OTA Interference issues / HDHomeRun support not helpful

#1

I'm about to throw anything SilconDust in the trash compactor.

Seems they have a bias or strong hate (on their support forms at least) for users of Channels DVR, TVE, and especially Locast.

Ever since Channels DVR added this feature, it made me discover a recent issue I never realized i had.

I have posted over a week ago, to the S.D forms, for help and to look as the tuner diags i sent to them form my HDHR, as others do, to see if there is a fault or something i can do.....no response other than typical "anything can cause interference ..."

I have been unable to log into their form for well over a year now, keeps saying max attempts reached, password reset email takes days to get, reset pass, still 1st attempt, locks out. Maybe since i have dynamic ip my ip is banned? I have gotten zero responses to my emails to their moderator or company in the years time. but, i created a new account and logged in fine, to post my question. and that works fine.

I see that any chat on Locast, is either deleted or the words are *****....like they are blocking it. My old account posts when i was first discovering Channels DVR and got the OTA HDHR are also removed. Which is odd, cause, yes their own rules state no chat on things that do not use HDHR tuners, which, Channels does and I am. so, i'm confused.

Anyway, sorry if this is off topic a bit, but i feel it is related, and users should be aware of such issues trying to get support from the HDHomeRun's manufacture to help advise them with signal issues and general product support.

Meanwhile, I am having to supplement my Antenna OTA with Locast. Since I have no control over why my neighbors turn on and when. But, its very hard on my eyes to watch, so poor quality and at least on some channels, like CBS, near impossible to watch my recording of Swat from last night from it, due to its interlacing/ghosting like effect and lower framerate? not sure what they do to the feed, but it is just...not great.

EDIT:
This OP specific comment was moved from a different thread.

Here is my first posts on the issue in another thread.

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BETA: New Android HDHomeRun network tuning system to try out
Antenna (OTA) issues and my experiences
#2

Wow, that's disappointing, seems like a desperate move on their part, because they fear the likes of TVE and Locast will eat their business' lunch.

Thanks for the heads up.

#3

I feel your pain. This is not surprising to me.

I don't like their software and I am far from alone in that regard.
But it is the best thing out there - just ask them. Is it better than 5+ years ago? Yes.
But their great new way of TV viewing/recording that we will ALL love - sucks. Especially when compared to CDVR, NPVR or Emby.
But no matter how many users (I have multiple HDHR units) suggest, complain, ask or plead no one at SD listens. The "New" "Revolutionary" way to watch TV is better than any other thing out there - they say.

#4

The S.D. HDHR software is trash. Like something form the 2000's.

I used Windows Media Center for many years instead.

I still use Emby as my home media/movie server and used to use it for live tv, but found Channels and its TVE support and now use that for TV/DVR. But, Emby does some things better than Channels, and vice versa. (specifically Emby is far nicer guide and mini guide and search) But that is a different topic.

I just got a new post by Nickk over there, saying there was no usage the last 4 days...yea no shit, i been at work all week and not using it, and using locast for any recordings.

other wise, the day i enabled the diag function, all he says "The log from the first day shows some channels working perfectly, and some channels with very poor signal quality. Can you please run the HDHomeRun app, tune a channel, and let it sit on that channel for 5 minutes. Maybe start with a working channel for 5 minutes, then try a glitching channel for 5 minutes."

Not understanding its NOT specific channels that work fine, and ones that break up.
Its any channel, works fine, but then breaks up, looses signal when i turn on a offending electrical device.

Not sure what i expected i guess.....they can only see what the tuner reports, poor signal...so, nothing they can do, its an issue on my end, i guess.

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#5

Yeah if your issue is some type of EMI - Which I think it is they won't be able to help ("HDHR's are not affected by EMI...") and if the source of that EMI is not on your property I wish you luck tracking it down. One thing could be streetlights/parking lot lights if there are any close to you. I had an issue with one of those orange sodium lights in front of our house - horrible RFI/EMI radio was unuseable AM/FM. Had the electric company change out the bulb and sensor solved that issue. I don't think I had tuners at that time though so I didn't have that issue to try and solve.

#6

I posted all about my issues and its is quite specific.

This OP specific comment was moved from a different thread.

Here is my first posts on the issue in another thread.

#7

I feel your pain about Silicondust forum support

As far as livetv I think EMBY CDVR and HDHomeRun all suck when viewing livetv... Say if you have paused for 10 minutes or so you are Screwed if you accidently back out from LiveTV... or have to leave and hit record you lose the 10 minutes or so.

At least with Sagetv my prefered for LiveTV you hit record you get all of it from when you first started watching LiveTV.

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#8

I can use the Philo app to watch many channels Live, and can start an in progress show or movie, from the beginning, cause, ya know, the cloud!

#9

Yeah I remember reading about this in the other thread now.
I am not familiar with the Quadro - can you roll back the firmware in that model?
I can do that with all of mine except the primes - at least I could, haven't tried in awhile.

Is there any commonality between the interfering devices and your tuner or network hardware? Location, electrical circut(s) anything like that?
Odd that it just began and wasn't always an issue.

#10

Good old SageTV! Still has a lot of features not found in any DVR not using WMC.

#11

I don't know of anyway to downgrade S.D devices firmware.
I did see, browsing SD forms, many folks asking for the ability to or how to. never saw a way to do it.
I do recall when i had a prime, it was not possible due to Cable Lab certifications or something.

