Opinions on an OTA setup

[fmj77]

Just got an estimate for an OTA install at my home and it is quite higher than I expected. $2300 for high end antenna, high gain booster, 350ft of cable and a mast pole with rotor put in cement. In addition I would have to hire someone else to bury the 350ft of cable. The job would take about 2 days. The reason for this is that my house is in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains and the antenna and pole would have to be high on a hill in front of the house. So what do you all think? Is it worth the cost to get locals or am I just better off dealing with the blackouts and contract disputes?

 

[chum1976]

How many locals would you get?

 

[sam_gordon]

Questions I would want answers to...

1) Does the $2500 you'd shell out include a GUARANTEE that you'd receive locals OTA?
2) If so, how many?
3) What is the reputation of the company that gave you the quote?
4) Is there a competitor (or two) that you can get competing quotes from?
5) Would you drop locals from Dish (save $12/month, so it would take about 17 YEARS to get an ROI) if you can successfully get them OTA?

 

[RobMeyer1]

Do you have broadband internet? If so, you have options to get programming that way.

 

[TheKrell]

$2300 for high end antenna, high gain booster, 350ft of cable and a mast pole with rotor put in cement. In addition I would have to hire someone else to bury the 350ft of cable. The job would take about 2 days. The reason for this is that my house is in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains and the antenna and pole would have to be high on a hill in front of the house.

Interesting project. Can you join with your neighbors to help defray some of the cost? I would also think some sort of RF link to homes might be a better idea than 350ft of cable to just one home.

 

[fmj77]

Do you have broadband internet? If so, you have options to get programming that way.

I'm with Viasat satellite internet, so streaming constantly is not an option.

 

[stardust3]

That is ridiculous somebody is trying to break a carrot off in you.

 

[fmj77]

Interesting project. Can you join with your neighbors to help defray some of the cost? I would also think some sort of RF link to homes might be a better idea than 350ft of cable to just one home.

My neighbor's home is high up on a hill above my house. He has no problem getting locals with a cheap $50 antenna he got off Amazon. The elevation of his home makes all the difference. Can you elaborate on a RF link?

 

[TheKrell]

My neighbor's home is high up on a hill above my house. He has no problem getting locals with a cheap $50 antenna he got off Amazon. The elevation of his home makes all the difference. Can you elaborate on a RF link?

Gee. Maybe you can mooch off his antenna, and just run the coax from his property to yours. As for the RF link, I was just brainstorming and don't have any specific hardware in mind. Is this the AirTV dongle going onto a Hopper? I wonder if there are any USB extenders that might work over RF? I note there are plenty of USB extenders that work over cat5 cables...

 

[fmj77]

Questions I would want answers to...

1) Does the $2500 you'd shell out include a GUARANTEE that you'd receive locals OTA?
2) If so, how many?
3) What is the reputation of the company that gave you the quote?
4) Is there a competitor (or two) that you can get competing quotes from?
5) Would you drop locals from Dish (save $12/month, so it would take about 17 YEARS to get an ROI) if you can successfully get them OTA?

I haven't asked the installer what is guaranteed, but he has been in business since the 1970s and was recommended to me by Dish. From the research I have done there are no other OTA installers in my area.

 

[sktrus]

Well, in my opinion it is insane to spend that much just to get several local stations. U r able to get them with Dish right now. Maintaining such high pole would be pain in the SS. U
can eventually get Elon Musk’s satellite internet next summer. That monthly cost will drop from 100 bucks to whatever. Then, u can stream your heart out. Financially, that cost does make no sense.

 

[Altitudinous]

The reason for this is that my house is in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains and the antenna and pole would have to be high on a hill in front of the house.

I'm in higher elevations with hills and valleys and I've got a 40 foot hill in between the house and the direction of the towers which are 62 miles away, and I've got a $15 antenna that included its own preamp that is currently 4 feet above a one story house that is picking up essentially every channel available. Have you tried an outdoor antenna at your house?

 

[Jim5506]

Ever heard of a passive repeater? Passive TV Repeater

First try putting an antenna on the hill that can get signals, connect that antenna with a coaxial cable to another identical antenna pointed at a third identical antenna at your house. You may try inserting a UHF/VHF amplifier between the first and second antennas to slightly amplify the received signal that is radiated out the second antenna. In this manner you may be able to get channels that are receivable at the hill top but blocked to your location.

If the hilltop has no power, try the unpowered version first, you could add a battery powered solar unit later.

 

[solarvic]

Just got an estimate for an OTA install at my home and it is quite higher than I expected. $2300 for high end antenna, high gain booster, 350ft of cable and a mast pole with rotor put in cement. In addition I would have to hire someone else to bury the 350ft of cable. The job would take about 2 days. The reason for this is that my house is in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains and the antenna and pole would have to be high on a hill in front of the house. So what do you all think? Is it worth the cost to get locals or am I just better off dealing with the blackouts and contract disputes?

Need more information. #1 How much higher is the elevation on the hill than the house? #2 What is the height of the pipe? #3 What kind of antenna rotator? #4 What antenna model and brand. #5 What brand of preamplifier.
You also need rotor wire for the rotator. It might be better to put a tower by your house. Less wire needed and not much to bury.

 

[fmj77]

Gee. Maybe you can mooch off his antenna, and just run the coax from his property to yours. As for the RF link, I was just brainstorming and don't have any specific hardware in mind. Is this the AirTV dongle going onto a Hopper? I wonder if there are any USB extenders that might work over RF? I note there are plenty of USB extenders that work over cat5 cables...

His house is about 300 yards up the road from me on top of a hill. Would that much coax be feasible?

 

[TheKrell]

His house is about 300 yards up the road from me on top of a hill. Would that much coax be feasible?

Probably not. I like Jim's passive TV repeater deal best. That might work either on the top of your hill, or on your neighbor's antenna. Using your neighbor's antenna would work with an amp, too, since your neighbor presumably has power.

 

[fmj77]

I'm in higher elevations with hills and valleys and I've got a 40 foot hill in between the house and the direction of the towers which are 62 miles away, and I've got a $15 antenna that included its own preamp that is currently 4 feet above a one story house that is picking up essentially every channel available. Have you tried an outdoor antenna at your house?

No outdoor antenna I have tried worked. Channels go in and out constantly, if they come in at all.

 

[fmj77]

Well, in my opinion it is insane to spend that much just to get several local stations. U r able to get them with Dish right now. Maintaining such high pole would be pain in the SS. U
can eventually get Elon Musk’s satellite internet next summer. That monthly cost will drop from 100 bucks to whatever. Then, u can stream your heart out. Financially, that cost does make no sense.

I am patiently waiting for Starlink and hoping I get an invite to the beta in January when more birds are in place over lower latitudes. I do believe when service rolls out that there will be data caps, though probably not as restrictive as the current GEO services.

 

[Altitudinous]

No outdoor antenna I have tried worked. Channels go in and out constantly, if they come in at all.

And they were antennas with built-in preamps?

 

[Tvland1]

I would order a Televes DaT Boss Mix LR from Lowes and try that..if it doesn't work nothing else will... They make the best long range antenna..