Troubleshooting Poor Reception Quality

This article is intended for users of the HuskyVision service who are experiencing poor reception with their television. Poor reception includes fuzzy screens, channels going in and out, and poor image or video quality. 

You are most likely experiencing a system-wide issue or an individual issue with in-room cabling, your television, or your connected devices when:

  • There is no picture on one or all channels.

  • Channels display with no color.

  • Channels display with vertical bars.

  • Channels display with snowy pictures.

  • Channels display with buzzing sounds.

  • Channels display with dark or rolling pictures.

  • Television stations display on the wrong channels.

To troubleshoot these issues,

  1. Check if a student in another room is experiencing the same issue. 

    1. If no other students are experiencing the same issue, try to connect your television to another TV jack where good service has been established. 

    2. If a student in another room is experiencing the same issue or the problem is associated with your TV jack, contact the Technology Support Center at (860) 486-4357 or submit a request through Jira.

  2. Disconnect any other devices attached to your television (e.g., digital receivers, DVD players, Xbox, etc.) so that the coaxial cable is connected directly from the television to the TV jack. If this resolves the issue, reconnect the devices to isolate the device creating the issue. 

    1. If you have an external Blu-Ray player or game console, make sure the accessory console and the television are both set to the same channel (3 or 4).

  3. Adjust the fine-tuning setting on your television. If you are unsure of how to do this, you can refer to the user manual for your television.

    1. Dark picture: Slowly adjust your TV's brightness and/or contrast control.

    2. Rolling picture: Slowly adjust your TV's vertical hold.

    3. Picture leans to side: Slowly adjust your TV's horizontal hold.

If you are experiencing any of the above reception issues with your TV, the issue may also be due to your coaxial cable. To troubleshoot issues with your coaxial cable,

  1. Ensure that your coaxial cable is not loose at either end. If it is loose on any end, tighten the connection. 

  2. If you have tape or string holding your coaxial cable in place, ensure there is a viable connection. Tighten it if the connection is loose.

  3. If you have slide-on coaxial cables (as opposed to the screw-on type), ensure the connection is tight. Consider trying screw-on coaxial cables. 

  4. Ensure your coaxial cable is not spliced, ripped, bent, or otherwise deformed. If the coaxial cable is damaged in any way, you need to replace it.

  5. If none of the above work, you may need to purchase a new coaxial cable. 

New coaxial cables can be purchased from the UConn Bookstore or at most electronics stores. 

You can request on-site technical support by emailing techsupport@uconn.edu or calling the ITS Technology Support Center at (860) 486-4357. 

In order to comply with FCC regulations, the University must monitor the amount of signal loss in all buildings on campus. The most common occurrences of signal loss are the result of loose or poor cable connections, damaged cables, and damaged or loose wall jacks. HuskyVision may contact you and request an appointment if test results are in violation of FCC regulations.

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