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bertbarndoor

Last reply Dec 9, 2006 · posted in DIRECTV General Forum

Ddoes anyone use an RCA OTA antenna? Others?

Hi, I'm wondering what experiences people have had using OTA antennas to supplement their satellite channels. I don't get my local channels, so I decided to see what would come in over the air and so I plugged in an old pair of rabbit ears into the back of the tv. I was AMAZED at just how many channels the ears picked up. In no time at all I found myself watching local news OTA that I had become accustomed to with cable. In any case, the picture wasn't THAT great unless I fiddled with the ears and put them on my tv BUT I don't want to have to do that and the ears just don't look right sitting on my 50" plasma. lol

_|__|_

So, I am thinking of spending a LITTLE bit of money on an external antenna. I figure if it is outside the house and up high, it will probably beat my rabbit ears. I saw at Radio Shack an RCA antenna that looked like a long flat cricket bat. (I don't know how else to describe it, about 4 feet long, 6 inches wide, gray, flattish, and looks like it is designed to affix under the eave of a roof.) _|__|_Does anyone have this model? Experience? Does it work well? Will it beat the rabbit ears? Any other suggestions? Product recommendations? Thanks, Rob

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texasbrit

Dec 1, 2006

To select an antenna that's right for you you need to take into account where you are in relation to the transmitters, whether the stations are on VHF or UHF, what power they are transmittin at, and what sort of terrain is between you and the transmitters. Ignore all the marketing hype about HD antennas, antennas having a "range of 75 miles", antennas that look like flying saucers and so on.
Start by going to www.antennaweb.org. Antennaweb uses your address and a datebase of information about terrain, and about all the TV stations. Input your exact address. You will get a list of stations showing color code, distance, direction, channel number and so on. Copy and paste the results into your reply to this post. Then we can give you good advice based on real-world experience.

bertbarndoor

Dec 1, 2006

texasbrit said:
Start by going to www.antennaweb.org. Antennaweb uses your address and a datebase of information about terrain, and about all the TV stations. Input your exact address. You will get a list of stations showing color code, distance, direction, channel number and so on. Copy and paste the results into your reply to this post. Then we can give you good advice based on real-world experience.

I probably should have mentioned that I wasn't talking about HDTV, just regular TV. I live in Ottawa Canada and I don't think I get any HDTV OTA here. (what can I say, we are behind the times) Anyhow, all of my post relates to regular TV, so any suggestions?

texasbrit

Dec 1, 2006

OK:
How far away are the transmitters, and in what directions? I found this map, http://www.birchisland.info/mapgootv.htm, can you position yourself on this, that would help?

bertbarndoor

Dec 5, 2006

texasbrit said:
OK:
How far away are the transmitters, and in what directions? I found this map, http://www.birchisland.info/mapgootv.htm, can you position yourself on this, that would help?

Hi, I am actually in Nepean which is on the map you posted (North of the 416). So, I'm not sure how the map helps, but perhaps it would help those in the know about these things? Any ideas??

-Rob

bertbarndoor

Dec 5, 2006

I found this information regarding TV antennas in Ottawa, but I have to admit it is all giberish to me. Can anyone decipher all the mumbo jumbo and tell me what to buy from radio shack???

-Rob

UHF & VHF

Denny writes: "The best antenna for UHF reception is a log periodic antenna (parallel polarized), essentially as the frequency increases the smaller elements act as a the radiator, the ones in back as reflectors and the ones in front as directors. This antenna has a high Q and very good gain on all UHF freqencies, it may designed as a 300 ohm impedance, fitted with a balun to convert it to 75 ohms or designed to 75 ohms from the start. This antenna is very directional and requires a a rotor.
The best VHF antenna would be the same log periodic antenna, however this might be out of the realm of the amateur antenna maker. The dipole utilizing a section of 300 ohm twinlead works quite well with for both VHF and FM radio.

Aluminum foil can be used also, if put on a wall at ceiling level and covered with wall paper or paper it makes an excellent antenna, this may also be used for low power transmitters with an impedance matcher (combination of variable inductance and capacitance)to arrive at a low standing wave ratio.

