Couple questions regarding dist. amplifier and tablo dvr

[sktrus]

Hi everybody; been with Dish over 20 years. We mostly stream from different sources these days. Considering dropping dish satellite if my attempt to use distribution amplifier works for couple tvs.

my order for amplifier from Amazon is coming today. ( Amazon.com: Channel Master TV Antenna Booster 4-4-Port TV Antenna Distribution Amplifier, Built-in LTE Filter, 7.5dB Gain, Compatible with Non-Amplified TV Antennas, Increases Signal Strength, Indoor/Outdoor : Electronics)

Channel master brand 4 port device.
Current setup at home:

Dish is on the upper deck.4 cables going down to the basement thru studs. Attic antenna, the cable coming down straight to the basement home run room. (The area under the stairs to hide all the cables. It has its own door and dry walled. I had satellite cables and security system installed when the house was under construction.) I added USB adapter to hopper3 for locals and sub channels.

here's what I am hoping.
connect the rg-6 antenna cable to dist. amplifier in the homerun room. attach 3 cables (currently going to 3 joey2s) to the ampl. Wishing the signal lost will be minimal.

question: the fewer ports used, the better signal from antenna is. correct? So, if I use only one port for main tv and other 3 ports not used at all the signal will be the strongest. Or, the ampl. offers 4 ports. regardless of how many tvs are connected, the signal loss is unavoidable. it is a mater of what is tolerable. confused about this!

tablo question. Can I use tablo DVR and distr. amplifier together? Or, do I need to use a different antenna ( a flat window antenna?) and connect it to tablo where the router is? either Ethernet cable or wifi between tablo and the router. a phone tablo app will let me use tablo ota recordings on different smart TVs or streaming devices such as roku and fire stick. my bedroom and kitchen TVs are old and not smart TVs. but rokus and fire sticks are connected to them.
Did some search. some think tablo is fantastic and some say it is not good at all. I realize how good the reception of local channels to flat antenna and tablo is the determining factor.

I live in the sticks and local towers from Lexington, Ky are about 20 30 miles away.
the house is 3 stories with a finished basement with a walkout door. We did not want a roof antenna. Maybe, newer attic antennas are much more powerful if I need to replace it.

I will appreciate any suggestions. Thank you.

 

[Jim5506]

From your description, I have one of those Channel Master four port distribution amps.
From my experience you get an equal amount of signal to each power regardless of how many devices are connected.
Also, it seems the amp only outputs to each port a signal very similar to what it is receiving on the input side.
In other words it outputs to each and every output port the same signal it receives on the input, whereas a splitter outputs whatever fraction it can divided among its outputs.
This device merely removes signal loss from the division of signal to 4 outputs and all are equally amplified up to the input signal regardless of how many are actually used.
Removing or adding a device has little effect on the signal to other ports.
Sorry the pic is upside down, this is my dist amp.

 

[Mr Tony]

Post your signal info from rabbitears. That lets us see what if any obstacles arrise. If you are going to have antenna say 30 feet above ground change it to that. Default is 13 feet.

RabbitEars.Info

RabbitEars, where you can learn all about local, over-the-air TV channels.

www.rabbitears.info

 

[sktrus]

Thanks to u both. that white color amp. shown in the picture is not available at Amazon and Channel master web sites. something (that I ordered) is. I felt returning it to Amazon would be easier, same price. So, I received it today.
Regarding rabbitears.info, I moved the blue dot to my approximate location. 2 pictures should show the results. The installer used a terk brand attic antenna. I checked it online. Apparently, the company changed the design. this was in 2002. It looks like a long tube. no individual parts sticking out. When I use dish for ota channels and subs most are pretty good. nbc main is sharper than the same local channel provided by satellite. cbs and its subs pixelate a lot. However, they are good if I go up to the attic and rotate the antenna just a bit.
if I make the rotation permanent it should work.
I don't expect to receive 40-50 channels. Where I live in is literally a forest. The building is high though. The roof is above the top of the trees.

https://www.rabbitears.info/s/2974578

Thanks again.

 

[sktrus]

I forgot one thing. My old antenna uses pre amp. It is attached to the rg6 cable, at the very end. It is plugged into the surge protector in the homerun room.
I assume pre amp and dist. amp. could be used together.

 

[cp2k]

Any time you put an antenna in an attic it's going to harm signal reception to a degree. To overcome that you need a good antenna. That terk antenna is kind of gimmicky to be honest, and isn't as good as an old fashion regular antenna would be.

All 4 of your major network stations are very close together, so you could use an old fashion regular antenna and likely get much better reception than what you're getting with the Terk. The distribution amplifier won't hurt at all, but I think the antenna is really your main problem at that distance.

If it were me I'd invest in a good Televes or Channel Master antenna that has a tried and true design. Since you're in an attic pick something with a higher range than what you're working with to help compensate for the attic a bit. If you're using a pre-amp and still aren't getting signal at that range that antenna is your main problem. The Televes models have built in pre-amps, so you kind of get a two for one deal with those.

