Aerial wifi antennae

[vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com]

Since HDTV came out, I basically get one different station in each room I
move the TV to. Someone joked that the reason HDTV was invented was to force
people off of aerial TV. Any anecdotes? I tried some booster antennae and
also a thru the AC antennae to no avail. The best antenna was one from a
computer TV card. My uncle has had some better luck with a roof antenna.
Are people out there silly enough to waste their time and money watching
cable?

- = -
Vasos Panagiotopoulos, Columbia'81+, Reagan, Mozart, Pindus, BioStrategist
http://www.panix.com/~vjp2/vasos.htm
---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}---
[Homeland Security means private firearms not lazy obstructive guards]
[Urb sprawl confounds terror] [Phooey on GUI: Windows for subprime Bimbos]

[Charlie]

<vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com> wrote in message
news:japg2d$goa$4...@reader1.panix.com...

Google is your friend.

I built the one here http://www.tvantennaplans.com/ when digital
transmission was becoming more popular but was not yet he only game around.

I hooked it up to my 32" Vizio and was able to receive all the networks and
a few other providers.
I am in the flat land of Florida and with the antenna on the floor and about
4' above ground level.
It is fairly directional but one day when cable was out I was the only one
in the neighborhood watching he tube.

Charlie

[Charlie]

"Charlie" <le...@thestation.com> wrote in message
news:japgpn$1lg$1...@dont-email.me...

BTW I did not use the reflectors shown near the end

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Sat, 26 Nov 2011 01:40:29 +0000 (UTC),
vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com wrote:

>Since HDTV came out, I basically get one different station in each room I
>move the TV to. Someone joked that the reason HDTV was invented was to force
>people off of aerial TV. Any anecdotes? I tried some booster antennae and
>also a thru the AC antennae to no avail. The best antenna was one from a
>computer TV card.

Get an outside antenna.
There's no such thing as an HDTV antenna. They're VHF, UHF, or both.
The amplifier goes near the antenna on the roof.
Use RG-6/u coax, not twinlead.
Try not to fall off the roof.

>My uncle has had some better luck with a roof antenna.

No luck required. Indoor antennas only work in strong signal areas.
You've supplied no numbers or location, so you only get general
advice.

>Are people out there silly enough to waste their time and money watching
>cable?

I pay for DirecTV satellite. The local OTA (over the air) broadcast
programming is awful. I receive HDTV OTA fairly well, but only with a
rotator and self designed antenna and amplifier.

Antenna aiming:
<http://www.tvfool.com>

Antenna comparisons:
<http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ANTENNAS/comparing.html>

The basics of HDTV:
<http://www.hdtvprimer.com>




--
Jeff Liebermann je...@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

[Jim Yanik]

Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote in
news:3mn0d792hojvks3ul...@4ax.com:

I built a passive quad bowtie antenna that works well for OTA digital TV.
Saw the plans somewhere on the net. try "DTV coat hanger antenna"

www.makezine.tv

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com

[gregz]

I have at least one VHF HDTV channel that requires another antenna band
type. Most commercial amplified ones don't work at all or work poorly on
channel 13.
In my area, western pa, with hills, many places that formerly got
reception, have little or no reception. A RCA rabbit ear dual band picked
up at the dollar store, works good for stronger signals. I got channels in
different directions, so I have to turn the antenna, and except for a halo
antenna, all have directivity of some sort.
Picked up some amplified HDTV antennas from all electronics, $20 each, they
work better than ears.

Greg

[stra...@yahoo.com]

On Nov 25, 5:40 pm, vjp2...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com wrote:
> Since HDTV came out, I basically get one different station in each
room I
> move the TV to. Someone joked that the reason HDTV was invented was
to force
> people off of aerial TV. Any anecdotes? I tried some booster
antennae and
> also a thru the AC antennae to no avail. The best antenna was one
from a
> computer TV card.  My uncle has had some better luck with a roof
antenna.
> Are people out there silly enough to waste their time and money
watching
> cable?

