Thread: Wiring for OTA / Indoor or Outdoor Antenna

I'm currently a Dish subscriber and I'm thinking about making the switch to OTA HD. I'm trying to decide between an outdoor antenna or several indoor antennas. I have checked and I get about a 71 signal strength on my Sony TV with a pair of bunny ears I bought from best buy, so I think I will be OK as far as using an indoor antenna. However for convenience's sake and not having to have several antennas, one outdoor antenna would seem much easier.

The only thing that I am unsure of is the wiring. I've found this: ([ame=http://www.amazon.com/Terk-HD-TVS-Profile-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B0006N2PDQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1237146248&sr=1-5]Amazon.com: Terk HD-TVS Slim Profile Outdoor HDtv Antenna: Electronics[/ame]) Terk Antenna that I would be most likely to use. Would it be a good assumption that all I would need to do is take my current Dish antenna down, mount the new antenna and plug in the coax (since the house is pre-wired for cable)? Will I notice any loss of quality vs. using multiple indoor antennas?

Lastly, if I go the way of indoor antennas, I have two rooms right next to each other that I'd like to share a single antenna. I did a little test hooking my bunny ears to a splitter and then to the wiring that Dish put in when they installed a two-room system, and I got both TV's to receive the signal. The only thing I am worried about is the loss of quality with the signal being split. Will there be any difference with the signal being split once? Is there such thing as an amplified splitter I can buy to help minimize the effects?

Any help would be appreciated

That antenna is expensive, and it won't do a good job at all pulling in Charlotte's PBS affiliate, whose digital broadcast is on VHF-high channel 11.
See this review for more details.

Instead, get a compact VHF-high/UHF model such as the Channel Master 2016: Its gain will be significantly better for UHF channels (which are most of your stations), and magnitudes better on channels 7-13. Best of all, it costs only half as much as the HDTVS. If you can get a single indoor antenna to provide sufficient signals for two TVs, the 2016 will be more than enough antenna as well.

Would it be a good assumption that all I would need to do is take my current Dish antenna down, mount the new antenna and plug in the coax (since the house is pre-wired for cable)?

You can as long as the antenna is aimed at the horizon in the direction of the broadcast signals at that location. If the antenna would have to face the roof to be pointed at the stations, re-locating the mount might be necessary. The coax is usable for OTA viewing.

Will I notice any loss of quality vs. using multiple indoor antennas?

You'll get much cleaner, stronger signals from an outdoor antenna that's pointed at the signals for two reasons: The antenna is up higher, and it's not obstructed by the walls of the house.

Will there be any difference with the signal being split once?

Your test using the indoor antenna answered that question: probably not. In OTA DTV, you get one of three results: a perfect picture; a perfect picture that freezes or drops out occasionally; or nothing at all. If the picture's already perfect and uninterrupted, it can't be improved.

Is there such thing as an amplified splitter I can buy to help minimize the effects?

Amplified splitters exist, but you probably don't need one based on your experiment with the indoor antenna.

Great, thanks so much for your help! I'll definitely look into the antenna you recommended. According to a map of where the signals are coming from in relation to my house, I shouldn't even have to re-locate the mount.

So basically all I need to do is take the dish down and put the new antenna in and then screw in the coax. I'll have to get up on the roof just to make sure (and check with the cable box full of wiring on the side of my house), but it looks like I'll stick with the outdoor antenna.

AntennaWeb

&
TV Fool - Home


are two good sources to find what you need for antennas. Stay away from TERK antennas you will most of the time pay more and get less. Channel Master and Winegard are two old names in the antenna industry both over 50 years.

Originally Posted by ducttape38

Great, thanks so much for your help! I'll definitely look into the antenna you recommended. According to a map of where the signals are coming from in relation to my house, I shouldn't even have to re-locate the mount.

Whatever you do, DON'T "relocate" your dish mount, especially if it's on your roof. It's fine to remove the mast from the footing, but do not attempt to remove the footing and it's screws unless you're prepared to replace that section of your roofing material. Just install a new footing and mast wherever you need it, like this one:


DS-3000 38 Inch J-Mount for DBS Satellite Dish Outdoor TV Antenna DS3000

If you're north-east of the towers, and your dish is on the south side of your house, you probably won't need anything fancy. You can slap on a $13 Eagle Aspen UHF antenna (which a lot of people report works well with VHF 7-13), aim it at the transmitter hill, link the coax, and call it a day.


DIRECTV 2 Bay UHF Antenna HDTV Digital Channel 14 - 69 By Eagle Aspen DTV2BUHF Two Bay HD Bowtie TV Outdoor Roof Top Local Signal Bow Tie Aerial, RED ZONE, Part # DTV2B-UHF: Oak Entertainment Centers and Home Office Furniture, TV Antennas, Audio/Vide

Originally Posted by Don_M

Instead, get a compact VHF-high/UHF model such as the Channel Master 2016: Its gain will be significantly better for UHF channels (which are most of your stations), and magnitudes better on channels 7-13. Best of all, it costs only half as much as the HDTVS. If you can get a single indoor antenna to provide sufficient signals for two TVs, the 2016 will be more than enough antenna as well.

Where did you find the best price on the Channel Master 2016? I googled it and didn't find many sources, Amazon had Crutchfield at $49.99..

The 2016 is cheaper at Solid Signal. For a few more dollars, they also offer the excellent Winegard 7694. The 7694 is better for hooking up multiple TV's if it isn't too large for your situation. (The 7694 is actually smaller than the picture shown)


http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=CM2016

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_disp...p?prod=HD7694P

I would get something besides the Terk. When our main local station went DTV in February, they went from channel 35 back to channel 7. They did a story on how people were receiving or not receiving the new signal. One guy had an antenna that looked very similar to the Terk which he said he paid $200 for. He had been getting the ch. 35 signal OK, but couldn't get the new signal until he hooked back up to a ratty looking old antenna in his back yard!

Terk antenna's are junk. A good quality outdoor antenna will do you a lot better than any glitzy plastic coated stuff hawked as digital ready, hd, etc. If you are a diy kinda person, Google Hovermann, those Canadians are doing some cool stuff.