Signal Strength and Quality.txt

Taken from http://www.silicondust.com/forum2/viewtopic.php?t=4474

Signal Strength and Quality

There are three percentages reported by the HDHomeRun - 

Signal Strength (ss) 
- raw power level as measured by the receiver 

Signal Quality (snq) 
- how clearly defined the digital data is 

Symbol Quality (seq) 
- Amount of correct or corrected data over the last second 

The above definitions can be confusing, so a much simpler definition is to imagine listening to the radio: 
- Signal Strength represents the volume 
- Signal Quality represents how clearly you can hear the lyrics 
- Symbol Quality indicates the percentage of the lyrics you could hear or guess correctly 

As it turns out, Signal Strength is somewhat irrelevant; if your antenna isn't pointed properly, it doesn't matter how loud you turn up the volume, the static will prevent you from hearing the lyrics correctly. Similarly, amplifying a weak HDTV signal can result in a high signal strength but too much noise to decode the digital data correctly. 

Use the Signal Strength for a rough idea of direction, but align the antenna for the highest Signal Quality, ignoring Signal Strength. When aimed correctly, Symbol Quality will show 100%, indicating no errors in the output. Splitters and amplifiers can introduce noise which will lower the Signal Quality, even if the Signal Strength increases.