2 ota antennas conected to dish receiver?

[talljoel]

I have the dish 622 HD DVR receiver. I have a Wineguard Square Shooter OTA antenna. The Square Shooter gives me all the locals except CBS - channel 2. My condo buuilding has an OTA antenna that receives CBS - channel 2. But, the condo building antenna does not provide the ABC and PBS channels.

Can I use a splitter to conect both the Square Shooter antenna and the condo building antenna to the dish receiver?

This is my first post. Your help is appreciated

 

[Minsk1]

Yes, connect both antennas with the splitter. That is what I do to receive Milwaukee and Chicago OTA.

 

[boba]

Please explain the phrase "condo building antenna does not provide the ABC and PBS channels." Is this a master antenna system where they put the broadcasters on different channels? For example ABC broadcasts on Ch 33 but on you system they appear on Ch7. Or do you mean they just block the channel off the system. If they reassign the channels you may run into adjacent channel interferrence because channels on the Square Shooter and the MATV are too close to one another or actually occupy the same channel.

 

[garys]

A lot of apartments use a qam system, the 622 will not read that if that is what it is.

 

[Andrewwski]

Don't ever combine antennas with a splitter backwards. Usually interference on the other antenna will cause problems on any good channels you have with the other one.

Unless you can completely attenuate those other frequencies out of the line from the opposite antenna, use an A/B switch. Yes, you have to switch it, but it'll work.

The only time to combine antennas is when they're the exact same antenna pointing in the exact same direction, and they need to be combined with equal amounts of cable.

 

[talljoel]

Well, using a splitter to connect both antennas to the Dish receiver did the trick.

With just the Square Shooter antenna signal strength on channel 2 CBS ( when I could get a signal ) was 55%.

Now, channel 2's signal strength is 85%. Signal strength on all the other local channels, including ABC and PBS, is 100%.

I guess I'm lucky the simple solution worked.

I appreciate everyone taking the time to give me their imput.

 

[Andrewwski]

Yup...you got lucky enough to have strong enough signals to avoid issues.

 

[stogie5150]

Don't ever combine antennas with a splitter backwards. Usually interference on the other antenna will cause problems on any good channels you have with the other one.

Unless you can completely attenuate those other frequencies out of the line from the opposite antenna, use an A/B switch. Yes, you have to switch it, but it'll work.

The only time to combine antennas is when they're the exact same antenna pointing in the exact same direction, and they need to be combined with equal amounts of cable.

I've always read that, but I did it and I have absolutely NO issues. Two completly different kinds of antennas, in fact one of mine is the UHF section of a RS VU-190 antenns sawed off with a hacksaw and thrown in the attic. My other antenna is a CM4228 outside on a pole. I combined them with a 99 cent splitter backwards in the attic , connected it to my D* HR-20, works flawlessly. In fact I get a digital signal 37 miles away from my attic antenna in all but the worst conditions.

So I always reccomend that if it won't cost you anything, TRY it!

 

[Andrewwski]

There's no harm in trying. Come to think of it, many cases will work because the viewer will have high signal strength.

Many of the channels I try and get OTA (up to 90 miles away) would drop out very easily because of this. I have two antennas combined to improve reception (more gain), but trying and adding channels like that wouldn't work.

 

[Super Dave]

Good timely topic. In Philly Channel 6 is going to move from UHF to VHF and I am going to have to add an antenna to compensate, since I have a Channel Master CM 4228 8-Bay Bowtie UHF Antenna. I am 15 miles from the tower, so signal strength should remain at 100.

 

[red hazard]

Possible Explanation

I would bet that the channels are digital (2.1 vice 2) and that the equalizer in the 622 ATSC chip is able to compensate for the multipath caused by the two signal inputs (antennas). It would be very unusual for NTSC signals not to have severe ghosting in this configuration.

 

[talljoel]

Red Hazard, you are correct. The channel with the weak signal from the Square Shooter antenna was digital 2.1.

With both atennas connected to the Dish receiver everything is working well. No ghosting.