', of which one determinant is the degree of reflected signal. Again, to achieve the cleanest signal may require advanced antenna selection and professional calibration.
- Trees and buildings can have a surprisingly negative effect if they lie in the line of sight. Is there a more suitable position for your antenna?
The ?DVT Forum? provides excellent information on how to best receive digital according to location. See:
http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showforum=82
Channels and Frequencies
For more advanced information on channels and frequencies, visit; http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_9150
The document at the end of the above link (entitled : ACMA Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations, ACMA stands for Australian Communication and Media Authority) is reasonably complex, so the following info will help you navigate through the numbers(credits to prl): Look up your location in this chapter "Chapter 8: Television by Area Served" , and the Digital TV channels are highlighted in light purple. The channel number is the digit(s) at the end of each station entry in the Callsign,Channel column. For example, in Canberra, the digital channel entries are CTC6, ABC9A, WIN11, CBN12 and SBS 30, the corresponding channel numbers are 6, 9A, 11, 12 and 30, so I have my BW set up to limit its scan to channels 6-30. Other locations will have different channel assignments; you can't assume the assignments from somewhere else will be the same where you are.
Channels and Frequencies viewed via Google Earth!
Listed on the Beyonwiz Software site, prl has written a terrific Perl script that lets you display most of the ACMA TV & Radio Broadcasters book information in Google Earth. You get placemarkers for each broadcast site, with a popup for the transmitter details. Highly recommended for those wanting exact localities of their closest towers, establishing the bearing from your home and the associative frequencies. For those unfamiliar with Perl scripts, the file contains a step-by-step guide to executing the script within windows... It's worth the effort!
Find it here;
http://www.beyonwizsoftware.net/softwar ... cemarks/0/
Cabling
Do not underestimate the importance of quality cabling and connectors. Coaxial cabling of poor quality can act like an antenna itself, actively digesting wayward electronic signals not associated with digital TV transmission.
- Check for frayed, cracked or generally poor condition cabling. Importantly, apparently intact cables can be damaged, as the fine woven conducting material inside coax can separate, yet the ductile outer sheath appears unharmed. If in doubt, replace.
- Distance = signal loss. Minimise cable length where possible.
- Use quad shielded RG6 cable and F connectors. Quad-shielded cable is well-isolated; i.e. it has good rejection of electromagnetic interference (other than what the antenna feeds it anyway). The shielding itself actually needs to be as good a conductor as possible. Good insulation is also important for signal strength, as the relative quality is measured by the lossiness of the insulator between the core and the shield. Theoretically, none of the signal field is outside the coax (this is the mirror property of the cable's good interference rejection), so the lossiness of the jacket insulation isn't important.
- The jacket insulation does need to be reasonably mechanically robust and thick enough to protect against any accidental contact with bare 240V connections. However, the lossiness of the core insulation isn't the only factor in signal deterioration, the resistance of the conductor is also important. So the overall loss figure for the cable (measured in dB/m) is the important thing for the loss component of cable quality: In short; The lower the dB/m figure, the better.
- Is the cabling loose? Tension and continual movement can fray cables internally, while the plastic outer shield may still appear intact.
- Likewise, installation that has created sharp, angular turns of the cable can damage cheaper coaxial types.
- Coaxial cabling requires unique connectors that demand patience and attention to detail to fit. Recheck connectors for their patency and quality of installation.
- An expensive professional installation that includes high quality quad-shielded cable can be significantly compromised by introducing ?Two Dollar Shop? cable, even in short lengths. Look for weak links in the chain.
Multiple tuners/receivers/TVs off the one antenna?
Splitters are often the weak link in the chain, and range in quality. ?Splitter? output signals are inevitably weaker than the signals from the antenna, particularly if many outputs are used.
- Be careful of splitters, they can often degrade reception, even in single use.
- Many external splitter boxes suffer from rust and weather damage, degrading signal.
- Check other reception access points in your house. Damaged? Poorly installed?
- If your antenna is amplified, does the splitter lie before or after the amplifier? It?s important that amplification occurs before splitting the reception, as one arm of the antenna network will not benefit from amplification. Indeed, amplification is often implemented to improve reception where more than one outlet has been installed. See below for further info on amplification.
Signal amplification
Signal amplification can improve signal strength, but can also exaggerate the effects of a poorly installed antenna, over-amplify a signal, amplify interference or simply be of poor manufacture so as to serve little or no purpose at all.
- Signal amplification cannot compensate for a poorly installed antenna. A low gain antenna mixed with amplification results in moderate gain and high noise/Bit Error Rate. Generally, signal amplification should be introduced after all other avenues at improving reception have been exhausted.
- Is the unit?s amplification adjustable? Start with minimal amplification first. Over amplification can overwhelm a tuner.
- Generally speaking, masthead amplifiers are more successful at improving reception, than the indoor style. Having the amplifier closer to the antenna (hence the term 'masthead') reduces noise and interference amplification.
Again, the DTV forum has a wealth of information in regards to masthead amplification.
http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showtopic=35056
Interference
Antennas can be a sponge for interference. While most antenna designs ensure specific wavelength reception, our wireless world with a high concentration of electronic devices make an uninterrupted signal all the more unlikely, and of course, you get what you pay for. Do not expect cheap antennas to achieve the ultimate reception in fringe areas, or those prone to interference.
- Common sources of interference include: Fridges, washing machines, microwaves (generally high wattage appliances), motors, computers, mobile phones or other electrical or electronic device. The 'blips', 'pops' and pixelation often associated with a compromised digital signal are referred to as 'Impulse' interferences. In short, can you associate the moment of interference with one of the afore mentioned sources commencing operation?
- Loose cable or a damaged antenna is a common cause of interference and poor reception.
- Check for close proximity of power cables, bundled or twisted-together cabling, particularly if cheap, poorly insulated coax is used.
- When running an in-line RF Surge protector (often contained within 'home-theatre' power-boards), check to make sure it's not the source of the problem by eliminating it from the setup.
...and finally, the Beyonwiz itself
After addressing all of the above points, it might be prudent to do the following.
- If you have altered the reception hardware, it may be worth re-tuning the Beyonwiz.
- Although factory resets are usually not necessary after firmware updates, if you are having reception issues after an update it may be worthwhile to reset and re-tune.
- Using the antenna loop to provide signal to a second device (TV, another PVR etc) does not degrade reception, according to BW tech staff who have tested this possible cause of signal degradation. It is noteworthy however that the cable used should be high quality and as short as possible. The signal can be degraded by interference from a short loop-through cable, particularly when surrounded by EMR inducing hi-fi equipment.
- Don't be misled by the '+5V' option listed in the system menu. This is for compatible masthead amplifiers, most of which in Australia require 9-12volts. In short, this option does not 'boost' your reception and should remain off.
- Finally, BW have recognised that tuner improvement needs to be investigated from a hardware/software side. It's worth keeping an eye on the conversation taking place the 'Official response to tuner issues thread;
http://www.beyonwiz.com.au/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=1856
Other resources
A series of Government generated PDF help documents can be located at this address;
http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_300044
http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/ma ... ndbook.pdf
Want to know more about digital television. The Australian Communications and Media Authority web site can assist, here;
http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/ma ... ndbook.pdf
Furthermore, the DVT forum has a substantial section dedicated to digital reception.
http://www.dtvforum.info/index.php?showforum=79
The ABC have a reasonably detailed ?Reception advice guide? and even a contact number for those who are experiencing digital reception issues.
http://www.abc.net.au/reception/
Feedback
This is an evolving document that will grow with forum input. Feel free to offer advice, corrections or personal experiences