TV - Antennas - HDTV - Converter Boxs

Greetings all !,

Given the excessive cost of Cable or Dish Satellite services today, many are installing their own Antenna, and taking advantage of the FREE Standard Definition (SD), and High Definition (HD) programming, which is available Over the Air (OTA).

I personally can receive over 50 channels with my Attic Mounted VHF/UHF/FM Antenna which I installed myself, and, have installed numerous other systems before I retired. I expect that with the Digital Changeover in February 2009, that the amount of Digital/UHF channels which one can receive now, will increase at least two fold.

If I can help you select an Antenna or other component which would provide you with this Free entertainment source, please post your questions, and I'm sure that several others here on this site, could provide you with considerable valuable advice about your selection and setup also.

Have a good Day !
S.W.

Hello SWHouston, welcome to the forum I hope you will like it here.

Thank you ever so much for this kind offer of help. I hope people will see this and start reacting because as it looks like from here (outside the U.S.) with the prices of everything going up in the U.S. this would be a wonderful alternative to paid institutional viewing

Jeffie,
Your warm welcome is greatly appreciated, and with that, no doubt i will like it here !

Be glas to do what I can to help someone get started in OTA, any way i can.

I'm working on a list of Transmitter Locator Calculators, and will post it soon.
You use those to see/find which Stations are available at your location to watch, and, the direction you point your Antenna toward, to receive them.

Have a good Day !
S.W.

I'm looking forward to that list, SWHouston Although I personally am not located in the U.S. I am sure there would be many people interested in it. And, thus, I hope they will see it (when published )

Just a few Links here, which should be helpful, when you choose an Antenna.

Point to Point, Mileage and Azimuth:
Indo:
http://www.indo.com/distance/
Enter your City and State of where you are, then the City and State then want to aim.
Gives you a Line of Sight (LOS) distance in miles, and direction in Azimuth° for aiming your antenna.
You may need to make a small adjustment in aiming, this is a basic distance/directional calculator.
Magnetic Declination° will influence your final aiming point.

LONGITUDE-LATITUDE Finder:

Juggling:
http://www.juggling.org/bin/un.cgi/map-find
Yet another tedious process, of clicking, centering and enlarging , to view a map of your city street, and it’s up to you to
center it on your house. The more time you take with it, the more accurate the coordinates will be. At least the Long/Lat is easy to read!

Naffis/Robogeo:
http://www.naffis.com/maphacks/latandlon.html
A somewhat tedious process of moving and enlarging their map, much like the Acrobat Hand grab to move, then double click on the “place”, to see your coordinates. I think they should have named their Site “nitpick.com”, I’ve never seen a Lon/Lat written, with SO many digits ! VERY ACCURATE !

NOTE: (For USA Residents)
Remember, when entering your LONGITUDE on a “Lookup” or other “finder”,
you should use the MINUS sign “-“ in front of that number.
Latitude is always positive number, so no entry like “+” is needed there.

EXCEPTION:
When the Calculator has places to click on direction, then DON’T use the minus
US Longitude is always WEST, and Latitude is always NORTH.

MAGNETIC DECLINATION LOOKUP:

NOAA:
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/declination.shtml
Zip Code min requirement, but Lon/Lat gets more accurate Info.
Gives Dec in Degrees and Minutes, and don’t put a minus in front of Longitude here.

NRCAN:
http://www.geomag.nrcan.gc.ca/apps/mdcal_e.php
Need Longitude n Latitude.
Just about the same as the first one, a little different process, but gives
Dec in Degrees and Minutes, and no Minus is necessary.

NOTE:
When it says your Declination is EAST, it means it’s MINUS°.
When it says WEST, then it’s PLUS°.

Transmitter Coverage Map:

TVFool:
http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper& Itemid=80
Gives the Polar/Propagation Graph/Map, of the area the Transmitter covers.

LONGITUDE-LATITUDE REVERSE-LOOKUP:

Map Quest:
http://www.atlas.mapquest.com/maps/latlong.adp
Enter the GPS Coordinates (fully), and with a few clicks on the “enlarge” button, you have a quite clear street map, with about a six block view. I can’t guarantee how accurate this Lookup is, but, it may be a good way for you to test if you have the Lon/Lat numbers right, for your house.

Hope this helps.

Have a good Day !
S.W.

Post edited by: SWHouston, at: 2008/08/03 18:10

ANTENNA LOCATOR CALCULATORS:

2150.com Tower Locator:
http://www.2150.com/broadcast/default.asp
A very clear and reasonably informative site, but, you will need your GPS Coordinates, and, and this one will permit you to sort your list by “direction”. This Site does not “suggest” the type (color) Antenna for your location.

