Then pay someone. You’ve been presented with good solutions. The world isn’t perfect and owes no handholding to anyone. Spamming with complaints doesn’t negate that the advice was good.
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Antenna TV issues
- Thread starter vchimpanzee
- Start date
- Status
Thanks to our GM for moving this to it's own topic...
Okay, I'm gonna take the time to do this simply.
Your location apparently is near Charlotte, NC. Specifically help us with general cardinal/ordinal direction from Charlotte and approximate distance (rounding to within 10 miles might be sufficient...) to the channel/station that you are wanting to view.
Okay, I'm gonna take the time to do this simply.
Your location apparently is near Charlotte, NC. Specifically help us with general cardinal/ordinal direction from Charlotte and approximate distance (rounding to within 10 miles might be sufficient...) to the channel/station that you are wanting to view.
K
kenglish
Guest
Waaay back on #4, seems like you were indicating that you have two different antennas, pointing in nearly opposite directions.
If so, and they are both combined together, that's likely to be your problem. That would create horrendous multipath.
You can try an A-B switch, and two downleads ( one from each antenna), and see if that helps. If so, and if the one signal from the odd antenna isn't too close in frequency to the others on the main antenna, you can order a Join-Tenna from someplace like SolidSignal. They have to get them made for your specific channel application.
That, or something similar, will pass the desired signals from each antenna, while filtering-out the signals from the wrong direction.
If so, and they are both combined together, that's likely to be your problem. That would create horrendous multipath.
You can try an A-B switch, and two downleads ( one from each antenna), and see if that helps. If so, and if the one signal from the odd antenna isn't too close in frequency to the others on the main antenna, you can order a Join-Tenna from someplace like SolidSignal. They have to get them made for your specific channel application.
That, or something similar, will pass the desired signals from each antenna, while filtering-out the signals from the wrong direction.
I think the two antennas are far enough apart that that's not the problem. In fact, the Radio Shack antenna has not picked up a single station most of the time since I had to replace an older TV with a flat screen in order to hook up a newer DVR. The new DVR didn't have the right kind of connection for an old TV. I was going to use that DVR to test an outdoor antenna but for now it's just extra storage. The Radio Shack antenna was on top of the old TV so that probably made a big difference in what it could pick up. That one received the station with instructions on how to watch digital TV, and it sometimes picked up the digital version of that same station. But it wasn't pointed at that station. I decided it was pointless to do that until I got an outdoor antenna, and for various reasons including a DVR that didn't receive over the air signals (even though I asked at Radio Shack for something that would do that specifically). Judging from the length of the cable I use for the DVR that is hooked up to cable, that antenna must be about 20 feet from the other one. The Radio Shack antenna is hooked up to the new DVR and would actually pick up one station reasonably well at first even though it's sitting lower than it was. On top of the old TV, it was picking up a lot of stations. It was pointed in the same direction as the other antenna. Then the converter box quit working.
The antenna I actually use which is pointed at the station that sometimes messes up when a car passes is the best one Sears had available back in 2009. It's on top of an old TV and hooked up to a DVR that can be used for antenna or cable. And for one station it has performed nearly perfectly, and I didn't even watch ABC any other way for the first six months or so that I had digital TV. Best Buy has something better and even after I first asked about getting them to install one, they've started selling an even better one. That even better one is the one I'm going to buy when I feel comfortable with doing it, because even when I get it, there may be other considerations I hadn't though of that an ordinary handyman isn't going to know about.
The two Best Buy models I have considered are designed so they can work outside. I could put the best one inside, based on what I have read, but it needs a sturdy shelf. The attic is a disaster (my father once tried to put something up there and it was already a mess; squirrels have made things worse) and the opening is too small for anyone to fit through.
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K
kenglish
Guest
Do you actually have an outdoor antenna, installed outdoors? I'm confused.
Have I ever said I did?
K
kenglish
Guest
I'm not sure. That's why I asked.
I thought you said something about someone had installed an antenna.
I thought you said something about someone had installed an antenna.
No, I said I asked about what would happen if the person from Best Buy installed an antenna and I discovered that it didn't work. The way TiVo works, a person would have to stay around a long time just to see what I was capable of getting, and things might not work so well after the first day. With my indoor antenna, things worked great for a while and when leaves came out on the trees, and especially on windy days, some channels didn't do so well. Although I was referring to a reasonable amount of time after the installation.
And when Best Buy wanted me to take it down myself, when I couldn't put it up myself, that's when I decided I couldn't go through with it.
Now Best Buy won't do it.
Actually, if I had gotten an outdoor antenna from Radio Shack, I had been warned that where I live the channel with the movies wouldn't work. And I've seen so many movies on that channel. Movies that I don't see on any other channel, cable or not, in the listings. Plus they're cleaned up compared to what cable would do.