If you have a TV that has an OTA signal meter you can have a family member help by watching the TV as you adjust the antenna in the attic if you do get a new antenna. Focus on those weaker stations that pixelate and see if you can lock the signal in better.

I just went through the same type of thing myself. I ended up getting one of those weighted outdoor umbrella holders from Wal-Mart and using it to hold a mast in my attic (got the idea from here) and was able to dial it in good enough to get reception of the stations I needed from a neighboring market.

 

[sktrus]

Thanks cpalmer2k.
It didn't occur to me to ask why they used that particular attic antenna. Back then in 2002, both Dish and Directv did not offer locals. When I built and moved to my current house I used that antenna for local networks. It was great. I jumped to Dish when they were allowed to offer locals.
I need to go up there thru master bedroom closet ceiling to check if the rg6 cable can be unattached from the antenna and be used for a newer and better antenna. Memory is hazy. I believe it is permanent. I'd like to be able to use the same cable since it runs behind drywalls.
Could a solid roof antenna be used in attic? Or, does it have to be built for that area? Thank goodness, no metal roof, old fashioned shingles.
When the leaves are gone in winter the reception from one network is much better and the pixelation disappears.
I tried flat window antenna for my kitchen tv in the past. The results were terrible. Too many grown trees around the house block the signal.
I will experiment today and see what happens.

 

[cp2k]

Thanks cpalmer2k.
It didn't occur to me to ask why they used that particular attic antenna. Back then in 2002, both Dish and Directv did not offer locals. When I built and moved to my current house I used that antenna for local networks. It was great. I jumped to Dish when they were allowed to offer locals.
I need to go up there thru master bedroom closet ceiling to check if the rg6 cable can be unattached from the antenna and be used for a newer and better antenna. Memory is hazy. I believe it is permanent. I'd like to be able to use the same cable since it runs behind drywalls.
Could a solid roof antenna be used in attic? Or, does it have to be built for that area? Thank goodness, no metal roof, old fashioned shingles.
When the leaves are gone in winter the reception from one network is much better and the pixelation disappears.
I tried flat window antenna for my kitchen tv in the past. The results were terrible. Too many grown trees around the house block the signal.
I will experiment today and see what happens.

Is this the antenna you're using now? If your current house was built prior to the analog shutdown a lot has changed in the way the stations broadcast since then. DTV broadcast signals are different, and we're also post repack now, so they're crammed into a lot smaller RF space than they use to be. Are any cell towers located within a few miles of your property? The current antenna doesn't have any kind of LTE/5G filtering on it either, which could be another issue hurting your reception.

 

[sktrus]

cannot recall the numbers and letters on it. But, pretty confident that's it. It sounds like I need to update the antenna.
I am hoping I can use the same rg6 cable that runs all the way to the basement.
The channel master distribution amplifier did not help at all this morning. I attached the antenna cable to it, and 3 cables from different tvs to amp. out ports. I went to kitchen tv, scanned the channels. 32" vizio tv found 9 only. 4 out of nine wouldn't connect at all, blank screen.
So, I reconnected everthing back as it was before. Used Hopper to rescan ota channels. It found 19. Isn't that strange?
Perhaps, I need to find a local shop and talk to an installer to get some ideas.

 

[sktrus]

Found the antenna's user guide as a pdf file on my computer. It is the same.
local towers are about 20 miles away.

 

[cp2k]

That antenna is most of your problem. It does look like from the manual that the cable connects via a typical F-connector though, so you should be able to reuse the cable you have now. You'll just have to find/remove the Terk amplifier from your setup wherever it is plugged in.

If you have a local place that still installs antennas that would be your best go-to because they know the area. If you want to DIY it get a good 60-70 mile rated antenna from Channel Master, Televes, etc. I know you're only 20 miles away, but again you need to overcome the attic obstacle.

This what I'm currently using:

Televes 148883 ELLIPSE MIX HDTV antenna Channels 7-36, High-VHF/UHF, L

Ellipse Mix Antenna, 148883 (Improved Replacement for 148881) NEAR-FRINGE/FRINGE MID-SIZE ATTIC/OUTDOOR Intelligence taken to the limit Ellipse Mix is an advanced over the air HDTV antenna that automatically adapts its gain in real time to optimize the reception of television signals, ensuring...

www.nesselectronics.com

It already has a built in pre-amplifier which I would recommend since you're running from the attic to the basement before you distribute the signal. That will minimize the signal loss. The power supply could go in the basement, and feed the amplifier from the coax run.

A good antenna with a pre-amp setup is a bit pricey on the front end, but if your ultimate goal is to dump Dish then you'll make your money back in short order.

