# Bolt OTA signal Strength and Tuning Issue



## montivette (Sep 7, 2006)

TiVo Bolt all of the sudden can't seem to tune OTA channels via roof antenna very well after six months of not having any issue. Other TVs and TiVo Series 3 have no issue when connected to same antenna or same coaxial cable the Bolt is connected to. No other device in home has experience a decrease in signal strength or started to have issues with tuning recently. I have a second antenna in the attic of home and same situation applies. TiVo Bolt connected to the Attic antenna has same lack of single strength issues as where TVs and Tivo Series 3 do not. 

Talked to TiVo support on the phone (frustrating). They pointed out when the TiVo Bolt shows low signal there is nothing they can do because it is signal issue not a Bolt issue. They dismissed the fact the TVs can tune every channel and the the fact that TV signal strengths have not recently dived lower like the Bolt. They argued the TiVo Bolt has a higher grade tuner and is more complex than lower grade TV tuners which are less particular about signal quality. Sounded like their argument was TiVo Bolt is so high quality it can't tune HD signals except under optimal conditions and no meaningful conclusion can be made by comparing signal of Bolt to TV. Inability to tune HD channels does not seem like a good feature to have in a state of the art high quality HD tuner. I was pretty firm it was a Bolt issue since not a single TV in house has seen signal strength decrease. They were pretty firm it was a OTA signal issue not a Bolt issue. They basically stated my arguments were invalid. They stated they have not heard of TiVo Bolts having known issues with internal receiver/tuner going bad. I told them I was getting off phone and comparing TiVo Bolt to TiVo 3. I stated if TiVo 3 did not have any issue than obviously the Bolt is either inferior quality to Tivo 3 or is defective. They indicated that also was not a valid comparison and the issue had to be antenna signal. I sarcastically told them it was good to know it was impossible for a TiVo Bolt tuner/receiver to go bad. End of call as I had all I could take.

My feeling is TiVo is attempting to avoid swapping unit. They stated they are certain if exchanged the same issue would occur because it is a signal issue not a Bolt issue. 

Assuming TiVo support responses are actually valid does anyone have suggestions how I might improve signal quality from my roof antenna (which no other device in house has problem with) so the high quality state of the are Bolt tuner can actually tune channels like the other cruddy TVs and TiVo 3 can do without any issue ? 

Below is comparison of Bolt to Series 3 connected to the same coaxial cable connected to Roof Antenna within 20 minutes of each other. During this comparison there was a five way splitter connected. When splitter was removed Bolt values increased but the many channels still would not tune. The Series 3 has no issue with the same four way splitter connected. None of the other TVs connected have issue with splitter.


Location is Minneapolis Minnesota
House is 37 miles from tower
Antenna is large UHF/VHF mounted to roof of two story home with no obstructions in the path to tower.
With Splitter Tivo Series 3 can tune all channels
With Splitter Bolt fails to tune any channels (had no issues in the past however)
Without Splitter Bolt tunes roughly half of the channels

Column 1: Channel
Column 2: Series 3 w/Splitter
Column 3: Bolt w/Splitter
Column 4: Bolt no Splitter
2.1 95 32 42
2.2 96 32 42
2.3 93 32 35
2.4 95 31 42
4.1 98 40 55
4.2 98 40 55
5.1 95 35 52
5.2 83 31 35
5.3 83 32 35
5.4 83 32 35
5.6 83 32 35
5.7 93 32 52
9.1 86 32 35
9.2 87 32 35 
9.3 87 32 35
9.4 91 27 25
9.9 90 32 35
11.1 92 32 39
11.2 93 32 33
11.3 93 32 37
23.1 97 32 37
23.2 95 32 37
23.3 96 32 37
23.4 97 32 37
23.7 92 27 35
41.1 100 54 67
41.2 98 55 67
41.3 98 54 67
41.4 96 52 66
41.5 97 49 67
41.6 97 55 67

ADDITIONAL COMPARISON SINGLE CHANNEL 2.1
--------------------------------
Sony TV Upstairs 
*Connected to Coax cable coming from Splitter connected to Roof Antenna:
*No Recent degradation in signal strength and tuning has occurred. 
*Every channel available can be tuned.


SONY TV DIAGNOSTICS
Channel 2.1
Physical Channel 34
Freq 593000
Modulation 8VSB
Status Lock
SNR 32.35
AGC 45
Signal Strength 98

TiVo Bolt Upstairs 
*This is normal device location and configuration which has been working successfully since it was new 
*Recent degradation in signal strength and tuning has occurred. 
*RF cable is same cable which had been connected direct to the Sony TV which comes from splitter connected to roof antenna.)
* The only channels which currently can be watched are 41.x channels from a tower approximately 5 miles North of my location. Antenna points roughly SE towards primary towers in nothern Minneapolis suburbs.
*If four way splitter is bypassed with a single coupler the outcome is the same.
*If a two way splitter is used the outcome is the same

BOLT DIAGNOSTICS
Channel 2.1
Modulation 8-VSB
Program Number 3
Signal Source Terrestrial
Connector Type RF
Chanel Bits 315198
Cable Card Association None
Signal Strength 32%
Signal Lock Yes
Program Lock No
Search Complete Yes
SNR 13 dB
RS Uncorrected 100806650
RS Corrected 0
RC State Available
Current Tuning Status Tuned: Success
Tune State In Progress
Las Used Channel Plan Undefined
CCI Byte N/A
Time Since tune Start 412 seconds
Pending Tune status No Tune Pending

Tivo Series 3 Downstairs connected to same splitter as upstairs TiVo and Bolt.
*This is normal device location and configuration which has been working successfully since it was new
*No recent degradation in signal strength or tuning ability has occurred. 
*Every channel available can be tuned.

