Re: Problems recording SBS with EyeTV 250

[David Noel]

I'm delighted to report that by following Alan Smith's
recommendations, I've managed to get all the EyeTV tuner channels good
again. The important steps appeared to be cleaning or re-seating all
the links between the aerial and the tuner -- not only at the tuner
itself, but also at a booster/splitter in the line (TV reception in
Shenton Park is "shadowed", a booster is needed for an acceptable
signal). Thanks again, Alan.

David Noel

On 18 July 2016 at 11:42, David Noel  wrote:
> Many thanks to Alan for the comprehensive list of things to check. I
> already do buffering and start recording 10 min ahead, but I'll work
> through Alan's other recommendations and hopefully will find a
> solution.
>
> Cheers
>
> David
>
>
> On 17 July 2016 at 23:00, Alan Smith  wrote:
>> David
>>
>> I have some experience with EyeTV and television reception - and their 
>> problems.
>>
>> First check the signal strength of SBS as indicated by EyeTV.  Compare with 
>> other channels.
>>
>> Do you use live TV buffering?  I feel that problems I used to have with 
>> short breaks disappeared when I set the buffer to 500MB.   Another 
>> possibility - you could set the “extend recording” time to say 10 minutes 
>> before the scheduled start time.
>>
>> Standard PAL aluminium internal coaxial fittings will freeze with oxidation 
>> and give a poor electrical connection.  I do not think the “sticky tape” 
>> method is the real solution.  The electrical connections may be poor and/or 
>> not tightly fitting.  Manipulation may scratch away some surface corrosion 
>> and sticky tape may move the pin to actually touch its socket which has lost 
>> its springiness to make good contact. If the coax socket has lost its 
>> gripping tension, then perhaps you could poke a sliver of aluminium foil 
>> into the socket so the cable pin will be a tighter fit as well as make an 
>> electrical connection.
>>
>> The internal house cables and device connectors can be mechanically cleaned. 
>> Or replaced.  Start at the wall socket; pull out the cable and re-insert, 
>> twist the coaxial plug back and forward several times to try and get a 
>> cleaner electrical connection.  Pull apart all connections at the EyeTV unit 
>> and re-connect.  They should be close fitting but not loose and not jammed.
>>
>> External TV aerials do wear out!  Aluminium elements may corrode, get bent 
>> or broken, and not tune to channels properly.
>>
>> Some years ago I had intermittent and varying problems with EyeTV.  (Mainly 
>> SBS by coincidence.)   I eventually bit the bullet and replaced my complete 
>> aerial system with a modern quality unit designed for the digital broadcast 
>> band.  I installed quality cable with F-type connections (rather than PAL), 
>> and quality splitters.  But I still used a PAL cable from the wall socket to 
>> the EyeTV tuner.  The weight of the aerial lead pulling on the EyeTV tuner 
>> (I have the lightweight DTT Deluxe) can cause problems.  I use a short USB 
>> externsion cord for the EyeTV tuner so it is not subject to movement when I 
>> change other Mac cables.  The TV aerial lead is secured so its weight is not 
>> dragging on the EyeTV tuner.
>>
>> Hope that helps.
>>
>> Cheers
>> Alan
>>
>>
>>> On 17 Jul 2016, at 5:00 PM, David Noel  wrote:
>>>
>>> I have an Elgato EyeTV 250 tuner on my iMac (10.6.8) with which I
>>> record TV programs on at a  time I can't watch. Results are generally
>>> quite satisfactory on all channels except for SBS. SBS broadcasts at
>>> 184.50 MHz, and recordings on any of the SBS/NITV channels at this
>>> frequency suffer from missing and broken frames, especially for the
>>> first few minutes of a recording (the problem slowly diminishes, but
>>> doesn't disappear, after 5-10 minutes).
>>>
>>> I've searched the Net for a possible fix for this problem, so far I've
>>> only found the item below from "EyeTV signal problems" at
>>> http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1184566, which suggest coating
>>> the "the inner conductor of the antenna plug with sticky tape". I've
>>> had a try at this, with no improvement, but I may not be understanding
>>> what's actually recommended -- the antenna lead terminates in a very
>>> thin solid bar in the centre, this goes into a thin cylinder in the
>>> centre of the tuner socket. Either is only about 1.5 mm across, and
>>> it's very difficult to wind a tiny piece of sticky tape round either.
>>>
>>> Has anyone any idea what's going on here? Would it be possible to put
>>> some sort of joiner in the line which might alleviate the problem at
>>> the SBS frequency? I imagine it is tied up with the SBS frequency,
>>> Channel 7 next below at 177.50 MHz and Channel 9 next above at 191.50
>>> MHz have no problem. I'm really baffled here.
>>>
>>> David Noel
>>>
>>>
>>> =
>>> Since I moved house, EyeTV (with an EyeTV DTT) reported signal
>>> strength 100% but signal quality 0%, rendering it unable to tune to
>>> any channel. I replaced much of the antenna cabling wi