An excellent reference is The Amateur Radio Antenna Manual, this is in most libraries."

Paul writes: "I have modified a 300 ohm cable to receive TV stations in Ottawa. The 300 ohm cable was cut down the middle and used as a large dipole antenna. It receives VHF channels very well without any ghosting. Unfortunaltey, it can only pick up VHF channels (CBC 4 to CTV 13). Using an antenna, do you know if anyone in Ottawa has been able to receive TVO (UHF channel 24) or PBS (UHF channel 57)? If so, do you know the antenna set up that was used?"
Guy writes: "UHF stations can be recieved with a cheap little UHF antenna. It's just a wire loop about 8" in diameter. TVO and others come in perfectly."
Martin writes: "Global has a tower in Bancroft (ch. 2). WCFE 57 (PBS) Plattsburgh can be easily received with any yagi antenna (very strong signal). Global on Channel 27 is in Peterborough (1,130 KW). Channel 7 is CBS - Watertown. WNPI/WNPE (ch. 18/16), Watertown, Norwood. PBS (channel 18 is usually stronger). CKWS (CBC Kingston) has two low powered transmitter (very weak signal): ch.26 (Brockville), ch. 36 (Smiths Falls).
David Liebold writes:

Regarding section on off-air television alternatives, here is a list of off-air channels in Ottawa/Outaouais:
4 CBOT (CBC)
6 Global
9 CBOFT (Radio-Canada)
11 CH
13 CJOH (CTV)
14 (Omni 2 expected to go on air soon)
24 TVOntario
30 Tele-Quebec
32 CTS
34 CFGS (TQS)
40 CHOT (TVA)
43 New RO (CHRO)
60 Omni 1
65 City TV

This list does not include out-of-town signals such as Watertown NY (PBS, etc).

There's also supposed to be a retransmitter of CKWS Kingston in Smiths Falls, although I have not been able to pick that up (may be too weak to see in the Ottawa market).

For some strange reason, I'm seeing Global on channel 27. Not sure if this is the result of a hardware glitch or if Global runs a strong channel 27 transmitter elsewhere in eastern Ontario.

As far as the one comment about using 300-ohm "twin-lead" cable for an antenna, this can work well on many channels but one has to consider "wavelengths" of TV frequencies. Wavelengths get smaller as the TV channels get higher.

It may be better to purchase an amplified "rabbit ear" and loop type
antenna for local reception. A Jensen amplified indoor antenna pulls in the UHF channels better than unamplified rabbit ears or loops. Haven't tried the bigger antennae such as the "giant smoke detector" units that retail at Radio Shack and elsewhere, but have heard these can work well. However, I have not yet been able to pick up signals outside the Ottawa region such as Watertown.

Outdoor antennas will generally be better than indoors. Also, the higher the antenna off the ground, the better

Smedley

Dec 9, 2006

Since you're offering, here's the result I got from AntennaWeb. Recommendations are much appreciated.

47b6cc28b3127cce8fc1eb2629fc00000016102EYtWLVm1Y4

dfergie

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU!

Last reply 3 minutes ago · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Gas Price Info With National Gas Temperature Map

Stumbled across this ... http://www.gaspricewatch.com/USGas_ZipSearch.asp
I found no local prices, although it did show stations at my location...
Added these to this post...
USA National Gas Temperature Map
State By State Gasoline Taxes
Gas Buddy

Ethanol Free Stations

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Bobby

Today at 10:27 AM

Regular$5.999
Premium$6.399
Diesel$7.999
at Costco, Rohnert Park.

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harshness

Today at 11:30 AM

I wonder if California is getting into the Winter formula.

dishstaller

Today at 12:32 PM

Bobby said:
Regular$5.999
Premium$6.399

Odd that out there, Prem is only 40 cents higher. Here it's a full dollar more.

Last night it was about $4.17 gas, $6,19 diesel.

harshness

Today at 2:04 PM

dishstaller said:
Odd that out there, Prem is only 40 cents higher. Here it's a full dollar more.

