Technical question re: D*/Cable/OTA

[alta]

I have D* and basic cable (its free) running to my TVs and D* receivers through the same coax. It works fine. I had an installer put up a HD OTA antenna so I can get my locals in HD. The D* and cable still work, but the OTA signals do not come through.

The installer is guessing that the OTA antenna has a dual directional power source that isn't compatible with the cable signal. He suggests that I disconnect the cable. As much as I don't want to give props to cable, it is the only signal that is reliable in severe weather, and that's when I need a signal most.

Do any of the experts out there have any input?????

 

[Jim5506]

If the OTA antenna is an amplified one, then it is probably the power from the D* receiver to its dish that is wrong for the amplifier at the antenna (might burn up the amplifier if voltage is too high).

Unless you are very lucky, your OTA channels also might be on the same frequency and interfere with cable channels from 2-13.

Another consideration is that channels above 13 are totally different from OTA to cable and TV tuners must be switched from their cable setting to antenna before any of these channels can be seen.

 

[lilyarbie]

Best choice is to run all of your tv signal lines separately (satellite lines, cable lines, Antenna lines, etc.) This will give you as little loss due to splits in the signal as possible when having to use diplexors and splitters to get the signals back out. Also, it will reduce the likelihood of getting interference by using signal frequencies that overlap. Channels 2-13 are the same as channels 2-13 on cable frequency-wise. Channels 14-69 also conflict with channels 14 and above since there are several channels on the UHF band that tend to conflict with other channels on cable, even though for the most part cable band frequencies past channel 14 and UHF band frequencies past channel 14 are set on different frequencies. One cable might be convenient, but as I described above, it can be a pain in the tail to make it all work right.