# Roamio OTA signal strength



## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

Hi, I just hooked my Mohu Sky to my Roamio OTA and my signal strengths are 20 points lower than when hooked directly to the TV... Any ideas why? Does anyone else have this problem? 

Thanks Leweezo


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## MikeBear (May 21, 2015)

You can't directly compare signal strengths between different devices. They are all relative to each other.

Your tv set could be calibrated to show 80% with a particular signal, but on the Roamio (or something else) that might only be 60%. I have a 10 point difference between my Roamio and my LG tv set.

What is important is: does it stay locked and working?


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

Sofar on the "important channels" yes.. I am hoping to get a thunderstorm soon so I can test the picture then.. During the last storm (direct into the TV) my TV held up like a champ.. Thanks for your experience, it gives me hope..
Lewezo


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

leweezo said:


> Hi, I just hooked my Mohu Sky to my Roamio OTA and my signal strengths are 20 points lower than when hooked directly to the TV... Any ideas why? Does anyone else have this problem?
> 
> Thanks Leweezo


I hate to ask this, but are all 4 tuners showing the same numbers? To get all four tuners on the same channel can be a challenge. The Settings, Reset, Restart is one way and easier than a power cycle. Obviously you don't want to do the restart while recording.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

I found the Sky to be disappointing, but YMMV. The Roamio OTA has a 4-way splitter built-in, which your TV does, not, so even if they were using the exact same tuning hardware, the Tivo number should be lower. What signal strengths are you getting?


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

Thanks for the replies... ABC TV straight = 92... through Tivo 77... Peachtree TV TV = 100 through Tivo 79.... ION TV through tv 65.. 35 through the tivo

I have great recept from the sky.. I am only 25 miles from the towers.. 
Thanks
Leweezo


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

leweezo said:


> Thanks for the replies... ABC TV straight = 92... through Tivo 77... Peachtree TV TV = 100 through Tivo 79.... ION TV through tv 65.. 35 through the tivo
> 
> I have great recept from the sky.. I am only 25 miles from the towers..
> Thanks
> Leweezo


ION looks bad or at least different. Call letters? But I would set a channel on ION then do the restart. If all four tuner show the same level things are good. If not, call TiVo. My first Roamio had two bad tuners on delivery.

I know I'm cable, but my Roamio has higher numbers than any other device including my two Premiere units. Tivo is 90, everything else is 70 to 85. But all have a SNR of 36.


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

Did a restart and nothing changed... I would hope that the Tivo splitter would not frop a 100 signal to a 74-76.. If that is always true, then anyone who gets a 75 would not even be able to use the roamio... The tough part is that it gets about 10 less channels than without it


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

leweezo said:


> Did a restart and nothing changed... I would hope that the Tivo splitter would not frop a 100 signal to a 74-76.. If that is always true, then anyone who gets a 75 would not even be able to use the roamio... The tough part is that it gets about 10 less channels than without it


So all tuners had the same numbers on a single channel? There is some irony here. I wonder why my Roamio has such a high number and everything else is more normal.


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

Yeah thats weird, I sent a email to Tivo support and have a case number now... I can see a 10 percent drop in reception but a 25 percent drop is too much and really would make the Roamio worthless if it rained.. b4 I got the rmio, I checked my signal during a huge storm and had only a 10 point drop and most of the channels were coming in good but if I add the Rmio drooff, I would probably lose even the best channels


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

Just had a rain storm that made my channels glitchy and twitchy. This storm was a mini compared to the one that the palin antenna sailed through the night of the MLB all-star game.. Really disapointed


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

leweezo said:


> Thanks for the replies... ABC TV straight = 92... through Tivo 77... Peachtree TV TV = 100 through Tivo 79.... ION TV through tv 65.. 35 through the tivo
> 
> I have great recept from the sky.. I am only 25 miles from the towers..
> Thanks
> Leweezo


The signals in the high 70s are very good numbers for a Roamio in my experience. I only have 1 station that gets around 80, and that is 10 miles away. Everything else is in the 70s.