Re: Problems recording SBS with EyeTV 250

[David Noel]

Many thanks to Alan for the comprehensive list of things to check. I
already do buffering and start recording 10 min ahead, but I'll work
through Alan's other recommendations and hopefully will find a
solution.

Cheers

David


On 17 July 2016 at 23:00, Alan Smith  wrote:
> David
>
> I have some experience with EyeTV and television reception - and their 
> problems.
>
> First check the signal strength of SBS as indicated by EyeTV.  Compare with 
> other channels.
>
> Do you use live TV buffering?  I feel that problems I used to have with short 
> breaks disappeared when I set the buffer to 500MB.   Another possibility - 
> you could set the “extend recording” time to say 10 minutes before the 
> scheduled start time.
>
> Standard PAL aluminium internal coaxial fittings will freeze with oxidation 
> and give a poor electrical connection.  I do not think the “sticky tape” 
> method is the real solution.  The electrical connections may be poor and/or 
> not tightly fitting.  Manipulation may scratch away some surface corrosion 
> and sticky tape may move the pin to actually touch its socket which has lost 
> its springiness to make good contact. If the coax socket has lost its 
> gripping tension, then perhaps you could poke a sliver of aluminium foil into 
> the socket so the cable pin will be a tighter fit as well as make an 
> electrical connection.
>
> The internal house cables and device connectors can be mechanically cleaned. 
> Or replaced.  Start at the wall socket; pull out the cable and re-insert, 
> twist the coaxial plug back and forward several times to try and get a 
> cleaner electrical connection.  Pull apart all connections at the EyeTV unit 
> and re-connect.  They should be close fitting but not loose and not jammed.
>
> External TV aerials do wear out!  Aluminium elements may corrode, get bent or 
> broken, and not tune to channels properly.
>
> Some years ago I had intermittent and varying problems with EyeTV.  (Mainly 
> SBS by coincidence.)   I eventually bit the bullet and replaced my complete 
> aerial system with a modern quality unit designed for the digital broadcast 
> band.  I installed quality cable with F-type connections (rather than PAL), 
> and quality splitters.  But I still used a PAL cable from the wall socket to 
> the EyeTV tuner.  The weight of the aerial lead pulling on the EyeTV tuner (I 
> have the lightweight DTT Deluxe) can cause problems.  I use a short USB 
> externsion cord for the EyeTV tuner so it is not subject to movement when I 
> change other Mac cables.  The TV aerial lead is secured so its weight is not 
> dragging on the EyeTV tuner.
>
> Hope that helps.
>
> Cheers
> Alan
>
>
>> On 17 Jul 2016, at 5:00 PM, David Noel  wrote:
>>
>> I have an Elgato EyeTV 250 tuner on my iMac (10.6.8) with which I
>> record TV programs on at a  time I can't watch. Results are generally
>> quite satisfactory on all channels except for SBS. SBS broadcasts at
>> 184.50 MHz, and recordings on any of the SBS/NITV channels at this
>> frequency suffer from missing and broken frames, especially for the
>> first few minutes of a recording (the problem slowly diminishes, but
>> doesn't disappear, after 5-10 minutes).
>>
>> I've searched the Net for a possible fix for this problem, so far I've
>> only found the item below from "EyeTV signal problems" at
>> http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1184566, which suggest coating
>> the "the inner conductor of the antenna plug with sticky tape". I've
>> had a try at this, with no improvement, but I may not be understanding
>> what's actually recommended -- the antenna lead terminates in a very
>> thin solid bar in the centre, this goes into a thin cylinder in the
>> centre of the tuner socket. Either is only about 1.5 mm across, and
>> it's very difficult to wind a tiny piece of sticky tape round either.
>>
>> Has anyone any idea what's going on here? Would it be possible to put
>> some sort of joiner in the line which might alleviate the problem at
>> the SBS frequency? I imagine it is tied up with the SBS frequency,
>> Channel 7 next below at 177.50 MHz and Channel 9 next above at 191.50
>> MHz have no problem. I'm really baffled here.
>>
>> David Noel
>>
>>
>> =
>> Since I moved house, EyeTV (with an EyeTV DTT) reported signal
>> strength 100% but signal quality 0%, rendering it unable to tune to
>> any channel. I replaced much of the antenna cabling with no effect.
>> Eventually I discovered that if I made *loose* contact on the antenna
>> plug, the signal quality jumped up. We used it like this for months
>> but it was very difficult to get it right. Eventually I carefully
>> coated the inner conductor of the plug with sticky tape (scotch magic
>> tape to be precise), and it now gives signal quality 100% with the
>> plug firmly pressed in. I'm pretty comfortable that it will work
>> reliably in this state.
>> /
>> You sir, are a genuis. I registered with this forum to say thank for
>> your advice above. It worked a trea

