OTA select duplicate channels

[John Nv]

Hello everyone. I live in a deep fringe area but with a lot of effort and expense I am able to receive OTA channels. Two channels are broadcast on both high VHF and UHF from different towers. The UHF signal strength and quality is much better than the VHF, but the Dish channel scan always picks the VHF version, I suppose because they come up first. As a result I frequently lose signal or get breakups when trying to watch these OTA channels through Dish.

I tried unhooking my VHF antenna (I have separate VHF and UHF antennas) and doing a scan, and that got the UHF version of those channels and the signal strength increased by about 10 points. But doing this loses channel 8 which is only VHF, so that isn't acceptable.

Is there a trick to get the Dish scan to pick the UHF version of duplicate channels? I have a HWS with the latest update and the AirTV dual tuner dongle.

 

[rvvaquero]

Hello everyone. I live in a deep fringe area but with a lot of effort and expense I am able to receive OTA channels. Two channels are broadcast on both high VHF and UHF from different towers. The UHF signal strength and quality is much better than the VHF, but the Dish channel scan always picks the VHF version, I suppose because they come up first. As a result I frequently lose signal or get breakups when trying to watch these OTA channels through Dish.

I tried unhooking my VHF antenna (I have separate VHF and UHF antennas) and doing a scan, and that got the UHF version of those channels and the signal strength increased by about 10 points. But doing this loses channel 8 which is only VHF, so that isn't acceptable.

Is there a trick to get the Dish scan to pick the UHF version of duplicate channels? I have a HWS with the latest update and the AirTV dual tuner dongle.

You can't pick and choose which OTA channels to include in your guide like I can on my antique, outdated VIP receiver? On my receiver, I can add an individual channel by specifically telling it which channel to scan for and then add it to my guide.

 

[John Nv]

You can't pick and choose which OTA channels to include in your guide like I can on my antique, outdated VIP receiver? On my receiver, I can add an individual channel by specifically telling it which channel to scan for and then add it to my guide.

Nope. On my LG TV I can manually add or delete any channel, but not on Dish HWS. I don't think Hopper 3 does either, but I don't know that for sure.

 

[Tampa8]

Hello everyone. I live in a deep fringe area but with a lot of effort and expense I am able to receive OTA channels. Two channels are broadcast on both high VHF and UHF from different towers. The UHF signal strength and quality is much better than the VHF, but the Dish channel scan always picks the VHF version, I suppose because they come up first. As a result I frequently lose signal or get breakups when trying to watch these OTA channels through Dish.

I tried unhooking my VHF antenna (I have separate VHF and UHF antennas) and doing a scan, and that got the UHF version of those channels and the signal strength increased by about 10 points. But doing this loses channel 8 which is only VHF, so that isn't acceptable.

Is there a trick to get the Dish scan to pick the UHF version of duplicate channels? I have a HWS with the latest update and the AirTV dual tuner dongle.

What it really needs and I assume it does not have is the ability TIVO has, to add channels without deleting existing ones. Have you tried swinging the antenna so it gets such a low signal it takes the UHF but still having enough signal for channel 8? If that works then you can move the antenna back.

 

[John Nv]

What it really needs and I assume it does not have is the ability TIVO has, to add channels without deleting existing ones. Have you tried swinging the antenna so it gets such a low signal it takes the UHF but still having enough signal for channel 8? If that works then you can move the antenna back.

I agree, Dish needs to have channel selection abilities similar to Tivo and Tablo. As for swinging the antenna around, I don't think that will work because channel 8 and the other 2 VHF channels are all in the same direction.

 

[Tampa8]

I agree, Dish needs to have channel selection abilities similar to Tivo and Tablo. As for swinging the antenna around, I don't think that will work because channel 8 and the other 2 VHF channels are all in the same direction.

It's possible channel 8 could still be scanned in while you can get the other VHF channel you don't want to be so low it won't and the UHF one will. Hope you get it figured out.

 

[dare2be]

I agree, Dish needs to have channel selection abilities similar to Tivo and Tablo.

And Dish's ViP receivers.

