Info on the signal loss of a late-model Georgetown TV splitter

[NXR]

Short explanation
Changing the splitter may improve the signal strength at the TV.

Long, semi-technical explanation
While staying at a campground that still had an old-fashioned analog-only cable TV system all of our TV's were snowy. The campground maintenance staff came out and said it was a common complaint so they connected a battery-powered TV directly to the pedestal that they bought for that purpose. The picture was crystal-clear.

I used to work in electronics, I'm active in ham radio, and I had some test equipment with me including a device called a spectrum analyzer. That box will measure actual signal strengths for a wide range of frequencies. I plugged the spectrum analyzer directly into the pedestal TV outlet and then into the main living area TV cable.

There was a 10 db loss in the signal within the coach. If you're not familiar with decibel measurements, it's a logarithmic scale and these are the important numbers, annotated for signal strength loss instead of gain:

3 db = loss of 1/2 of the original signal strength

6 db = loss of another 1/2 of the signal strength (or half the strength of the 3 db signal)

10 db = reduction to one-tenth of the original signal strength

20 db = reduction to one one-hundredth of the original signal strength

So a 10 db loss is quite a bit. A signal strength of "10" coming from the antenna or cable TV line is reduced to a signal strength of "1" at the TV.

I knew the TV splitter on our 34H5 is behind the Precision Plex touchscreen so I dug it out. It's an Eagle Aspen part number 500312.

This seems to be a very popular splitter because of its wide frequency coverage of 5 MHz to 2,600 MHz instead of the usual 5 MHz to 1,002 MHz range and it also allows DC power to flow through the splitter so a satellite or amplified TV antenna can receive power through the splitter. The wider range apparently is used by digital satellite system frequencies. Over-the-air and cable TV systems all seem to use frequencies below 1,002 MHz.

https://www.summitsource.com/Eagle-A...312-P9747.aspx

But I also noticed that none of the output jacks are labeled with their signal loss, which is odd.

I used my spectrum analyzer and discovered that every output jack had a loss of 10 db.

I had a spare splitter in the house and its output jacks are labeled for loss: one at 3.5 db and two at 7.5 db.

I removed each cable from the original splitter and using masking tape I marked which cable went to which TV. I then connected the replacement splitter to the INPUT line, the one from the MovieVision switch box, and measured the signal strength at each jack and confirmed the splitter was OK.

I connected the main living area TV to the 3.5 db loss jack and connected the bedroom and outside TVs to the 7.5 db loss jacks and rescanned the channels on all of the TVs.

I now pick up two more RF channels, which netted me seven more watchable channels. Your mileage may vary.

If you're not running a digital satellite system through that splitter it may also benefit you to replace the splitter. We use streaming and probably never will have satellite so downgrading the splitter to one with less of a frequency range and no "DC passing" was OK with me. At a minimum you'll almost double the signal strength to some of the TV's (the 7.5 db jacks) and quadruple it to the remaining TV.

Caveat: I've been away from that field for a long time and I once read that some cable TV 4K high-definition TV channels do use frequencies above 1,002 MHz. The Summit TVs we have are by no one's definition "hi-def" and certainly not 4K. If someone knows whether 4K cable TV channels do use the higher frequencies I'd appreciate knowing.

HTH,

Ray

For more splitter info please see: https://support.channelmaster.com/hc...2HD-CM-3213HD-

[Btm]

Thanks for the info.

Over the years I have had signal problems with my home tv's. Not so much now with cable and satellite. Maybe what you have explained is why. I have bought several signal boosters and even an inline signal increaser. Now I think the reason nothing worked is the splitters decreased the signal and if the boosters worked they could only bring the signal back to where it was.

Looking on line there were very few splitters that listed the output decrease. I found the Extreme BDS103H at Walmart and also a balanced one. Problem with the balanced one is 5.5dB loss at all outlets.

I have a switch box for cable/ant/satellite in overhead compartment between the driver and passenger. I wonder if a splitter is there to the T V's ?

I will be looking for my splitter to see if it lists the dB loss, if not I will be making a change.



Btm

[NXR]

I have a switch box for cable/ant/satellite in overhead compartment between the driver and passenger. I wonder if a splitter is there to the TVs.

Maybe. The switch box needs to connect to the splitter so that would be a good place.

Any signal amplifier needs to be inserted prior to the splitters. Once the signal-to-noise ratio is degraded it's not going to be fixed by a cheapo pre-amp.

Yes, "cheapo" despite what you may have paid for it.

The issue for TV splitters and preamplifiers is that the frequency range is incredibly wide. Designing and building a device that works well across such a wide swath of frequencies while not introducing a lot of electronic noise is very difficult and expensive.

Additionally the type of cable and the length also increases the signal loss, particularly as the channel number increases.

Ray