 

[sktrus]

Thanks. Antennas with pre-ampliers..
Are the power cord and the amp. located at the end of the cable like my old Terk? perhaps, a dumb question.
Although there is an electric outlet in the attic it is a bit far to the spot where the current antenna is. I'd like to use the same spot facing South where the local towers are. I can use the same rg6 cable from Terk and use it for the new antenna. Terk is almost 24 years old. will its pre-amp work efficiently for the new antenna?
In order to get answers to my questions I will find some antenna shops in Lexington and see what they say. It may not be a bad idea to have somebody with enough knowledge and experience to solve the problem.
I am checking your antenna now.
Have a good day.

 

[cp2k]

Thanks. Antennas with pre-ampliers..
Are the power cord and the amp. located at the end of the cable like my old Terk? perhaps, a dumb question.
Although there is an electric outlet in the attic it is a bit far to the spot where the current antenna is. I'd like to use the same spot facing South where the local towers are. I can use the same rg6 cable from Terk and use it for the new antenna. Terk is almost 24 years old. will its pre-amp work efficiently for the new antenna?
In order to get answers to my questions I will find some antenna shops in Lexington and see what they say. It may not be a bad idea to have somebody with enough knowledge and experience to solve the problem.
I am checking your antenna now.
Have a good day.

Most pre-amps have a separate power inserter, so you could put it in the basement where you are distributing the signal from now and the coax cable to the antenna would feed power. I honestly wouldn't advise using anything from the Terk again except the cable itself. A lot has changed since it was installed, and the technology has gotten a lot better. Those Televes pre-amps also filter 4G LTE/5G signals and keep them from affecting TV signals.

Channel Master and Antennas Direct make some good antennas too, but by the time you buy an antenna and a pre-amp you're at the same price or more than the Televes.

Good luck!

 

[sktrus]

I love the antenna installation video. What did you do for the pole? Lowe's?
Televes is charging $20 for the shipment. Amazon has it in the stock. Also, Amazon's return policy is great.
The only reason I would use the existing rg6 cable is it is already behind everything. It comes out of drywall in the homerun room. Running a new cable thru the same opening may be a challenge.

 

[cp2k]

I love the antenna installation video. What did you do for the pole? Lowe's?
Televes is charging $20 for the shipment. Amazon has it in the stock. Also, Amazon's return policy is great.

Yes, you can get fence top rail I think it is called at Lowes in various lengths. Amazon also has multiple mounting options for attics you can use depending on how high you want to go.

 

[primestar31]

I love the antenna installation video. What did you do for the pole? Lowe's?
Televes is charging $20 for the shipment. Amazon has it in the stock. Also, Amazon's return policy is great.
The only reason I would use the existing rg6 cable is it is already behind everything. It comes out of drywall in the homerun room. Running a new cable thru the same opening may be a challenge.

IF the hole for the coax is large enough, AND the coax is just run through the wall without being stapled inside, you could tape a new coax to the end of the old coax, and pull that out while pulling the new coax through at the same time. OR tape a piece of strong thin rope or cord with it. Then once you have that all the way through, pull a new coax with the rope. So, a double pull.

The possible risk you run, is it somehow doesn't make it all the way through to the other end without pulling off the first one. Then you'd have to use a Fish Tape or something to do it.

 

[reubenray]

From your description, I have one of those Channel Master four port distribution amps.
From my experience you get an equal amount of signal to each power regardless of how many devices are connected.
Also, it seems the amp only outputs to each port a signal very similar to what it is receiving on the input side.
In other words it outputs to each and every output port the same signal it receives on the input, whereas a splitter outputs whatever fraction it can divided among its outputs.
This device merely removes signal loss from the division of signal to 4 outputs and all are equally amplified up to the input signal regardless of how many are actually used.
Removing or adding a device has little effect on the signal to other ports.
Sorry the pic is upside down, this is my dist amp.

I am using this same amp with a CM 4228 antenna and it works great. The antenna is on an outside mast and my furthest tower is 42 miles away. I have used this same antenna in several locations across the South in my attics with great results.

 

[sktrus]

I am pretty sure the antenna cable was stapled to studs. RG-6 cable. If not mistaken the same type is still used. Am I right? I assume I can reattach the same cable to the new antenna.

Tried to find some old fashioned antenna shops around here. No luck. My internet search shows Targets, Walmarts! Home entertainment centers don't bother with tv antennas. I guess most people stream these days.
Perhaps, I need to order the antenna from Amazon or Channel Master.
CM 4228 antenna mentioned by Reuben is not available at Amazon, Channel Master has it at its web site, $149. The shipping is $54! Ouch.
The opening on the ceiling for the attic is relatively small. I may have to take all the antenna parts and build it there. That should be fun with 90F weather!!

 

[cp2k]

I still would try the Televes I previously recommended. It's easy to set up, and you buy it and have both pre-amp and antenna for one price. The Channel master is a good antenna, but a pre-amp (placed at the antenna) and a distribution amplifier have different roles.

The pre-amp increases the signal at the antenna so you're sending a higher quality signal down that cable to the basement. A distribution amplifier splits and amplifies what it receives. If the signal drops from attic to basement you can't improve what isn't there when it reaches the basement.