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digital converter box not working
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fourmpub
Junior Member
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4. November 2008 @ 18:23 |
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i brought the Insignia converter box from bestbuy and its not working for my tv, i know i hooked everything correctly. when i search for local channels it kept saying no channel found. i have direct tv so idk if thats the problem
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AfterDawn Addict
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5. November 2008 @ 11:18 |
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You are connecting an over-the-air antenna (rooftop, rabbit ears)?
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fourmpub
Junior Member
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5. November 2008 @ 19:54 |
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no just an antenna that i brought from kmart
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AfterDawn Addict
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5. November 2008 @ 20:53 |
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If you connect the antenna straight to the TV/VCR/DVD Recorder, does it pick up the normal analog stations?
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fourmpub
Junior Member
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6. November 2008 @ 16:40 |
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yeah it does but i can barly get any signal
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AfterDawn Addict
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6. November 2008 @ 17:24 |
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You can put your zip code in this link and it will show you the type of (outdoor) antenna you need.
If the table indicates that your stations require the more powerful outdoor antenna, then in indoor model is not going to work.
Also note that while most stations broadcasting in digital are in the UHF range - some will be moving to the VHF band once those channels free up after February - so an antenna covering vhf/uhf may be required..
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx#
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tbone2007
Newbie
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7. November 2008 @ 10:19 |
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You may also need an amplified antenna to pick up the digital stations. Right now before the change over some of them are running at lower power than the analog.
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AfterDawn Addict
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7. November 2008 @ 20:33 |
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Yeah I tried one of the boxes at my office with a new nice pair of indoor rabbit ears. 15 mi max from stations, it picked up the UFH but not the VHF stations-even with the rabbit ears outside.. Digital it not like analog, you either have a great pix or no pix at all. Hopefully the power will be better when they actually turn the analog off.
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varnull
Suspended permanently
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7. November 2008 @ 22:42 |
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It's a little more complicated than just signal strength.. co-channel interference destroys 60% of my digital tv here. A booster just makes matters worse. I have aerials pointing in both directions and pick whichever one is giving me the least interference signal on any given day. i tried antiphasing them and playing with best position to cancel.. but transmitter2 is almost exactly 180 degrees opposite the required one Sometime I'm going to phase them properly and run a multidirectional array... because the alternative transmitter is in a different country with a different selection of channels in the muxes. But for now I can't be bothered messing about with short lengths of transmission line coax stubs and running up and down stairs to check the results.
vhf/uhf signal propogation and antenna tuning is a fascinating subject.. sadly overlooked by too many technical and semi technical broadcasting publications. You would be surprised how well a length of plain wire stuck to the wall with tape or straight up in the air from the aerial socket will pick up if it's a 1/4 or 1/2 wavelength of the desired signal.
Don't forget the impedence misnatch between 75 ohm coax and the 300 ohm live elements.. a balun is essential in any but the most favourable locations. uhf channel 60 is about 4 inches of normal 75ohm coax.. connect the 2 core ends to the 2 aerial elements.. and take the coax downfeed from the screen and one of the aerial element connections.. hey presto.. a cheapo home made and tunable balun.. a stub the same length will put a dip at that spot frequency... useful to blot out an interfering sw or pirate vhf station nearby... which may also be part of the problem by pushing the receiver agc circuits.
More to it.. much more to it than at first meets the eye... ARRL have some very good pages on the subject online.. check them out if you want to know more about general reception problems and solutions.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 7. November 2008 @ 22:49
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fourmpub
Junior Member
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25. January 2009 @ 13:29 |
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is there any antenna that i could get besides the ones on rooftops?
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AfterDawn Addict
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25. January 2009 @ 16:20 |
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fourmpub
Junior Member
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27. January 2009 @ 21:02 |
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im not looking for a cheap one, i was just wondering if there are any indoor antenna i could buy to make my dtv work
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AfterDawn Addict
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27. January 2009 @ 21:37 |
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Did you check out the guy's antenna? Easy to make. He's mounted in the attic and it gets a better signal than his, I believe, $80 antenna. Sometimes cheapo IS better! Look no further than a $150 monster HDMI cable and generic one for $7. May not be better but it's priced right!
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fourmpub
Junior Member
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28. January 2009 @ 22:17 |
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i dont want to go through all that trouble to make an antenna, i just want to ask if there is there an indoor antenna that i can purchase
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Mick3844
Junior Member
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28. January 2009 @ 22:23 |
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If you are having trouble receiving the analog signals you may not be able to get the digital with an indoor antenna. Have you tried a different room. Also are there mountains, buildings, or large trees between you and the tv transmitters?
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AfterDawn Addict
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28. January 2009 @ 22:24 |
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Sure, plain old rabbit ears will work in town and burbs. Google HD indoor antennas and see what you find. I know where I am, the two most powerful VHF stations are broadcasting in HD, BUT at a reduced power. They intend to go all out when the switch occurs in Feb-since Congress killed the delay today. So I would wait buying anything expensive until the change over. Because simple rabbit ears will probably get it done if near towers. JM2C
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