Antenna TV Phila area,,,,

knockbill

knockbill

Lunatic Member
Anyone on antenna in the Phila TV region? What kind of reception and what channels are available? I tried to connect a TV to a rabbit ear antenna, thru a digital converter box, but couldn't get any reception,,, Could have been many reasons, box not working, or operator error, etc...
What equipment are you using to get a signal, how is it working out? I can easily install a better antenna, if necessary, just wondering if it is worthwhile...

I'm sick of Comcast, and have to make a change soon,,, appreciate any input...

Regards,
John
 
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I built a digital antenna out of some scrap stainless, a 2x4 and some plans I found online. I got a fair number of channels, probably close to 20. Its been some time since i had that TV here so I don't quite remember what I had but it was most of the major Philly stations. That was just sitting in the window of my shed out back.
 
OK,,, but how did you connect teh TV to the antenna? I thought some kind of adapter box was necessary since they went to a digital signal in 2009...
I want to try it before I dump the cable...

Regards,
John
 
knockbill said:
OK,,, but how did you connect teh TV to the antenna? I thought some kind of adapter box was necessary since they went to a digital signal in 2009...
I want to try it before I dump the cable...

Regards,
John
Click to expand...

How old is your tv?
 
This tv happened to have a digital tuner already in it. Connection was a 300:75 balun at the antenna and just a short hunk of coax into the TV itself. I've been told some of those converters have poor sensitivity.
 
gadget73 said:
This tv happened to have a digital tuner already in it. Connection was a 300:75 balun at the antenna and just a short hunk of coax into the TV itself. I've been told some of those converters have poor sensitivity.
Click to expand...

I don't have any TVs with a digital tuner or HD capabilities,,, been on cable for a long time, so didn't need it... But now its time to make a change,,,
I also need to separate the ISP from the phone, when power goes out I still don't have computer or phone, even tho I have a generator,,, The neighborhood hub goes down also...
I think I used a VCR for a tuner before, they have digital converters, don't they?
Bottom line, even if I dump teh cable, and phone land line,,,I'll still need an ISP... Can't see any way to do that without verizon or comcast...

Regards,
John
 
I use a roof antenna and a radio shack rotor. I am in Bucks County just outside of the furthest Northeast. I get all the regular channels and all the sub channels.
2.1-2.3
3.1-3.2
6.1-6.2
10.1-10.2
12.1 - 12.5
17.1 - 17.4
23.1
29.1-29.3
35.1 - 35.5
52.1
57.1
61.1 - 61.3
65.1 - 65.5

Pretty sure I have suppressed some and several of the higher stations are spanish, but the girls all look good.
 
Digital tv is also on a different band than the old VHF, so rabbit ears probably won't do the job very well. Google plans for HD antennas. You'll find stuff you can whack together out of some wire and and a hunk of wood in about 15 minutes. It doesn't look real pretty, but they do work.

http://www.tvantennaplans.com/

is one example. Most of them look fairly similar. You can stack those things for better reception, and you can add a reflector to the back side to make it directional or not. I've seen them with solid metal for the V (mine is made that way), I've seen steel coat hanger, copper, slightly different measurements to tweak it for one part of the band vs another, etc. Still just variations on the same theme.
 
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Thanks, thats the info I wanted...Seems the box will be the biggest problem,,, gotta get one before any further testing... I don't think the one I have is cutting it...

Regards,
John
 
Thanks, I found plans for those simple antennas online,,, think I need to get a analog/digital converter before I can do any more testing...

Regards,
John
 
Check your local GW. I see converters for about $3. But they sell, even HD, flat screen crt tv's for $1 in my area.
 
knockbill said:
OK,,, but how did you connect teh TV to the antenna? I thought some kind of adapter box was necessary since they went to a digital signal in 2009...
Click to expand...

Analog, digital ... it's all about getting the signal to the jack on the back. From there, the tv tuner sorts it all out and turns it into a pic.

Anyone still got an old antenna that worked on analog, don't believe the snake oil about needing a special "HD Ready" antenna. The old ones work just fine. Of course, a lot depends on the condition and quality of the old antenna ... I've got a monster on a rotor here that's at around 30 feet, sitting on a hill - First scan pulled in 35 channels here in western Michigan.

I do miss watching the late night movies out of Detroit and Milwaukee though. Digital just ain't got the punch of analog. If it works, it's fantastic quality, but once you cross the line, it's gone. Max range here is a third of what it once was, and they call this progress ... harumph.

Beatnik said:
A VCR is analog and doesn't have a digital tuner.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily true ... correct that to "an OLD VCR". I just picked up on a nice little Toshiba that does both DVD and tape, and has a full function digital tuner. It also does real time copy, so I'm slowly working my way thru some boxes of tapes that have been collecting dust in the attic. Surprisingly good results, as the Toshiba also does some pretty fantastic up-converting and cleans up a good bit of the artifacts you'd expect to see ...
 
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Yep, I have an old nasty roof top antenna I got from a storage sale and hung from the rafters in the attic. Never see it and I only adjusted direction once.
 
There is no such thing as an "HD" antenna. Thats horsepucky. It would be like trying to sell someone a special FM stereo antenna to replace a "mono" antenna. The digtal TV broadcasts do run on a different band than the old ones though. If you have an antenna that would pull in the UHF channels, you're fine. A VHF antenna like rabbit ears won't be at all ideal, though it will function. Beyond that, there is no magic to this.


Side note, those old TV antennas that would pull in the VHF band work pretty well for FM. The VHF TV band came up to the bottom of the FM band, and picked up above it. As a result, the antennas worked right across the FM broadcast band as well.
 
Yep, If I find a box, I'll see about making one of those 2x4, clothes hanger guys, and see how it works,,, The box is the trick, tho... Gotta get a digital signal first,,,

Regards,
John
 
You could probably find a used decent size digital tv for what you'd pay for a digital converter ... I got a 24" LCD monitor on another computer that has an HDTV tuner built in. Cost $120 at the local big box store.

Time to move into the new millennium, dude ... We're only talking ... what ... a dozen cheese steaks? <G>

PS ... winter storm warning in your neck of the woods? Ho ho ho, say it ain't so!
 
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