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DTV Coupons

I can't speak too much for DTV specifically...but in general amplified antennas are bad news. There is no magical way to increase signal level other than having higher antenna gain. And the only way to achieve that is a bigger antenna with more surface area. Try your local Radio Shack, they have a decent UHF antenna that's rear-mount directional for about $30. Admittedly, it'd be a bit unwieldy and ugly in your living room, but it's not so huge that it'll be THAT obnoxious outside.

Amplifiers may raise the signal but usually they just raise the noise floor right along with it; the end result is worse because a good tuner can get a weak-but-clean signal, but no tuner can handle tons of noise.

Terrain matters with UHF...a lot. In general, the higher the frequency, the more susceptible to terrain interference it becomes. That's why most of the REALLY tall towers were originally built by/for TV stations. And UHF is the highest freq's for TV. So if there's any way to get your TV antenna up on your roof, that might help a great deal...especially if it's above the treeline (or close to above it).

Also, some amplifiers don't amplify the right frequencies. HD Radio is not DTV and vice-versa, but I know of some "amplified HD Radio" antennas that don't have enough bandwidth to properly pass the IBOC carriers...so this "HD Radio" antenna will actually make it near-impossible to receive HD Radio. :eek:
 
I've though about going with a DB2/4/8 or a Channel Master 4228(HD) or the lesser model, and putting it up inside pointing out my best reception location, the second-floor windows.

But I don't really want overkill. I can pick up all but the Cleveland NBC and PBS affiliates right now, with any modest antenna...and those two are moving to better facilities by the transition. The CBS affiliate is a pain, but I CAN pick it up.

I generally agree with Aaron about amplified antennas, in principle, though they work OK for me here. I think some work better than others - some seem to be "noisier".

Again, as the saying goes, high and outside, and away from obstructions, is the best - if you can do that.
 
Indoor/Outdoor

Several folk I know have had much better success with antennas in their attic or crawl space. Height means everything, and it's much easier to mount one inside than it is outside. Of course, a metal roof would preclude that option.
 
Amplifiers may be helpful if you are putting a TV antenna up high. UHF likes high antennas, but signal loss through coax is also greater as frequency increases. If you'll need 50' of coax to reach your antenna, or intend to run a splitter, an amplifier can be a good thing.

I'm fortunate. Here in Salt Lake City, the TV stations are all on very high spots surrounding the valley. I get 23 DTV channels on a 12" piece of wire stuck in the converter's coax jack.
 
In my experience, if you have a Radio Shack amplifier take it out. When I removed my amp, the signal went up by 8-10 points on my Dish Network receiver and the drop outs stopped. I was using a newer RS pre-amp with amplifier unit located near the TV. The signal to noise ratio on those amps are terrible.
 
Thanks for the advice... I'll try your suggestions (other than the roof antenna!) and see what happens. My daughter wants the other converter box; she's upstairs on the southeast corner of the house and should therefore have the clearest path to Pinnacle Hill.

Stay tuned...
 
I live about 30 miles from Rochester and have had good luck - with analog - with a roof antenna and an amplifier. I receive 8, 10, and 13 quite well and 21 and 31 OK. I'm wondering what DTV will bring for me.
 
Looking forward to hearing about your experience, Mike... keep us posted!
 
A friend of mine asked me to help her set up a new Insignia converter that she got from Best Buy. I have to say that I was impressed with its ease of setup, features, and excellent picture. The HD conversion is MUCH better than her original STV signals. The programming information is very similar to T-W cable's digital program guide for those stations who choose to add program guide info. The signal strength meter made it easy to orient her indoor antenna, and the pass-through makes it easy to turn off the converter and go back to regular old analog for Canadian stations.
 
Is Canada doing any type of DTV conversion, or are they sticking with analog?
 
Canadian DTV

I'm sure that Mr. Fybush will have the details, but my understanding is that some Canadian stations are already offering HD programming. All stations have to switch by August 31, 2011. I'm not sure if they're using the US method of allocating a second channel for digital service, allowing simultaneous operation of both STV and DTV, or if it's an either/or on your existing channel allocation.
 
