VOOM OTA tuner vs. DISH 811 OTA tuner

kikojax

Member
Original poster
Feb 19, 2005
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I am new to this forum and I have a question regarding the VOOM receiver. I currently have DISH Network and I have VOOM scheduled to be installed on 2/23 (They've already cancelled and rescheduled once; hopefully not a bad omen of what is to come). I am currently using the DISH 811 HD receiver and I do have a large roof antenna (don't know make or model) that is connected to it to receive the OTA channels. I get Digital NBC,CBS,FOX,WB, and sometimes ABC and even UPN will lock in as Digital channels. My question is this...Does anyone know if the VOOM receiver's OTA tuner is as good as, better, or worse than the DISH 811 in picking up OTA digital channels? I'm hoping I will get at least the same, if not better signal strength using the VOOM receiver so I can get rid of DISH and become a "Pure Voomer". Any info would be greatly appreciated. Also, my zipcode is 95320 so if anyone can give me any tips before my install as to any concerns I should have regarding dish size needed for this area,etc...Thank you in advance.
 
Have the Voom installer plug into your existing antenna and see what you get. Compare the list to what you get off of http://www.antennaweb.org so you'll know if you are getting most or all of the available stations. Don't let someone break something that works. I doubt if the stock Voom antenna will be better than what you have now, unless it is one of those little wire-jobs that sits on your dish.

I can't speak for the 811, but I previously used a Samsung SIR-T151 for OTA HD, which was noted for it's sensitivity and ability to hold a lock on weak stations. I've found the Voom STB to be equal and in many cases superior to the Sammy. When I did my OTA scan, I found a couple more stations that I wasn't receiving before. I also really like the signal strength display the Voom STB provides for both OTA and satellite signals.

Enjoy your Voom!

Doug
 
Thanks for the input guys. I guess I'll find out tomorrow since my install is scheduled for then...wish me luck!
 
My old Dish 6000 has a better OTA tuner than the Voom OTA, here's why:

I get all stations except WB from the high 80's to 100 in signal strength, WB hangs from low 70's to high 70's. My 6000 locks it in solid all the time, whereas Voom will pixelate and breakup around 73%.

With ABC, our station has had some major audio issues lately and my 6000 will at least give me the audio, though it will warble, whereas Voom will be silent until the sound comes back normal.

All around, it seems to be a pretty decent tuner, my two situations are kind of abnormal, your mileage may vary.
 
Just an update guys. I had Voom installed on the 23rd and the Voom STB tuner was able to lock in 21 OTA channels with the standard antenna Voom provided. The 811 would lock in 12 at most. I now get ALL of my locals ALL the time! Also, we've had some pretty heavy rain here in NorCal and "rain fade" has not been an issue with Voom whereas I still lose the sat. signal on all of my DISH receivers every time it even sprinkles. I think I made the right choice to go with Voom... I just hope they're still around after this month...and beyond.
 

Install with multiple receivers.

Question about OTA tuner

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