Outdoor Digital TV antenna and recording Programs

[arkydog]

update: the signal splitter on antenna and dvr works wonderful. my wife can now record one channel on the dvr and watch another. that is what she wanted to do. we can also record tv programs when we aren't here or when we're asleep. i am very satisfied with that inexpensive $40 dvr box. i would definitely get another one if need be and recommend the one i bought to anyone else!!!!!

rob

 

[EddieWalker]

Appreciate the update. I'm sure that's something that I'm going to have to get down the line.

 

[PILOON]

TV signal is VHF or UHF both of which are 'line of sight'.
Digital TV is very much so while analogue is more forgiving.
(And today most is UHF as they took over VHF for other purposes.)

Now 'line of sight' really means you actually would need to be able to see that tower, and generally that's in the 50 mile range so be leery of ads that promise great reception with low cost devices.

Back when TV was analogue I could get about 12 usable channels but with digital I was down to one.

In my case no option but satellite, and that's another area of frustration as I can't 'bundle' as cell reception is very marginal so I have land line, private internet network and satellite TV.
Add to that frequent power outages so I have a generator.

Now the land line needs batteries so we lose phones when outages exceed 12 hours.

Ain't rural living great?

 

[goeduck]

I have a Channel Master that I strapped to the chimney since putting it on a pole higher did not seem to make much of a difference. I run it into Tablo and then have it on the wireless and get to the stations via ROKU. I mostly watch things in the antenna and the wife mostly streams

 

[RickB]

The whole line of sight thing is goofy as well. My $80 digital antenna works better 7 feet off the ground than it does mounted on the chimney 12 feet away and 15 feet higher.

 

[mikester]

The whole line of sight thing is goofy as well. My $80 digital antenna works better 7 feet off the ground than it does mounted on the chimney 12 feet away and 15 feet higher.

Buildings, vegetation, terrain, transmitter and receiver elevations, and climate all affect your signal. Frequency and antenna design matters too.

 

[RickB]

Buildings, vegetation, terrain, transmitter and receiver elevations, and climate all affect your signal. Frequency and antenna design matters too.

Yup, but it is still weird. The brick house is between the antenna and most of the towers I receive.

 

[arkydog]

yes it is weird. i live in the ozark hills and can get the signal 90 miles line of sight signal really good. doesn't make sense to me but im not gonna argue and cheep recorder still works good!!!

 

[goeduck]

The whole line of sight thing is goofy as well. My $80 digital antenna works better 7 feet off the ground than it does mounted on the chimney 12 feet away and 15 feet higher.

Yes, radio signals can be all over the place, but I would not have thought with your line of sight. I do not have line of sight, mine has to hop over an island but I was tickled to strap it to the side of the chimney, point it to the bulk of the transmitters and not have to make a roof penetration. I have a hip roof, the gutter wraps the entire house so even mounting off the eave somehow with guy wires would be problematic.

 

[TractorGuy]

update: the signal splitter on antenna and dvr works wonderful. my wife can now record one channel on the dvr and watch another. that is what she wanted to do. we can also record tv programs when we aren't here or when we're asleep. i am very satisfied with that inexpensive $40 dvr box. i would definitely get another one if need be and recommend the one i bought to anyone else!!!!!

rob

This unit is similar to the Ematic I suggested in post 5. The antenna signal in the Ematic has a pass through. It has an in and out. I can either watch through the digital converter as I record or leave it recording and switch to the TV tuner to watch another station.

The Ematic conflicts with my Vizio sound bar. One of the functions and I don't remember which one turns my sound bar off.

My antenna rotater conflicts with my Vizio volume control. If I leave the rotater turned on and try to adjust the volume it rotates my antenna. I have to rotate the antenna where I want it and turn the rotator off. Fortunately the signal passes through no matter if the rotater is on or off. I don't have to rotate the antenna often so I just turn on that control, rotate the antenna, and turn it back off.