Ota setup

[pjsjeep]

I am thinking about doing a OTA setup with my 722. Is there a how too anywhere on here? I live about 60-80 miles from my locals. I can get most of them on my RV antenna in the drive. I need too know about antenna and equipment needs. Also, I live in a double wide mobile home. Thanks in advance

PJ

 

[MattG@DISH]

I would start off by going to tvfool.com. Put in your address, and it will show you what channels you may be able to pick up with different antennas (roof/attic/rabbit ears).

As far as antenna models go, I'm not sure of specific ones

 

[whatchel1]

Antenna web site is also useful too. AntennaWeb

 

[empiretc]

Yep, and before spending big bucks on an antenna, you should consider making your own out of coat hangers. Have one of these in the attic, along with an in-line amp, and current receive station ~75 miles away.

 

[dwarren2]

Look around your neighborhood and see if anyone else has an antenna up. If so, ask them what their set up is. You most probably need a roof top with a booster to get that far. Also, if their is a Radio Shack near you, they might be able to give you some guidance.

 

[eacalhoun]

I highly recommend getting an antenna directly from Channel Master at their website. They have a "hassle-free" return policy, meaning if the antenna simply does not perform as you would expect for your area, you can return it. Their website states this, but I also emailed them and verified this prior to a recent antenna I made from them. This policy applies to their new stock, plus the many "open box" specials they have.

 

[pjsjeep]

I would start off by going to tvfool.com. Put in your address, and it will show you what channels you may be able to pick up with different antennas (roof/attic/rabbit ears).

As far as antenna models go, I'm not sure of specific ones

Thanks Matt, I did this and did not understand a bit of it

 

[pjsjeep]

Look around your neighborhood and see if anyone else has an antenna up. If so, ask them what their set up is. You most probably need a roof top with a booster to get that far. Also, if their is a Radio Shack near you, they might be able to give you some guidance.

I live in a trailer park, no rooftops anywhere. I will check with R.S, here called just The Shack, and they seem to be a cell phone store these days

 

[dwarren2]

Thanks Matt, I did this and did not understand a bit of it

If you go to this site there
TV Fool
You can input your address and then select "Map This"
From the next screen select "Generate Radar Map" This will give you a radar map which shows all TV stations. Select Digital only. On the right you will see a list of all the stations, starting with the closest. The color code shows how likely you are to receive them

 

[Yespage]

I live in a trailer park, no rooftops anywhere. I will check with R.S, here called just The Shack, and they seem to be a cell phone store these days

What I ended up doing was getting five indoor antennas and seeing which one received the most channels. For an indoor setup, it takes time because you must find the best place in your home to have the antenna and then figure out which antenna works best for you. Antennas are funny in the sense that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another. Additionally, don't mistake higher price for better performance.

I'd also check out the AVS Forum for your market for advice as those people will be local and typically have a great understanding about this sort of thing.

 

[pabeader]

I live in a trailer park, no rooftops anywhere. I will check with R.S, here called just The Shack, and they seem to be a cell phone store these days

if you give us a zip code we can maybe get close and show you what the folks are talking about...

 

[harshness]

Plug in to your RV antenna and see what you get. There are no fees involved.

If your RV antenna is powered, don't forget to turn it on.

 

[kcburk]

I actually have three antennas set up in my attic in an array. One simply won't pick up all the stations. Two sets of rabbit ears and one DB4 from AntennasDirect.com. Works pretty seamlessly and I don't have to worry about repositioning to pick up a different channel. Still have one channel I'm having trouble getting, but I think I can figure it out in time.

 

[whatchel1]

I actually have three antennas set up in my attic in an array. One simply won't pick up all the stations. Two sets of rabbit ears and one DB4 from AntennasDirect.com. Works pretty seamlessly and I don't have to worry about repositioning to pick up a different channel. Still have one channel I'm having trouble getting, but I think I can figure it out in time.

Is the channel you are having trouble with broadcast on VHF?

 

[kcburk]

Is the channel you are having trouble with broadcast on VHF?

No. It's UHF. I have two channels in VHF, but they are coming in pretty well at present. There are actually a couple of UHF channels that aren't coming in yet, but they are not as essential as ABC, w/c is the channel I mentioned above. I could reposition the DB4 but if I do then I loose the PBS station it's picking up. As it happens it's the only channel to my south, but it's so far away (over 20 miles) that I need the DB4 to pick it up. If I aim the DB4 north toward the stations there I'd get them all. I may have to break down and buy another, but it's not in the budget at present.

 

[whatchel1]

No. It's UHF. I have two channels in VHF, but they are coming in pretty well at present. There are actually a couple of UHF channels that aren't coming in yet, but they are not as essential as ABC, w/c is the channel I mentioned above. I could reposition the DB4 but if I do then I loose the PBS station it's picking up. As it happens it's the only channel to my south, but it's so far away (over 20 miles) that I need the DB4 to pick it up. If I aim the DB4 north toward the stations there I'd get them all. I may have to break down and buy another, but it's not in the budget at present.

So you have stations in multiple directions with one roughly 180º. Then I don't think I would use an antenna like the DB4 which has the back wave completely blocked.

 

[dennispap]

I actually have three antennas set up in my attic in an array. One simply won't pick up all the stations. Two sets of rabbit ears and one DB4 from AntennasDirect.com. Works pretty seamlessly and I don't have to worry about repositioning to pick up a different channel. Still have one channel I'm having trouble getting, but I think I can figure it out in time.

How are you connecting the 3?

 

[kcburk]

So you have stations in multiple directions with one roughly 180º. Then I don't think I would use an antenna like the DB4 which has the back wave completely blocked.

Yes. I retrospect I wouldn't have chosen that particular model. But when I bought it I was living in another location where the channels were more consolidated and it worked pretty well there. It works here but just too directional. I've actually considered cutting it in half and positioning one half south and the other half north. But just haven't gone to the trouble yet, and I worry some that I would loose the PBS station with only half the antenna aimed in that direction.

 

[kcburk]

How are you connecting the 3?

Just using a 3 way splitter in reverse.

 

[dennispap]

Thanks