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Interfering With Neighbors TV

Johnny Mullet

Johnny Mullet

Member
Jan 7, 2024
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So I have asked for help with my local CB radio guys and a few hams about my issue. I have a base station and used to run a Bearcat 980 running a 225 kicker on an Sirio GPE 5/8 ground plane 45 feet up. My neighbor across the street starting complaining about her TV stations blacking out. I decided to be the nice guy and lost the kicker and got an Anytone Quad 6 and it turns out that her TV does not black out with a "No Signal" but still pixelates. I bought an Anytone QT40 and still the same issue. Her TV is still pixelating when I transmit.

I personally met with her and explained that I have an amplified HDTV antenna on my roof just below my CB antenna and have no issues with my radio messing my TV up. She has an old non-amplified analog beam antenna 15 feet up on a modern TV. I told her that her antenna is the issue. She insists it's my problem and not hers.

Last night I dug out my old Realistic TRC-453 SSB mobile and hooked it to my base. BOOM! My phone goes off with a new message that I was messing the TV up again. Right now I am getting angry and at the point where I will wait for her to call the FCC or the local radio club on me because here I am running a legal radio and her TV problem is not mine anymore.

I called her and told her I am buying her a new amplified HDTV antenna and will set it up for her and I hope she complies and lets me help resolve the situation. Do you all agree the issue is her antenna? I am paying for the antenna and will install it free of charge only if she lets me. I have a lot of money tied up in my hobby and can't even enjoy it now even when I am following the "Rules" of radio.
 
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If she hasn't already told you the channels she experiences problems on, go to the FCC site and see what OTA stations are available in that area. If none are near the harmonics of 11m, which I doubt with the trend around here to go high VHF and up, assume you are simply desensitizing her TV's receiver. It's not like people 3 blocks away are complaining, its just her. Try adding a quarter wave open stub to her TV feed line to shunt the power from your station to ground.
 
1000 watts 24 feet above and 15 feet away next to an amplified digital antenna here at my house freezes the TV period. 400 watts makes the pixels skip while talking but not freeze. Anything under 400w and its all good. Sounds like her antenna is rotated and pointing right at you. All those extra radials designed to pick up frequencies for an old tube TV, its no wonder she has an issue. Those antennas are not designed for DTV although they do work. Its the UHF V section that mainly works for the digital channels. A new DTV antenna should be the fix.
 
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I kinda agree with the coax being old and older crimp fittings. I had issues with my own, not with the RF, but just the general condition of the fittings and coax. New coax and the newer weather type compression fittings and all was good. Also had the same issues with the small exposed coax on my RV that i replaced and used the compression fittings on. Of course I had already bought a new antenna for the RV before noticing the bad shape the coax was...I guess look before you leap applied...a concept I generally remember after the fact:)
 
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I went through this in the 80s no Digital TV back then and I even went over her phone, even on a dummy load!

The FCC is not the FLC (Federal Listeners Commission), they are on your side. If I recall the FCC does not respond to TVI problems anymore unless your entire neighborhood complains, she just might get a letter from them or a pamphlet.

If she were to complain to the FCC and the FCC did respond..... you both would receive a letter. In that letter, both of you would have to report back within a very short period (of time) with a response of what each of you did to fix the problem. This would be where you explain her problem is her antenna.

You've tried enough, but it would help to install a Low-Pass-Filter on your end if you don't have one........ she's done nothing.
If you can prove that a mobile radio causes her TVI (even better) that means no matter what you do she will always blame you.

You send in your response, what does she send if she does nothing? (My neighbor's answer was "I didn't have the time", our time was 20 days)

Depending on both responses the FCC will send each of you a response back with an outcome. (My neighbor's letter translated to "Go pack Rock-Salt!" and those were the words she used.)

If you get hurt repairing her problem what are you going to do?

If you told her what she needed to do, because of her old antenna you've done your part.

I was always told, "Never repair a neighbor's problem when it comes to TVI problems". (How many other neighbors need new antennas, are you going to pay for them too?)

To satisfy her at this time would mean for you to never key a mic again ..... and make her very happy..................

Again just my 2¢
73
 
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I went through this about 10 yrs back with my old next door neighbor. I installed an old Bencher YA-1 low pass filter. I also knocked on his door and offered to install a high-pass pass filter in his TV antenna coax. I explained I had installed the "newest latest and greatest" filter I could find ... He took the high-pass filter from my hand...said HE would install it.. shut the door. That was the end of that problem.
 
I was given some sort of filter from one of the members in our CB club, but never tried it. It's a small black box with a coax in and coax out. I did not want it lose my awesome receive abilities or anything since I am unfamiliar with it.

Would it work?
 
the low pass filter will likely make no difference in your situation.

Most likely she is not experiencing harmonics of your station interfering with her TV frequencies, it's simply RF overload.

there is nothing you can do on your end, short of switching your hobby to shortwave listening lol, that will help with her problem.

its tough to be a good neighbor when people don't understand whats really going on and that its up to them to fix their problem.
if you do install an antenna on her roof then you are going to be the one she calls any and every time she has an issue with her TV.
if you are comfortable with that then go for it.
LC
 
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The new antenna arrives Tuesday. We will do a temp setup in the yard on a 10 foot pole and if it's good then it will go on her mast.
 

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