Digital TV reception

linedoctor

linedoctor

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 15, 2011
Messages
193
Fluid Motion Model
R-29 CB
Vessel Name
Mission Drift
My last boat had an adjustable gain control for the tv antenna, which really helped pull in additional channels once everything went digital a couple of years ago.

I can't find any kind of controller on the Cutwater. The number of channels I can get at familiar ports are few to none vs. the last boat. Any ideas?
 
I'm with you. The reception when you get it is great, but the stations are few and I would have thought when close to a major city there would be more available. So if anyone out there has a tip on better reception, please share.
Thanks
 
I am looking to install a TV and antenna in my boat. Please let me know which brands of antenna's perform well, and which ones don't do so well.
 
For guidance on suitable antennas for digital TV reception, you might try the website "antennaweb.org". The site is intended for home reception, and so the questions anticipate a fixed location. If there are a few known locations where you would like to deceive DTV in a boat, try describing them per the questions on antennaweb. Perhaps a suitable antenna will emerge. If the locations are distant from transmitters or in locations that showed strong ghosts with analog TV, then the recommended antenna might not be practical for boats.

Supposedly, newer antennas are being brought to market that steer their reception patterns electronically (no moving parts) and automatically to optimize gain and minimize interference. Both the antennas and the TV to which they are connected must have a "CEA-909" interface to make the automatic features work. I'm not sure of the availability of these antennas at retail.

In general, DTV operates well with much poorer signal conditions than analog TV, but individual stations may vary because of different transmitter location, different transmitter antenna pattern, some peculiar "ghost" (multipath) conditions, etc. In the case described in this thread, it seems likely that the new receiver antenna was quite different (was the new antenna connected properly?); if so, attempts at comparisons are probably not valid.

-- John H
 
I am aware the antenna used on a boat is different from those used on a RV or house. That is why I was requesting information from this forum.
 
Same here.
I added a digital converter to my last boat's system when everything went digital a few years ago. It had an exisiting marine tv antenna on it already...nothing fancy or high end, either. Once I installed the converter I had dozens of digital channels to choose from close to the big city (Seattle) and at least a few everywhere else we went in Puget Sound including all of the San Juan's.

I now have a brand new boat with a nice new antenae and brand new flat screen tv. But I get only a few channels in Seattle and by the time I make the San Juan's, not a single one. Clearly something is different.

The old boat had a gain controller that was part of the antenna system. This boat doesn't. And so the question is, is there something to add that wasnt installed or???
 
Based on your description the first thing I suspect is a major loss in signal strength on the antenna coaxial cable system... Bad connector, etc... Also need to examine if it is an active antenna, is it getting DC power? Is the line amplifier (if any) getting DC power...
Next would be an error in connecting the inputs and out puts for the AV system...
Last might be the TV either being defective or simply not having the channels programmed to be active...

The best place to start is with a portable digital TV, like the truckers have in their sleeper cab, and start by taking a signal directly at the antenna and checking the channels it is seeing, then work your way down the coax and fittings until you find the glitch...

Easy for me to say, eh!
 
I am assuming you have considered antenna height differences between the boats. TV is still line-of-sight, digital or analog. Nothing beats an amplified antenna 60' above the water except one 70' above.

One dirty little secret they didn't tell everyone with the switch to digital is that when the picture deteriorates, it goes to blank, where with analog you still got the picture but with reduced quality. Still a better system, but even over our cable system we get "drop outs" occasionally where previously we just got "snow". That makes debugging an installation problem even more difficult, as perhaps you are experiencing now.
 
Just a reminder, You have to do a channel search and set up every time your boat is in a different location.
 
This means even if you only change your location by a few miles. We were surprised that we can go from our slip in Eagle Harbor to Blake Island and either increase or decrease the number of channels. This is only a distance of five miles. Both locations have a direct line of sight to downtown Seattle. You would not think it would make any difference but it does.
 
If things are set up properly, you should be getting more digital stations. The theory of antenna design is the same with analogue and digital. You are concentrating on a slightly different portion of the spectrium. If you have a loop antenna, you will probably not do as well as if you are a directional antenna.

Of course there is the better option of satellite television--and just use local stations for local news and weather--or the internet for weather. That is you must watch TV! There are a lot of other "Shows" going on all around you--which don't require electronics or an antenna!
 
thataway":2i7rheuo said:
That is you must watch TV! There are a lot of other "Shows" going on all around you--which don't require electronics or an antenna!
Click to expand...

We have been on the boat since 19th of May. Found out TV reception was lousy. So we have not turned it on except for one DVD movie. Do not miss it. Probably will not try to improve reception.

Herb, TVless in Seattle...er Anacortes.
 
Wouldn't installing Satellite TV take care of your reception problems. Asuume a Directv antenna will work on the Cutwaters. Right?
 
jgjhhi":3k7egcpr said:
Wouldn't installing Satellite TV take care of your reception problems. Asuume a Directv antenna will work on the Cutwaters. Right?
Click to expand...

It will, as it will on most boats that can mount the antenna.
Just apply the necessary amount of cash. 😉
 
When I first brought this up I was trying to figure out why what appeared to be a better system on my new modern boat seemed to work less efficiently than on my pre-digital age previous boat, with my self installed digital converter.

When my Cutwater was at the dealer for a little work they compared the signal strength with some other new boats and it was the same ....so I then I began reading more books and planning ahead by downloading movies on the iPad.

Satellite is nice. Someday it may also be worth buying for the few hours of tv I watch on the water each year! If I get really bored I might try and find a gain controller like the old boat had. Not that bored yet.
 
We use a Radio Shack Digital HD Antenna that is plugged into power and into our small TV. We put the antenna in the shelf above the co pilot seat and get about 7 or 8 stations at St James near Southport NC. We are quite a few miles from the nearest TV station but we get good reception. We would probably get even more if we mounted the antenna on the outside of the boat.

If you are not satisfied with your factory antenna (our boat did not come with an antenna), you might try purchasing one like ours-- from Radio Shack, made for residential use, plugs into power, costs about $50 when we bought it several years ago. If anyone is interested we can get the model name and number next time we go to the boat.

Jim and Jo Ann 2008 R 25 Banjo
 
I just found a Shakespeare antenna that will work off of AC or DC and has an adjustable gain of -10db to +20db. That +20db is a healthy gain. Here is a link to it http://shakespeare-marine.com/antennas.asp?antenna=2025 That link is for the antenna with the gain control box, and is available at West Marine for $189.99. You can also get just the control box from Shakespeare, but I do not know if it will work with non-Shakespeare antenna's, but I do not know why it wouldn't work. Here is the link to just the control box http://shakespeare-marine.com/antennas.asp?antenna=2025-CP

I do not know how good this antenna system is. I have used other Shakespeare antenna's for various radios for years with good results.
 
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