CEA Antenna Tower Locator:
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx
A clear and reasonably informative site, and all you’ll need is your Address, City, State for this one, fill out the form completely. This Site provides you with the “color” reference for your Antenna, and may include more distant Towers.

TVFool Website Tower Locator:
http://www.tvfool.com/
A no frills Chart, with LOTS of info on the Transmitters. You may like the abundance of information, but, what you want to watch, the Direction and Distance, are the most important issues. You have the ability here, to sort between VHF and UHF Stations.

Winegard Tower Locator:
http://www.ota.winegarddirect.com/
A neat locator, with simple entries. Gives a nice map and shows the nearest Transmitter Group, with a recommendation for which antenna is best.

Terrestrial Digital Tower Locator:
http://www.antennapoint.com
A neat Graphical Map with Icons of the Tower location. Street address thru Zip, gets it, with a scrolling chart of the towers. Shows distant towers too.

And last but not least

Radiostation World Station Frequency Locator:
http://radiostationworld.com/Locations/ United_States_of_America/usastates.asp
Select your State, then City, and see all the Radio Stations available. I just threw this one in for kicks !

Have a good Day !
S.W.

Post edited by: SWHouston, at: 2008/08/03 18:05

Wow! S.W., thank you so much. Perhaps this topic should become a 'sticky' - it seems to me many people can profit from it.

Jeffie,

I would be very honored to have one of my threads made Sticky here, Thank You!

As a side note concerning the above Links, I would be interested in knowing how they worked for those who are not USA Residents. It is quite possible that some may give you the locations of Towers regardless of where you are, and, the same rules/procedures in setting up an Antenna for you, are the same for all. If someone has the time, please check these links out and let us know !

Have a good Day !
S.W.

It's made sticky. I think this is a great endeavor and hope many more people will make use of it - thank you very much, SWHouston

Personally i am not going to try it until about half a year from now when the situation I find myself at the moment will have changed.

I will let you know by then (but hope we'll stay in contact until then)

Jeffie,
One of the first things to consider in installing your own Antenna is:

IS IT WORTH IT ?

If you don’t know how many channels are available, and subsequently how many of those “receivable” channels are of interest to you, then you can’t make an informed decision to “go ahead” with the project.

This is the reason for the “Transmitter Locator Calculators”, you see listed above.
If you’re trying to reduce your operating cost, I assure you that is possible.

An initial cost of probably less than $100.us, will get you watching most of the National Channels in SD and HD, plus several other minor stations. Your location will greatly influence this number, thus the “Locator” comes into play.

At the average Rates of Monthly Service from a Cable or Satellite company, you could realize a payback on the investment in as little as one or two months, and from that point forward, your viewing entertainment would be FREE OF CHARGE !

Have a good Day !
S.W.

Note: (FYI)
The Transmitter Locator, identifies any/all TV Transmitter whose signal is receivable at your location.
You enter where you are at,
they already know where the Transmitter is,
they will probably take in to consideration, any obstacles which may interfere with that signal,
and give you a “rating” in “signal strength”, that those Channels will deliver at your location.

That “rating” is in Minus Decibels (-db) and the more minus it is, the weaker the station.
So, as a rule of thumb, a rating of –60db or less, would be considered a very good signal.

Post edited by: SWHouston, at: 2008/10/15 05:09

SWHouston as always with this subject: thank you so very much for making me wiser about it and I hope it will also work that way from outside the U.S. -

Come time I will go through this step by step

In the meantime I hope that our other members, located in the U.S., will read this and take advantage of it

TV Digital to Analog Converter Box Coupons

NTIA application period will conclude on March 31, 2009.

Apply for your coupons at:
http://www.dtv2009.gov/

Keep in mind, you will have 90 days to use the Coupon after the marked date.

There is a great FAQ at this website, to answer many of your questions.

Have a good Day !
S.W.

DtA Digital Converter Box Features

The following are various features of Digital to Analog Converter Boxes which you may consider before purchasing one. Not all Boxes have all of these features. Which of these would be most important to you ?

