<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Nov 8, 2013 at 3:12 PM, Roger Heflin <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:rogerheflin@gmail.com" target="_blank">rogerheflin@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">Depending on how far you are from the stations and what type of<br>
antenna you use you may need an amplifier to get enough signal, the<br>
more splitting you do the more the signal gets reduced, if you are<br>
really close a simple uni-directional powered antenna may be enough,<br>
if you are further away outside antennas are much much better.<br>
<br>
I have my outside antenna with an amp and powered splitter going to<br>
around 8-12 devices (combination of TV's and tuner cards).<br></blockquote><div><br></div><div>I have an in attic antenna with a power splitter. I noticed that the signal varies with weather and other unknown factors. Quite happy, for some reason my cable bill went up to $180 dollars before I cancelled it.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Comcast called me back and offered basic TV for $5 more a month not promotional since I already subscribed to their high speed internet, i almost fell for it, but thought no, they deactivate HDMI out on their free cable box so you have to use the RCA jacks. They will try to nickle and dime you until your bill reaches $200.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Here's my write up on the antenna:</div><div><br></div><div><p style="margin:0px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium">I live 30 miles south of San Francisco. Comcast finally encrypted all channels, so I had an incentive to put up my antenna. I thought I could get away with an indoor antenna placed nearby the TV, but this didn't work well, the channels were choppy. The most difficult channel to get was NBC. However, once I placed my antenna in the attic pointed at San Francisco, I could receive almost all the stations including CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, PBS, and a whole bunch others ones. It was a major difference between moving it from the third floor to the attic. I used a directional VHF/UHF antenna with a amplifier and rotator. The rotator is useless because the antenna should be pointed at san francisco to get the most channels, but it is good to fine tune the positioning though.</p>
<div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium"><p style="margin:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px">My cheap antenna costing less than $20 looked like this, although I wouldn't recommend it, since the rotation mechanism doesn't work well, it gets stuck: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-FX-ANT-105U-Outdoor/dp/B003FPEDYQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1381009487&sr=1-3&keywords=rotating+antenna">http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-FX-ANT-105U-Outdoor/dp/B003FPEDYQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1381009487&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=rotating+antenna</a>. Also the antenna seems cheap and not well put together. I am not an antenna designer, so I don't know but some pieces seem purely cosmetic.</p>
</div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium"><p style="margin:0px">Mounted it in the attic (not on the roof) using a pvc pipe/brackets costing less than $3. This setup is definitely watching and almost all the major channels are crystal clear!</p>
<p style="margin:0px"><br></p><div><div style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px"></div></div></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium"><p style="margin:0px">
After splitting the signal through an 6 way splitter, i noticed that the signal will degrade. However, most channels are watchable. I also noticed that the tuner may vary by devices. For example, my Silicon Dust HD Homerun seems to have trouble tuning into channels that are crystal clear on my HDTV sets.</p>
</div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium"><p style="margin:0px"><br></p></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium"><p style="margin:0px">
I also noticed that reception of some channels will vary from time to time. However, most of the channels are crystal clear and better than cable. I am still very satisfied that this is a $25 setup which gives me a clearer image than comcast. I still get some issues like pixelation/signal cut out a very small amount of time less than 5%, issues with channels NBC and sometimes ABC. I noticed this while watching recordings by the HD Homerun device.</p>
<p style="margin:0px"><br></p></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium"><p style="margin:0px">I want to try a few more things in these order to try to make the marginal channels clearer (especially for my HD Homerun device):</p>
</div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium"><p style="margin:0px">0. Better orient the antenna, my wife wasn't cooperating.</p></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium">
<p style="margin:0px">1. Better quality cable run between Antenna and Splitter. The included one is a bit weak.</p></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium"><p style="margin:0px">
2. Another amplifier right before the splitter OR a splitter with built in amp.</p></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium"><p style="margin:0px">3. Replace the antenna with a better one, i can only expect so much from a $20 antenna, I am willing to spend more if the signal is better.</p>
</div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium"><p style="margin:0px"><br></p></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium"><p style="margin:0px">
Quantum FX 105U Antenna</p><p style="margin:0px"><br></p><p style="margin:0px">I got a splitter with a built in amp, my signal after the split is now much stronger.</p><p style="margin:0px">Frys.com #5770192</p><p style="margin:0px">
Manufacturer: CHANNEL MASTER LLC</p><p style="margin:0px">UPC #020572034180</p><p style="margin:0px">Model #CM-3418 / PCTVB8PN</p><p style="margin:0px"><a href="http://www.frys.com/product/5770192">http://www.frys.com/product/5770192</a></p>
</div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div> </div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div class=""><div class="h5"><br>
On Fri, Nov 8, 2013 at 3:29 PM, Stefan Jones <<a href="mailto:stefan_jones@comcast.net">stefan_jones@comcast.net</a>> wrote:<br>
> ________________________________<br>
><br>
> From: "Stephen P. Villano" <<a href="mailto:stephen.p.villano@gmail.com">stephen.p.villano@gmail.com</a>><br>
> To: <a href="mailto:mythtv-users@mythtv.org">mythtv-users@mythtv.org</a><br>
> Sent: Friday, November 8, 2013 1:25:47 PM<br>
> Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] Antenna wiring question<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> On 11/8/13 4:21 PM, Stefan Jones wrote:<br>
>> After my Comcast bill went up $29 in one month, I decided to start<br>
>> exploring alternatives.<br>
>><br>
>> I am wondering if all the TVs in my house (and my Myth box's DTV tuner<br>
>> cards) could share the same antenna. Please let me know what you think.<br>
>><br>
>> All of the major rooms in my house have coax. (And Cat6 for that matter.)<br>
>> The coax leads to a closet off of the garage on the ground floor. Right now<br>
>> a couple of splitters are used to distribute Comcast's signals to the cable<br>
>> modem (located in the closet) and the other rooms.<br>
>><br>
>> I'm thinking of:<br>
>><br>
>> While I still have it, locate my HDHR Cable Card receiver in the closet.<br>
>> The house router for the Ethernet is right there. I just need to plug it<br>
>> into coax and Ethernet.<br>
>><br>
>> Connect an indoor antenna to the coax outlet in my front bedroom. I have a<br>
>> clear shot at the local TV towers from the window.<br>
>><br>
>> Connect the other end of the front bedroom cable to the "IN" of the<br>
>> splitter that used to send Cable TV around the house. Theoretically, this<br>
>> would let the other four or five coax outlets get a signal from the antenna.<br>
>><br>
>> So. Reality check needed. Will this work? Would the signal attentuate too<br>
>> much?<br>
>><br>
>><br>
>> _______________________________________________<br>
>><br>
> The HDHR Prime model won't get ATSC (over the air). It only can get<br>
> cable channels.<br>
> The rest sounds doable, depending on signal strength<br>
><br>
><br>
> The HDHR would remain attached to Comcast's network. My sole remaining<br>
> device, if I can help it. I'd rather build or buy tiny front ends for my TVs<br>
> than pay Comcast for STBs.<br>
><br>
</div></div><div class=""><div class="h5">> _______________________________________________<br>
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