It’s been almost six months since we ditched our satellite TV service, at which point we signed up for Netflix and Hulu and haven’t looked back. While we’ve been pleased overall with Netflix and Hulu, we’ve been thinking about adding an outdoor OTA antenna, just in case we want to watch ordinary network programming, like the local news while it’s actually on the air.
We’re on the third (highest) floor of our building, and the mast where the satellite dish used to be mounted is still there. The cable that used to carry the satellite signal into the house is intact as well, which seems like it ought to be a big bonus for anyone wanting to mount a TV aerial. With this in mind, can a CATV or satellite-TV type cable be used with an OTA antenna? If so, can the TV-end of the cable typically be hooked up to the CATV/satellite receptacle on the TV, or do I need to do the connection some other way?
Bonus question: Does anyone know of a good online community that focuses specifically on TV related technical questions and problems?
In general, yes. However, DirecTV (I don’t know about Dish) systems in recent years tend to use multiplexing band-shift systems (SWM), which means your cable may not be a simple electrical connection from end to end. Trace the cable from each end as far as you can, looking for splitters, boxes with multiple connectors, and so on. You can replace those with a simple barrel connector if no part of the system is still in use. Also, older systems might have “B-band converters” at the TV end. These are boxes with a 6" or so pigtail that screw onto the end of the cable. Remove those before re-using the cable.
You might try DBSTalk. Despite the name, they also cover cable TV providers, TVs, etc.
You might also look at Solid Signal. They’re a store that sells antennas, cables, receivers, etc. but there are a lot of helpful documents linked from the various product pages.
I’ve heard that the dish receiver could work as a OTA antenna if you are in a strong signal area. I tried it as the former owner had direct tv, but could not get anything, however I am at the fringe of broadcasting range and required a large directional antenna to get OTA.
Since I repositioned the antenna, I never tried to repurpose the cable
on the left side, click on “Check Your Address for Free TV”
enter your zip code (address or coordinates for more exact) and the height. it will tell you what stations you can get with what quality of antenna. you care about the ‘real channel’ numbers to decide which antenna needed.
avsforum is a very good forum.
you are likely not able to mount much of an antenna on that mount. you might only be able to mount a vertical boomed antenna.
I use RG-6 coaxial cable between my OTA antenna and my TV. 15 stations, a DVR, and Netflix is more than I can handle.
Just about all digital OTA signals are UHF, so skip any VHF antenna. I don’t care if they call themselves channels 2, 4, 5, and 7. In Boston, they really broadcast on channels 19, 30, 20, and 42, respectively. It’s the bits in the data that tell the TV, what channel to display when you’re watching. A 2-bay antenna is about $30.
There are a significant number of stations still on upper VHF (channels 7 to 13), which runs 174 to 216 MHz. There are even a few in the lower VHF (2 to 6). You really need to check your local stations.
I agree with ZenBeam. Here in the Tucson area, one station has remained on its original analogue channel 9. We also have a couple of digital repeater channels that run on channels 4 and 13. These are their actual frequencies and not virtual channels. So an antenna aligned for both UHF and VHF frequencies is necessary to receive all channels.
the channel frequencies are the same for analog or digital for the real channel number. many digital stations will identify with their old analog channel number (virtual channel) because of marketing even though the actual channel number (real channel) may be different.
you want to base your antenna needs on the real channel numbers. tvfool gives all that data.