Digital TV Antenna signal loss question

vista14 · 11-23-2014, 04:27 PM

Greetings all. Very much enjoy this site and the helpful ideas and resources from all of you. As the subject title implies, we encountered something unusual this weekend with the TV using OTA signa, our first time messing with using the TV on the antenna worked GREAT, awesome digital picture with the antenna powered up and tuned in, HOWEVER, if any of the ceiling lights get turned on, TV would change to saying 'signal loss' along with loss of TV picture.
Turn OFF the light(s) and both signal and picture immediately restored. During this time, both the Antenna stayed powered up with the 'blue signal strength' indicator LEDs powered and lit, along with the 'green' led for the antenna.
I'll reach out to the 800-Winnebago service number tomorrow and thought I'd post here also and then follow up with what I hear from them. This seems somewhat odd to me? Thanks again all.
-K-

Bfmorgan · 11-23-2014, 05:32 PM

What kind of lights are these? Fluorescent, incandescent, LED? Fluorescents can cause RF interference and may interfere with the TV signal.

Rocky Larson · 11-23-2014, 05:46 PM

I don't know about our LEDs effecting the signal but if anyone sits in the passenger chair (directly under the antenna) when the OTA antenna is in use we lose several channels. Move across the aisle and the channels come back.

bobmac · 11-23-2014, 06:03 PM

You are likely receiving RF interference (RFI) from the LED fixtures in the ceiling. I would think that if you are experiencing it, others will have as well and Winnebago will have a solution. Call Owner Relations and you will likely first get their standard reply " that's funny, we've never heard of that before" but I am confident they will resolve it.
The LED fixtures I retrofit in my Coach are from ITC (www.itc-us.com) and they supply most of the fixtures to Winnebago. Download their catalog and see if you can find your fixtures there. Depending on the reply you get from Winn, it might also be worth a call to ITC as my experience it they are very focused on customer satisfaction.
While it is a long shot, the lights might also have been incorrectly connected to the 12v circuit that feeds the antenna - that also could cause the problem.
Good luck,

Capn_Dave · 11-23-2014, 06:26 PM

How is the 12 volts? You mentioned when the lights are out the signal comes back. Check your battery voltage. As the voltage falls the amp in the antenna starts to give a weaker signal.

grtharris · 11-23-2014, 07:01 PM

vista14 2X Capn_Dave, were you dry camping or connected to shore power?

vista14 · 11-23-2014, 08:27 PM

Connected to Shore power....

but I hadn't considered the 12v impact.

Nice comment about getting out of the passenger Seat...., as it was the better-half that was always getting up to turn on the lights, however, no such luck as we continued to test, it's definitely something with the lights.

RF interference from LED lights? I'll have to read more about that

wa8yxm · 11-24-2014, 04:24 AM

Several possible answers:
Good old HOT light blubs draw considerable power, If you are running on batteries it is possible you draw enough to starve the pre-amp.

LED and Florescent generate Radio Frequency Interference... on my ham rig one of the Florescents will take out part of 80 meters (A long long way from TV) and some of the LED's 2 meters (Right between VHF-LO and VHF-HI) so far none have cancelled my TV in MY rig but,,, Luck that may be.

But those are my best guesses.

Capn_Dave · 11-25-2014, 06:31 AM

Have you checked the voltage at the TV amplifier? I would hook a Volt meter to the amplifier box and then check the voltage there with the lights on and off. Just to see if there is a drop there.
And again what type of lights are we talking about

vista14 · 11-25-2014, 12:32 PM

Update now that we are home and have done a bit more testing, The OTA TV signal works now even with the overhead LED lights on. Naturally, OTA signal scan comes up with completely different set of channels here at home, also on 30A shore power, and one thing I noticed is that on the TV Menu screen for scanning signals has an option for signal strength and here at home, I'm in the '50%-Green' area, while at the campground this past weekend, it showed zero signal strength across all channels, even though channel was viewable with ceiling LEDs turned off.
Now at home overhead lights don't affect any of the channels.
Winnebago service adviser was stumped and suggested contact my local dealer, who's suggestion was to see if problem goes away while running on generator, thinking possibly 'dirty or low' shore power at the campground. Wife mentioned that weekend the hairdryer 'sounded sluggish and labored' after the comment from the dealer above, yet hairdryer operates normal as she describes it here at home..
I'm not sure if a combination of the (2) issues being RFI from the LED's combined with either very low OTA TV signal strength and/or 'dirty' shore power? Will remember to try the Generator next time I can get the problem to happen. Any other suggestions?

tanstaafl · 11-25-2014, 02:10 PM

Although our RV is a Tiffin, we have the exact same problem when the signal is weak. The recommended fix for ours is to replace the led light fixtures.

Navy Flier · 11-25-2014, 06:38 PM

At this point my guess is that no one has the correct answer. I have encountered this problem also. We have quite a few LEDs, both singles and strips. Last week one of the reading lamp LEDs would kill the OTA signal while the one next to it would not. None of the other LEDs in the coach had that effect. This week at a different park and using different channels that same light has no effect on the signal. Since I am not an electrical engineer I would not have the faintest idea of where to start if I even had the interest to do so. The vast majority of my viewing is via satellitte and occasionally OTA.