Got my antenna upgrade yesterday...(sigh)

[Mr. Old School]

Well I finally got my upgraded antenna yesterday. All the while the installer was telling me that I was going to get everything, even channels that I didn't want. He mounted it on an existing pole I already had on my roof and pointed it south-southwest, where my locals originate.

I was really excited about finally being able to pick up Fox and ABC, but imagine my disappointment when I turned the tv on and had nothing that I didn't have before. Upon seeing this, the guy quickly ran to his truck and got a signal amplifier and put it on, but it made no difference

The antenna they used was a Radio Shack VU-90XR. Details can be found below.

http://www.radioshack.com/product.a..._name=CTLG_003_001_002_000&product_id=15-2152

The antenna says it has a VHF range of 90 miles and a UHF range of 70 miles. Being that I am 50-55 miles from most of my locals, I'm curious that it really had no effect on my reception.

At this point I'm really thinking about having Voom removed. My cable company is going to be providing us with 6 HD channels this fall and one of them is Fox. Although I enjoy stuff like RAVE and EQUATOR, I want to enjoy this coming football season in HD and it doesn't look like I'm going to be doing it with Voom. I promised my wife if Voom didn't offer us what we could get on cable, then we would cancel it and we watch a lot of Fox and that's where the baseball playoffs are going to be as well.

Anyone have any ideas? Would Voom offer me an even better antenna upgrade? I appreciate what they have done so far, but the various antennas that they have provided don't pick up any better than the littl $29 Silver Sensor antenna I bought from Sears.

I'd appreciate any advice or help anyone can offer.

Thanks

 

[wasch_24]

If you previously had the Winegard Sensar II and the diplexer then the installer needs to replace that diplexer with one that doesn't allow power to be transmitted through to the antenna. The VU-90 XR looks to be an unamplified antenna. I had the same issue when I was upgraded to the Winegard 8800. Initially I had no improvement and even lost some stations and then the installer swapped out the diplexer and presto, all major networks came in.

 

[DemisE]

When I spoke to my installed regarding my locals he said that this is the antenna that he will get and install on my service call.

http://www.radioshack.com/product.a..._name=CTLG_003_001_002_000&product_id=15-1634

Anyone have any info regarding this?

I am within 15 miles of all of my local broadcast antenna's

 

[luke637]

Have you checked to see at what power and transmitter height the stations you are trying to receive are broadcasting at? Many stations are still broadcasting digitally at very low power. If your networks are only broadcasting at 1 or 2 kW, then the range of your antenna doesn't really matter.

 

[wasch_24]

When I spoke to my installed regarding my locals he said that this is the antenna that he will get and install on my service call.

http://www.radioshack.com/product.a..._name=CTLG_003_001_002_000&product_id=15-1634

Anyone have any info regarding this?

I am within 15 miles of all of my local broadcast antenna's

Your installer is going to have to make sure he reads the owner's manual. This antenna requires 12V of power which can be supplied by the STB if he uses a diplexer that passes power to both the dish and the antenna. If he doesn't use the diplexer and runs two seperate lines from the STB to each piece outside then he has to use the supplied power supply make note of this paragraph from the owner's manual:
If any devices (such as amplifiers, splitters,
combiners, matching transformers, 300-ohm
cable) are used in your home cabling system,
they must be connected between the power
injector and your video equipment. Any
devices connected between the power
injector and the antenna might cause a short
in the amplifier power source. If this happens,
the injector’s indicator does not light and the
signals to your video equipment (multiple TVs
or VCRs) might be significantly degraded.

 

[DemisE]

Well crap. I am still very new to all of this technology and "just want it to work". The original installer had trouble doing the initial setup of my receiver when I got my install last Friday. Perhaps if the installer botches this up and Voom says that they can't do anything else for me I will try to figure out a way to make it work myself.

I do think that it is strange that my dish is pointed directly at my roof and not in the sky. Is there a reason for this?

 

[wasch_24]

Well crap. I am still very new to all of this technology and "just want it to work". The original installer had trouble doing the initial setup of my receiver when I got my install last Friday. Perhaps if the installer botches this up and Voom says that they can't do anything else for me I will try to figure out a way to make it work myself.

I do think that it is strange that my dish is pointed directly at my roof and not in the sky. Is there a reason for this?

We'll be here to help if needed.

 

[Mr. Old School]

If you previously had the Winegard Sensar II and the diplexer then the installer needs to replace that diplexer with one that doesn't allow power to be transmitted through to the antenna. The VU-90 XR looks to be an unamplified antenna. I had the same issue when I was upgraded to the Winegard 8800. Initially I had no improvement and even lost some stations and then the installer swapped out the diplexer and presto, all major networks came in.

There is no diplexer now...he took it off and ran a seperate line from this rooftop antenna to the back of the Voom receiver. The power that's running from the receiver to the Winegard is still running, but the Winegard is not even hooked up anymore. He left the Winegard attached to my dish and told me I could take it down if I wanted to.

 

[Mr. Old School]

So do you think Voom will further upgrade my antenna if I call them and tell them this upgrade offered no improvement? The installer told me that this antenna that I just got was the best that Voom had allowed them to use so far.

 

[wasch_24]

There is no diplexer now...he took it off and ran a seperate line from this rooftop antenna to the back of the Voom receiver. The power that's running from the receiver to the Winegard is still running, but the Winegard is not even hooked up anymore. He left the Winegard attached to my dish and told me I could take it down if I wanted to.

First, you should probably disconnect the Wingard form everything and take it down...no need to risk any trouble if it's not being used.

What does www.antennaweb.org tell you about FOX and ABC when you input your address? Try to copy/paste it here so we can see it as well. Make sure to select the digital only list.

That is probably going to be the best UHF/VHF antenna available if you need a combo unit.

