Install of new AP-8700 shows no improvement to reception

[nezdepain]

Hi
I've just installed a new AP-8700 pre-amp for an attic antenna. I made the downlead and "power in" connections with 6 feet-long RG6 coax cables. I have not seen any improvement in the reception on any channel. The TV signal meter stays the same with or without the preamp connected. I've disconnected the preamp power supply and that too doesn't change the quality of the reception.
The led on the power injector turns red as soon as I plug the the power supply and it stays on without dimming. I've done the following test: I unplugged the coax from the "to power supply" on the preamp and created a short, as explained on this site http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/1136577.html. I could see the LED turn off during the short. So it would seem the power reaches the preamp. I've done more tests replacing the downlead coax cables with another coax cable. No change.
Could the preamp be deffective? Any other test you would suggest?
thanks

[winegard]

Good morning nezdepain,

Not knowing your location and how far your TV stations are it is hard to say what actually is happening. The picture quality of a digital signal will not change on the TV set as you amplify the signal. Once you have a strong enough signal to produce a picture that is it. The meter in your TV set is reading the data stream quality and not actual RF voltages. When we amplify the signal we do not change the data streams quality percentage so the meter may not change its reading level because we are not reading an actual RF voltage. Go to the http://www.winegard.com/videos/index.php and watch the Troubleshooting a Winegard Power Supply video which will show you the proper voltages you should have at each location in your system.



If after checking all of your voltage test and you still have problems send a copy of your receipt to the Winegard Warranty Department via e-mail to warranty@winegard.com or via fax 1-319-754-0715 and ask them for an RMA number so you can send the AP-8700 preamplifier in for them to check out.

[nezdepain]

Thanks for your reply. I'll take the time to watch the video and make measurements.
My expectations were perhaps wrong. There are a few analog signals (I'm in Canada) I expected to see the PQ to improve with the
addition of a preamp. For example, there is a channel 32 signal 53 miles distant (5.3NM according to TVfool) that I pick with
a lot of snow without the preamp. A 75 feet RG6 coax cable brings the signal from the antenna (a bowtie) to the TV.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I expected the preamp to compensate somewhat with the loss of db due to the cable length. I know the preamp won't get more signal than the antenna can get, but I was expecting a better analog reception for such cases (less snow).
There are other distant analog signals in the VHF-HI and UHF, but I couldn't see any improvement or then it was too insignificant. The local signals are strong, but those are not the ones I am looking to improve.
I am thinking, as a test, of adding a few splitters to lower the signal strenght down the coax. Maybe I'll see a difference then.

[trans4ma]

I'm having the same problems. I'm using a DB-8 antenna. I'm in Central Jersey. According to antennaweb, I'm approx 25-30 miles from most transmitters in NYC. Before I was getting 22 channels with just the antenna alone. The stations I don't get are 7 ABC, 11WB, 9WOR, 13 WNET. Most of these are in the same direction and distance as the other major NYC channels.

I installed a Winegard 8700 preamp, but my channels dropped from 22 to 4!
The power inverter lights up red. I've done a test like the one posted on youtube to troubleshoot the preamp connections. I've got the right power amounts per voltmeter. Why is the drop so much?

The main feed into the house is only split in two. Max cable length is not more than 50.
I've also tried Channelmaster also - worse results.

[winegard]

The DB-8 antenna is not manufactured by Winegard. This is a UHF only antenna that will not receive the signals you are trying to acquire as they are broadcast on VHF frequencies. As all of the channels in your area are either broadcast in UHF or high-VHF I would recommend the FreeVision FV-HD30 for your area.

[nezdepain]

Hi again,
It seems that I did something wrong with my first tests with the AP-8700. Whereas it's true that with local HD channels I don't see the meter on my TV show improvement (the percentage go up), I've been able to improve the quality of the reception of some analog channels that are distant by 50 miles or more. UHF channels that will most likely suffer from cable loss have improved.
Thanks for your help