Re: Problems recording SBS with EyeTV 250

[Alan Smith]

David

I have some experience with EyeTV and television reception - and their problems.

First check the signal strength of SBS as indicated by EyeTV.  Compare with 
other channels. 

Do you use live TV buffering?  I feel that problems I used to have with short 
breaks disappeared when I set the buffer to 500MB.   Another possibility - you 
could set the “extend recording” time to say 10 minutes before the scheduled 
start time.

Standard PAL aluminium internal coaxial fittings will freeze with oxidation and 
give a poor electrical connection.  I do not think the “sticky tape” method is 
the real solution.  The electrical connections may be poor and/or not tightly 
fitting.  Manipulation may scratch away some surface corrosion and sticky tape 
may move the pin to actually touch its socket which has lost its springiness to 
make good contact. If the coax socket has lost its gripping tension, then 
perhaps you could poke a sliver of aluminium foil into the socket so the cable 
pin will be a tighter fit as well as make an electrical connection.

The internal house cables and device connectors can be mechanically cleaned. Or 
replaced.  Start at the wall socket; pull out the cable and re-insert, twist 
the coaxial plug back and forward several times to try and get a cleaner 
electrical connection.  Pull apart all connections at the EyeTV unit and 
re-connect.  They should be close fitting but not loose and not jammed. 

External TV aerials do wear out!  Aluminium elements may corrode, get bent or 
broken, and not tune to channels properly.

Some years ago I had intermittent and varying problems with EyeTV.  (Mainly SBS 
by coincidence.)   I eventually bit the bullet and replaced my complete aerial 
system with a modern quality unit designed for the digital broadcast band.  I 
installed quality cable with F-type connections (rather than PAL), and quality 
splitters.  But I still used a PAL cable from the wall socket to the EyeTV 
tuner.  The weight of the aerial lead pulling on the EyeTV tuner (I have the 
lightweight DTT Deluxe) can cause problems.  I use a short USB externsion cord 
for the EyeTV tuner so it is not subject to movement when I change other Mac 
cables.  The TV aerial lead is secured so its weight is not dragging on the 
EyeTV tuner.  

Hope that helps.