All installed! (Good thing I have my First Class ticket with Radar Endorsement) I got the Zenith DTT901.

Looks like I'm going to need a better antenna. After some twiddling with the rotor, I managed to get 8, 10, 13, and 21. 31 was a no-show. We were watching 21 and there were many drop-outs. I could see with the signal strength meter there were several others that were there but too weak to receive. Taking the amplifier out of the line made it worse. Is there a listing somewhere of how many DTV signals each station is putting out? IIRC, 21 had 4 channels I could receive, 13 had 3, 10 had 2 and 8 had 1. Are they doing more that I can't get yet?
 
MikeSmithWNYR said:
All installed! (Good thing I have my First Class ticket with Radar Endorsement) I got the Zenith DTT901.

Looks like I'm going to need a better antenna. After some twiddling with the rotor, I managed to get 8, 10, 13, and 21. 31 was a no-show. We were watching 21 and there were many drop-outs. I could see with the signal strength meter there were several others that were there but too weak to receive. Taking the amplifier out of the line made it worse. Is there a listing somewhere of how many DTV signals each station is putting out? IIRC, 21 had 4 channels I could receive, 13 had 3, 10 had 2 and 8 had 1. Are they doing more that I can't get yet?
Click to expand...

Nope - what you see is what you get. All the subchannels travel as part of the same fat datastream as the "main" channel, so if you can see one, you can see them all. The only exceptions are a handful of "hidden" channels - for instance, at WXXI, we use a portion of our DTV datastream to backhaul audio to WJSL down in Houghton and to the WRUR studio. Certain Sony tuners can see that "hidden" subchannel as 16.7.

As for Canada, they're doing the same thing the US is - there are allocations for separate DTV channels for each analog station, though they've only built them out in the big cities. Nearly all the Toronto/Hamilton stations are on the air, though their signals are fairly directional and you have to be close to the lake or up high to get them. CBC is on 20, Radio-Canada is on 24, CTV on 40 - those seem to be the signals most often seen stateside.
 
Mike, my list agrees with yours except I only had two for 13 (WHAM-TV): 13.1 for the regular WHAM/ABC programming, and 13.2 for The CW. Did you have a 13.3? If so, I wonder if I should risk looking for it...

Channel 31 only has the one digital channel, 31.1. WXXI indeed has four-- the main reason I got the DTV as early as I did. (The preceding not paid for by Mr. Fybush or Mr. Smith.) Channel 8 also has just the one, 8.1.

Channel 10 has two, 10.1 for the main WHEC/NBC programming and 10.2 for WeatherPlus, but I read that WeatherPlus is going away, I think it was by year end. I wonder what, if anything will take its place?

I am one of those folks that gets 16.7, downstairs on the Magnavox (which in its day job is my PC monitor).
 
An odd thing - yesterday (Sat 11/15) I tried to set up my daughter's DTV receiver at her apartment on Meigs St in Rochester and it couldn't receive any WXXI DTV signals?!?! What is that - about a mile away from the tower? The analog signal was fine, and the rest of the Rochester DTV signals were good, but no DTV signal whatsoever from WXXI. The signal strength meter wouldn't even budge no matter how I turned the indoor rabbit ears.
 
Before we hear anything from the WXXI portion of the board :)

If I have trouble receiving a digital station - one I should clearly receive - on a weekend or at night, I immediately wonder if they're off the air for engineering work reasons.
 
That was my thought, as they called me Monday and said it was now working fine.

I, on the other hand, am still struggling with WHEC. If it's windy enough to jiggle the antenna a little, poof! it's gone.

OhioMediaWatch said:
Before we hear anything from the WXXI portion of the board :)

If I have trouble receiving a digital station - one I should clearly receive - on a weekend or at night, I immediately wonder if they're off the air for engineering work reasons.
Click to expand...
 
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