Is my issue the antenna, interference, or...?

[leerandall]

With my Flex 4K (ID=10A46BAB), I cannot receive any VHF channels. I'm limited to using an indoor antenna and have tried 3 different antennas, one of them amplified and all marketed as UHF/VHF capable. All showed the same scan results. All station's antennas in my market (my zip is 48375) that I'm interested in receiving are between 10 and 14 miles from me and almost due east, with little to no obstructions between. I can receive all ATSC 3.0 stations and all UHF ATSC 1.0 stations, but cannot receive a single VHF station. I just turned on diagnostics for the Flex 4K unit and did a channel scan. Can you determine from the diagnostics from that scan whether my issue is the antenna itself or whether there is some kind of interference blocking my ability to receive VHF stations? I've gone as far as I can go with my troubleshooting, short of buying another Flex 4K unit to test with, so any insight you can get from my diagnostics would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[jxxaxxy]

What are the 3 different antennas you tried. Sometimes they say UHF/VHF but most of the time they are UHF with a chance of getting VHF. Normally you need longer elements in an antenna to get VHF. VHF is also the harder frequency to get compared to UHF.

[jasonl]

The basic panel antennas claim VHF, and might actually get VHF channels if the signal is strong enough and the coax cable is positioned just right, but it's always a struggle and then it all falls apart when you're cleaning and bump the cable and lose your perfect positioning.. A little $12 loop+rabbit ears combo is usually adequate when you're within 15 miles of the towers, maybe a bit more, especially if you can get it in a window facing the right way, or failing that, as high up as you can get it and away from any electrical or electronic devices. Note that the only major VHF channel in Detroit is Fox 2, and then there is CBET coming from Windsor for your Hockey Night in Canada needs, though it's on a short tower and many on the US side of the river struggle to receive it without at least an attic antenna.

[leerandall]

After trying 3 different antennas, one of them being what you called a "loop+rabbit ears", I would have expected to see at least some low level of signal being received by one or more of those antennas, but alas, I'm seeing no VHF signal at all in config_gui using any of them. That's why I wanted you to take a look at the diagnostics of the scan to see if you could determine if there was severe interference effectively blocking all VHF. I don't know the internal workings of the Flex 4K, but are there separate and distinct ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 tuners in the unit? If so, is it possible the ATSC 1.0 tuner itself has failed?

And you are correct, channels 2.1 (where most Lions games are carried) and 9.1 are the ones I'm most interested in getting.

Thanks again.

[jxxaxxy]

I think everyone here still thinks its an antenna problem. It would be nice if we had specifics on the antennas you used so we have an idea of what maybe you should try next.

[jasonl]

There is some signal strength on VHF, but not as much as there is on UHF. No quality, which is pretty normal, you aren't going to see it ramp up, it will just go from no lock to around 50% with almost nothing in between.

The tuner chips come in 2 versions, one that is 1.0 only and one that is both 1.0 and 3.0. The FLEX 4K has 2 of the first and 2 of the second. They have identical performance for 1.0. The scan only uses the 1.0+3.0, of course.

[leerandall]

Thank you, Jason. Much appreciated.