# ota antenna question...



## bjlc

where I live... I am surrounded by high iron filled bluffs.. my local cbs station is 18 miles due north of where I live.. however 200 feet due north of my house is a 300 foot hill . recently I was in a local Directv store and noticed a big nasty antenna.. but it was compact.. in theory I should need a 'booster " antenna.. does anyone know if this ota antenna designed for the back of a D* dish is powerful enough? 


and since no question is "supposed ' to be stupid.. since this is a D* antenna, is there a way to get it for "free" instead of dishing out cash...

please no ripping.. this is a legit question..heck I am " eligible" for a "free DVR" why would they complain about an antenna.. since we don't get all the sub channels in the area.. 

thanks for you time..


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## Jim5506

Your statements are contradictory - big nasty antenna - but it was compact???

What does that mean?

DirecTV does not make OTA antennas, they probably just had another manufacturers antenna on display - for sale - was it branded DirecTV OTA antenna?

If it was one of those antennas that clip on the dish and wrap around it - they are not worth the barbed wire that you could make one out of.

I have never seen an antenna "on the back" of a dish.

If your reception situation is difficult, then a very large antenna may be required.

The laws of physics have not been repealed by President Obama as of today, so - go from there.

If you 'll give us your exact address or go to www.TVFool.com and create a report with your exact address at a reasonable height above ground, we can give you some advice on which antennas to look at, maybe you are in an impossible situation, maybe not.


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## Scott in FL

Being blocked by a hill is a very difficult situation. It would be good to see the results from tvfool.

What tends to happen is the multipath reflections are comparable in strength to the direct signal.

My daughter is in a very similar situation in Central PA and couldn't get her local CBS affiliate. I have a LOT of experience with OTA antennas, and there was nothing I tried that worked well, including a very long, cut-to-channel yagi with ultra low noise preamp. I finally gave up and got her directv with locals.


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## bjlc

I would rather not post my address or location here.. to much info for people to mess with your life.. 

but I do according to the affore mentioned antenna website, need a purple, or grape , violet, colored style of antenna. or that type of signal strength. 

it was a "compact" antenna.. so it looks very big, in a relatively small area.. sort like a jet or whatever you would like to discribe it.. I talked to my local D* guy.. He knows what they are .. he just didn't know if he could install it for me for free..


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## harsh

Jim5506 said:


> I have never seen an antenna "on the back" of a dish.


Terk offered a modified dipole, the TV42, that mounted to the rim of a "round" dish and the TV44 that clipped to the rim of a Phase II(I) dish.

http://www.terk.com/#/outdoor_tv_an..._outdoor_satellite_dish_<br__>clip-on_antenna

I suspect that's what the OP is on about. Unfortunately, such a setup won't work with a modern DIRECTV dish configuration.


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## Davenlr

Wouldnt work period. No terk antenna is going to pick up signals from the TVFool purple zone.

I have a huge yagi antenna with the best preamp there is, and I cannot get signals from stations in the purple zone


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## Carl Spock

bjlc, I know where you live. !danger:

But more to your point, back when I was using an outside antenna and tried to go less than ten miles through some of those same rocky hills, I barely got a signal using a very large, multiple element, high gain, extremely directional rooftop antenna pointed right at the transmitter. The signal was so marginal that on some days I didn't get it at all.

In other words, using what is essentially an omni-directional antenna snapped onto the back of your dish won't do diddly-squat.


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## bjlc

there is an antenna on Satellite guys.. if I knew how to post the photo here I would.. its quite a deal. and no , its not my "used to be round" clip on the back of the dish, wire antenna.. its a lava hd 2605.. ... I believe the Directv store in Rochester had one similar to it the last time I visited.. 

and Yes Carl, I know that YOU KNOW where exactly where I live.. because in our neck of the woods, all you have to say is a person's name and they know what house it is.. ( btw I hope that you are feeling well these days..).. 

thanks for your input in the matter.. If any one could have an antenna to defeat these hills, you would be the man at the top of my list.. remember that I am almost already over 50 higher then the main road.. and then I would make this a roof top antenna.. but again. I truly bow to your local knowledge.. and expertise... still any more suggestions are welcome..


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## bjlc

oh and Carl.. I am still that old grumpy, opinionated neighbor with one or two major complaints.. however, once I get those solved.. I just grumble quietly at the world.. until the next "big crisis".. roflmao.. and yes, I can laugh at my self..


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## Jim5506

That Lava antenna has all its gain in the amplifier and almost none in the antenna itself, i.e. it does not do much more than a set of amplified rabbit ears.

You need a full sized outdoor antenna, mounted as high as physically possible, pointed at the station and amplified.


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## kenglish

If you are really close to mountains, you might also look for an antenna that has capabilities to tilt upward a bit. Many of the European-made ones do.


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## Jim5506

If you have access to a hill top, try a passive repeater - two identical antennas one pointed at the station, the other pointed at your home antenna (of course point your home antenna at the hill top install), you get some usabe signal using this.

http://www.matthewsworkbench.com/passive-tv-repeater/

http://web.archive.org/web/20080328024851/http://www.shol.com/kuggie/cttip/passive.html


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## bjlc

you mentioned a european antenna.. that tilts up.. any examples of one of them?
I would appreciate it..


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## Jim5506

The Dat 75, I believe tilts? - UHF antenna, very large three UHF booms - expensive.

The Funke PSP-1922 is a VHF high band antenna that tilts - no longer made but there may be one or two floating around.

Since all of us but one do not know where you are we cannot speculate on the type of antenna you need.

Anybody else?


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## rrdirectsr

bjlc said:


> I would rather not post my address or location here.. to much info for people to mess with your life..
> 
> but I do according to the affore mentioned antenna website, need a purple, or grape , violet, colored style of antenna. or that type of signal strength.
> 
> it was a "compact" antenna.. so it looks very big, in a relatively small area.. sort like a jet or whatever you would like to discribe it.. I talked to my local D* guy.. He knows what they are .. he just didn't know if he could install it for me for free..


on tvfool.com you can do an annonomys breakdown to share with people. It won't show your address. This would help everyone.


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## spaul

I hope someone can answer this question,I'll be dropping my Directv service do to finances been out of work almost 2yrs .Enough about my money issues would like to put up an outdoor antenna and want to know if I can use existing coax from dish and connect to antenna.Then would I be able to just take inside coax leading to my 3 TV,s and connect them to antenna input.Would appreciate any input about this would save some expense and time if viable .


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## Davenlr

spaul said:


> would like to put up an outdoor antenna and want to know if I can use existing coax from dish and connect to antenna.Then would I be able to just take inside coax leading to my 3 TV,s and connect them to antenna input.Would appreciate any input about this would save some expense and time if viable .


Yes, you can. If you are on a SWM system, there wont be any issues except removing the bandstop filter (if applicable) and power inserter from the line. You can use the splitter.

If you are on an older system, you will need to remove the multiswitch (if installed) and replace it with barrel connectors/splitters as needed.


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## spaul

Dave thanks for the answer I do have a swim set .


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## spaul

Well it looks like I'll be staying with Directv for a while since,my contract is not up till well into 2013.I guess back in Sept.when I swapped out an H box for another HD box extended my contract.So now I'll hang in there and just down grade my package even more if need be.Hopefully things will go okay I do have some prospect job wise since,first posting question.


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