New MiniLite Digital TV Question

[6CatDaddy]

On a new 2018.5 Mini Lite 1905G, have had tv reception issues since picking it up at the dealer.

I had no experience with digital tv reception, or powered antennas, so I thought bad reception and few channels was the norm.

We used it camping for a week last week, and found the screws holding the Winegard wall plate with the power button coming out of the wall, and this after a week of getting 3 channels in some spots and nothing in another.

At home near a big city, we get about 13 channels all come and go with pixelation.

I thought since the reception is poor, and the wall plate is falling out I would replace the power button style with the Winegard Sensar Pro signal strength wall plate.

I removed the factory Winegard wall plate and put in the new Winegard SensarPro, and had zero reception zero channels. I removed the coax from the new winegard and the tv began playing channels.

I find if I break the coax connection anywhere from the tv to the splitter in the wall or at the wallplate, the tv works... if I push the center wire of the coax into a connector I get signal, but as soon as I touch the threaded nut to a connection the signal drops like it is being shorted out.

I got over 40 channels to come in at home in the driveway, with the coax cable screwed into the tv but not hooked to the splitter going to the powered wall plate, on both the factory wall plate and the new signal strength style plate.

Does this sound like the coax is "shorted out" somewhere along the line?

I am rusty with this stuff, so I could use some advice...

I am going to take it back to the dealer, but I want to be able to explain what the problem is, if it takes too long to tell them what I have found, generally people lose attention and stop listening, if you know what I mean.

Are you still there? Hello?

Haha, kidding.

Thanks for any advice!

[bshort]

If you get 40 good channels direct, but zero utilizing the splitter, I would make the assumption that the splitter is the weak link. I would further assume that it is the splitter over some other short down the line.

[babock]

Does the antenna use a powered amplifier? If so, where is it located?

[6CatDaddy]

Yes, power switch is on the wall plate below tv swivel mount.

Thats the switch, it has a circuit board and the coax connectors on the backside of it.

The Winegard antenna is not a batwing, ours has a round plastic center looks like a flying saucer, with small metal tabs out the back side. I think it is a Rayzar Z1.

[babock]

Did you change any configuration besides changing the wall plate?

[bubbles]

Your splitter will have an IN port and several OUT ports. Verify the right port is used for the cable coming in for distribution.

[6CatDaddy]

Originally Posted by babock

Did you change any configuration besides changing the wall plate?

No, only change is the original has a connection for cable/aux, with a cable connected behind the wall... the new wallplate has no connections like that.

I guess if I wanna keep the cable connection I will have to get an adapter.

What I cant figger is why signal to tv is stronger when I disconnect cable to tv from amplifier and touch center of coax, where I am the antenna. Tv loads in signals and shows strong signal, hook it back to amp and signal goes away.

[babock]

The one wall plate with the amplifier switch and the circuit board sends a DC voltage on the signal wire. Something with your new install is affecting that.

Normally, splitters can not pass through a DC voltage so if there is a configuration change on where the splitter is located(sounds like you didn't change that) you could have an issue with the amplifier. Since you didn't change were the splitter is located in your cable link, not sure what's going on...very puzzling.