How hook up OTA if Sinclair turns off our CBS channel

[MVPinBoynton]

Please excuse my ignorance; but I just signed up for D* and will have my Genie installed on Saturday. I was aware that Sinclair is trying to pull our West Palm Beach CBS channel; but couldn't wait anymore to get off of Comcast. I have wanted D* for too long and disliked Comcast even longer.

I have been reading posts about being able to use OTA for the local channels, which would solve the Sinclair issue for me; but I am not sure how to do it. In reading the Genie manual, it appears that there is a way to select OTA for locals; but it doesn't say much. I am trying to find out if I can do it for just one channel. Fortunately, the one channel I need can be captured nicely with rabbit ears; but the other locals aren't quite as good that way.

Can I use an antennae for just one channel?
If so, does anyone know how to do it?
If not, is there another alternative?

Thanks for any help you can provide.
Mike

 

[cparker]

I have both a genie client and an antenna connected to my TV in the kitchen. In the living room, I have the Genie (HR34) and an antenna connected. In the bedroom, an HR24 plus an antenna. ALL my TVs get a receiver and an antenna connection. To watch that one channel using the antenna you switch inputs on the TV. If your dish remote is set up correctly for your TV it's pretty simple to switch inputs. When you want to go back to watching satellite you switch inputs back to whatever one has the satellite connected to it. For mine, all of them, the satellite receiver is connected to HDMI-1. MOST modern TVs give you the ability to rename inputs. So I rename HDMI-1 to SAT and then nobody has to remember which input has the satellite connected to it.

Short answer, yes, you can absolutely watch just one channel using the antenna and watch everything else on satellite.

 

[MVPinBoynton]

Thanks for the reply. Switching inputs was my fall back if I couldn't hook the antennae into the Genie and just watch live. I was hoping to be able to record shows to the Genie for the one channel through the antennae along with the normal SAT recordings.

 

[Mr Tony]

you would need a AM21. They are $50 from Directv and it hooks up to the Genie via a USB cable.

I have one and mainly use it to record one channel (Antenna TV) from OTA to my Genie....but if Sinclair does get their channel pulled (CW here in Minneapolis) then I can use that too.

 

[MVPinBoynton]

I will add an AM21 to my order, since it hasn't been delivered yet. I hope it works OK with the rabbit ears. Since it shouldn't be needed for long, I won't worry about it.

By the way, I think I am going to really like this forum. Great info and helpful people. Thanks so much.

 

[Mr Tony]

it depends on how close you are to the towers but you should be OK. Again most of your other locals are in HD so you would only need the rabbit ears for the possibly missing station (and any subchanels you may want to record)

 

[Mr Tony]

doing a quick tvfool report center of Boynton Beach is like 10 miles from the CBS tower so you should be OK with rabbit ears

 

[MVPinBoynton]

I called and they wouldn't sell me one, since I get locals on my program. She said they would put in the file that I need one if the channel gets pulled. Seems strange to me.

 

[whitewolf8214]

I will add an AM21 to my order, since it hasn't been delivered yet. I hope it works OK with the rabbit ears. Since it shouldn't be needed for long, I won't worry about it.

By the way, I think I am going to really like this forum. Great info and helpful people. Thanks so much.

AM21 is great addition to your receiver and in situations like this and you will love it Go on Directv website and try to order one that way see if you can get one or do what raoul said below me post

 

[raoul5788]

I called and they wouldn't sell me one, since I get locals on my program. She said they would put in the file that I need one if the channel gets pulled. Seems strange to me.

Whether or not you get locals from Directv shouldn't have anything to do with them selling you an AM21. Try another csr.

 

[Jimbo]

Whether or not you get locals from Directv shouldn't have anything to do with them selling you an AM21. Try another csr.

Strangely they wouldnt sell me one either when i needed one.

They can always get one online from a place like Solid Signal

 

[Mr Tony]

Whether or not you get locals from Directv shouldn't have anything to do with them selling you an AM21. Try another csr.

I think if you try and get one for free they'll stop ya if locals are available
I ordered both of mine from the Directv site. The only thing right now is the D* site keeps adding $50 due to "payment history"....I'm on auto pay through my Telco so Directv doesn't know I pay every month