Tivo Series 3 DIAGNOSTICS
Channel 2-1
Frequency 593000KHz
Modulation 8-VSB
Connector Type RF
Signal Source Terrestrial
CableCard Association None
Signal Strength 96
Signal Lock Yes
Program Lock Yes
Search Complete Yes
SNR 30 dB
RS Uncorrected 0
RS Corrected 0
RS State Available
Current Tuning Status Tuned Success
Tune State In Progress
Last Used Channel Plan Undefined
CCI Bte N/A
Time since Tune Start 108 Seconds
Time since signal Lock 107 Seconds
Pending Tune Status No Tune Pending.


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## colodane (Oct 6, 2015)

You have already done too much work and detailed analysis on this.

Based on your discussion with TiVo, my conclusion is that you are RIGHT and they are WRONG. I would not waste any more time with measurements.

Wait until you are feeling mellow and patient. Then call them once again. hopefully you will get a different representative. Explain the situation to them. If they do not offer to swap the Bolt for you for a different one, ask to speak to their supervisor.

If they refuse to escalate the issue, not much you can do other than threaten legal action or send them a certified letter with the same intent.

Sorry you got a fluky unit.

I do not yet own a TiVo, and after reading your experience with their "customer service" I probably never will.


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## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

Well, you convinced me. Part of the trouble is comparing Tivo's varying signal strength between different model units is impossible, they don't use a common measure. There have been several posts with complaints about the OTA tuner on the Bolts, but always with a few counter posts saying that the OTA pictures are a dramatic improvement over older models. Both can easily be true and explained by either QC issues or simple failure of tuner.
At this point, I would simply try again, CSR roulette. If you get the same response after one or two more tries, it is a bad sign going forward with any Tivo. When you do try again, I would not push the issue of comparing the Bolt to older Tivos, you are swimming upstream with that. I would emphasize the dramatic and sudden change in the Bolts ability to tune all of the channels which had been fine for a prolonged time.
As far as your own trouble shooting, do you have an amp on the OTA antenna, if not, I would get one. Check the signal strength on several channels before and after using the amp, if you get no significant jump in signal strength then this would definitely point to the Bolt's tuner.


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## TeamPace (Oct 23, 2013)

My experience with the BOLT is the tuner's can be finicky. There are reports here on TCF of both excellent reception and some like myself who have had some issues.

The fact that you weren't having problems and now are is puzzling, especially since your other tuners haven't been affected. Has anything changed like the trees blooming out that weren't before? Could the antenna have shifted some in the wind? I assume you have checked the coax from the antenna all the way to the bolt to make sure there aren't any issues with connections?

Lastly I have normally used yagi style outdoor antennas with good results. I use one currently at home but I'm using a Roamio base model here, not a BOLT and there are differences in the reception between the two (i've connected a BOLT to my setup here and had significantly different results). But recently I have helped a few friends switch to OTA and one of them did so with a new BOLT. I tried a couple of my normal antennas (yagi style) and had challenges. So for kicks I tried a much smaller Clearstream 2V antenna (Walmart/Bestbuy). The reception improved substantially with the Clearstream and they have had no additional problems. I have put the Clearstream up in two additional locations and had great results. I'm not advocating for Clearstream as I think they are overpriced, but it does seem to work well with the BOLT. The also make a two bay version of it if you find you need the extra gain or can't mount the antenna as high as you'd like. Another point though is the Clearstream only has one element to receive VHF, so there may be better choices if some of the stations you receive are VHF.

It shouldn't seem like you'd need to change anything since you were getting good reception previously. I agree that trying a different BOLT would be a good first step and hopefully you'll have success with TiVo to get yours replaced. I suppose you could go buy a BOLT at Best Buy and try it out then return it or order one from TiVo and take advantage of the 30 day return policy.

Good luck!


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## JTHOJNICKI (Nov 30, 2015)

My Bolt has a definite threshold for channel reception. I added one 2-way splitter for my Roamio OTA and all the sudden neither could hold any OTA channel. I ended up rewiring everything back to the distribution panel and eliminating all but one splitter. Both the Bolt and Roamio OTA work fine for OTA now.