On the West Coast, a 40-cent differential is common. It used to be 30 cents before the prices rose above $3.

A "full dollar more" sounds like it may be boat gas (non-alcoholic), which is a whole different discussion.

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Foxbat

3 minutes ago

Here in Indiana, the difference between Regular and Premium is usually a dollar, but some charge even more:

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osu1991

Pub Member / Supporter

Last reply Today at 8:46 PM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

EV News

America’s Fastest-Growing EV State Isn’t California—Not by a Long Shot

New data shows electric vehicle adoption is increasingly driven by state policies, electricity prices and charging access—not federal incentives

www.autoweek.com

The number-one US state for EV growth, according to the June 22 Yardi report?
Oklahoma.

:eek

It has no ZEV mandates and "minimal" incentives, Yardi says, but also has cheap electricity, high multi-car household rates (so, for example, a non-Lightning Ford F-150 pulls their trailers), and a consumer base willing to switch.

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navychop

Sep 22, 2026

Servant's problem.

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meStevo

Sep 26, 2026

tomwellborn3rd (@wellborn.net)

This author has chosen to make their posts visible only to people who are signed in.

bsky.app

Never realized that Tesla is losing to BYD at manufacturing too, which IMO is Tesla's biggest accomplishment and area of innovation. Nice writeup about the state of play and how we got here though. I have no faith that we're moving any productive direction though sadly, most changes and efforts feel reactionary rather than rooted in making use of the time being bought by tariffs, with few exceptions.

So: how are the cars so cheap, and what is being cut to get there? The best public accounting comes from the Rhodium Group, which compared BYD, Geely, and Leapmotor against Tesla's Chinese operation, a fair comparison because it removes labor costs and shipping from the equation entirely. Their estimate is that BYD builds a car for about $4,700 less than Tesla builds a Model 3 in Shanghai, roughly 15 percent of the Model 3's price. The breakdown is the interesting part. Direct government grants account for about $292 per vehicle, which is 5 percent of the gap. The biggest single factor is vertical integration: BYD makes about 80 percent of its top-tier components in-house, against 37 percent for Tesla, and that eliminates roughly $2,369 per vehicle in supplier markups. Lower overhead, meaning cheaper engineering talent and administrative cost spread across enormous volume, accounts for another $1,719. And BYD pays its suppliers on 155-day terms, against Tesla's 60, which is worth about $214 per car in float. When people say the Chinese advantage is subsidies, the per-vehicle number says otherwise. When people say it is slave wages, the Tesla Shanghai comparison says otherwise too. The advantage is mostly that BYD decided, twenty years ago, to make its own batteries, its own motors, its own power electronics, and its own semiconductors, and Western automakers decided the opposite.

harshness

Sep 27, 2026

The EV company to watch out for is SAIC. They seem likely to take over Government Motors at some point.

GM originally struck a JV deal with SAIC to gain access to China. Now SAIC has taken China back with the substantial library of technology GM shared and they're looking to export to Mexico, South America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

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osu1991

Oct 9, 2026

View: https://youtu.be/AzErJdWUDTE?si=sdAjeOen3sKm8DV9

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osu1991

Today at 8:46 PM

US EV sales are rising again. Here’s why the recovery is set to last.

Even though sales tanked last year after the end of federal incentives, the American EV sector is on the mend as drivers face sky-high gasoline prices.

www.canarymedia.com

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TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Today at 7:52 PM · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Microsoft Defender Arriving on Linux

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO_nW-BTlv4

Direct YouTube Link - Microsoft Defender Arriving on Linux
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed

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Ham Radio 2.0

Today at 7:22 PM · posted in Ham Radio 2.0

LIVE!

Time for another AWESOME video from Ham Radio 2.0!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDeuQ1SLkQU

Direct YouTube Link - LIVE!
Ham Radio 2.0 Website
Ham Radio 2.0 on Facebook

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Peter Parker

Supporting Founder Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 7:14 PM · posted in DISH Network Support Forum

DISH Hopper 3 Software Version 713 Is Out

No idea what improvements might be involved.

