Why does my OTA HD signal sporadically cut out?

Question:

I am getting good signal strength on most channels (anywhere from 75 to 92), however, on SOME days the signal will cut out for a few seconds at the time, every couple of minutes or so. It can be clear outside, cloudy or rainy, but none of these alone seem to make it cut out... the signal seems to have a mind of it's own. It will drop instantly from 92 to 0, and then right back to 92.

I live 40 miles from the transmitters and have a medium directional antenna mounted on the eave of my house. Works perfectly on about half the days I watch TV. Could it be some sort of variable inteference (air traffic, solar flares)? Would a bigger, better antenna make a difference?

Answer:
It sounds to me like you have a connection somewhere outside that's not the best, maybe loose or corroded. The weather would have nothing to do with loss of signal strength if you have a bad connection. I remember having to constantly mess around with the outside antenna to keep the signal good. Signals on those are directional & any slight change in that will interrupt the signal. I always had good strong connections outside & then put grease over them to keep them from corroding. Hope this was helpful.

40 miles is quite a distance.
It is not uncommon for weather, especially clouds and rain to interfere with the transmission of OTA HD.

More info on www.antennaweb.org a site sponsored by CEA.

Why does my OTA HD signal sporadically cut out?

Hot Topic