HD Local OTA Question

[mdp1116]

I just got the OTA antenna installed by a dtv tech today. Number one he didnt even bring one to begin with, after he got one he installed it and informed me that dtv does not guar a picture with it. After he left i noticed that my nbc and abc channels did not work but my fox and cbs did, around 730 this evening my nbc and abc worked but then my fox and cbs did not work. is this normal? or what is going on?

 

[charper1]

Correct, the DBS providers do not guarantee OTA reception as every user is different. I will also bet that the antenna is not the correct one for your specific situation, but that too is not 100% up to the installer; they install the antennas they have. Your best bet is to post you info in the OTA area, and let us provide you a better solution.

What is youu zip code?

What antenna were you provided?

 

[johnml]

I had the same problem with a Directv supplied antenna. The antenna Directv supplied to me was a UHF only antenna, Which is fine for CBS, PBS, & NBC but ABC and FOX were VHF channels ( Miami ). They sent out a tech to adjust the dish, then I would get ABC & FOX but loose the others.I kept telling them I needed a UHF/VHF but they only had UHF antennas ??? Directv finally refunded the purchase price I paid and gave me a $75.00 credit to buy my own antenna and install it. I bought a $30.00 Channel Master at Lowes and now I get everything. :

 

[mdp1116]

Well why would i get the abc, fox in the afternoon but then in the evening why would i get nbc, and cbs? I live at 75051, exactually 13 miles from the antenna field due south from my location.

Correct, the DBS providers do not guarantee OTA reception as every user is different. I will also bet that the antenna is not the correct one for your specific situation, but that too is not 100% up to the installer; they install the antennas they have. Your best bet is to post you info in the OTA area, and let us provide you a better solution.

What is youu zip code?

What antenna were you provided?

 

[charper1]

Each channel's transmission is not always from the same place or at the same power; so there can be variances. These are not taken into account for the supplied antenna.

 

[spectrumsp]

Allow me to add to Charper1's right-on comments...

Your local OTA digital channels could be a mixture of both uhf and vhf frequencies...for instance, here in Jax, SD channel 25 transmits it digital on channel 13 (go figure). Therefore you might need an antenna which has the capability to receive both vhf and uhf. Also, we have all of digital signals coming from the same antenna farm about 15 miles from my home, yet a small movement of my OTA antenna can make a HUGE difference in reception.

I'm using a SS-2000 (with powered amp) mounted in my attic and it took me several attempts to finally get it right...but once done, it can't be beat.

Hope this helps...

 

[Tower Guy]

Well why would i get the abc, fox in the afternoon but then in the evening why would i get nbc, and cbs? I live at 75051, exactually 13 miles from the antenna field due south from my location.

The lesson here is that you should always install an OTA antenna that provides some extra signal to compensate for slight variations in signal due to time of day, temperature, and humidity. The extra cost for a larger antenna is usually only $10-$20.

 

[mdp1116]

well i was going on the fact that i was approx 13 miles from the huge antenna field for the whole dfw metroplex.

The lesson here is that you should always install an OTA antenna that provides some extra signal to compensate for slight variations in signal due to time of day, temperature, and humidity. The extra cost for a larger antenna is usually only $10-$20.