What is the signal strength for a digital signal as compared to analog signals. I am considering putting an antenna in my attic to receive them OTA. I know I can receive the analog signals but it is very marginal, at times. The four major network stations that I can receive are now broadcasting both analog and digital. I don't really know what power they are at though. I have HD TV's, not HD Ready. I am on Dish Network and have 622 and 522 receivers and pay for the Silver HD package but it is only good for one TV. Am I out in left field, thinking I could possibly hook the antenna to other TV's and get ABC,NBC,CBS and Fox when they broadcast in HD? Smoke
Digital signal strength??
- Thread starter Smokin Joe
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I would think if you have issues receiving analog, the digital would be crap. If you are going to install inside the attic, you can bank you using an antenna 30% - 45% larger than if it were outside.
With my antenna system about 68 is the marginal digital signal level. My signal levels vary from 101 to about 68 depending on the channel. Ideally you would like to be at least 75 to 80 to allow for signal loss during bad weather. Two of my lower signal level channels will pixelate occasionally but will have a good picture all the way to that marginal point.
Try http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/audio/tvq.html. Enter the call sign then check "tv query detailed output+cdbs links" and submit. Will show you everything you need to know about analog and DT power output. There are even links to their transmitter contour maps.
Not neccessarily true. I put up and antenna on my buddys fence most analogs are very snowy but he gets all Chicago Digitals 75-90% with the exception of wbbm tv which is crap all the time.
Depends on where they're broadcasting from, and what frequency - UHF vs. VHF.
Try antennaweb.org. Type in just your zipcode to start with, and it will tell what analog & digital stations are available, how far away they are, what compass heading, and if they're UHF or VHF. You can enter your street address to more finely tune it.
VHF is multi-directional, while UHF is directional. I'm alomost 60 miles away from Tucson's broadcast towers, and antennaweb told me I could only get VHF analog for a few stations. But then I used a Tucson zip code to find out all digital broadcasts are in UHF, and almost all from the same mountain top. A directional UHF antenna generally has better results. So, I erected a 25' pole with a 95" directional UHF only antenna, and I get the 4 major networks + PBS with about 75% signal strength. I have Dish HD package with locals, but the locals are only standrd def. The HD broadcasts via antenna make Dish SD locals look like a third generation VHS tape quality, and are usually better quality than the Dish "HD Lite" channels.
YOur mileage may vary.
Every TV signal is "analog" in the sense that its signal strength continuously varies with changes in atmospheric conditions, interference, multipath, etc. The difference between analog and digital signals is in how they are modulated, not in how they propogate. So two signals of essentially the same strength, approximately the same channel number (i.e., close in frequency) and coming from the same source, one digital and the other analog, should both be received by your antenna and distributed to your attached equipment about equally. The difference then is in how they are processed. A weak analog signal will be snowy or show other signs of interferrence whereas a weak digital signal will suffer from excessive bit error rate which is what causes the pixelations and dropouts. It's much more difficult to diagnose the signal path difficulties with a digital signal since you can't watch for improvement in the picture with changes in the antenna, etc. With digital it's all or nothing. Someone skilled in the art and with the equipment could attach a spectrum analyzer to your antenna to determine the strength of the primary signal and anything interferring with it, but that is beyond what most of us can muster. Sorry I don't have answers better than that.
That said, many if not most digital signals are being placed on the higher frequency channels (UHF) that require higher power for equal propagation distance as their VHF analog predecessors. Also, as others have said, UHF signals tend to be more directional than VHF, and also can't follow the earth's curvature so their effective range is proportionately lower.
That said, many if not most digital signals are being placed on the higher frequency channels (UHF) that require higher power for equal propagation distance as their VHF analog predecessors. Also, as others have said, UHF signals tend to be more directional than VHF, and also can't follow the earth's curvature so their effective range is proportionately lower.
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Thank you CochiseGuy, I have a very similar situation as yours. The network channels are all UHF-19 to 54. The CEA information indicates 65.2 miles to the towers that are located probably 1,000 feet more above sea level, than my location. I figure this would be a plus? Do you have advise for an antenna that would fit in my attic, that is a little over 6' high at the center? I wish I had another option but the boss(wife) says no!! I have some concerns that CEA doesn't list them as DTV stations. But I do know from talking with people, that they are receiving them digital, as well as analog. All four stations web sites say they are too. The AntennaWeb shows in blue, if that means anything to you?? Smoke
It's when Dish doesn't give you the full 1080 HD signal like you can get directly from the broadcast station via antenna. The Dish signal will be better than SD but not full HD because it is compressed when it is uplinked to the satellite and then it has to be decompressed in your receiver on the downlink.
Over the Air (OTA) some stations broadcast a picture that is 1080 pixels high and 1920 pixels wide. Very few displays can reproduce that width figure, so satellite has looser standards. On satellite the picture will still be 1080 pixels high, but the horizonal pixels are no longer square, but rectangular and usually reduced to 1440 pixels wide, some report DirecTV also uses 1280 pixel wide pictures.
As you can see by doing this there is a loss of definition width wise. This is called HD Lite.
Thanks Jim and sunelec, Before this thread gets too long, I want to know if anyone has had dealings or know about, Antennas Direct out of MO. They have a good site and seem to know what they are talking about. Smoke
which antenna were you interested in?
btw -solid signal carries the line at a discount.
Sorry, I was going from memory which I guess wasn't very good. Try www.solidsignal.com or it's sister site www.solidsignal.tv or www.summitsource.com.
Definitely! One of the reasons I'm able to get a decent signal 60 miles away is that the Tucson broadcast towers are on a mountaintop around 10,000 ft. elevation, the mountains are only 8,000 ft. in between, and I'm at 4200 ft.
Boy, that's asking alot, getting a signal 65 miles away, with the antenna in the attic, which will lessen the signal strength. Can't talk the wife into mounting it on a pole away from the house?
I went with a Winegard HD9095P atenna, a UHF only antenna with 95" UHF mast. I mounted it on a 25' pole, to make sure I cleared 600' ft. mountains about 30 miles away. I assume you're in a much flatter terrain, and just need clear any obstructions such as trees, buildings, etc. I also used a pre-amp, to boost the signal strength from the antenna. I went with a Channel Master 7777. Use the shortest possible coax cable run possible from the antenna to the preamp. I used summitsource.com for my purchases. Reasonable prices & very good service.
And remember anything beyond 50 miles is considered "fringe reception, and weather affects reception. You will never get dropout-free reception every day beyond 60 miles for UHF, 80 miles for VHF, no matter how good your antenna is. I kept my Dish standrard def local channels as a "backup" on windy, rainy days. Also, I get the OTA local program guide that way.
Good luck!
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