Roof top antennae and coax and booster

[DonandJudy_12]

We have experienced a sudden and complete failure of our TVs in our unit- How does one check out the booster, antennae and coax- I have an ohm meter but am not well versed in its use- Any assistance will be greatly appreciated by my DW and especially me- I need my DW to become tranquil again- THANKX!!!! Don

[BB_TX]

I am not sure you will be able to test anything with a simple ohm meter. It will probably need to be tested with a signal strength test meter. With that you can check the signal strength into the amplifier from the antenna, and the signal strength out of the amplifier to the TVs, to see if the amp is working.
Have you had a chance to see if they work off the cable input?

[bncinwv]

Whether you have digital TV's (flat screens) or Analog (picture tubes), there should be signal meters present on the TV and/or the converter boxes for the analog TV's. By TV failure do you mean just loss of picture or have the TV's went completely out??? The road forward is dependent on the type of TV and whether they are working at all??
Bingo

[illapah]

I would think that the coax is fine. suspect the antenna head or booster. May be a dumb question, but, is the antenna still there?
My first guess would be the booster. Is the green lite on?

[camper4]

Sounds like more than one tv quit working. I would go to things that are common the all of them. The booster would be most likely. I would want to see if the green light is on, on the booster. If not, check the back of it for 12 volts and trace it back to the fuse panel to see where you lost it.
If the booster appears to be working, check the coax connectors on the booster and splitter behind the booster. Also check to make sure the antenna is still connected, clean and tight.
If nothing shows up or works you may want to get some proffesonal help.
Good luck!

[Larry]

Pull the booster from the wall. There should be a 7.5Amp blade fuse wired into the circuit.

[DonandJudy_12]

We have a 23" HDTV downstairs and a non digital flat screen in the bedroom with a converter box in place- We have no reception on either set- no sound, no picture, no static- We can watch tapes and discs so we are sure the TVs are ok- Guess we will consult an expert if we can find one- Will post results when achieved- THANX!! Don

[bncinwv]

If you go into the setup menu mode on the converter box or the HDTV, there will be a signal meter that will indicate if you have any signal at all. If there is no signal, then it has to be in either the booster, the antenna or the coax. There is a coax connection on the antenna head that can come loose. The coax can also be checked if you have cable that can be hooked up where you are. Hope you can get it resolved, keep us updated on the solution.
Bingo

[H. John Kohl]

Trouble shooting over the keyboard is hard. From all I read I feel you are on the correct path. Since it shut off suddenly I think the power unit for the outside antenna (box with green light on it and black button) is the first place. I believe they are about $10 to $15. to replace. If that is not it then I would suspect the amplifier in the antenna head. I do not know if it can be replaced or you just replace the whole antenna wing.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

[jimcol]

Don, Check out this website, http://www.winegard.com/kbase/upload/2452013.pdf Page 6 gives you trouble shooting procedures for the batwing antenae and the power booster. Hope this helps. Jim

[db_engineer]

Remove the comma from the link above to get to the troubleshooting pages.

I had signal problems on my SOB TT, and found I wasn't getting 12 volts across the coax at the antenna head. It turned out to be a bad connection on the cable where it connected through the roof. The moral: check every connection carefully.

Best of luck on resolving the problem.

[bncinwv]

The link that Jimcol provided definitely needs added to the home page, it is a great addition to the troubleshooting library. I downloaded it for future reference. Thanks for the info.
Bingo

[DonandJudy_12]

Thanks for the Wineguard info- Have downloaded it and done the tests- It appears to be the antennae head- Will go to town today and acquire a new head and power supply- Will post results tomorrow- THANX again for all the responses- I knew MOC would't let me down- Don

[DonandJudy_12]

It now appears to be the coax from the antennae to the power supply- We replaced the antennae head without success- It does not seem to be the power supply- We have run a coax from the antennae to the power supply and we have reception- Has anyone fished a new coax from antennae to power supply? The coax seems to be fastened down because we can't pull the coax very far- The next step may be to remove the antennae from the roof to see if we can then fish a new coax through- Any thoughts appreciated- Wife not very tranquil- THANX!!! Don

[jimcol]

Don, Make sure it isn't the small piece of coax from the antenae head to the roof base plate. It and the connectors are exposed to the elements. If it is that one it's easy to replace. If not that piece I would check the ends on all my coax's going from the booster to the antenae head as well as the barrel connector on the roof plate. Just seems more likely that a connector would go bad instead of an interior cable. If it is an interior cable good luck. Seems to me from the factory tour that it is fished through the roof rafters and across the front cap. Good luck, Jim

[DonandJudy_12]

DW is tranquil. it's DH that's frustrated and flustered. There was a corroded connection in the coax.

[jimcol]

Don & Judy, Better to be "frustrated and flustered" over an easy fix. If it was a difficult fix like fishing in a new coax you would be frustrated and flustered but still have a ton of work to do. Enjoy your great reception. Jim