What is considered Good DVB -T signal

[Alankellyeire]

Hey,

I got a VU solo2 and im using a USB dvb-t tuner for the terrestrial channels.

the picture can be glitchy on some channels. im not sure is it my aerial position or what.

what is considered good signal for dvb -t?

currently im getting
SNR : 0%
AGC : 55% -65%
BLR : 0 - 20000

 

[Willo3092]

I'm not entirely sure the signal finder readings are that reliable.
Mine shows SNR as 100% which I'm sure it isn't because I live in a weak signal area and I still get the odd glitch.
This is on a Formuler F1 with ViX 5.0.032.

 

[Alankellyeire]

it may also show as 100% since ur tuner is dvb-t2 instesd of dvb-t like mine.

do you always hav 0% AGC and 0 BER?

 

[Willo3092]

it may also show as 100% since ur tuner is dvb-t2 instesd of dvb-t like mine.

do you always hav 0% AGC and 0 BER?

Yes, I seem to. I don't really watch terrestrial that much, I just happened to have a spare OptiCombo.

 

[ronand]

Double check all your connectors. I was getting glitching (only on 1 frequency) using a cheap RTL DVB-T dongle. I was assuming that the dongle was overloading and tried an attenuator which made no difference. I refitted the plugs and it cured it. Also a lot of pre-made cables with moulded plugs can be of poor quality. Works perfectly now and delighted with a usb tuner for 6 euros.

 

[Alankellyeire]

Double check all your connectors. I was getting glitching (only on 1 frequency) using a cheap RTL DVB-T dongle. I was assuming that the dongle was overloading and tried an attenuator which made no difference. I refitted the plugs and it cured it. Also a lot of pre-made cables with moulded plugs can be of poor quality. Works perfectly now and delighted with a usb tuner for 6 euros.

i refitted the connections a few weeks ago and it reduced the glitching. the thing is before i had that cable ran to a TV in the other room and never got any glitching when using the build in dvb-t tuner in the tv. i rarely watched any of dvb-t channels on the tv so it may have been glitchy and i just didn't know it.

what are the signal results are you getting with your RTL dvb-t dongle?

 

[ronand]

It doesn't show any signal strength - I don't think the driver supports that. On the TV it shows around 60%. I would still suspect a cabling problem if refitting the connectors reduced the problem as that shows there is/was a problem in the cabling.

 

[Huevos]

If the picture is glitchy it means either not enough signal or the device is crap.

If the signal finder SNR reading seems wrong that means no algorithm has been coded for that specific device and the default SNR algorithm is being used.

 

[cactikid]

what type of aerial is in use as i can remember activating a power feed on boxes years ago?

 

[Alankellyeire]

what type of aerial is in use as i can remember activating a power feed on boxes years ago?

not sure, as it was fitted long before i moved in.

one of the reasons i started this thread was to find out was the signal good and if not get a new aerial, which is long over due.

 

[Arcy]

not sure, as it was fitted long before i moved in.

one of the reasons i started this thread was to find out was the signal good and if not get a new aerial, which is long over due.

There has been quite a bit of reshuffling of UHF channels since analogue switchoff, and your aerial may not give adequate coverage of the channels now in use in your area. Also, you could be getting trouble from the new 800MHz 4G mobile phone signals. You can buy a filter for a few pounds, but many modern TV aerials have one built in.

Sent from my SM-N950F using Tapatalk

 

[sundancer]

Providing you have a good SNR (signal to noise ratio) and a low BER reading (Bit Error Rate) you should get a good solid picture.

Boosting the power of a weak signal using a mast head amp can help but only if its a clean signal. If is a noisy signal with loads of interference all you're going to be doing is taking a weak crap signal and making it strong crap signal. The old polishing a turd analogy. It doesn't matter how much you polish a turd, its still a turd.

Also make sure the aerial is set at the right polarity, as you wouldn't believe the amount of jobs i've gone to where the issue has been that the aerial has been moved to see a different transmitter and it hasn't been rotated 90 degrees.

General rule of thumb is that most main transmitters are horizontal polarity and smaller lower powered repeaters are vertical.

 

[Alankellyeire]

thanks for the detailed response. it was very helpful.

funny thing is i cut and reconnected the cable connector and haven't had so much as a single bleep in picture.

i still get SNR: 0% and BER 50-65.

your probably right i may have a polarity issue as the aerial is vertical and the transmitter im pointing to is one of 5 in the city i live in. ill have to do some research and fine out the correct setting for the aerial for my transmitter.

 

[ronand]

I wouldn't go by those figures - probably a driver issue. You shouldnt have a picture with a SNR of 0 and there would be bad breakup with a BER of 50. Maybe the SNR and BER are the wrong way round. Anyway its good that you have found the problem and its probably best leave it alone if it works.

 

[adm]

your probably right i may have a polarity issue as the aerial is vertical and the transmitter im pointing to is one of 5 in the city i live in. ill have to do some research and fine out the correct setting for the aerial for my transmitter.

If it ain't broke - don't fix it

If you want to check that you have the correct polarity for your aerial go to

http://www.wolfbane.net/cgi-bin/tvd.exe?

and enter your post code

You will get a list of possible transmitters for your location with a compass bearing to each one . One of the columns gives an indication of horizontal or vertical polarisation. You can usually ignore the Antenna (Aerial) suggestion as that prediction is very pessimistic and they usually indicate that you need a 'amplified extra hi-gain' or 'hi-gain aerial' - even if you live in site of the transmitter..

For info only:

http://www.megalithia.com/elect/bellinglee/

These days all my fly leads have F connectors and I use F to coax adapters to connect to terrestrial TV connectors - which I find give a more secure connection.

https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/satellite-and-terrestrial/connectors-and-adaptors/RF-COAX-male-Plug-to-F-connecter-socket-f-type-to-rf-adapter
https://www.world-of-satellite.co.uk/satellite-and-terrestrial/connectors-and-adaptors/F-Type-Connector-Socket-to-RF-Coax-Aerial-Female-Adapter-With-Ridge
http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/fplugs.htm

 

[Alankellyeire]

already check the polarity is wrong. from the last time i looked at the aerial i think it was horizontal when its suppose to be vertical for the transmitter i use