So, my advice is to check all your wiring and end-connectors. Try swapping the Bolt & Series 3


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## aspexil (Oct 16, 2015)

JTHOJNICKI said:


> My Bolt has a definite threshold for channel reception. I added one 2-way splitter for my Roamio OTA and all the sudden neither could hold any OTA channel. I ended up rewiring everything back to the distribution panel and eliminating all but one splitter. Both the Bolt and Roamio OTA work fine for OTA now.
> 
> So, my advice is to check all your wiring and end-connectors. Try swapping the Bolt & Series 3


Ditto. One of our channels started acting up after months of solid signal strength and ONLY in the evenings when the sun heats up the Western part of Indianapolis which is the direction this one channel is on. Long story short I went back into the attic and messed with the antenna connections I have on the Western side of the house (we have one DB8 on the West side and one DB8 on the East side of the house) and not only did it improve that failing channel's signal strength we got 6 more channels we did not get before.


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## JTHOJNICKI (Nov 30, 2015)

Plus tree leaves can impact (reduce) OTA signal strength. Meaning you get better reception in the fall and winter than spring and summer. I've also noticed rain-fade on some of the lower power digital channels.


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## aspexil (Oct 16, 2015)

aspexil said:


> Ditto. One of our channels started acting up after months of solid signal strength and ONLY in the evenings when the sun heats up the Western part of Indianapolis which is the direction this one channel is on. Long story short I went back into the attic and messed with the antenna connections I have on the Western side of the house (we have one DB8 on the West side and one DB8 on the East side of the house) and not only did it improve that failing channel's signal strength we got 6 more channels we did not get before.


So I checked and the new channel is WUDZ which is ~80 miles from Indianapolis!


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## montivette (Sep 7, 2006)

This is more of a rant/venting post versus a what should I do post. I am posting it just to let others know of my experience with poor Bolt quality compared to TiVo S3. Over a year ago my bolt lost ability to tune channels OTA via antenna as posted here in this thread one year ago. All other TVs and TiVo S3 using same signal source could tune channels even when signal was split like three or four ways. Even when cable was run from roof direct to Bolt with no splits the Bolt could not tune channels. TiVo said it was not Bolt fault as it has a high quality tuner in it and the fact that every other TV and S3 could tune using same signal and showed signal level in the 90s was not relevant. They said issue the actual issue was I have poor signal and I need to improve it. TiVo CSRs in discussions always stated replacing the Bolt is not going to change anything as this is signal issue and seemed annoyed I would not accept their point of view. After much convincing over multiple phone calls they agreed ship replacement unit under warranty and accept the $50 required to get replacement under warranty. I installed the new Bolt and every channel was functional again without me having done anything to boost signal. The replacement Bolt has been working for almost a year. A couple months ago the UI started locking up and pausing for 10-60 seconds at a time during playback. Pressing live TV would not go to live TV and guide would not go to guide during lockup. Well two weeks ago it stopped tuning all channels other than a channel which is from a tower 5 miles away (others are 40 miles away). So not only do I have to pay a monthly progamming fee to TiVo I need to pay $50 per year to get a new Bolt as they seem to me to have some flaw/defect/susceptibility which eventually causes their tuner to become incapable of tuning most channels. When lifetime service offer came out to kill signal on S3 and replace with Bolt I wanted to do it but could not justify it due to the poor quality of the Bolt hardware I have experienced. After all at time of offer my first Bolt had stopped tuning channels and the replacement Bolt would randomly lock up when playing back recorded video. Well now that my warranty replacement Bolt has also stopped tuning almost every channel I am glad I did not take that upgrade offer. I will be calling TiVo again and spending $50 one more time. I am sure they will deny the issue is with the Bolt. If another Bolt goes has same issue I think I might give up on the Bolt and just use the S3 until TiVo screws the remaining S3 owners over and kills our ability to use the S3. And by screw over I mean force us to buy inferior Bolt product which from my experience is going to stop working about every 12 months.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

I just got a Bolt to replace my Premiere using an OTA antenna. The Bolt can't find a signal (not even a low signal), for 4 of my channels, yet the Premiere shows them with a high signal strength. I also have a Series 3 OLED and it gets those channels with a solid signal strength. Haven't called Tivo yet but I read that Tivo told some to get a signal amplifier. I doubt I need one of these because the other Tivo's get such a high signal on these channels, so I believe the Bolt just has bad tuners. So if Tivo can't replace this Bolt with another new Bolt I'll want my money back. And if they do replace it and I have the same issue, I'll return that one too.


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## Andrew B (Oct 7, 2017)

Largely identical experience here, both with the failure of the Bolt (which was working beautifully for about 13 months) and the awful customer service.

Honestly, in trying to get a replacement unit in an attempt to isolate the very last variable, I felt like I was asking them for a kidney. They eventually relented and the refurb unit should be arriving any day now. But what an awful struggle.

The truth is that their software is beautiful, but the hardware is garbage and they don't know how to do customer service/experience. 

Bottom line: If you buy a TiVo and anything goes wrong, you will be firmly in the middle of a lot of finger-pointing.


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## Resist (Dec 21, 2003)

The replacement Bolt Tivo sent me gets all my channels now. Guess the question would be is Tivo's design the issue or is it a quality control problem? I've reading about so many issues with the Bolt, maybe it's time for another company to step up and do what Tivo can't seem to do...make a reliable DVR.


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