The Connect Quadro is the same as the Connect Duo, just has 4 tuners instead of 2.
I have not use any other S.D hardware, other than the Prime, and that was years ago.

I have limited circuits, medium sized apartment unit i am in.
Tried the offending devices, all of which have a electric motor, or speed switch thing in them, on a different circuit, even out in the public hallway outlet outside my unit.
No change.

i have tried devices that I would think would cause more issues, like vacuums, commercial grade DC fan, portable AC unit, high watt, CB/Ham radio on transmit....nothing. Don't cause any issues.

But, when i toggle on, and change the speed of most of my fans, that i have had for many years, some less than 1yr, Lasko Cyclone, Vornado personal desktop fan, they glitch out the tv signal. Flip my bathroom vent fan on and off, glitch.

The "magic wand" massager i have, 2 of them, one will always badly glitch out the signal, if it is on, and hold it and it cord horizontal, the other one, seems less powerful a motor, and still causes glitches, but much less an effect.

The neighbor below me, has some foot massager thing, that when that is on, glitches out certain channels for me.

I tested the RG6 coax from the antenna with a semi cheap tester and it said it was good. tired changing it to a much smaller cable and move the hdhr closer to it....just in case the 30foot some cable run, that does pass by power cords and such, was acting like an antenna, nope. no change.

I can only guess the antenna is sensitive enough to pick up the interference.
No idea why it only now is an issue, when it hasn't been up to now.

#12

I read back over your post in the glitch thread.
Just a thought as a test - Have you tried removing the surge protector(s) and UPS from the equation?

#13

yup. both the idea of plug in the HDHR direct into the wall outlet, and/or the offending electric devices.

But that just now gave me the idea to try and further isolate things.
I unplugged the UPS, so that all my equipment was running on its battery power.
Ran test, the fan and massager are plugged into the normal place they are, across the room different outlet on a surge strip, no change. Plugged the massager and fan in outlet in other room, still no change.
Put power back to ups.

I took the wand massager, and the small Vornado fan, and plugged them into a spare ups and ran them on it battery.
The wand massager did NOT affect the signal, but the fan switch still did, while flipping its speed switch.
I even used a car battery and an inverter and hooked those 2 devices up and did test again, same results, massager no longer glitches signal, but fan toggle switch does.

So, there is for sure some sort of transmission coming from the fans when u toggle the switch, not a power feedback in the power lines. for the fans.

Not really sure what to make of the massager based devices, this test seems to indicate that they are doing some sort of power line noise feedback.
But then why would it still affect the antenna and tuner when those devices are isolated on a UPS battery power supply, removed from the AC line, but not when the massage itself is on its own isolated battery to AC power supply?

#14

Do the fans have metal or plastic blades?

#15

plastic

I do have one Master Force High Velocity all metal floor fan, that does not cause any issues.

#16

Have you tried grounding your antenna coax with a coax grounding block? https://www.amazon.com/iMBAPrice-Single-2-5GHz-F-Pin-Grounding/dp/B01D8ZOJT6

If the coax shield isn't grounded, it acts like an antenna itself to pick up any EMI present.

The HDHR isn't grounded because it's powered by a 2 pronged wall wart transformer.

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#17

Where could i ground it to? Stick a wire into the 3rd prong of an outlet??

All I have is drywall.
I do have baseboard radiator style heat vent, hot water pipe thing...below the window, has a metal frame and such stuck on it, but no idea if that is grounded or just floating there.

Also, none of the antennas by Mohu come with such a thing, i would think that most indoor antennas would not.

Also, the cable is QS Quad Shield model, so, it should not have an issue getting EMi through its jacket.

Where is the best place to ground the cable, closest to antenna, or end of the run nearest the tuner? Or anywhere in-between?

#18

My external, roof mounted antenna has it's coax ground block installed at the service entry point to my house and is grounded through the same metal rod driven into the ground that my electrical and cable TV are grounded to.

I would think anywhere along the coax line would work.

Ground it to a metal grounding rod driven into the earth, a cold water pipe (metal, not PVC), an adapter that plugs into your AC wall outlet and offers an attachment to the round ground plug.

a few examples
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Polarized-Grounding-Adapter/dp/B01M0FXMFK
https://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-Heavy-Duty-Grounding-Plug-52146/203747271
https://www.amazon.com/3-Prong-5-15P-Straight-Rewirable-Connector/dp/B07R8FMBWB


https://www.amazon.com/Pinfox-Universal-Appliance-Replacement-Pigtail/dp/B06XRKMYKR
#19

Well, some of those items are 3 wire power cord end plugs.
None of the electrical devices that cause the issue are 3 wire, but normal 2 wire flat cords, so sticking one of those on to them would not do anything i would think.

About grounding the coax cable, what about the Coax protection ports on a UPS or surge strip? do those ground the connection through the ups 3 prong cable and internals?

#20

That was my point.
You asked how to ground the coax grounding block.

I don't know. Perhaps the documentation for what you have will tell you.

Would think using that ac cable and connecting the ground wire to the coax grounding block would work.
https://www.amazon.com/Pinfox-Universal-Appliance-Replacement-Pigtail/dp/B06XRKMYKR?tag=channels04-20