“I have an Insignia 40". I use an inside window antenna, and it works great with 4 out of 5 local channels, and an abundance of other channels. However, it will not receive the local CBS channel at all. What would cause this problem?”
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Hello Rusty and thank you for asking this question as a lot of people out there are cutting the cable these days and are relying on indoor HDTV antennae to receive over-the-air broadcast programs. Respectfully stated, your frustration of not being able to receive all of the TV channels which you believe you should be able to receive (i.e., "local" ones!) is an experience shared by many. There are so very many variables which have an effect on TV broadcast reception such as buildings and tall trees blocking the path of your signal, your distance from the signal sources, atmospheric (i.e., weather) conditions, etc. I have had great luck using the Winegard Flatwave Indoor HDTV antenna model FL5000 model which is the "non" amplified version of the similarly structured Winegard FL5500A (amplified) version. Best Buy sells the FL5000 model--please see photo below. I made the mistake in the past of incorporating a 6-foot RG-6 Coaxial Cable extension with that antenna when I should have used an RG-59 Coaxial Cable extension as this particular model has that type of Coaxial Cable. People often wrongly assume that by purchasing the most expensive indoor HDTV antenna that is amplified and that has the greatest range (in terms of miles) that this is the best choice; however, this can actually work against you. I introduce this as, in your case, you want advice on how to increase your chances to receive the "CBS" channel, but in so doing you "may" have a negative impact on your ability to receive the TV channels you are receiving now. To provide the best answer for you, I did a GOOGLE search using the search term => antenna signal locator websites. I use the website TVFool.com to identify the distance, location (i.e., direction), and ability to receive certain TV stations; however, there are other similar websites such as AntennaWeb.org and FCC.gov. This will help you and others better determine the strength of the indoor HDTV antenna that you need and also the location in the room to place it. It is recommended to place the indoor HDTV antenna as high as you can and in a window. Also, try to limit the length of any extension cable which you are attaching to your antenna's cable. Most of "my" broadcast towers are south/southwest of me; however, I live in a condominium development and buildings "block" the signal path so I placed my indoor HDTV antenna in an "eastbound" window. In addition, I swapped my "aluminum" mini blinds with "vinyl" mini blinds and this increased the TV reception like night and day--with the aluminum mini blinds, I was constantly experiencing pixelization of TV channels (i.e., breaking up) and I could not receive that many channels and now with the vinyl mini blinds I receive nearly "45" channels with hardly ever experiencing interruption in reception. I hope that some of the information I provided Rusty will help you and other Best Buy customers. Happy TV viewing--I hope that you are able to receive even "more" than the amount of TV channels which you have mentioned!
I would recommend:
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.Try an inline amplifier after your antenna before the TV set. You can even use 2 amplifiers if needed. You may receive a few more channels. Usually they are in the $15 to $ 25 range
Sorry, there was a problem. Please try again later.I don't really know. Sometimes the position or angle affects the reception or the distance from the transmitter. Nancy
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