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## hhh222 (Jul 28, 2005)

Hello Leweezo and I feel your pain 

I tried the OTA Roamio (2 of them actually) a while back and the both would not get over a 72 signal on any channel along with picture breakup too often. My Series 3, on the other hand got low to high 90's with rarely a breakup on any channel.

Tivo technical said it's because the tuners are all digital now ??? I find that hard to believe but, for whatever reason, they are weaker than they should be.


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

Wow that is pretty sad,I would think that Tivo would be able tocome up with a solution for this.. Makes no sense


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

Hey Tivo, how about a 4 tuner with 2 antenna inputs? That won't dilute the signal as much Yeah , we have to have 2 antennas but those of us willing to cut the cord want solutions


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

hhh222 said:


> Hello Leweezo and I feel your pain
> 
> I tried the OTA Roamio (2 of them actually) a while back and the both would not get over a 72 signal on any channel along with picture breakup too often. My Series 3, on the other hand got low to high 90's with rarely a breakup on any channel.
> 
> Tivo technical said it's because the tuners are all digital now ??? I find that hard to believe but, for whatever reason, they are weaker than they should be.


Comparing the signals on a 2-tuner S3 and a 4-tuner Roamio is pointless. Different hardware and the signal is split 4-ways instead of 2. There is nothing wrong with the Roamio's OTA tuners, unlike the Premier for instance. In my experience my Roamio actually pulls in signals better than my HDs did. I only get drops on 1 channel, which is off-axis for my directional antenna.

Obviously circumstances are different for everyone, but, in general, the Roamio has very good OTA tuners. Comparing numbers from different devices will get you nowhere.


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## jth tv (Nov 15, 2014)

My Tivo Roamio Basic may initially show a higher signal strength but after a minute or so will settle down to 72 max. Anything below 62 is unwatchable. CBS is almost always 62 but consistently has fewer glitches than some other stations with higher strength. I wish TiVo gave better tools, if I had a time stamped signal strength log I would have ended up spending a lot less money and time experimenting with antennas and amps.


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

You would think that these "engineers" would know that a device with a 20-25 percent drop off would not be what people need/want.. It also should be in the items description if it is as consistent as we all seem to have the same issue. Now I am at a crossroad, do I go ahead and buy the 2 minis and hope that this is good enough to keep my wife happy or do I send the Roamio back and stick with Directv? Ughh, Making a great DVR but having a weak signal problem (in a place where I get GREAT signal) is a major oversight by Tivo


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## jth tv (Nov 15, 2014)

My tv tuner has the same end results as my Roamio Basic, good reception stations have good reception, bad are bad. Even though the number scale was different. I proved it to myself by putting a splitter before the two, one line to TiVo, one line to the tv tuner. That way I could quickly and easily switch between TiVo and TV using the TV's remote "last". It took a while to figure it out but it turned out that time of day was a big factor in reception, caused by heavy truck traffic. Luckily during prime time, there's little traffic, so reception is good.

Have you tried using a splitter and quickly comparing the on screen reception ?


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## MikeBear (May 21, 2015)

jth tv said:


> My Tivo Roamio Basic may initially show a higher signal strength but after a minute or so will settle down to 72 max. Anything below 62 is unwatchable. CBS is almost always 62 but consistently has fewer glitches than some other stations with higher strength. I wish TiVo gave better tools, if I had a time stamped signal strength log I would have ended up spending a lot less money and time experimenting with antennas and amps.


My Roamio will continue to work until a signal level of *40*, before being basically unwatchable.

If yours won't work below 62, then you have some antenna issues where you are getting too many signal errors.


