Friday, August 30, 2013

Common Reception and Television Problems

Professional antenna installers use a range of gadgets that can test the signal in your area check the optimum direction of your aerial and offer a repair or service to your existing antenna setup that often solves the majority of reception problems. But it pays to understand a little about your TV and what problems it can have. In this article, we look at some of the most common problems a television could encounter.

Common faults

With the majority of modern televisions being the flat panel HDTV variety, the common causes of problems and issues associated with them can vary. For instance, checking the televisions internal fuses for any signs that they have blown, as well as checking the power cord can often be overlooked as a possible cause.

If your television set is one of the first generations of LCD TVs, then the natural life expectancy of those devices manufactured 5-10 years ago is currently expiring. LCD display technology has improved greatly in the last five years, and early models of HDTV often have a 5-10 year panel life cycle that cannot be overlooked.

In these instances where the LCD panel of the television has come to the end of its life, it is often the case that replacing the television may end up cheaper than a repair job. If it is the LCD backlight that has died, then again depending on the model of television you have, a new HDTV may be the cheaper option.

Fuses are often the first port of call when you first notice that your television doesn’t turn on. Replacing one of these internal fuses can be relatively inexpensive. Internal power supply units are prone to malfunctioning, but can easily be replaced by a qualified technician at a low price.

TV Antenna repairs

Your local antenna technician will be able to sort out just about any issue you have regarding your reception issues. They will follow the trail from the antenna itself to your television and through any affected equipment you may have hooked up. Let’s take a look at some of the common causes of TV reception problems and how to address them.

One of the biggest issues is obviously with the antenna itself. Most modern antennas don’t need weekly services and are built to withstand the elements on your roof. But sometimes a breeze can reposition the antenna, water can slowly seep into the coaxial cabling attached, and even rust can erode important parts of the unit.


If your aerial is heavily rusted and weathered, it may need replacing, otherwise an engineer will be able to replace the connecting cable box and rewire the aerial the way you want it. To test for cable problems, the engineer will test the signal strength and diagnose. The majority of TV reception problems are either caused by the antenna or the cable not feeding the signal properly.

Other possible problems include bad positioning of the antennae, which can cause reception outages and being prone to interference. In situations where a replacement or repositioning of the antennae is inappropriate (such as a shared antenna in an apartment building) you can purchase signal boosters to enhance your signal. These are simply placed ‘in-line’ of your antennae cable and often use a low-powered power-pack to boost and amplify the signal.

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