 

[Mr. Old School]

First, you should probably disconnect the Wingard form everything and take it down...no need to risk any trouble if it's not being used.

What does www.antennaweb.org tell you about FOX and ABC when you input your address? Try to copy/paste it here so we can see it as well. Make sure to select the digital only list.

That is probably going to be the best UHF/VHF antenna available if you need a combo unit.

Well I don't put a lot of faith in Antennaweb because I can pick up channels with my Silver Sensor that they said I couldn't get. Also I am now mapped to Greensboro NC, I was originally mapped to Roanoke, VA and I did pick up my CBS very well. I do know the Fox channel in Greensboro broadcasts in very low power at this time. I don't know why I can't get ABC because I can get it with my Silver Sensor. Anyway, here's what antennaweb said:

DTV Antenna
Type Call Sign Channel Network City State Live
Date Compass
Orientation Miles
From Frequency
Assignment
* green - uhf WDRL-DT 24.1 UPN DANVILLE VA 197° 3.0 41
* lt green - uhf WXII-DT 12.1 NBC WINSTON-SALEM NC 265° 51.9 31
* blue - vhf WBRA-DT 15.1 PBS Roanoke VA 327° 58.6 3
* violet - uhf WGPX-DT 14.1 PAX Burlington NC 215° 23.5 14


Of those channels listed, I can only pick up the NBC channel. I also pick up WFMY-DT 2.1 CBS Greensboro and it is not listed there.

I think that once Voom sends the new software down, I may have better luck turning the antenna to the north, northwest and scanning for those channels because I know Fox and ABC broadcast in higher power, but they are further away.

 

[wasch_24]

It seems that is your only option as those are all in different directions. You need the scanning software and a rotor.

 

[Dvlos]

You must live out in some serious sticks to need 80-90 mile antenna and you still don't get a good digital signal (analog doesn't count!).

 

[Mr. Old School]

You must live out in some serious sticks to need 80-90 mile antenna and you still don't get a good digital signal (analog doesn't count!).

Actually, Danville, Virginia is 40 miles from Greensboro, NC and 67 miles from Lynchburg, VA and 80 miles from Roanoke, VA. I don't really call it the sticks, but obviously it must be since all of these locals broadcast in such low power.

 

[Dvlos]

To me that's the sticks, but then again I live smack in the middle of the South Florida Tri-County area, population what, 8-10 million? If you don't have a major interstate expressway 10 minutes away you live in the sticks in my book.

 

[JaydeeD]

Have you checked to see at what power and transmitter height the stations you are trying to receive are broadcasting at? Many stations are still broadcasting digitally at very low power. If your networks are only broadcasting at 1 or 2 kW, then the range of your antenna doesn't really matter.

Exactly......I cannot recieve ota's not because of Voom and the size of the antenna never helped

I am only 10 miles from my towers and i can see them from my roof, however all of my local channels informed me in e-mails (rudely) that they transmit at very low power AND intentionally block the signal from reaching my commumity (the channels originate 30 miles from me and they only want that community to recieve them digitally even though I am closer to the towers)

on top of that, all of them also said that even if I could recieve them, they are only piggybacking thier analog signal onto their digital brodcast, they do NOT transmit anything in HD, and have no plans in the future to ever do so

they told me that if I want to see thier channels, to just watch the analog broadcast

 

[Technut]

Exactly......I cannot recieve ota's not because of Voom and the size of the antenna never helped

I am only 10 miles from my towers and i can see them from my roof, however all of my local channels informed me in e-mails (rudely) that they transmit at very low power AND intentionally block the signal from reaching my commumity (the channels originate 30 miles from me and they only want that community to recieve them digitally even though I am closer to the towers)

on top of that, all of them also said that even if I could recieve them, they are only piggybacking thier analog signal onto their digital brodcast, they do NOT transmit anything in HD, and have no plans in the future to ever do so

they told me that if I want to see thier channels, to just watch the analog broadcast

what city are you speaking of?

 

[Mr. Old School]

Well it gets better. Today I took the line coming into the Voom receiver from the OTA antenna and plugged it into the digital antenna input on my tv. Did a scan for channels and not only did it find 3 channels that Voom's receiver can't get, but it picked up 4 Roanoke, VA channels that are 80 miles away and in exactly the opposite direction of my antenna.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like the OTA tuner in the Voom receiver must be sh*t if I can pick up all these channels with my tv that Voom's receiver can't get.

 

[JaydeeD]

Tri-Cities washington, they have all the networks (well NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox--Fox won't even answer my e-mails), and are 30 miles north of me. The towers are 10 miles north of me. The stations all told me when I e-mailed them letting them know that I cannot recieve thier digital signal----that they are intentionally transmitting to the north only, and blocking all signal to the south, and that they have no intention to ever transmit in HD

I live in Hermiston, Oregon, about 10 miles from the oregon/ washington border. The towers are on a butte right on the washington side of the border

There are another 11 stations mapped to my reciever, but they are 120 miles away and on the other side of a mountain...no luck there either...LOL

 

[wasch_24]

Well it gets better. Today I took the line coming into the Voom receiver from the OTA antenna and plugged it into the digital antenna input on my tv. Did a scan for channels and not only did it find 3 channels that Voom's receiver can't get, but it picked up 4 Roanoke, VA channels that are 80 miles away and in exactly the opposite direction of my antenna.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like the OTA tuner in the Voom receiver must be sh*t if I can pick up all these channels with my tv that Voom's receiver can't get.

Do you have the scanning software? If not, then those channels most likely weren't even in your PG which doesn't necessarily mean that the Voom box wasn't seeing them it means it wasn't allowing you to see them. Siince you can get stations from so many different DMA's you will be better served using your integrated tuner until the software upgrade comes out.