Home & Garden Fixing Poor TV Reception

[Caesar]

I've was away for a few days last week, and I came back to find the reception on my TV is stuffed. I can get the SBS and sometimes the ABC channels, but that's it. Tried tuning and retuning several times over several days but no joy.

Anyone have any ideas about how I can fix it before I pay a mint for Jims to come and do it?

 

[rocker_oz33]

have you asked your neighbors if they have have the same problem?
is there a cord out? or the booster thing pulled out?

 

[lemon chicken]

Had the same problem before and found that every time I vacuumed under my tv unit i was knocking the aerial cable and when I next turned it on there was blocks all over the screen. Was confusing because it was only happening on some channels.

 

[jonoman89]

Do you have a professionally installed and insulated roof antenna or just one of the dodgy set ups common in many apartments?

If you don't have the first, it's worth the few hundred buck outlay from my experience.

 

[Pie eyed]

I've was away for a few days last week, and I came back to find the reception on my TV is stuffed. I can get the SBS and sometimes the ABC channels, but that's it. Tried tuning and retuning several times over several days but no joy.

Anyone have any ideas about how I can fix it before I pay a mint for Jims to come and do it?

Many installations have either an in-line power injector (which simply injects a 5-15v DC current into the aerial via the coax) or an inline amplifier/splitter which boost the signal and distributes it to multiple outlet throughout the house.
Loss of AC power to or the failure of either would mean the loss of any channels with a weak signal normally.
Either could be found in your roof cavity near the Aerial where the cable enters or simply be plugged into a Coax socket, piggybacked by the coax to the TV. Both require and AC outlet to generate the DC voltage.
Some of the newer set top boxes and PVR's have the option to inject a current via the unit directly without the need for an after-market unit.

Another possibility is that occasionally a broadcaster will "tweak" their signal, sometimes even adding additional channels.
This happened recently when the 7 network added the Television 4 station to it's stable.