As Lancaster TV Aerial Fitters and Satellite engineers, we need to be able to test the signal from the aerials regularly and with accuracy. To do this requires a specifically designed piece of equipment. This piece of equipment is a signal meter. These meters at the basic level test both the signal strength and quality of a satellite, TV or Radio signal.
Without these meters it is difficult to be able to diagnose what could be causing a problem with the television picture. When used by an experienced engineer, these meters help to pin point where the fault with the signal can lie.
However, there are situations where even without a meter, someone could find out if there is a problem with an aerial. It won’t necessarily point to what the problem is exactly, but it will help to determine if there is a fault with the signal or the TV itself.
There are plenty of times a customer has bought a new TV, simply because they thought the signal fault was in fact a fault with the television. They then call us out to find and fix the problem. Shame they didn’t do that at the beginning.
Without these meters it is difficult to be able to diagnose what could be causing a problem with the television picture. When used by an experienced engineer, these meters help to pin point where the fault with the signal can lie.
However, there are situations where even without a meter, someone could find out if there is a problem with an aerial. It won’t necessarily point to what the problem is exactly, but it will help to determine if there is a fault with the signal or the TV itself.
There are plenty of times a customer has bought a new TV, simply because they thought the signal fault was in fact a fault with the television. They then call us out to find and fix the problem. Shame they didn’t do that at the beginning.
Ways to check if there is a signal fault from the TV aerial
These are simple and easy to try ways of finding out if there is a fault with the aerial signal or if the fault lies with the TV. They are:
- Check that the TV Source or input is on the correct settings
- Is the coax cable plugged into the TV?
- Are there any signs of corrosion on the silver coax plug?
- Check outside to see if there is any visible damage to either the cable or antenna
- Use another working TV on the cable you want to check.
Check that the TV Source or input is on the correct settings
On many occasions a TV will show no signal if the input it is set on has nothing plugged into it. Make sure that the input is set for either TV, Live TV or DTV.
Is the coax cable plugged into the TV?
Too many times we go out to homes where the coax cable is not plugged into the antenna input in the back of the TV. It can come loose for a number of reasons, and is an easy check to make and is a lot cheaper than calling out an engineer.
Are there any signs of corrosion on the silver coax plug?
If there are any signs of corrosion on or around the coax plug then this indicates water ingress and a very possible problem with the aerial system itself. Corrosion looks like, rust, light blue powder on the braid or blackened braid. Anything like this will require and engineer to sort out.
Check for any visible damage to either the cable or antenna
It sounds obvious, but if there is visible damage to the aerial or cable, then that could well cause the loss of signal coming to the television.
Use another working TV on the cable you want to check.
Before deciding that the TV is at fault, an excellent way to check is by using a spare TV if you have one on the same coax input. If this shows a perfect picture, then it would point to there being a fault with the original TV. If it experiences the same problem, then it shows that the aerial system has a fault.
Conclusion
Although these methods don’t always show why there maybe an aerial fault, it goes somewhere to helping someone to narrow down what the likely problem could be. Or at the very least points to either the aerial or TV as being at fault.
Digitec Aerials Lancaster
19 Wolseley Street
Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 3PH
01524 489188
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Conclusion
Although these methods don’t always show why there maybe an aerial fault, it goes somewhere to helping someone to narrow down what the likely problem could be. Or at the very least points to either the aerial or TV as being at fault.
Digitec Aerials Lancaster
19 Wolseley Street
Lancaster, Lancashire, LA1 3PH
01524 489188
View our Google map profile
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