K
kenglish
Guest
Post your Zip Code (5-digit) and what that movie channel is, and let's see what channels are available.
It's actually a My Network affiliate, though it delays My Network programming to late night.
I'd rather not post my zip code publicly but where was I supposed to plug it in?
K
kenglish
Guest
Your 5-digit Zip Code only narrows it down to your nearest several thousand neighbors. Not a big privacy issue.
The MyNet channel you are trying for is calling itself "55.1" (that's it's "Virtual Channel"... sort of it's trademark). It's sent by the same transmitter as all the "46.x" channels, and they are all actually on UHF channel 25, which is not too bad a part of the spectrum. Right now, they are running a half-million watts, which is half their normal power, but they are on a huge tower, so it shouldn't make much difference. The tower is WNW of Charlotte, a bit north of Gastonia, just east of Hardins.
The question is, where are you from there and the main stations in Charlotte? How far apart do you have to aim for the two paths?
The MyNet channel you are trying for is calling itself "55.1" (that's it's "Virtual Channel"... sort of it's trademark). It's sent by the same transmitter as all the "46.x" channels, and they are all actually on UHF channel 25, which is not too bad a part of the spectrum. Right now, they are running a half-million watts, which is half their normal power, but they are on a huge tower, so it shouldn't make much difference. The tower is WNW of Charlotte, a bit north of Gastonia, just east of Hardins.
The question is, where are you from there and the main stations in Charlotte? How far apart do you have to aim for the two paths?
And most of the information on PROPERLY installing an outdoor antenna is incomplete at best or
incorrect or just plain wrong. Expecting someone to PROPERLY install an outdoor antenna with no
prior experience is like hiring a handyman to rebuild an engine or transmission from online videos......
It's probably not going to work very well and in some cases, not at all.......
I wonder what the highest population ZIP Code is? My city, La Quinta, CA, has one residential ZIP Code and is nearing 50,000 persons; each of the two Post Office branches has a coded, but only for mail boxes.
And I found an answer: there are several just under 120,000 persons. There are also a number of ones with just one person!
@vchimpanzee
Amazon.com sells circular, omnidirectional rooftop antennas. I suggest you go on there and search for that. “Omnidirectional” means “from all directions.” In other words, you won’t need a rotator. Once you find an antenna you like, make sure whoever you contact to install it will put it as high as they safely can. Due to the line-of-sight nature of TV signals (especially in the digital age), higher is better when it comes to mounting/installing an antenna. I hope this helps.
Amazon.com sells circular, omnidirectional rooftop antennas. I suggest you go on there and search for that. “Omnidirectional” means “from all directions.” In other words, you won’t need a rotator. Once you find an antenna you like, make sure whoever you contact to install it will put it as high as they safely can. Due to the line-of-sight nature of TV signals (especially in the digital age), higher is better when it comes to mounting/installing an antenna. I hope this helps.
Of the informational links I posted that you didn't want to open, open the last one. Besides information on installing an outdoor antenna, there is a box to enter your zip code, not full address. The site compares distance from your zip code area to the local receivable stations in a database. That information will display the best antenna type and gain for your particular area.
If they're competent with tools and can follow instructions, I'm confident they could do the job. Vchimp would just have to follow along with the instructions from the ground to make sure they're doing it correctly.
During the DTV conversion prior around 2009, I helped a lot of people who were unwilling or unable to install their own outdoor antenna. Using a competent handy-person is not a bad option for those afraid of heights or ladders.
K
kenglish
Guest
We get a whole crap-load of those weekly ads in the mail. One or two are from general repair and install services. They don't mention antennas in the ad, but they have told me that they do antennas.
Off topic, but I must say I follow a number of discussion threads on this site, but after first reading this one a few days ago, it's quickly become one of my favorite. First, I learned some things! I've not been without CATV since the 1980s, and though I knew people cut the cord and installed antennas for OTA signals and used the internet for streaming, I had no idea until reading this thread that there was so much content available OTA! I thought the only signals one would get on an antenna were the basic TV stations and major networks. Local channel 2 (CBS), 7 (CBS and Fox), 9 (NBC), 4 (ABC) and the other channels carrying networks like Fox and WB.
Second, I must say I've not laughed this hard in a while, watching the various volleying back and forth in this discussion thread, and reading some of the responses. Truly internet gold! Lol
Second, I must say I've not laughed this hard in a while, watching the various volleying back and forth in this discussion thread, and reading some of the responses. Truly internet gold! Lol
K
kenglish
Guest
I had a couple of neighbors ask me what my antennas were for. I told them.
They were amazed. They had heard that over-the-air broadcasting ceased in 2009, when all stations went HD and moved to Cable.
They were amazed. They had heard that over-the-air broadcasting ceased in 2009, when all stations went HD and moved to Cable.
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