TV antenna RF overload

[XXL]

Hi, iv noticed on tower blocks they use tv antenna boosters for the tenants. Will putting a rig on close to the tv antennas cause front end overload ?

[Albert H]

Yes. It can do. There is a further problem with those cheap 'n' nasty aerial amplifiers in that they will cause all sorts of intermodulation mixing of strong nearby signals (ie: your rig) mixed with the TV signals they're trying to receive. With digital TV these days, it's quite possible to completely disable TV reception in the block with even a perfectly clean rig!

Years ago, many London pirates made the mistake of interfering (one way or another) with TV reception in the block they were using (and sometimes others nearby too). This would result in a rapid raid by Gotts & Co. because there's no way that crippling the "opiate of the people" was going to be allowed. Those block-dwellers needed their crass soaps and "reality" nonsense - if they were allowed to think for themselves, they might realise just how bad their lives actually were!

We used to take steps to prevent TV interference - if I was running reasonable power, I wouldn't put my antenna on the communal mast, and I'd often add a stub filter to the TV downlead to notch out my signal before it could wreak havoc in the TV aerial amplifier. It was a simple thing to do, and if done at low viewing times, nobody would really notice the brief interruption to their TV service while I fitted the filter!

[rigmo]

"opiate of the people" was going to be allowed. Those block-dwellers needed their crass soaps and "reality" nonsense - if they were allowed to think for themselves, they might realise just how bad their lives actually were!

band stop filter ..
the opiate trade has always been a lucrative business... and that's why we have wars..
modern, perfidious lobotomy

[mpx]

Fitting an in-line FM band stop filter on the TV antenna downlead will solve that. Best results by having it close to the TV distribution amplifier input, unless its a dual FM TV install with a combiner in the roof in which case stick it on the TV side coax. Always keep broadcast antennas at least a couple of wavelengths away from receiving antennas, even further if running more than a few tens of watts.

Recently saw a dipole strapped on to the same pole right next to the TV aerial. And they wonder why it didn't last very long...

[Albert H]

MPX - that's exactly what I used to do with the little homebrew stub filter. The signal from my rig was severely attenuated into the TV head amplifier!