One More Chance

[Beny]

The first time I stay home all day they do not show!!
So I call them and talk to them about a new scheduling date and tell them again how important the local stations are to me. I told them I can't have VOOM without them. I am told "No Problem! and they will upgrade me to the bigger antenna". Happy again I wait. Two days before the scheduled install and call the installer to check on the equipment. They say "No Problem, we're good to go Saturday". Still happy, the installer shows up at 12 noon Saturday by himself. He is very nice, very friendly. I tell him I will have no problem helping him. The install starts. As he assembling the dish, he tells me there will be $150.00 charge for the antenna mount. That's right the $30 - $45 dollar tripod mount at the end of the antenna is going to cost me $150.00! I called VOOM, they say there is nothing they can do about it, I say if I have to pay for a mount that should come with the antenna than I don't want VOOM. The VOOM rep said "No problem I'll cancel it". She hung up and canceled our account. Remember this is the second time I am waiting for the install. I'm hot but polite. My wife calls and gets a supervisor on the phone. She was very polite and willing to help. After almost 2 hours on the phone an agreement between VOOM and the installers is made. They agreed to take care of the antenna mount charges. We don't have to pay anything. The install continues on. Hours later. After the install is done, we have a best peak of 20 signal strength. No local channels at all! Yes the VOOM dish very clear and pleasing. But I need my local channels. As I am cleaning up I find the paperwork from the antenna. They installed a UHF antenna not a VHF antenna.
I know you guys are all going to tell me to contact this guy or that guy. I will welcome this information. I understand I might be able to get this situation fixed but the real problem is the situation exists! Why should this kind of thing happen in the first place? Why are the guys who can help me not the guys manning the phones when we call???
All this headache takes the excitement and fun out having the dish. I hope it was all worth it. At the moment I'm not satisfied and don't feel it was worth all the aggravation. PS Thay have one more chance.

 

[ricks]

Beny:

Not a criticism of you personally, but this is exactly the reason no one else will do an OTA install as part of their system. There are just way, way too many variables. UHF vs. VHF. Down the road it's different. Got an oak tree in the way? Or maybe a building. The guy across the street has a perfect install but I can't get anything. It goes on and on. Frankly, it isn't worth the headache to them. My install is April 12. I think I'm gonna have a building problem for all of my locals except one. They are all in the same tower group and I've got a two-story townhouse building in the way. Oh, the other local? It's exactly opposite the main group and my two-story building (townhouse) is in the way. Should I hold Voom responsible, or the installer, or just chalk it up to bad luck?

 

[Beny]

Yes I know. You see I do not have these problems just not the right equipment! I live on the side of a mountain, at an 1500 foot elevation, facing NY city, no trees or buildings in the way. But they say they can do and than don't. I need a VHS for channels 2,4,5,7,9, & 11 they send UHF antenna. Do they know what they are doing or not? It is old not new science! The way they did this they don't stand a chance of getting the channels from the start.

 

[ricks]

I wasn't trying to be specific to your situation, since I know very little about it. I'm curious though, iffin' you're on a side of a 1500 foot mountain with a clear shot of NYC, why do you need a roof mount with a tripod? Wish I had your problems. I can't move the building next door. I can't move my building. And I can't do anything about towers 180 degrees apart. And split between UHF and VHF to boot.

 

[edsmith100]

benny,how far away from station ant are you? ed

 

[Lobstah]

Benny,
More than likely, the reason they brought a UHF antenna is that your "locals" all broadcast their DIGITAL signal on a UHF frequency. Even though the channel numbers will be 4-1, 5-1, etc., they are UHF channels, and will be broadcast on the likes of channel 42, or 54, or 36.
If you go to antennaweb.org and plug in your street address, and select DIGITAL channels, it will tell you what channels you'll get, what the compass heading is to the towers, and what the distance is.

More than likely, a UHF antenna is just what you need, for at least the majority of your channels, if not all of them. There are very few digital/hd channels being broadcast on VHF these days. They're out there, but they're pretty rare.

Lob

*edit*

Here's your list of channels. Only one VHF digital channel, and that's PBS out of New Brunswick, N.J. All the rest, including the NYC PBS channel, are UHF.
If you're on the side of a hill, facing NYC, you should be able to get these stations with a $22 UHF antenna from Radio Shack.

* red - uhf WPXN-DT 30 PAX NEW YORK NY Awaiting FCC Permit 210° 2.2 30
* red - uhf WNYW-DT 5.1 FOX New York NY 73° 0.9 44
* red - vhf WPIX-DT 11.1 WB NEW YORK NY 73° 0.9 12
* red - uhf WNET-DT 13.1 PBS Newark NJ 22° 0.8 61
* red - vhf WNJB-DT 8 PBS New Brunswick NJ TBD 266° 27.6 8
* red - uhf WNJU-DT 36 TEL LINDEN NJ FCC Ext 210° 2.2 36
* red - uhf WRNN-DT 48.1 IND KINGSTON NY 16° 51.6 48
* red - uhf WFUT-DT 68.1 TFA NEWARK NJ 51° 1.2 53
* red - uhf WXTV-DT 41.1 UNI PATERSON NJ 73° 0.9 40
* red - uhf WNBC-DT 4.1 NBC New York NY 55° 1.6 28
* red - uhf WCBS-DT 2.1 CBS New York NY 73° 0.9 56
* red - uhf WABC-DT 7.1 ABC New York NY 51° 1.2 45
* blue - uhf WNYE-DT 24 PBS NEW YORK NY TBD 173° 3.9 24
* blue - uhf WWOR-DT 38 UPN Secaucus NJ TBD 73° 0.9 38

 

[Sean Mota]

Are these channels appearing in your PG? Are they all mapped?

