Our BUD isn't overnighting @ G4 as much....

[phlatwound]

......since I installed a new OTA antenna, preamp and cabling at our house.

We live way out in the sticks, about 50 miles from the transmission towers and down in a hollow, so until we got our first FTA receiver this spring, we had never had good reception on all the major OTA networks, some (ABC & CBS) were really terrible.

BUD spent a lot of time pointing @ 99W soaking up the Carribean net mux, and my family was willing to overlook the time I spent with tv and receiver out in the yard.....in the dark.....mumbling exotic acronyms.....and occasionally doing my happy dance.

Short story long, I put up a Channel Master 4228 w/CM7777 preamp on our tower and ran new RG-6 to 4 rooms in our house. We have no tvs w/ATSC tuners (yet), and only one converter box, but we are now receiving all our locals (plus some new subchannels) between 92-100%, on the set with the dig box....and the other 3 tvs that are still being fed NTSC have excellent pics on ABC, CBS, FOX & PBS...and NBC is very watchable.

Conclusion: Great antenna, great preamp.....installer was a total dork. :

 

[lumpkin666]

.Conclusion: Great antenna, great preamp.....installer was a total dork. :

I take it you weren't the installer then??

I helped a buddy tune up his system for digital - we're 65 miles from the nearest digital transmitter. He was getting decent watchable signal using his 25 year old antenna on a tower, but got a tremendous increase in signal strength by simply replacing the worn out cable with new quad-shield RG6. We ended up putting up a new phillips "hdtv" antenna, and that helped a bit too, but the new cable was the best part of the upgrade.

I just got a DTV-PAL (okay a TR-40, but it says it's a DTV-PAL on the firmware screen). I hooked it up to some cheap-o rabbit ears that were given to me by my cable company when they were fighting with FOX (long stupid story). i was surprised that from my 2nd story, I could peak out about 65% - 70% signal from 65 miles away on a couple stations! I'm going to pick up a DB8 sometime soon and see how mounting that outside ontop of the house will work for my area.

 

[Anole]

Yes, good work.
Which brand of converter did you use?
They're not all created equally.
A few have better tuners.
My Channel Master 7000 seems to be in the "A" category.

 

[phlatwound]

I take it you weren't the installer then??

I helped a buddy tune up his system for digital - we're 65 miles from the nearest digital transmitter. He was getting decent watchable signal using his 25 year old antenna on a tower, but got a tremendous increase in signal strength by simply replacing the worn out cable with new quad-shield RG6. We ended up putting up a new phillips "hdtv" antenna, and that helped a bit too, but the new cable was the best part of the upgrade.

I just got a DTV-PAL (okay a TR-40, but it says it's a DTV-PAL on the firmware screen). I hooked it up to some cheap-o rabbit ears that were given to me by my cable company when they were fighting with FOX (long stupid story). i was surprised that from my 2nd story, I could peak out about 65% - 70% signal from 65 miles away on a couple stations! I'm going to pick up a DB8 sometime soon and see how mounting that outside ontop of the house will work for my area.

Let's just say I bear more than a passing resemblance to the "installer", beyond that, I'll plead the 5th Amendment.

You can see my old UHF-VHF antenna (as well as my little homemade "coat hanger" antenna experiment, it did great!) in the pic above the 4228, not only was it damaged from the ice storm we had in 2007, one of the leads from the old 300 ohm flat cable had been pulled loose, and I couldn't have reached it without bringing my tower to the ground.

New cable works wonders, I have already changed out the old stuff for a couple of friends, made quite a difference.

That's fantastic the signal you are picking with just rabbit ears, you'll be pegging your meter with any decent outdoor antenna. You might consider the CM4228, it's excellent for UHF and does well on the hi-VHF channels also.

 

[phlatwound]

Yes, good work.
Which brand of converter did you use?
They're not all created equally.
A few have better tuners.
My Channel Master 7000 seems to be in the "A" category.

Thanks, Anole! I have an Apex DT-250, had a couple of gov. coupons that I let sit and ended up with the Apex from Circuit City on the last day they were still valid. It was hard to find any CECBs around here when I got mine, everyone was out of stock, my fault for waiting as long as I did.

I've heard that CM 7000 is a very nice unit, and after my experience with the CM4228/7777 combo I'm a big fan of their OTA products. I see that the CM7000 is on the CECB list, I'll give it a good look, don't think we have any dealers locally so I would probably have to buy online. Any suggestions for a source?

Here's the numbers I'm getting with the Apex:

KYTV (3-1 NBC, 3-2 CW & 3-3 WeatherPlus)-92%
KOLR (CBS)-97%
KOZK (21-1 PBS, 21-2 PBS HD & 21-3 Create)-100%
KSFX (FOX)-97%
KSPR (ABC)-100%

 

[empiretc]

(as well as my little homemade "coat hanger" antenna experiment, it did great!)

yes. i took down my 8ft OTA antenna from the top of my house. it was mediocre. i built a coat hanger antenna and mounted it in the attic. signal is 95% from a station 65 miles away.

i am very happy with the results and the wife is very happy that ugly thing is not sitting on top of the house any more.