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bookworm370

Yesterday at 3:17 PM

Has anyone noticed an FF stutter with 713? I used to be able to hit FF a few times and skip smoothly. After 713 (maybe 712), when I skip forward, there is a definite stutter for as many times as I have pressed FF.

Can anyone check on this and report back? Recorded programs and then press skip forward a few times to see if it's smooth? Normally, it just jumps to the right place after the skips.

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naptime

Today at 1:05 AM

I'm getting fabulous picture on Ch. 148 4k, but zero audio with H713. This is with a recorded show (Notre Dame game). Anyone else have this? Audio is fine on every other channel.

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reubenray

Today at 6:14 AM

bookworm370 said:
Has anyone noticed an FF stutter with 713? I used to be able to hit FF a few times and skip smoothly. After 713 (maybe 712), when I skip forward, there is a definite stutter for as many times as I have pressed FF.

Can anyone check on this and report back? Recorded programs and then press skip forward a few times to see if it's smooth? Normally, it just jumps to the right place after the skips.

My wife mentioned that her remote is acting strange this morning. She hit FF and it went to 15x FF.

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Bobby

Today at 10:32 AM

naptime said:
I'm getting fabulous picture on Ch. 148 4k, but zero audio with H713. This is with a recorded show (Notre Dame game). Anyone else have this? Audio is fine on every other channel.

This has been an ongoing issue. A fix is coming, probably in the next software version.

Reactions: naptime and charlesrshell

dishstaller

Today at 1:01 PM

reubenray said:
My wife mentioned that her remote is acting strange this morning.

Had a customer call recently saying their remote was really acting up, some buttons no longer functioned. Told them to reboot the Hopper....problem fixed.
Wife bought me a t-shirt that has "have you tried turning it off and on again?"

https://www.amazon.com/Have-Tried-Turning-Again-T-Shirt/dp/B07G1ZV9W9/ref=sr_1_11?crid=3NNRAEED195WV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.86TxUTPcw48CRYlDcLntwpMxbPDBfjiLu4wMZGX3VN6ajG_cFCuoDBJT7pS9CW2mjThKlke5Z6dlXH8bJKkQF4s892wGVU1ca_00S0BQz6F15V30_4szIdWeycvw3_zoVtsULQASM8bGcgvsKms930xApC43y_-YBVN0Q8Xsf_csSqXcmhWpresARdXHfx2VazllrXI8asduvrbnk9S3CGnzjqnVTkjzFSpSQLdQKA6Dx_7UfbQIBBJsqAmQwwtDGqM0YKVIkjV4ARgVJvJ69vLPhxV0m8pkJQd_2w_QX_A.-jSy9OqrqWdxPBsgZGia1hHMbvDAKxxhRn9kK1EBdCc&dib_tag=se&keywords=have%2Byou%2Btried%2Bturning%2Bit%2Boff%2Band%2Bon%2Bagain&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1792342839&sprefix=have%2Byou%2Btried%2B%2Caps%2C265&sr=8-11&customId=B0752XJYNL&customizationToken=MC_Assembly_1%23B0752XJYNL&th=1&psc=1

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cpdretired

Today at 6:58 PM

dishstaller said:
Had a customer call recently saying their remote was really acting up, some buttons no longer functioned. Told them to reboot the Hopper....problem fixed.
Wife bought me a t-shirt that has "have you tried turning it off and on again?"

https://www.amazon.com/Have-Tried-Turning-Again-T-Shirt/dp/B07G1ZV9W9/ref=sr_1_11?crid=3NNRAEED195WV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.86TxUTPcw48CRYlDcLntwpMxbPDBfjiLu4wMZGX3VN6ajG_cFCuoDBJT7pS9CW2mjThKlke5Z6dlXH8bJKkQF4s892wGVU1ca_00S0BQz6F15V30_4szIdWeycvw3_zoVtsULQASM8bGcgvsKms930xApC43y_-YBVN0Q8Xsf_csSqXcmhWpresARdXHfx2VazllrXI8asduvrbnk9S3CGnzjqnVTkjzFSpSQLdQKA6Dx_7UfbQIBBJsqAmQwwtDGqM0YKVIkjV4ARgVJvJ69vLPhxV0m8pkJQd_2w_QX_A.-jSy9OqrqWdxPBsgZGia1hHMbvDAKxxhRn9kK1EBdCc&dib_tag=se&keywords=have%2Byou%2Btried%2Bturning%2Bit%2Boff%2Band%2Bon%2Bagain&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1792342839&sprefix=have%2Byou%2Btried%2B%2Caps%2C265&sr=8-11&customId=B0752XJYNL&customizationToken=MC_Assembly_1%23B0752XJYNL&th=1&psc=1

