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#1
01-21-2009, 01:17 PM
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Antenna Adj. for Digital Conv. Boxes
Hi All - I'm not sure where (or how) to ask this, but I have a question about the reception that my new digital converter box gets. If this has already been covered, can you link me to the thread please?
I use a roof top mounted antenna on my apartment building. It's fairly new, and works great for analog reception. But when I switched to the digital converter box, I lost three local stations - 2 (CBS), 11 (Fox), and 13 (?). I know these are broadcasting in digital because a friend of mine didn't lose these stations. Could the box be the problem? I have heard that some antennas may need to be adjusted to get digital reception, but how? Turn it a little to the left or the right? The building maintenance guy said he'd bring the long ladder out and I could help him. Will this be a trial and error type thing, or can someone from my area tell me which direction it should be aimed for the Los Angeles basin? Right now it is 'aimed' facing SW. Or is it antenna specific? I tried rabbit ears on top of the set, but that just made it worse. Sorry if I sound "new" to this, but I'm worried that I'll lose Family Guy and CSI Miami  and I'm starting to panic!Thanks - Rob 
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#2
01-21-2009, 01:46 PM
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Chances are the digital channels of 2, 11 and 13 you are not receiving are transmitting their digital signal on UHF which presents different reception challenges than Low or Hi band VHF. Some but not all depending on the decision of the station will move back to their old VHF channels after the digital transition. Do you get all local analog UHF channels reasonably well?
Check out this set of maps from the FCC for the L.A. area http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/maps_...Angeles_CA.pdf Here's a list of current NTSC and DTV channels by state, and their tenative channel it will be after the transition. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_publi...-06-1082A2.pdf For example it says Ch 2 KCBS DTV is on UHF 43. Quote:
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#3
01-21-2009, 02:21 PM
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THanks, this is information that I haven't seen.
What gets me about all of this is the equivocation! The switchover is happening in less than a month, but the exact fate of "post-switch" DTV channels, power, etc. still seems to be tentative... As of now, it seems like OTA reception of digital will be marginal at best for us in the deep NW suburbs of Boston, while analog is perfectly adequate.
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all the best, mrh
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#4
01-21-2009, 02:58 PM
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Quote:
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx At one time, back before cable, we used tobe able to pick up L.A. channels here in San Diego. Channels 5,7,9,11 and sometimes 13.
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#5
01-21-2009, 03:27 PM
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Thanks for all the replies - I appreciate it. I do get some UHF analog stations very clear - others, like Orange County stations, not so clear.
I'll do some research, and playing around with the box, before I mess with the roof antenna. Thanks Rob
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#6
01-21-2009, 03:46 PM
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It's strange...in our area we have had CBS and ABC stations for analog, but now it appears that their digital signals will be too weak for our location. OTOH, we now receive the local PBS and NBC stations with our DTV converter and my home-brewed antenna...go figure!
Perhaps CBS and ABC are not yet up to full power 
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Yamaha, Manley, ADS, McIntosh, Rega, B&O & Victor Talking Machine "...As worrying is interest paid on trouble, long before it's due..." - Steve Hackett - "Serpentine Song" 
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#7
01-21-2009, 04:01 PM
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The digital transition is a conspiracy from antenna tower manufacturers!
You first saw it on audiokarma!
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#8
01-21-2009, 04:45 PM
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:-)
buy their stock while you still can!
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all the best, mrh
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#9
01-21-2009, 05:07 PM
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Quote:
Our CBS here in Chicago is not going to full power until the switchover date when it turns off analog broadcasting.
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#10
01-21-2009, 08:56 PM
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For the last couple of days I have not been able to pick up the Fox affiliate here (WVUE) on DTV - they switched off their analog transmissions in December. Not that I watch that station with any regularity, but I thought it was pretty odd.
On another note, I managed to get an old Archer rooftop antenna free from Craigslist - it had been in an attic for 25 years and looks like new. One of my neighbors let me have a 12-foot mast leftover from the pre-cable days, so I'll have my TV/FM antenna up & running for under $20 (for a balun, insulator & bracket.)
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AUdubon5425 Youtube Channel
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#11
02-13-2009, 07:21 PM
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hifirob2,
best I can tell you need to aim your antenna to the NW. however, I have tried several antennas and have yet to pick up the digital broadcast of channel 13 or channel 5. the antenna picks up both stations but only the analog signal. If you get yours figured out let me know as I'm in the same boat
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#12
02-13-2009, 08:11 PM
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Quote:
I too, cannot get digital channel 13 at all - only analog. I do get both analog and digital channel 5 fine. My roof antenna points SW I believe. I also have put an A-B switch in before the box, so that I can use an indoor UHF loop to get channels 2 & 11. So, besides 13, I get all the digital channels I want - it's just learning if I need to use the roof antenna, or the indoor VHF or UHF ones. I'm adjusting the indoor ones a lot! Even my upstairs neighbor walking around can cause a weak signal to break up. I also found that switching off all my signal boosters gave me BETTER digital reception - go figure. After the final switchover is complete, I'll readjust the roof antenna a bit - that should help. Rob
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#13
02-13-2009, 09:53 PM
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Quote:
 WTNH (analog 8, DTV 10) is a different story. Perhaps you're being limited by terrain, but then again, 20.8kW is pretty low for a TV station:  http://rabbitears.info/market.php
__________________
Tom 
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