After checking out the DTV power levels from the FCC site, I'm wondering if they will get any stronger when 2009 comes around? I think most of the San antonio DTV signals are at full power now, I guess if that is the case, I may be trashing my TV in 2009. I cant get the DTV signal out in Lavaca county, strange enough that Lavaca county is in the San antonio market area, but the DTV signal hardly makes it to Yoakum. I can get the analog signal fine. I dont think they need to pull the plug on analog, I guess if they do my TV is worthless out there.
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DTV Signal power
- Thread starter jras20
- Start date
It is possible digital reception will be improved in some areas when the old analog signals are turned off. This is because analog and digital transmitters are short spaced in many areas, the result being the signals are jammed (interfere with each other) in fringe areas. I don't know about your area, but I'm thinking about one example---the area between Washington DC and Richmond VA---analog 26 in DC and digital 26 in Richmond are VERY short spaced and neither is recievable in a wide area between the two cities---but that will change after analog goes off. But I agree, the loss of analog will cause serious reception issues in some rural areas. Feb. 2009 will be very interesting. You may end up having to subscribe to Dish Network, who will sell you your locals ONLY, along with their public service channels, kind of like basic cable) for $10 a month (Direct will not sell locals only).
jras20 said:
Ask your Congressman that question. The real reason behind it is to consolidate the TV band so they can auction off a lot of the abandoned/unused frequencies to the telcom industry. That's where the big money is. Whenever you are in doubt, just follow the money....
By the way, HDTVs seem to be selling very well in my part of Texas. They are worth the bother in my estimation.
I wont have a problem with it unless it doesnt work, I just hope they will be able to increase the power between now and then, I see woai-4 is moving to channel 48 and kens 5 is moving to channel 39 ksat 12 is going back to channel 12. I may be able to get ksat if that happens but that may be the only one. When I use to could get 5 analog channels with my whinegard TV antenna about 20 feet in the air.
jras20 said:
I've had HD since 2003. When I first got it, I was literally the first on my block with it. Now, I'd say most of my neighbors have it. I really think it depends on where you live.
tested said:
You are right about the "where you live" part. I belive jras20 is in a sparsely populated area where there is little or no HD available, unless you subscribe to one of the satellite services. The big cities have had HD OTA and on cable for a number of years now, spurring sales of the HD sets.
Seems in the past 18-24 months sales of HD sets have really snowballed. Will be interesting to see the HD ownership numbers/percentages after the holiday shopping season.
I'm thinking on looking into a all UHF antenna has anyone got anything from antennas direct? I'm looking at a multi directional antenna, It says it can pull in up to 60 miles I'm hoping I could get something between now and then that might will let me pick up more than one network station, if even one.
jras20 said:
No, no, no! "Multi directional" sounds like another word for "omnidirectional," which means it picks up signals from all directions. That's fine if you're in a strong-signal urban area - but you're in a deep-fringe area. What you need is a combination of three things: height, directionality and gain. For VHF signals (KSAT and KLRN, after the 2009 transition), that would require a high-band VHF yagi. For the rest (WOAI, KENS, etc.), you need a high-gain UHF antenna, either a corner reflector (a Channel Master 4248, if you can find one, would be ideal) or even a parabolic dish. Some amplification after the UHF antenna would be a good idea, too. There are also combination VHF/UHF antennas that would suit your needs well.
If you're set on watching San Antonio and only San Antonio, you could mount those antennas in a fixed position. If you might be going after other stations, too (Victoria?), you'd then also want a rotor.
The whole production isn't cheap, but you do it once and get it right and you've got crystal-clear signals for the next 15-20 years (give or take a hurricane), with no additional monthly fees.
I always take mileage claims from antenna manufacturers with a big honking grain of salt. Divide them by 2 and you're at least in the ballpark in most areas - so figure that "60-mile" antenna will really work well within 30 miles or so of a transmitter site. What you need is something more along the lines of Radio Shack's VU-210XR, if they still make that model. It claims "210-mile" range, which is patent nonsense except in the most ideal of conditions, but 80-100 miles over flat terrain from signals on tall towers isn't out of the question at all.
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Nope...DTV can be recieved at MUCH lower signal levels than analog can for the same quality reception...I showed recently using a spectrum analyzer how more down a digital signal could go before the TV started to freeze but the analog would get noisy faster..watchable but NOISY..the digital was clean until it started to freeze at a signal level about the same that caused the analog to be more snow than anything else!!!jras20 said:
Also if you put up two antennas, bring them down on separate feeds and switch at the bottom OR put the switch up top OR combine them if there is no cochannel the other way, preamp and then feed to the TV..gotta watch the preamps though..I have a CM7777 that works great...borrowed a WG8270 iirc....it has GAIN but overloaded so bad, nothing was watchable on it...I plan to do more testing over the weekend with both...
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