Trying to understand OTA and an OTA install with VOOM.

[Whiteice]

Hey all,

Reading la ittle bit here and there on the forums and trying to get a better understanding of this HD world with VOOM (This is my first HD content provider.) Anyhow what im wondering is this:

1) I live in an apartment complex. My particular apartment is a 2 story (I live on both floors) and having the equipment installed on the balcony that my current DTV is installed on with a tripod. Should there be any complications with trying to install an OTA antenna so I can have the ability of getting local HD content? I guess I just dont understand how the OTA is installed as opposed to the regular VOOM dish. Is the OTA antenna a part of the VOOM dish, or a seperate piece mounted someplace else? I ask because it is not an option to have anything installed on the roof (I do not feel like paying the $300 fee to have a sat dish installed on the roof, especially since im moving in a few months.)

TIA,
Whiteice

 

[wasch_24]

The antenna is a seperate piece of equipment. Most broadcasters are broadcasting their digital signal in the uhf range. You need to go to www.antennaweb.org and input your address to determine if your balcony faces the towers in your area. If not you will need a very tall pole to put the antenna up over the roof line of your apartment. If you are really close to the towers you may be able to get away with an indoor antenna. There are a lot of variables that go into receiving OTA signals so really the answer is "it depends".

 

[Whiteice]

This is what is listed for my address:

DTV Antenna
Type Call Sign Channel Network City State Live
Date Compass
Orientation Miles
From Frequency
Assignment
* yellow - uhf KTVU-DT 2.1 FOX Oakland CA 278° 25.9 56
* yellow - uhf KSTS-DT 48.1 TEL SAN JOSE CA 117° 10.9 49
* yellow - uhf KTEH-DT 50 PBS San Jose CA Currently Not Available 119° 11.6 50
* yellow - uhf KFSF-DT 34.1 TFA VALLEJO CA 278° 25.9 34
* yellow - uhf KQED-DT 9.1 PBS San Francisco CA 278° 25.9 30
* yellow - uhf KMTP-DT 33 IND San Francisco CA FCC Ext 278° 25.9 33
* yellow - uhf KRON-DT 4.1 IND San Francisco CA 278° 25.9 57
* yellow - uhf KDTV-DT 14.1 UNI SAN FRANCISCO CA 117° 10.9 51
* yellow - uhf KPIX-DT 5.1 CBS San Francisco CA 278° 25.9 29
* yellow - uhf KTSF-DT 26.1 IND SAN FRANCISCO CA 269° 23.4 27
* yellow - uhf KBWB-DT 20.1 WB San Francisco CA 278° 25.9 19
* yellow - uhf KGO-DT 7.1 ABC San Francisco CA 278° 25.9 24
* yellow - uhf KKPX-DT 65.1 PAX SAN JOSE CA 269° 23.4 41
* yellow - uhf KBHK-DT 44.1 UPN San Francisco CA 278° 25.9 45
* yellow - uhf KCNS-DT 38.1 SAH SAN FRANCISCO CA 278° 25.9 39
* yellow - uhf KCSM-DT 43.1 PBS San Mateo CA 278° 25.9 43
* yellow - uhf KICU-DT 36.1 IND SAN JOSE CA 119° 11.6 52
* red - vhf KNTV-DT 11.1 NBC San Jose CA 149° 35.4 12
* violet - uhf KSMS-DT 31.1 UNI MONTEREY CA 144° 40.8 31
* violet - uhf KTLN-DT 47.1 IND NOVATO CA 305° 49.0 47
* violet - vhf KSBW-DT 10.1 NBC Salinas CA 138° 65.1 10
Note:
The above listing is a conservative prediction of stations received. Depending on the specifics of your installation, you may be able to receive stations that


Sorry again, im new and trying to understand all the "HD" and "VOOM" talk. So please bare with me. I do appreciate all your time helping me out.

Whiteice

*EDIT* I now see what you are talking about after I had it load the map. Im pointing SE currently for my DTV (The whole area is just an open grass field. And most of the channels listed are SE to SW.) Is the antenna able to capture channels from a SE point and a SW point at the same time?

 

[wasch_24]

I had Voom upgrade me to the Winegard 8800 and I am picking up staions with about 6 degrees of seperation. What direction does your balcony face? You should be able to bring in the yellow stations with the standard Stealth antenna. It looks like they are all about 25 miles away with most being at 278 degrees. But you never know with OTA. They will definitely try with the Stealth first because you are technically within range.

EDIT: If your balcony faces 278 degrees or almost due west, then you should be good to go for OTA. Although, keep in mind that the Voom dish needs to point almost due east in CA so you may be SOL.

 

[Whiteice]

Only way I can describe the direction of my balcony is by the direction it faces to get DTV. If im not mistaken, im pointing SE to get it. But again, my balcony points over a HUGE open field so I can go SW as well. I guess I will just have to wait and see what happens with the install.

Whiteice

 

[DBENE]

whiteice,


I am in an apartment and my dish and OTA is mounted on my balcony and I get most of the local channels.

When the installor comes if not many OTA channels are present just fool around with until you get them.