 

[Anole]

techological spiral

I've heard that CM 7000 is a very nice unit, and after my experience with the CM4228/7777 combo I'm a big fan of their OTA products.
I see that the CM7000 is on the CECB list, I'll give it a good look, don't think we have any dealers locally so I would probably have to buy online.
Any suggestions for a source?

Here's the numbers I'm getting with the Apex: . . .

With numbers like those, I don't think you need a better converter! -

I got my CM 7000 at Fry's Electronics a few months back, for $59.95 - $40 coupon
Solid Signal (.com) sells them for a bit more, plus shipping...
It sports S-video out, and a 12 hour guide.

You might also consider the Dish Network DTV Pal from a local Sears.
Problem around here, is that the guide data isn't really being transmitted all that many hours ahead so these boxes can't really claim bragging rights.

Sounds like your antenna farm is doing all the work.
Makes a great adjunct to FTA.
Those digital OTA signals (even through a converter box) are beautiful!
Might be time for you to get a hi def TV set, and skip the converter box.
Of course, you know what that would lead to: hi def FTA..! -

 

[phlatwound]

I got my CM 7000 at Fry's Electronics a few months back, for $59.95 - $40 coupon
Solid Signal (.com) sells them for a bit more, plus shipping...
It sports S-video out, and a 12 hour guide.

You might also consider the Dish Network DTV Pal from a local Sears.
Problem around here, is that the guide data isn't really being transmitted all that many hours ahead so these boxes can't really claim bragging rights.

Sounds like your antenna farm is doing all the work.
Makes a great adjunct to FTA.
Those digital OTA signals (even through a converter box) are beautiful!
Might be time for you to get a hi def TV set, and skip the converter box.
Of course, you know what that would lead to: hi def FTA..! -

Really impressed with the Apex so far, it was $59.99 - $40 also.

That CM7000 looks to be a steal at that price, I would use the S-video connection....and that "Scan Add" feature sounds cool for someone using a rotator.

My antenna farm is really doing all the work now....as of an hour ago I completely tore down my C-band and FTA receiver setup.

We are moving the ent. center cabinet downstairs and putting in a base cabinet with open wall shelving above for my FTA toys, it was really a pain in the butt to hook up/change receivers and cables in the enclosed shelving, this will be much nicer.

And yes, that open shelving above the base cabinet is going to have an open space in the middle, approximately 50" wide, for a new HDTV.......just as soon as the wife realizes what a wise and prudent investment it would be.

I have seen how amazingly good the OTA HD signals look on my Mom's HDTV, and my Diamond & Neusat 9000HDs are ready to be used to their full potential!

 

[phlatwound]

yes. i took down my 8ft OTA antenna from the top of my house. it was mediocre. i built a coat hanger antenna and mounted it in the attic. signal is 95% from a station 65 miles away.

i am very happy with the results and the wife is very happy that ugly thing is not sitting on top of the house any more.

I had my coat hanger antenna hooked up for about 3 weeks, until I got the CM4228, and was getting signals in the 70s on everything, great picture with no breakup at all.

Nobody that saw it believed I was actually using it, they insisted that the big old UHF-VHF antenna above it had to be the one that was hooked up.

 

[empiretc]

how is the reception with the CM4228?

 

[Mr Tony]

very nice setup. Now the folks can watch something on nets while you watch a game in HD

How high is the tower?

 

[phlatwound]

how is the reception with the CM4228?

In a word, outstanding! I posted my SQ% numbers above, and those are all the channels that are available for the direction I have the 4228 pointed.

I could swing it approximately 180 degrees and get the Joplin, MO stations but they don't have as many stations, and they would just be repeats of what I already have.

Signal levels should be even better this winter, the 4228 is looking directly into a fully-leaved walnut tree that's about 30' away, that has to be hurting the signal somewhat. My Stihl chainsaw will be having a chat with that tree sometime in January methinks.

 

[phlatwound]

very nice setup. Now the folks can watch something on nets while you watch a game in HD

How high is the tower?

I can't WAIT to get an HDTV, I've seen the OTA HD at my Mom's house, had no idea how good HD really looked, it's awesome. Hoping some FTA HD is in my VERY near future.

That tower is about 50' to the top, I salvaged a 150 footer that went down in a tornado and got enough good pieces to build what I have.

We got the base cabinet set today and I cut/hole sawed a few openings in it....reset and recabled all my tv/receivers/vcr/dvd and...............................

IT ACTUALLY WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[turbosat]

Leaves already falling like crazy off my walnut trees (black walnut) so maybe yours will be soon.
They're the last to leaf out down here, and about the first trees to start dropping them, thankfully. Maybe they won't have to die after all!
Unless its necessary of course lol.

 

[phlatwound]

Leaves already falling like crazy off my walnut trees (black walnut) so maybe yours will be soon.
They're the last to leaf out down here, and about the first trees to start dropping them, thankfully. Maybe they won't have to die after all!
Unless its necessary of course lol.

Same here, last to get leaves, first to fall. We have literally hundreds of black walnut trees on our farm, the one that's blocking the OTA antenna is also hanging over the house.

I could even live with that, but......................................it's blocking my BUD's LOS east of 87W.

Unacceptable!