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

No I dont have a splitter but i can switch back and forth in less than 30 seonds... The Roam has about a 25 percent drop on every single channel.. I lose a few totally and the big ones are now reading 65-73... That would be fine if the weather stayed nice but I lost a few tyesterday in a small thunderstorm, while B4 the Roamio, I had perfect Tv even in a huge storm.. Tivo responded to my email and suggested move antenna or get a amplifier (already using one) . I had 90- 100 percent.. If a station drops from 100 to 75 just by hooking up a device... IT"S THE DEVICE THAT HAS THE ISSUE


If it was just me, this would not be a big deal but I don't wanna lose too much reception for my wife. She has gotten used to having decent Tv reception


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

leweezo said:


> ... IT"S THE DEVICE THAT HAS THE ISSUE
> 
> If it was just me, this would not be a big deal but I don't wanna lose too much reception for my wife. She has gotten used to having decent Tv reception


I guess it's too late to buy something else. There are many options for OTA.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

leweezo said:


> No I dont have a splitter but i can switch back and forth in less than 30 seonds... The Roam has about a 25 percent drop on every single channel.. I lose a few totally and the big ones are now reading 65-73... That would be fine if the weather stayed nice but I lost a few tyesterday in a small thunderstorm, while B4 the Roamio, I had perfect Tv even in a huge storm.. Tivo responded to my email and suggested move antenna or get a amplifier (already using one) . I had 90- 100 percent.. If a station drops from 100 to 75 just by hooking up a device... IT"S THE DEVICE THAT HAS THE ISSUE
> 
> If it was just me, this would not be a big deal but I don't wanna lose too much reception for my wife. She has gotten used to having decent Tv reception


You seem to be missing the fact that the measurement your Roamio is making is different than the measurement your TV is making. You are comparing apples to oranges, so stop comparing numbers from different devices. You are not seeing a signal drop, and if you are getting a signal strength of 75 on a Roamio, the signal might actually be too hot for the Roamio's tuners.

I would try removing the amplifier to see if that improves things at all as far as signal breakup goes. The Sky is a big antenna to be using so close to the towers, so having an amp as well could be overkill to sensitive tuners like the Roamio has.

I am a similar distance from my local towers, and I use a much smaller antenna (inside my house, no less) with no issues.


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

no, i think they have a 30 day return policy, i have had it for 2 day, i am gonna try a different amp next week but if i can't get to 80 on the abc, cbs, fox, i will prolly go another route... I hope Tivo will get serious about OTA when they make their next attempt


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## jth tv (Nov 15, 2014)

leweezo said:


> No I dont have a splitter....


It would probably less than $10 for cables and a splitter or you could probably borrow them from neighbors or someone you work with. As far as I can tell, what you are describing is very unusual.

I really think you should try it.


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

I did try it w/out the amp and it dropped even further.. Also, I would not care if the numbers did not match but the actual reception dropped off, I lost channels, Some of my majors glitched during a small storm (Not at all without Rmio during a huge storm)


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

jth tv said:


> It would probably less than $10 for cables and a splitter or you could probably borrow them from neighbors or someone you work with. As far as I can tell, what you are describing is very unusual.
> 
> I really think you should try it.


I will try it... WTH I have plenty of old coax cables from VCRs and all I need is a splitter.. I will get it with the new amp I ordered from amazon


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## JoeKustra (Dec 7, 2012)

ncted said:


> I would try removing the amplifier to see if that improves things at all as far as signal breakup goes. The Sky is a big antenna to be using so close to the towers, so having an amp as well could be overkill to sensitive tuners like the Roamio has.


In an earlier post he indicated two stations that resolve to WPXA and WSB. If the OP is still in 30281, that means the ABC 1MW station at 18 miles could be a problem. But ION, at 1MW but 60 miles should be ok. Unless there is a repeater.


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

leweezo said:


> I did try it w/out the amp and it dropped even further.. Also, I would not care if the numbers did not match but the actual reception dropped off, I lost channels, Some of my majors glitched during a small storm (Not at all without Rmio during a huge storm)


OK. Well, the other thing I would recommend trying is a different antenna. I did not have good luck with any of the Mohu antennas and Tivos, even when they worked ok directly with my TVs. I ended up getting a Clearstream 2V which works great in my location, but there are many options to choose from.


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

Yeah, I was doing this in stages
Stage 1 was to get a good reception.. Sky was my second antenna and it gave me (without amp) 80s on all my National networks and 60s on some of the bigger Atlanta stations and 50s on the crud.. I attached th amp and I went to 90s on National networks 70s on big Atl stations and 60s on the crud.. Channel 17 (old TBS channel) was @100.. 