Cheers
Alan


> On 17 Jul 2016, at 5:00 PM, David Noel  wrote:
> 
> I have an Elgato EyeTV 250 tuner on my iMac (10.6.8) with which I
> record TV programs on at a  time I can't watch. Results are generally
> quite satisfactory on all channels except for SBS. SBS broadcasts at
> 184.50 MHz, and recordings on any of the SBS/NITV channels at this
> frequency suffer from missing and broken frames, especially for the
> first few minutes of a recording (the problem slowly diminishes, but
> doesn't disappear, after 5-10 minutes).
> 
> I've searched the Net for a possible fix for this problem, so far I've
> only found the item below from "EyeTV signal problems" at
> http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1184566, which suggest coating
> the "the inner conductor of the antenna plug with sticky tape". I've
> had a try at this, with no improvement, but I may not be understanding
> what's actually recommended -- the antenna lead terminates in a very
> thin solid bar in the centre, this goes into a thin cylinder in the
> centre of the tuner socket. Either is only about 1.5 mm across, and
> it's very difficult to wind a tiny piece of sticky tape round either.
> 
> Has anyone any idea what's going on here? Would it be possible to put
> some sort of joiner in the line which might alleviate the problem at
> the SBS frequency? I imagine it is tied up with the SBS frequency,
> Channel 7 next below at 177.50 MHz and Channel 9 next above at 191.50
> MHz have no problem. I'm really baffled here.
> 
> David Noel
> 
> 
> =
> Since I moved house, EyeTV (with an EyeTV DTT) reported signal
> strength 100% but signal quality 0%, rendering it unable to tune to
> any channel. I replaced much of the antenna cabling with no effect.
> Eventually I discovered that if I made *loose* contact on the antenna
> plug, the signal quality jumped up. We used it like this for months
> but it was very difficult to get it right. Eventually I carefully
> coated the inner conductor of the plug with sticky tape (scotch magic
> tape to be precise), and it now gives signal quality 100% with the
> plug firmly pressed in. I'm pretty comfortable that it will work
> reliably in this state.
> /
> You sir, are a genuis. I registered with this forum to say thank for
> your advice above. It worked a treat on my Netstream DTT. I was
> literally minutes from putting it in the bin when I decided to try
> your trick.
> I put a small piece of sticky tape in the inner conductor rod of the
> antenna connection and instantly I had a massive improvement. Who
> woulda thought that would make such a difference. Crazy.
> 
> Anyway, thanks. And to those having similar problems, please try this
> for VAST

Problems recording SBS with EyeTV 250

[David Noel]

I have an Elgato EyeTV 250 tuner on my iMac (10.6.8) with which I
record TV programs on at a  time I can't watch. Results are generally
quite satisfactory on all channels except for SBS. SBS broadcasts at
184.50 MHz, and recordings on any of the SBS/NITV channels at this
frequency suffer from missing and broken frames, especially for the
first few minutes of a recording (the problem slowly diminishes, but
doesn't disappear, after 5-10 minutes).

I've searched the Net for a possible fix for this problem, so far I've
only found the item below from "EyeTV signal problems" at
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1184566, which suggest coating
the "the inner conductor of the antenna plug with sticky tape". I've
had a try at this, with no improvement, but I may not be understanding
what's actually recommended -- the antenna lead terminates in a very
thin solid bar in the centre, this goes into a thin cylinder in the
centre of the tuner socket. Either is only about 1.5 mm across, and
it's very difficult to wind a tiny piece of sticky tape round either.

Has anyone any idea what's going on here? Would it be possible to put
some sort of joiner in the line which might alleviate the problem at
the SBS frequency? I imagine it is tied up with the SBS frequency,
Channel 7 next below at 177.50 MHz and Channel 9 next above at 191.50
MHz have no problem. I'm really baffled here.

David Noel


=
Since I moved house, EyeTV (with an EyeTV DTT) reported signal
strength 100% but signal quality 0%, rendering it unable to tune to
any channel. I replaced much of the antenna cabling with no effect.
Eventually I discovered that if I made *loose* contact on the antenna
plug, the signal quality jumped up. We used it like this for months
but it was very difficult to get it right. Eventually I carefully
coated the inner conductor of the plug with sticky tape (scotch magic
tape to be precise), and it now gives signal quality 100% with the
plug firmly pressed in. I'm pretty comfortable that it will work
reliably in this state.
/
You sir, are a genuis. I registered with this forum to say thank for
your advice above. It worked a treat on my Netstream DTT. I was
literally minutes from putting it in the bin when I decided to try
your trick.
I put a small piece of sticky tape in the inner conductor rod of the
antenna connection and instantly I had a massive improvement. Who
woulda thought that would make such a difference. Crazy.

Anyway, thanks. And to those having similar problems, please try this
for VAST improvement on quality of picture and signal.
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