Coupon Eligible
Remote Control (IR/full featured)
Analog Pass-through
Enhanced Digital Tuner (for weak signals)
Receiver Narrow ATSC Bandwidth (<6.0M)
Electronic Program Guide (2 hr ďż˝ 8 Day, area dependant)
Software Updatable (Programmable)
Parental Control (V-Chip w Downloadable Rating)
Favorite Channel (edit)
Manual Ch Setup
Auto-Scan
Auto Power down
Sound, Stereo, Digital Dolby
Emergency Alert System (EAS)
Signal Strength Indicator
Aspect Ratio choice (4:3 or 16:9)
Close Caption (fonts, size and position on screen)
Output Cable Type, Coax �F� Connector, Composite, S-Video, Component
VCR Timer
Rotator Compatible (Lets you add channels for each compass orientation)
Battery/AC Operation
Energy Star compliance

These and other freatures can be seen at...
Converter Box Features
In the box on the right, select “Converter Boxes – Product Features”,
then click on “Compare all Models”.

Have a good Day !
S.W.

its going to be a repeated topic for next 24 to 36 months so many do not understand..

hobbist,

Yes!, many can not afford fancy new TV, VCR and must get DtA Box to make do.
But, one DtA Box much different from other. One must make careful choice,
or much disappointment is had.

Have a good Day !
S.W.

Post edited by: SWHouston, at: 2008/10/15 05:05

DIGITAL CONVERTER BOX – POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS (1)

Digital Television is available now! These and other viewing configurations are possible with the Digital to Analog Converter Boxes available today.

Description of Components:
Type A TV, A Black/White/Color, NTSC/Analog TV, with only one “F” Coaxial Input Connector.
Figures A-C, show a Converter Box with a “Passthrough”.
Figures D-E, show a Converter Box without a “Passthrough”.
Signal Source, is a VHF/UHF Standard Outdoor or VHF/UHF Indoor Antenna. (location dependant)
Splitters, should be 5-1000Mhz, 3.5dB.
A/B, A/B/C Switches, may be Manual or Electronic.
Figures “F”; are standard “F” Coaxial Connectors, and 75 Ohm Connecting Cables.
Figures “A/V”, are standard Audio/Video Composite, S-Video/Audio or Component/Audio Cables.

Houston32.jpg here:


Have a good Day !
S.W.

Post edited by: SWHouston, at: 2008/10/25 07:18

Mr. Houston,
I'm shore glad to see ya drawins hear like this, everybody kept on sayin ya couldn'st be watchin a channel, while'st ya was recordin another, without havin another one of dem boxes.
I got a friend who sent off for the coupons and got a box like that, and it didn'st show none of how to wire it up like you got hear. I guess dis be savin somebody from buyin another box, iffin they didn'st be having to, right Sa?

Cavil

Cavil,

That's the main idea ! But, it only applies as long as there is Analog to watch !

The whole concept of getting a Converter Box with a Coupon, was to get the cost of watching TV, down where Families with a very low income, could continue. And yes, the Manufacturers don’t usually go into some of the alternate connections, which would make their viewing experience a lot better. This too is why I focused on the “Type-A” TV, since it was the original type, and the most probable of any, for those with a limited income.

If you just relied on how they said set the Box up, it would cut off the Analog stations which they’re used to watching, immediately! My objective, though it would cost a little more, enables them to continue to watch Analog as long as it’s available, if they had chosen a Box, that didn’t have a Pass-through. (in other words, stuck with it)

The cost of a Splitter, a couple Coax Cables and a A/B Switch, would be well below what another Box cost. Also, a LOT of the Analog stations haven’t changed over to Digital yet, nor do they do Simul-casting at this point either. (the same program on Digital as is on Analog) So it’s possible they wouldn’t be able to watch their favorite programs on Digital, at this time. Additionally, many of the Digital Stations are not broadcasting at full power yet, and changing to just the Box without the alternate VHF/Analog source, could reduce the number of channels available, drastically !

I think the point being, is that a lot of people are rushing into getting a Box, without considering the “features”, and subsequently not getting the performance out of it, that they expected. There are many Boxes out there now, and not all have all the features one might want. Two of the most important seem to be a “Pass-though”, and a function where they can Record Sequential programs on different channels, with their existing VCR (or DVDR), without having to reset the channel on the Converter Box manually.

I’ve only found one resource, where there’s a checklist of the many features that different Converter Boxes have. That being at….
http://www.solidsignal.com/dtv2009/compare/digital/ converter/boxes/
In the box on the right, select “Converter Boxes – Product Features”,
then click on “Compare all Models”.
On the Chart that is displayed, you can see the many features, and a checkmark by the Boxes which have the feature you’re most interested in.

Hopefully, this information will help someone make a more informed choice.

Have a good Day !
S.W.

I am sure there would be many people interested in it and you may like the abundance of information.