 

[Beny]

Thanks
But you see the 1500 is ex we are on the side of a hill not a mountain. That came from some one ho was cleaning up my post for me and she also got excited and carried away. But 21 years ago I did get most of thees channels good with ant in attic siting on a drum something I inherited with the house [the ant not house] witch is a three story Victorian so it is up there. New ant is 20 ft or more higher than that old one was and we do have good line of sight but 40 to50 miles out.
Sorry for the miss information! But at least their is no embarrassment for the cursing
Lobstah thanks and good info I did not know this. UHF/VHF for HD
Sean thanks and I just looked but I do not know what it should say if it is mappedor not. It dos say no signal on local channels. I am thinking it is not mapped next to channel # shoul be lets say CBS? NBC? If it is mapped,if so it is not mapped. ONE more thing the ota sig is 20 is this that bad or is somthing ells wrong ?
Ho do I know if it is mapped or not and YYYYY do I have to do this??? Thanks to all for your HELP. Trying to stay

 

[Gr8Reb8]

Beny,

Did your installer connect the coax cable from the UHF antenna to the module that was installed in your STB? The coax is not supposed to be connected to the connector in the center of the STB labeled UHF.

Also, you have most likely tried this, unplug the power to the STB, wait about 10 seconds and plug the power back in. After the Voom picture appears on the TV, wait another 10 minutes before changing any channels or pressing any Voom buttons.

 

[Sean Mota]

Which channels are showing on your PG? If they are showing in your PG then they are mapped. When you tune to the OTA channel what is your OTA signal quality and strength? Go to system settings and check this.

 

[Beny]

Hi thanks to all
Sean the OTA signal is o and was O wen he set ant he told be to watch the quality and that did not change it just bounced from 13 to 20 no mater how he terned the ant.
WOW that has to be wrong DAAAAAAAAAAA HE must ave some thing wrong on the ant? It is two wi how can he mes it up? By this time it was getting dark. He did run separate wire for ant and sat.
Edsmith I'm 30 to 50 mi out.
GR8REB8 no he got that right .

 

[Sean Mota]

Beny,

It looks like your problem might be distance. Since you are getting some signal on OTA, it looks like you might need a stronger ota antenna. I assume that you have the Stealth Antenna install. The Stealth has a range of 45 miles for UHF and 30 miles for VHF. You might want to call VOOM to get you a stronger antenna.

 

[Beny]

It is the stronger ant! You see when they did not show the first time I called them and when I had them on the phone I told them the OTA who's very important to me and I was concerned, they sed you need the up graded ant It is large but no preamp I see the smaller on has a preamp ?

 

[Sean Mota]

What's the model and brand...?

 

[Beny]

HI Sean
The model is 4248 UHF diamond quantum.

 

[Sean Mota]

HI Sean
The model is 4248 UHF diamond quantum.

Beny,

This antenna has a range of 45 miles which should be fine for your location. It is highly directional. This means that if it's not pointed to the correct direction the tower is transmitting you will get no signal. Can you go to www.antennaweb.org and post the map where your digital are located. Compare the direction of map to your antenna and see if the way is pointing right now it can pick up any channels from the map at antennaweb.org.

Is this a picture of the antenna?

 

[Beny]

Hi Thought I replied yesterday put I gs not.
Yes that is it but it looks like their is a black box on your photo is it a pre amp?
I finely got some one on phone at voom help a little he had me unplug wait and plug back in wait 45 min and now I have some OTA ch.
Do you know if 4 and 11 transmit towers are in different location than the rest it seams to me this ant is very directional?
By the way I to have had RED dish on box's I have two, thay both do it . way to many BUGS!

 

[Lobstah]

Beny,
UHF is VERY directional. You will only pick up stations who's towers are basically in the same direction from your location. If you go to antennaweb.org and put in your street address, it will give you the azimuth to all of the towers. Remember to hit the "digital only" button on top of the chart.

Lob

 

[Sean Mota]

Hi Thought I replied yesterday put I gs not.
Yes that is it but it looks like their is a black box on your photo is it a pre amp?
I finely got some one on phone at voom help a little he had me unplug wait and plug back in wait 45 min and now I have some OTA ch.
Do you know if 4 and 11 transmit towers are in different location than the rest it seams to me this ant is very directional?
By the way I to have had RED dish on box's I have two, thay both do it . way to many BUGS!

Glad you got some OTA. Go to www.antennaweb.org and find out if those channels are transmitting in another direction. Select only digital channels. Yes that looks like a pre-amp but you do not need a pre-amp since you are so close. You may nee a rotor. RS has a good one for $100 you can get one.