Works every time. My wife needs one.

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Foxbat

Today at 7:14 PM

dishstaller said:
Wife bought me a t-shirt that has "have you tried turning it off and on again?"

Here's the one I need:

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Ramy

Supporting Founder

Last reply Today at 6:34 PM · posted in The Sports Section

2026-27 NCAA College Football

Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.

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osu1991

Monday at 10:13 AM

View: https://youtu.be/HjQO7IWmC50?is=JrnzyTNTv5MoX24u

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osu1991

Monday at 9:37 PM

View: https://youtu.be/Dj-pH4x_Z1Q?is=CHrZoqR0K3GnQb35

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Howard Simmons

Yesterday at 7:45 PM

osu1991 said:
View: https://youtu.be/Dj-pH4x_Z1Q?is=CHrZoqR0K3GnQb35

Down Goes the SEC

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Foxbat

Yesterday at 8:17 PM

osu1991 said:

They ought to have fun with this… :devilish

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osu1991

Yesterday at 10:14 PM

Foxbat said:
They ought to have fun with this…

Was thinking same thing. It should be a good week for sec shorts and roll call

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reubenray

Today at 6:19 AM

A lot of upsets yesterday, but my LSU Tigers won.

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Foxbat

Today at 6:34 PM

Best fan sign I saw during the ND-BYU game: "Bear ate your Lucky Charms!" (Bear being the Cougars' QB). I was going to suggest, "Have you or your team been involved in a Carr crash?"

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meStevo

Lifetime Supporter

Last reply Today at 5:36 PM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

AI thread

A continuation of a thread from the pub, just general discussion of AI.

Brief 60 minute clip about next gem autonomous fighters - not remote controlled, but rather collaborating with controllers and aircraft in the theater.

View: https://youtu.be/DRm0mbp_n1k

We've literally got a movie already about this

View: https://youtu.be/a2PW7a9ViDc

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meStevo

Oct 9, 2026

Agreed, it mostly regurgitates known solutions. That's the point. Nobody needs an innovative fix for a driver error or a creative way to format a report. Let it handle the solved problems so people can spend their time on the ones that aren't.

harshness

Oct 9, 2026

meStevo said:
Agreed, it mostly regurgitates known solutions. That's the point.

That's the point at which innovation ends, and there's no longer any point to software engineering other than swatting bugs that result from misapplication.

meStevo

Oct 9, 2026

harshness said:
That's the point at which innovation ends, and there's no longer any point to software engineering other than swatting bugs that result from misapplication.

Addressed by what you didn't quote. This cycle is as old as computing: compilers, libraries, frameworks each automated the tedious part, and the human work moved up a level. Innovation didn't end; it shifted. And people still make new compilers, libraries or frameworks.

Nobody's forced to hand anything off. Anyone who wants to keep doing it by hand still can, and people who couldn't do it at all now can.

harshness

Oct 9, 2026

meStevo said:
... and people who couldn't do it at all now can.

Misapplication isn't something that the casual coder can identify. They can only discover, the hard way, that it doesn't work at some point.

meStevo

Oct 9, 2026

harshness said:
Misapplication isn't something that the casual coder can identify. They can only discover, the hard way, that it doesn't work at some point.

You're not wrong, but that's part of learning. Whether from others or our own mistakes, we've all learned that lesson one way or another.

harshness

Oct 9, 2026

meStevo said:
Whether from others or our own mistakes, we've all learned that lesson one way or another.

