Television repair is one of those useful skills in life that you don’t learn in school, which is probably a good thing because TV repair can be potentially lethal; this is why professional TV repairman are worth the money for complicated repair jobs. However, there are a few things that the average TV owner can fix without much difficulty.
Common problems that you might have experienced at some point in your life include: snowy picture, loose coaxial fitting, loose or broken antenna, bad coaxial cables, poor sound or speakers, poor picture quality or overheating. Before doing any TV repair work, REMEMBER: DISCONNECT ALL CABLES.
Cable Issues
Coaxial cables are copper cables used to connect your TV to the community antennae owned by Cable TV companies; it’s that long wire that screws into the back of your TV set. If you’ve ever had to twiddle with the cable in the back of your TV set to get a better picture, then you’ve probably had your fair share of headaches with the coaxial cable. The solution for a loose cable is to simply wiggle the cable until your picture returns. If this doesn’t correct the problem, you may need to replace the fitting, which is the metal part of the cable that connects to the TV or you may have to replace the cable itself. If it turns out that none of these suggestions fix the problem, you may have to call your local TV repairman and replace the fitting on the TV set.
Coaxial cables are copper cables used to connect your TV to the community antennae owned by Cable TV companies; it’s that long wire that screws into the back of your TV set. If you’ve ever had to twiddle with the cable in the back of your TV set to get a better picture, then you’ve probably had your fair share of headaches with the coaxial cable. The solution for a loose cable is to simply wiggle the cable until your picture returns. If this doesn’t correct the problem, you may need to replace the fitting, which is the metal part of the cable that connects to the TV or you may have to replace the cable itself. If it turns out that none of these suggestions fix the problem, you may have to call your local TV repairman and replace the fitting on the TV set.
Antenna Replacement
If you suffer from fuzzy picture quality, chances are there’s a problem with your antenna. While this isn’t a problem for recently purchased TV sets, for the old, but still functioning CRT tubes, replacing the antenna may just do the trick. Grab a small Philips screwdriver (the one with the “+” head) and remove the small screws that connect the antenna to the base. You can buy a replacement antenna from most electronic stores like Best Buy or Radio Shack. Be sure to buy the right antenna for your model. When installing the new antenna, make sure that the washers and spacers stay intact. Screw the antenna back into the base tight enough so that it doesn’t fall down, but not too tight that it can’t move.
If you suffer from fuzzy picture quality, chances are there’s a problem with your antenna. While this isn’t a problem for recently purchased TV sets, for the old, but still functioning CRT tubes, replacing the antenna may just do the trick. Grab a small Philips screwdriver (the one with the “+” head) and remove the small screws that connect the antenna to the base. You can buy a replacement antenna from most electronic stores like Best Buy or Radio Shack. Be sure to buy the right antenna for your model. When installing the new antenna, make sure that the washers and spacers stay intact. Screw the antenna back into the base tight enough so that it doesn’t fall down, but not too tight that it can’t move.
Bad Picture
One of the most irritating problems to troubleshoot on a TV is bad picture. You’ve switched to every channel and still the picture still looks terrible. Chances are the screen is magnetized and the automatic de-magnetizing function built into the TV isn’t working. If there are any stereo speakers, electric motors or anything that may be magnetic, remove them.
One of the most irritating problems to troubleshoot on a TV is bad picture. You’ve switched to every channel and still the picture still looks terrible. Chances are the screen is magnetized and the automatic de-magnetizing function built into the TV isn’t working. If there are any stereo speakers, electric motors or anything that may be magnetic, remove them.
The typical way to de-magnetize or de-gauss, the technical term, is to buy a special de-gaussing coil available at any electronic supply store. Start in either the upper left or right corner and start moving the coil in small circles about 2-3 inches from the screen; the effect it produces should look like a dull, rainbow. The pattern will fluctuate. Gradually move the coil in larger and larger circles until you cover the entire screen. Congratulations, your screen should now be de-magnetized and your picture restored.
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