 

[rvvaquero]

I have a VIP 211K. With the Hopper and Wally receivers, can you delete ota channels after scanning so those 15 or 20 trash channels don't populate your guide?

 

[Bobby]

I have a VIP 211K. With the Hopper and Wally receivers, can you delete ota channels after scanning so those 15 or 20 trash channels don't populate your guide?

Yes.

 

[Tampa8]

And Dish's ViP receivers.

My VIP receivers do! I can add channels one by one without changing others. A slightly different way than TIVO etc but it accomplishes the same.

 

[Jim5506]

The problem is with the Hopper software.

It clears all the previous station data with every scan and you can't add channels manually.

What I don't understand is why having the same station on a VHF frequency and a UHF frequency would prevent the UHF from registering, surely they dont have the same PID's or SPID's and if they do the station needs to change them.

We have had duplicate channels like that in the past and they were both seen by the tuner software.

If you have an AYSC tuner card or dongle on a PC, download TSReaderlite and look at the PID's and PSID's.

 

[xyz38]

How do you determine if a channel is UHF or VHF?

 

[Bobby]

How do you determine if a channel is UHF or VHF?

Channels 2-13 are VHF, 14 to 83 are UHF. It is important, these days, to note that there are two methods of channel numbers. They are Real and Virtual. Virtual channels numbers are the familiar channels that have existed for decades. When TV went from analog to digital, nearly every station maintained their original channels number or cable TV number. Most of the channels that were 2-13 went to UHF channels. An example would be KTVU, Channel 2 in San Francisco. They originally transmitted on VHF channel 2. When they went digital, they now transmit on on UHF channel 44. But, they still show up on your TV as channel 2 by mapping down to that channel. This was done to keep the confusion down for TV watchers. IMO opinion, it causes more confusion today because of the virtual and real scenario. It is only going to get worse in the near future because the UHF TV band in going to get smaller and TV stations will be sharing channels.

 

[Tampa8]

We do have a situation here of actual channel 7 being both virtual channel 8 and channel 38. Both are scanned in but channel 8 and 8.1 guide is duplicated on channel 38 and 38.1. Problem is channel 38 and 38.1 is different programming.

 

[mwdxer1]

Isn't ch 37 supposed to be the highest UHF channel now used. All of our translators are below 37 here (17-21-23-26-34). One thing I do wish that I had the OTA guide for all channels on the vip211k. I do have an outboard tuner I can get a day ahead, but that is about it. Since KPTV-12(FOX)/KPDX-49(MYTV) split away on our translator, we have no guide on either.

 

[John Nv]

I will try Tampa8's suggestion of temporarily changing the direction of the VHF antenna and doing a rescan this weekend. I tried bumping the pre-amp down to the low setting but that didn't work.

 

[John Nv]

I will try Tampa8's suggestion of temporarily changing the direction of the VHF antenna and doing a rescan this weekend. I tried bumping the pre-amp down to the low setting but that didn't work.

I tried changing the direction of the antenna but sadly it didn't work. Maybe the Dish programmers can enhance the OTA software to allow us to manually add channels that didn't scan in. That would be a big plus.

 

[dare2be]

I tried changing the direction of the antenna but sadly it didn't work. Maybe the Dish programmers can enhance the OTA software to allow us to manually add channels that didn't scan in. That would be a big plus.

You mean the feature that's in the ViP receivers but wasn't put in the Hopper?

 

[John Nv]

You mean the feature that's in the ViP receivers but wasn't put in the Hopper?

Apparently that is the case. I think OTA channels were an afterthought on the Hopper. But with all of the broadcast disputes and increasing fees, being able to receive OTA on Hoppers is increasingly important, at least it is to me.

 

[boba]

If it fits into your viewing interest and budget you could add a 211K receiver. There is a $40 charge for the software but no monthly DVR fee. The 211K does have a $7 per month additional receiver fee. You will have to add your own hard drive, how good a shopper are you? For OTA the 211K has a built in tuner no dongle required, and it is more sensitive than the dongle I bought for my Wally.