Stage 2 was to get a DVR and Tivo is supposed to be the best.. So I hook the Roamio up and EVERYTHING dropped 20-25 percent.. The channels that were in the 60s are now gone, the 70s are now twithcy. and I lose the National ones in the rain.. The night of the MLB all-star game I had a great picture during a storm that was national news..(pre roamio)


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

Well I think the trial is over and I am going to return the Roamio.. Woke up on this nice clear day and turned to the roamio and my fox station was twitchin and glitchin.. No reason for it, my signal strength was 55-58.. Swirched to the TV without Rosmio 80-85 and no twtchin... I got better reception during a monsoon without the Rmio than I did on a nice day with a Rmio... Pathetic at best


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

leweezo said:


> Well I think the trial is over and I am going to return the Roamio.. Woke up on this nice clear day and turned to the roamio and my fox station was twitchin and glitchin.. No reason for it, my signal strength was 55-58.. Swirched to the TV without Rosmio 80-85 and no twtchin... I got better reception during a monsoon without the Rmio than I did on a nice day with a Rmio... Pathetic at best


You may just have a bad one, so swap it out and try again.

I also agree that maybe the signal is too hot with such a large antenna so close to the tower. Maybe your tv has a built in attenuation circuit designed for his sort of thing and the TiVo doesn't? Signal overload can cause the same symptoms as not enough signal. An attenuator may be your friend in this instance (if after you swap and the new one shows the same issues).


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

I am willing to give it a try, how many DBs do you think I should try?? Also is there a antenna you would recommend?.. I just gotta make sure I test all this stuff B4 the Tivo 30 day trial goes away...


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

leweezo said:


> I am willing to give it a try, how many DBs do you think I should try?? Also is there a antenna you would recommend?.. I just gotta make sure I test all this stuff B4 the Tivo 30 day trial goes away...


I like the Clearstream antennas and the Mohu leaf may work well at your location.

Go to www.antennaweb.org and check your location too.


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

I ordered the the clearstream 2-v, If it doesn't help, I can send it back.. Thanks for the recommendation.. I have tried the paper thin ones in the past but they don't seem to work well without adjustments.. a thing my wife would not appreciate... She likes things that just work LOL


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

leweezo said:


> I ordered the the clearstream 2-v, If it doesn't help, I can send it back.. Thanks for the recommendation.. I have tried the paper thin ones in the past but they don't seem to work well without adjustments.. a thing my wife would not appreciate... She likes things that just work LOL


That should be good. I have the 4V on an OTA right now and it works extremely well picking up stations from over 60 miles away on another island, Maui. I'm on the big island.

If that doesn't work I'd say your OTA is defective.


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

thanks... will post results wendsday


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

Thanks Harpervision and McTed... I set up the Clearstream c2-v and it is ALOT more stable than the Mohu!!.. It is even getting more of the weaker stations than the Mohu did.. I am very thankful for your help.. Now it's time to order my minis..

Thanks
Leweezo


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## ncted (May 13, 2007)

leweezo said:


> Thanks Harpervision and McTed... I set up the Clearstream c2-v and it is ALOT more stable than the Mohu!!.. It is even getting more of the weaker stations than the Mohu did.. I am very thankful for your help.. Now it's time to order my minis..
> 
> Thanks
> Leweezo


Hey, that is great news! That is the antenna I have, and it works great for me. Glad you got some good results.

Ted


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

leweezo said:


> Thanks Harpervision and McTed... I set up the Clearstream c2-v and it is ALOT more stable than the Mohu!!.. It is even getting more of the weaker stations than the Mohu did.. I am very thankful for your help.. Now it's time to order my minis.. Thanks Leweezo





ncted said:


> Hey, that is great news! That is the antenna I have, and it works great for me. Glad you got some good results. Ted


Ditto! Glad it's better and worked out for you!


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## leweezo (Mar 23, 2012)

Thanks for the good advice!


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