There are MILLIONS 'silly' enough (renters with no roof access or
behind big hills or tall buildings) to use cable. We've been using
digital OTA since 2003 in LA and there is nothing magic about it. When
there was analog you could see ghosts (multipath) and adjust the
antenna. With digital the ghosts are still there but you _can't_ see
them so it's more difficult to align the antenna. If the ghosts are
not severe the receiver can equalize them out but he early receivers
could not handle dynamic multipath if the wind was blowing the trees
around - particularly when raining.

It would be way cool if the TV manufacturers included a 'spectrum
analysis' function in the receiver which would consist of displaying
the equalizer coefficients. The closer you get to 'minimum processing'
the better it works.Signal strength itself is not sufficient. A
relatively weak signal with no multipath is much preferred.

I 'cheated' and borrowed a spectrum analyzer to get the antenna system
'tweaked'. I never see pixelation or breakup of any variety in the LA
area 35 miles from Mt Wilson but I do have Line Of Sight to the
'towers'. Use a GOOD antenna and downlead and connectors properly
attached. I've used Winegard for almost 40 years and have never been
disappointed with them. The antenna I usually suggest is the HD7694
for nearly everywhere in the country. It has very good gain and
directivity for VHF hi and UHF while being relatively small (65" long,
35" wide 13" high) There are a VERY small number of places with low-
band VHF DTV and this antenna would not be good there. Many locations
are UHF only so you can use an even smaller antenna.

To find what the stations are this is the official place

http://www.dtv.gov/stationlist.htm

The 'virtual' channel column is what your old analog channel used to
be and is the 'reported' channel number. Example, in LA the channel
that calls itself 2 (CBS) is actually on 43. The 'digital' column is
the actual channel being transmitted. Most locations have nothing in
2-6 but there are some. Why any TV engineer would WANT to be on low
band VHF with DTV has me stumped.

G²

[Jeffrey Angus]

On 11/27/2011 11:44 AM, stra...@yahoo.com wrote:
> To find what the stations are this is the official place
>
> http://www.dtv.gov/stationlist.htm

Nice link. Thanks

Jeff


--
"Everything from Crackers to Coffins"

[Dave Platt]

In article <3mn0d792hojvks3ul...@4ax.com>,

Jeff Liebermann <je...@cruzio.com> wrote:

>Get an outside antenna.
>There's no such thing as an HDTV antenna. They're VHF, UHF, or both.
>The amplifier goes near the antenna on the roof.
>Use RG-6/u coax, not twinlead.
>Try not to fall off the roof.

What Jeff said!

Analog (NTSC) TV did have one advantage over ATSC for many people...
under weak-signal conditions, it would often give you some sort of
picture (noisy and ghosty) rather than none at all. With ATSC, once
the signal quality deteriorates past a certain point, it "falls off a
cliff" very quickly and you get no lock and no picture.

Even in the NTSC era, the best approach for OTA was usually "A
directional antenna, mounted up as high as practical, aimed in the
proper direction, with good coax cable". That's equally true (and
perhaps moreso) in the ATSC era.

Indoor antennas are usually hit-or-miss, and the fancy-looking ones
are often no better than rabbit ears and coat-hangers. "Amplified
antennas" are usually worthless gimmicks or worse. "Turn your whole
house wiring into a TV antenna" devices are best lain down, buried in
cement, and avoided thereafter :-)

>I pay for DirecTV satellite. The local OTA (over the air) broadcast
>programming is awful. I receive HDTV OTA fairly well, but only with a
>rotator and self designed antenna and amplifier.

A remotely-controlled rotator is often a very good idea.

--
Dave Platt <dpl...@radagast.org> AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

[vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com]

WOw! Thanks to all. Yes my uncle does much better with an outdoor antenna,
so I guess it may be best to just pull a line to his (upstars from me).

I also have probs with 13 in NYC where it is the NET station.