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After several years of Dish and several more of DirecTV, I'm finally considering cutting the cable and going OTA for locals. The main problem: I'm in the 2nd floor of an apartment building, facing north, and where I'm located in Denver means all of the stations are practically due west of me.
I've already got a lined dropped from the roof of our building to my apartment, so I guess I could just throw an outdoor antenna up there. But I'd prefer to consider indoor options in the hope of finding some kind of antenna that might be able to get the major locals.
Ideal plan: antenna -> USB tuner -> media PC. A coworker has a really old AVerMedia USB device that worked great at our office 6 miles southeast of where I live, but we have a west-facing window there. Testing it at home? I can barely pick anything up, but I figured the included antenna would be a challenge. Hence, checking out antenna options regardless of what I might decide on for a USB tuner.
Advice from the experts, please.
Edit: I should add, in originally hooking up Dish, I've already got one of those 1' long flat coax cables to get through a window. I guess that would leave me more options in putting something right on my balcony, since that gives me some west-facing area to work with.
I've already got a lined dropped from the roof of our building to my apartment, so I guess I could just throw an outdoor antenna up there. But I'd prefer to consider indoor options in the hope of finding some kind of antenna that might be able to get the major locals.
Ideal plan: antenna -> USB tuner -> media PC. A coworker has a really old AVerMedia USB device that worked great at our office 6 miles southeast of where I live, but we have a west-facing window there. Testing it at home? I can barely pick anything up, but I figured the included antenna would be a challenge. Hence, checking out antenna options regardless of what I might decide on for a USB tuner.
Advice from the experts, please.
Edit: I should add, in originally hooking up Dish, I've already got one of those 1' long flat coax cables to get through a window. I guess that would leave me more options in putting something right on my balcony, since that gives me some west-facing area to work with.
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S
An update: like I said, I really don't want to do something outdoors. Another option with my apartment is that my north wall is not flat across the entire face of my apartment. I've got a chunk of it that sits further out due to a fireplace (in the living room) and a closet (in our 2nd bedroom/office). And thus, a west-facing option for an indoor antenna.
So, after doing some more reading, including threads in this forum, I bit the bullet and got an HDHomeRun Dual tuner. I was already going to get it from NewEgg due to the price, but they also had a combo offer for a HomeWorx indoor flat antenna, which made the $30 antenna free.
The antenna came with 10' of coax, and despite it saying it's multi-directional, I still taped the antenna to a west-facing wall in the middle of the closet. I got the whole thing up and running (more or less*) with Windows Media Center.
The worst signal strength I'm getting is ABC at around 67% (it's actually coming up on two different channels, according to the HDHomeRun, with the other at signal strength of 90%). It's running fairly smoothly on WMC right now. I'm rarely seeing any artifacts, but it does look like the occasional frame is lost. Either that or it's lag from the HDHomeRun itself.
I'll keep moving the antenna around to see if things can be improved further. Also, I want to investigate the coax that came with the antenna to see if an upgrade is needed there.
So, thanks for the help and opinions, and apologies for the change of plans halfway through.
*More or less: Windows Media Center refuses to update the guide. Apparently this is a common problem with no easy solution. Thanks, Microsoft!
Edit: It looks like WMC only found the ABC channel with the worse signal strength, so I manually added the better one. More thanks, Microsoft!
So, after doing some more reading, including threads in this forum, I bit the bullet and got an HDHomeRun Dual tuner. I was already going to get it from NewEgg due to the price, but they also had a combo offer for a HomeWorx indoor flat antenna, which made the $30 antenna free.
The antenna came with 10' of coax, and despite it saying it's multi-directional, I still taped the antenna to a west-facing wall in the middle of the closet. I got the whole thing up and running (more or less*) with Windows Media Center.
The worst signal strength I'm getting is ABC at around 67% (it's actually coming up on two different channels, according to the HDHomeRun, with the other at signal strength of 90%). It's running fairly smoothly on WMC right now. I'm rarely seeing any artifacts, but it does look like the occasional frame is lost. Either that or it's lag from the HDHomeRun itself.
I'll keep moving the antenna around to see if things can be improved further. Also, I want to investigate the coax that came with the antenna to see if an upgrade is needed there.
So, thanks for the help and opinions, and apologies for the change of plans halfway through.
*More or less: Windows Media Center refuses to update the guide. Apparently this is a common problem with no easy solution. Thanks, Microsoft!
Edit: It looks like WMC only found the ABC channel with the worse signal strength, so I manually added the better one. More thanks, Microsoft!
