Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased this unit because I have two analog feeds and two QAM digital capture feeds (via an HDHR unit) that I use in conjunction with SageTV for recording television. I also have a cable modem so there's a couple splitters involved. I did purchase good passive splitters (Monster 2 and 3 ways), however the QAM signal quality levels and the modem performance were not ideal.
I got this model because of the cable modem support. Imagine my surprise when the first thing to pop out of the box is a note from the manufacturer that it's best to put your cable modem on it's own line off a splitter and not hook it up to this unit because some signal loss may occur. What the..?!?!? After ranting for a while and generally annoying my wife with my whining I hooked it up anyway and took some measurements. Fortunately their warnings are not necessary - they may want to think about rewording that little note a pinch.
Here's the hard numbers:
The QAM capture signal strength using a Monster 3 way split off the single line coming in my house (I have no up stream splitters - it's all centralized in closet) for the HD ABC feed had a strength of 88 and a signal quality of 92. Putting the one line as the feed into the 8 port amplifier and running the QAM ports off of it the strength jumped to 92 and the signal quality hovered around 94. Nice. Doesn't sound like a huge deal but for HD QAM captures it makes a difference.
I didn't notice any different before or after with the analog channels - I wasn't having a problem with those.
The cable modem was the item I worried about. Downstream from the splitters it was pretty bad - anything would be an improvement. With the outside cable plugged into the Motorola modem directly downstream signal to noise ratio was 38.6 dB (higher is better, anything over 30 and you're aces), the down stream power is .2 dBmV (fine) and the upstream power was 42 dB (anything less than 50 and you're fine). After running it through the 8 port amp the downstream noise ratio was 38.3, down stream power 1.7 and the upstream power stayed at 42. All dandy numbers. I checked the speeds at several sites before and after and they all averaged about 10 meg down and 1.5 meg up across the boards - virtually no difference. Just about exactly as good as a direct connection and much better than down stream from a passive splittler, even a good one.
So - short version I'm extremely happy with the purchase but I'd suggest to the fine folks at Electroline that they rethink their warning note in their box so as not to tick folks off too quickly for no reason.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Electroline EDA FT08100 8-port TV Signal Booster/Amplifier with Active Return Path
With the trend of more single family houses being built, Electroline introduces the Flat-Top amplifier to meet the expectation of having cable service in every room in the house. The EDA-FT 08100 Flat-Top is designed for large houses with a cable or off-air drop in every room. The flat top configuration keeps the wiring more compact and neater in both outdoor subscriber box or wall-mounted applications and eliminates the technical problems associated with trying to fit a standard 8 port amplifier into a box that is too small creating crushed and kinked cables that wreak havoc with digital services. Electroline Flat-Top amplifiers are the only amplifiers to offer a configuration with all F-connectors on the bottom edge of the amplifier, facing down. Also, Flat-Top amplifiers come with an active return path which makes managing return signal levels straightforward. With 0 dB of loss in the return path, interactive services can be deployed in any room without rewiring.Features and Specifications: *Number of ports: 8 *Forward gain: 3 dB *Return path insertion loss: 0 dB *Forward passband: 54-1000 MHz *Return passband: 5-42 MHz *Frequency response flatness: &##177;1 dB *Surge protection (IEEE C62.41-1991, all ports) ring wave: 6 kV, 500 A, loc. B3, combination wave: 6 kV, 3 kA, loc. B3 *Operating temperature: -40&##176;F to 140&##176;F (-40&##176;C to +60&##176;C).
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