External interference?

[ChrisQ]

My father is having a weird problem at his new house.

The short of it is, there is a baseboard heater and a couple of outlets right next to the tv and we are now wondering if outside interference coming from them or elsewhere can affect the picture on the tv. I searched the forum but didn't come across anyone else with this problem.

There are 2 lines run to 2 different rooms off of a dual lnb satellite. There are no splitters, no multi-switches, but each line comes from the satellite into the house, immediately stops, and is connected to another line that goes to the appropriate room.

The picture in the basement is fine.

The picture in the family room has lines running across it as if the tinfoil fell off the rabbit ears.

We have switched receivers, tv's, and even the lines. In every instance, whatever tv is set up in the family room has the interference. The same tv and receiver set up in the basement, with the line switched as well, has a perfect picture.

Directv techs have come out 2 times and cannot find the problem either.

The only thing I have left is to completely replace the wiring and the lnb but since we have already switched the lines and both lines work fine when going to the basement, I doubt this will solve the problem.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[K4SMX]

What type of DirecTV receiver do you have?

From your description, it sounds like you do not have either your dish or your coax grounded where the coax enters the house. Is this correct?

Have you ever tried running your DirecTV receiver off another outlet with a long extension cord?

[Papa J]

My father is having a weird problem at his new house.

The short of it is, there is a baseboard heater and a couple of outlets right next to the tv and we are now wondering if outside interference coming from them or elsewhere can affect the picture on the tv. I searched the forum but didn't come across anyone else with this problem.

There are 2 lines run to 2 different rooms off of a dual lnb satellite. There are no splitters, no multi-switches, but each line comes from the satellite into the house, immediately stops, and is connected to another line that goes to the appropriate room.

The picture in the basement is fine.

The picture in the family room has lines running across it as if the tinfoil fell off the rabbit ears.

We have switched receivers, tv's, and even the lines. In every instance, whatever tv is set up in the family room has the interference. The same tv and receiver set up in the basement, with the line switched as well, has a perfect picture.

Directv techs have come out 2 times and cannot find the problem either.

The only thing I have left is to completely replace the wiring and the lnb but since we have already switched the lines and both lines work fine when going to the basement, I doubt this will solve the problem.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Are the lines always there? You could have interference on the TV or the receiver if you are on the same electrical circuit as the item causing the problem. I would find out what is on that circuit and plug the TV and Sat into a different outlet using an extention cord to see if that is the problem. If the problem goes away, add an outlet from a different circuit to supply your TV and Sat. Good luck.

[Dknow]

Since a Directv system is digital, the lines in your screen should have nothing to do with the system delivering the digital signal to you receiver. The problem lies in the analog micro-broadcasting of channel 3 or 4. I have to side with the last post as it seems there is a problem with the power outlet at that location. If you're getting a solid signal on your satellite strength matrix then replacing lines to the IRD from the dish will be a waste of time. Does this TV have RCA inputs available? If so have you tried them? If not have you tried running a vcr or a dvd through an RF modulator to see if the problem persists? Let us know the outcome and good luck.

[1948GG]

My father is having a weird problem at his new house.

The short of it is, there is a baseboard heater and a couple of outlets right next to the tv and we are now wondering if outside interference coming from them or elsewhere can affect the picture on the tv. I searched the forum but didn't come across anyone else with this problem.

You are not fully describing the system with any detail to give anyone any reasonable chance to give much of an opinion: i.e., no receiver/receiver type (model, etc.), how the output of that receiver is run to the display (i.e. 'tv set'), the type of dish, and the coaxial cable runs (type and length of coaxial from the dish to the receivers).

Fully explain each of the above in greater detail, and someone *might* have a chance at what's going on remotely, Otherwise, it's all up to chance.

[ChrisQ]

To reiterate, all of the equipment works flawlessly elsewhere in the house. Once you put it in a certain corner of one room of the house, there is the interference. The equipment is not defective, and the lines are not defective. Multiple tv's, 2 receivers, and different coax cables all work fine when you put them in the basement. Put them in the corner of the family room, and you can't get rid of the interference on either tv with either receiver and on both cables coming in from the dish. And there is nowhere else to put the entertainment center in this room, so it's stuck in that corner.

Didn't you ever turn on a microwave or hairdryer and it screwed up the picture on the tv? That's exactly how this looks. That's why I think there might be something else on that circuit that's causing the interference.

It occurred to me today to take a 50ft extension cord out there next weekend and try outlets that are not on the same breaker, and bring an old dvd player to see if it happens then as well.

Thanks all for looking :)

[bt-rtp]

That line across the screen sounds like a 60 cycle hum (60 Hz). It is usually caused by a having hot ground.

A hot ground is usually caused by an electrical device that has failed and is discharing AC current to the ground.

The usual suspects are space heaters, refrigerators, water pumps, vacuums, ceiling fans, power tools, etc.

Find the source and eliminate it.