Wiring for OTA / Indoor or Outdoor Antenna

[ducttape38]

I'm currently a Dish subscriber and I'm thinking about making the switch to OTA HD. I'm trying to decide between an outdoor antenna or several indoor antennas. I have checked and I get about a 71 signal strength on my Sony TV with a pair of bunny ears I bought from best buy, so I think I will be OK as far as using an indoor antenna. However for convenience's sake and not having to have several antennas, one outdoor antenna would seem much easier.

The only thing that I am unsure of is the wiring. I've found this: ([ame=http://www.amazon.com/Terk-HD-TVS-Profile-Outdoor-Antenna/dp/B0006N2PDQ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1237146248&sr=1-5]Amazon.com: Terk HD-TVS Slim Profile Outdoor HDtv Antenna: Electronics[/ame]) Terk Antenna that I would be most likely to use. Would it be a good assumption that all I would need to do is take my current Dish antenna down, mount the new antenna and plug in the coax (since the house is pre-wired for cable)? Will I notice any loss of quality vs. using multiple indoor antennas?

Lastly, if I go the way of indoor antennas, I have two rooms right next to each other that I'd like to share a single antenna. I did a little test hooking my bunny ears to a splitter and then to the wiring that Dish put in when they installed a two-room system, and I got both TV's to receive the signal. The only thing I am worried about is the loss of quality with the signal being split. Will there be any difference with the signal being split once? Is there such thing as an amplified splitter I can buy to help minimize the effects?

Any help would be appreciated

 

[Don_M]

That antenna is expensive, and it won't do a good job at all pulling in Charlotte's PBS affiliate, whose digital broadcast is on VHF-high channel 11. See this review for more details. Instead, get a compact VHF-high/UHF model such as the Channel Master 2016: Its gain will be significantly better for UHF channels (which are most of your stations), and magnitudes better on channels 7-13. Best of all, it costs only half as much as the HDTVS. If you can get a single indoor antenna to provide sufficient signals for two TVs, the 2016 will be more than enough antenna as well.

Would it be a good assumption that all I would need to do is take my current Dish antenna down, mount the new antenna and plug in the coax (since the house is pre-wired for cable)?

You can as long as the antenna is aimed at the horizon in the direction of the broadcast signals at that location. If the antenna would have to face the roof to be pointed at the stations, re-locating the mount might be necessary. The coax is usable for OTA viewing.

Will I notice any loss of quality vs. using multiple indoor antennas?

You'll get much cleaner, stronger signals from an outdoor antenna that's pointed at the signals for two reasons: The antenna is up higher, and it's not obstructed by the walls of the house.

Will there be any difference with the signal being split once?

Your test using the indoor antenna answered that question: probably not. In OTA DTV, you get one of three results: a perfect picture; a perfect picture that freezes or drops out occasionally; or nothing at all. If the picture's already perfect and uninterrupted, it can't be improved.

Is there such thing as an amplified splitter I can buy to help minimize the effects?

Amplified splitters exist, but you probably don't need one based on your experiment with the indoor antenna.

 

[ducttape38]

Great, thanks so much for your help! I'll definitely look into the antenna you recommended. According to a map of where the signals are coming from in relation to my house, I shouldn't even have to re-locate the mount.

So basically all I need to do is take the dish down and put the new antenna in and then screw in the coax. I'll have to get up on the roof just to make sure (and check with the cable box full of wiring on the side of my house), but it looks like I'll stick with the outdoor antenna.

 

[boba]

AntennaWeb & TV Fool - Home are two good sources to find what you need for antennas. Stay away from TERK antennas you will most of the time pay more and get less. Channel Master and Winegard are two old names in the antenna industry both over 50 years.

 

[CowboyDren]

Great, thanks so much for your help! I'll definitely look into the antenna you recommended. According to a map of where the signals are coming from in relation to my house, I shouldn't even have to re-locate the mount.

Whatever you do, DON'T "relocate" your dish mount, especially if it's on your roof. It's fine to remove the mast from the footing, but do not attempt to remove the footing and it's screws unless you're prepared to replace that section of your roofing material. Just install a new footing and mast wherever you need it, like this one:

DS-3000 38 Inch J-Mount for DBS Satellite Dish Outdoor TV Antenna DS3000

If you're north-east of the towers, and your dish is on the south side of your house, you probably won't need anything fancy. You can slap on a $13 Eagle Aspen UHF antenna (which a lot of people report works well with VHF 7-13), aim it at the transmitter hill, link the coax, and call it a day.

DIRECTV 2 Bay UHF Antenna HDTV Digital Channel 14 - 69 By Eagle Aspen DTV2BUHF Two Bay HD Bowtie TV Outdoor Roof Top Local Signal Bow Tie Aerial, RED ZONE, Part # DTV2B-UHF: Oak Entertainment Centers and Home Office Furniture, TV Antennas, Audio/Vide

 

[elder]

Instead, get a compact VHF-high/UHF model such as the Channel Master 2016: Its gain will be significantly better for UHF channels (which are most of your stations), and magnitudes better on channels 7-13. Best of all, it costs only half as much as the HDTVS. If you can get a single indoor antenna to provide sufficient signals for two TVs, the 2016 will be more than enough antenna as well.

Where did you find the best price on the Channel Master 2016? I googled it and didn't find many sources, Amazon had Crutchfield at $49.99..