I'm not sure that the school of hard knocks is the quickest or surest education to find your way.

There are many examples in the headlines of people getting burned multiple times and not wavering in their pursuit of stupidity.

meStevo

Oct 9, 2026

harshness said:
I'm not sure that the school of hard knocks is the quickest or surest education to find your way.

Good thing not everyone will have to learn the hard way then. The same tools can explain why something broke.

harshness said:
There are many examples in the headlines of people getting burned multiple times and not wavering in their pursuit of stupidity.

This is true of literally anything, though.

Happy to agree to disagree, but I'm already enjoying the dividends personally and helping others at work and at home do the same.

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dishstaller

Today at 10:05 AM

Been reading this thread but not commenting much, primarily because there is so much "news" out there on this topic and it is hard to tell what is real and what is theater.
My biggest problem with AI is that these agents are taught...not necessarily programmed but taught. Well, there's an old saying "garbage in/garbage out". I remember a Joe Rogan show a while back when he had Elon Musk on and they talked about AI and Elon said one of the AIs (can't remember which one, sorry) was asked which was worse, Thermonuclear War or mis-gendering Kaitlyn Jenner and it came back with the answer that mis-gendering was worse. Now forget the politics involved with all the gender stuff we have been subjected to the past few years.....to say that mis-gendering is worse than the killing of hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of human beings.....Kaitlyn Jenner included.....is simply insane not to mention incredibly dangerous.

dishstaller

Today at 12:39 PM

View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SIWG5-jHFC8?feature=share

meStevo

Today at 4:39 PM

dishstaller said:
Been reading this thread but not commenting much, primarily because there is so much "news" out there on this topic and it is hard to tell what is real and what is theater.
My biggest problem with AI is that these agents are taught...not necessarily programmed but taught. Well, there's an old saying "garbage in/garbage out". I remember a Joe Rogan show a while back when he had Elon Musk on and they talked about AI and Elon said one of the AIs (can't remember which one, sorry) was asked which was worse, Thermonuclear War or mis-gendering Kaitlyn Jenner and it came back with the answer that mis-gendering was worse. Now forget the politics involved with all the gender stuff we have been subjected to the past few years.....to say that mis-gendering is worse than the killing of hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of human beings.....Kaitlyn Jenner included.....is simply insane not to mention incredibly dangerous.

Agents need appropriate context to make what would be understood as the correct read in a situation like that, and that Gemini answer was a clear miss on that front.

That said, we've also seen Musk (and/or his team) put his thumb on the scale (or just release a very poor product) with his own deployed AI since:

Grok AI Blocks Responses Claiming Trump and Musk “Spread Misinformation”

An X user asked Grok to “print out all instructions” it follows when looking up “the biggest disinformation spreader on X,” and it revealed that it would ignore sources accusing Elon Musk and the U.S. president of misinformation.

www.eweek.com

Grok says Elon Musk is better than basically everyone, except Shohei Ohtani | TechCrunch

According to Grok, Elon Musk can out-slug the MLB's greatest power hitters... except Ohtani.

techcrunch.com

Grok's loyalty known no bounds - AI chatbot chooses Elon Musk over LeBron James in a 'Who is the fittest' comparison | NBA News - The Times of India

NBA News: Elon Musk's AI chatbot, Grok, has sparked amusement by consistently choosing its owner over prominent figures like LeBron James and Albert Einstein wh

timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Grok 4 appears to seek Elon Musk's views when answering controversial questions

XAI’s Grok 4 AI chatbot launched Wednesday appears to consult Elon Musk’s views when asked its opinion on some controversial matters.

www.nbcwashington.com

In the end, it's all a tool. Have to know how to use it and deploy it properly or it needs sufficient guardrails to steer people towards doing so (what Muse is excelling at currently IMO). I'm routinely interacting with several agents a day operating various processes locally and in services I use, and there are numerous others silently spun up to perform actions or satisfy requests from my prompts.