Staff member
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Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
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Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
We were up in Pigeon Forge, TN a month ago and we couldn't get anything on our phones to work on mobile data...the Ookla speed test app couldn't even do a speed test. I have an older 13 and went into my settings and turned off the 5G, making it use LTE exclusively....did a speed test of over 300mbps so obviously the 5G bands were overwhelmed. Anyway, tried to do the same thing on my Wife's 15 and the cellular data options tab simply wasn't there. Any of you run into this? We've on Verizon
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Pub Member / Supporter
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Apparently I'm not a big enough nerd
since I did not read every Marvel Comic Book ever published. If I had, I might be comparing the comics' version of events compared to what's transpiring in "Visionquest". So, I am enjoying the series a lot, not weighed down by previous expectations, knowing only the Avengers MCU movies and the "Wandavision" / "Agatha All Along" TV series.
I found the Mr Know-it-All channel from his discussion about "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" and he's been gleefully picking these episodes apart, referencing the Marvel comics from the 1939 on. Turns out A.I. has been around since before World War II, at least in the comics. (Robots before that, yes, yes.) This show is going back into the archives.
since I did not read every Marvel Comic Book ever published. If I had, I might be comparing the comics' version of events compared to what's transpiring in "Visionquest". So, I am enjoying the series a lot, not weighed down by previous expectations, knowing only the Avengers MCU movies and the "Wandavision" / "Agatha All Along" TV series.I found the Mr Know-it-All channel from his discussion about "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" and he's been gleefully picking these episodes apart, referencing the Marvel comics from the 1939 on. Turns out A.I. has been around since before World War II, at least in the comics. (Robots before that, yes, yes.) This show is going back into the archives.
Supporting Founder
Pub Member / Supporter
It's time for my wife to get a new iphone as her iphone 12 is getting weak battery life test says 70% compared to when new. But it is beginning to show signs of screen freezing as well.
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BTW, iOS 26.3 is now out for iPhone, along with the OS 26.3 updates for all other supported Appley iDevices.
iJustine
Time for another AWESOME video from iJustine!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CjVbq6h2VZw
Direct YouTube Link - The new PROLED MacBook Pro has a Dynamic Island
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CjVbq6h2VZw
Direct YouTube Link - The new PROLED MacBook Pro has a Dynamic Island
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
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2 views
iJustine
Time for another AWESOME video from iJustine!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ux8oQzvijl4
Direct YouTube Link - New PROLED MacBook Pro!
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ux8oQzvijl4
Direct YouTube Link - New PROLED MacBook Pro!
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
0 Replies
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1 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Cutting Edge
I created this thread on the original Edgecutter Cutting Edge Forums site. It's simply a place for those to review the latest software available for those using Windows 10 and Windows 11. To date it has received 112,559 views. I have been asked by staff to continue this thread here.
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To each there own but I've found that Windows can't do much more than Linux can. Can't have everything.
For niche use cases, yes I agree. Kali for ethical hacking and security testing, and running a Cacti server for network monitoring are the two things I have experience in. Plus thousands and thousands of other things, but for every day use I just can't see it. The owner of the GMRS repeater that I pay to access is changing the Tx DPL tones tomorrow, while Chirp is available on Linux, the software to program my MXT500 is not.To each there own but I've found that Windows can't do much more than Linux can. Can't have everything.
I run Fedora and Ubuntu in VMWare, honestly I don't care much for the UI of either of them and I don't feel like spending days/weeks to customize the UI to make it look Windows-like when I could just use Windows. The cartoonish dock at the bottom of the screen reminds me of Apple products.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MT4ptWNv2E
Direct YouTube Link - Windows Weekly 1007
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MT4ptWNv2E
Direct YouTube Link - Windows Weekly 1007
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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Who says dinner or lunch has to be the only good meals of the day?
Honey butter grits with scrambled eggs and grilled boneless pork ribs on flakey biscuits washed down with cranberry juice.
Honey butter grits with scrambled eggs and grilled boneless pork ribs on flakey biscuits washed down with cranberry juice.
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380105 views
Breakfast Quesadillas. Grilled flour tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, hash browns, chopped green chile, cheddar & Jack cheese and bacon. Coffee.
Booredatwork.com
Time for another AWESOME video from BoredAtWork!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sv9Vp1GGpeU
Direct YouTube Link - MacBook Pro PROLED XDR Hands-on
Booredatwork.com Website
Booredatwork on Facebook
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sv9Vp1GGpeU
Direct YouTube Link - MacBook Pro PROLED XDR Hands-on
Booredatwork.com Website
Booredatwork on Facebook
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3 views