 

[No Static At All]

The 2016 is cheaper at Solid Signal. For a few more dollars, they also offer the excellent Winegard 7694. The 7694 is better for hooking up multiple TV's if it isn't too large for your situation. (The 7694 is actually smaller than the picture shown)

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=CM2016

http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?prod=HD7694P

 

[Larobpra]

I would get something besides the Terk. When our main local station went DTV in February, they went from channel 35 back to channel 7. They did a story on how people were receiving or not receiving the new signal. One guy had an antenna that looked very similar to the Terk which he said he paid $200 for. He had been getting the ch. 35 signal OK, but couldn't get the new signal until he hooked back up to a ratty looking old antenna in his back yard!

 

[Cadsulfide]

Terk antenna's are junk. A good quality outdoor antenna will do you a lot better than any glitzy plastic coated stuff hawked as digital ready, hd, etc. If you are a diy kinda person, Google Hovermann, those Canadians are doing some cool stuff.

 

[navychop]

Just to beat this to death, Terk is generally viewed as good looking, under performing and over priced.

 

[CowboyDren]

"I play hockey and I fornicate, 'cause those are the two most fun things to do in cold weather." (Mystery, Alaska)

Looks like "Design Kickass Antennas" should be added to the list, eh?

 

[Crew]

New antenna connection

Sorry to leech off of your thread, but I'm looking to do the same thing and have a question about a connection detail. My Direct TV set up has two cables from the dish to a splitter box outside the house (one marked 18V, one 13V). Would one of these go to my new OTA antenna with the splitter box continuing to split the signals among my TVs, or do I need to connect the cable leaving the splitter box to the new OTA antenna?

By the way, the new antenna is a Clear Stream C2. Any rips or raves?

 

[No Static At All]

By the way, the new antenna is a Clear Stream C2. Any rips or raves?

It should work if you are only seeking UHF stations that are relatively strong. The C2 is not recommended for VHF reception.

 

[Don_M]

The 2016 is cheaper at Solid Signal. For a few more dollars, they also offer the excellent Winegard 7694. The 7694 is better for hooking up multiple TV's if it isn't too large for your situation.

I concur: The 7694 is the superior choice, and I usually recommend it with TVFool numbers like these. But the key here is the phrase, "if it isn't too large," since the OP mentioned he'd prefer taking out his satellite dish and re-using its J-mount. Almost all of the CM 2016 mounts forward of the mast clamp, so it's almost certain to fit that situation. A 7694 would probably fit the mount. Then again, it might not in the presence of a very steeply pitched roof, a dormer or nearby vents or flues.

By the way, the new antenna is a Clear Stream C2. Any rips or raves?

It's not a bad antenna, but not quite as good as the DB-2 made by the same company for a lot less cash: A C2 costs almost as much as a CM4228 or a 91-XG (also made by Antennas Direct). I suspect a big reason so many people buy them is because retailers, anxious to snatch what is no doubt a big slug of gross profit on each unit, push them toward doing so. They'll certainly make more on C2s than they will on 91-XGs. Look at both antennas. Which one do you suppose costs a lot more to produce?

For another thing, the Antennas Direct now hypes the C2 as capable of picking up channels 7-69 out to a distance of 50 miles. For UHF (14-69), that range is perhaps doable with a high outdoor mount, signal line of sight, and few trees anywhere near the antenna's aperture. For VHF (7-13), it's absolutely laughable. I wouldn't count on a C2 for high-band reception past 15 miles, even under optimal conditions.

 

[spacebug42]

Cadsulfide, I would like to clarify on your statement about the Terk TV antennas being junk. It depends on which Terk antenna you are using. I haven't used any Terk TV antennas up until now. Last week I set up my Terk Pro TV34 outdoor HDTV antenna which replaced my Realistic (Radio Shack) XR-190 after the XR-190 got damaged from a severe windstorm a year ago. I am happy to say that I am picking up the same stations I did with the XR-190 - only stronger. I am refering to the analog broadcasts and not just the digital broadcasts. There are a handful of local TV stations which still broadcast their programs in analog format. The signal strength of the analog signals on the TV34 don't compare to the XR-190 - meaning that the gain is much better on the TV34 than the XR-190. The distant analog TV stations on the XR-190 were coming in with some snow while on the TV34, the same stations are coming in very clear with no noise. The TV34 antenna is currently mounted on a ChannelMaster TV rotator 26 feet above the ground. To my surprise, I also picked up several San Francisco Bay Area HDTV broadcasts on the Terk TV34 from KTVU (2.1 - Oakland), KICU (36.1 & 36.2 - San Jose), and KTEH (54.1, 54.2, 54.3, 54.4, and 54.5 - San Jose) - not bad at 26 feet off of the ground. I'm planning to raise it up another 20 feet so that I can raise the strength from 39% to at least 60%. I'm not striving for 100%, but just enough to not have any drop-outs.

 

[No Static At All]

I concur: The 7694 is the superior choice, and I usually recommend it with TVFool numbers like these. But the key here is the phrase, "if it isn't too large," since the OP mentioned he'd prefer taking out his satellite dish and re-using its J-mount.

My apologies Don_M,

I didn't notice the OP was wanting to re-use the j-mount.

 

[Don_M]

My apologies Don_M

No need at all -- just me being picky, pointing out the difference in mast-clamp location in case someone else in a similar situation happens to read this thread.