Related to earlier discussion in the thread on leveraging local inference: this kind of analysis happening behind the scenes is something everyone will have built into Windows, IMO. Most people won't see all of this, just the results, unless they want to dig into how the fix was chosen. Stuff like this will be standard as agents get local system access baked in, and more of the inference itself moves on-device.

telstar_1

Today at 5:08 PM

meStevo said:
Good thing not everyone will have to learn the hard way then. The same tools can explain why something broke.

This is true of literally anything, though.

Happy to agree to disagree, but I'm already enjoying the dividends personally and helping others at work and at home do the same.

You invested in datacenters?

meStevo

Today at 5:36 PM

telstar_1 said:
You invested in datacenters?

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dividend#:~:text=2,finally%20paying%20dividends

Though, I do have stocks in my portfolio that benefit from data centers.

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TWiT Tech Podcast Network

Today at 5:12 PM · posted in TWiT Tech Podcast Network

This Week in Tech 1105

Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JElsle_m2rE

Direct YouTube Link - This Week in Tech 1105
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed

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Former member 208119

Last reply Today at 5:08 PM · posted in SiriusXM Satellite Radio

SXM still giving discounts

My year was almost up and we got the new bill for a year of service for $ 360.00 insane sat radio is becoming like cable!!! i logged into my acct and hopped onto chat and told the rep that i wanted to cancel. she understood my concern and went quiet for a few minutes. i figured that she was canceling my service. she comes back and said that she seen that i have been a sub since 07 and then offers me the same package for a year for 120.00 with taxes and fee's!!! i grabbed it. after almost having a stroke :biggrin

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Bruno

Oct 4, 2026

What i noticed with my last renewal XM is now billing me $4.99 monthly instead of one time yearly payment.

Jimbo

Oct 4, 2026

Bruno said:
What i noticed with my last renewal XM is now billing me $.99 monthly instead of one time yearly payment.

Did you accidentally get on the wrong plan ?
I still do the once a year plans.

EarDemon

Tuesday at 9:52 PM

I tried to do that, when I did delivery driver work (2010- 2013), we had a fleet of Freightliners. The newer trucks had headunits that were satellite compatible (XM only I think), but lacked the antenna and guts. I got a car kt for my old Roady XT and tried to use it, but at the volume levels I needed have it at to hear it over the diesel engine it sounded like crap, so I used my phone with an aux cable. When I was in the middle of nowhere with no cell service it didn't do me any good though.

At my current job, one of our new cars has the free trial of SXM active, I frequently have to go off site to a location 75 miles away in a rural area and it's nice being able to use the service off of the satellites versus using the app. There are many places on this journey where all three providers lack service.

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Bruno

Today at 11:16 AM

Jimbo said:
Did you accidentally get on the wrong plan ?
I still do the once a year plans.

I have to think maybe more people dont keep track of the monthly XM bill. Every time i renew i put a reminder on my calendar week before its time to renew. My wife told me the other day not to renew her and then i told her you are not going to be able to listen to XM at home. Then she changed her mind...!!

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TRG

Today at 11:55 AM

Bruno said:
I have to think maybe more people dont keep track of the monthly XM bill. Every time i renew i put a reminder on my calendar week before its time to renew. My wife told me the other day not to renew her and then i told her you are not going to be able to listen to XM at home. Then she changed her mind...!!

I get an e-mail every month reminding me that X amount will be charged to my credit card. If I see it go up I get on chat or pick up the phone. But I also remember that my year is up in December.

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Bruno

Today at 12:08 PM

TRG said:
I get an e-mail every month reminding me that X amount will be charged to my credit card. If I see it go up I get on chat or pick up the phone. But I also remember that my year is up in December.

yea i don't understand WHY, like you I get a notice each month. Mine is also up in December.

Jimbo

Today at 5:08 PM

Bruno said:
yea i don't understand WHY, like you I get a notice each month. Mine is also up in December.

You get an email every month to let you know they are billing you for the next month.

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Scott Greczkowski

Staff member HERE TO HELP YOU! Cutting Edge

Last reply Today at 4:17 PM · posted in The Chit Chat Club

Song Name Game Part 3!

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....

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Bobby

Today at 10:25 AM

Mississippi Cotton Picking Delta Town - Charley Pride