[mythtv-users] Help setting up HD Homerun

[David Brodbeck]

Travis Tabbal wrote:
> Careful with those amps. I have one on my roof I can't use right now
> because the signal overpowers the receiver on the HDHR. I need to locate
> an attenuator to see if dialing it down a little helps.

If you have a two-port splitter handy, that will give you 3 dB of
attenuation.  The unused port should be capped with a terminating resistor.

Keep in mind that preamps are widely misunderstood.  They're mainly
useful for overcoming cable and splitter losses between the antenna and
the receiver.  If the signal you're trying to receive is weak, down
close to the noise floor, the amp won't help -- in fact it will just
make it worse, because an amplifier will always degrade the
signal-to-noise ratio.  The only remedy for a poor signal-to-noise ratio
is a more directional antenna.