antennas and digital converter nonsense

[hoppzor.livejournal.com]

I've been researching all this antenna and digital converter box stuff on the internet (places like http://www.antennaweb.org) but I'm still somewhat lost. I know I have to buy a converter box. That seems straightforward. and antennaweb tells me what kind of antenna I want, but I can't find any search matches for the types they list on amazon at all!

What works well for you Davis Square residents and other Somervillains, antenna-wise? Is there anywhere local that I can buy these things, other than upselling/scammy places like Best Buy? I live next to Somerville Hospital, if anyone is close to there with an antenna that can advise more specifically.

As much as I love NBC, I'd really like to get more than one channel, which is my current situation.

Comments

[kalliejenn2.livejournal.com]

we applied for a $40 coupon for the converter box (i don't remember the website, but it's a government one) and used that to buy it - i think ours cost $20 after the coupon.

as for getting channels, we get a lot more than we used to with the box - i think we get about 10ish (we don't have cable tv) and the signal's usually much better.

no idea about the antennae, though

[ron_newman]

But the government has run out of money for those coupons, and is putting people on a waiting list until more money becomes available (for instance, when other people's coupons expire unused).

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Ignore my previous comment, I wasn't clear on your post.

As far as buying antennas goes...jeez. Honestly, I'm not sure "local" electronics shops really exist anymore. Your best local bet is probably Radio Shack. I'm not even sure BB would sell antennas in the first place; odds are pretty good some blueshirt will just ask you why you don't have cable.

[nu-luba.livejournal.com]

i bought and HD antenna at bestbuy a couple of months ago

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

I was there yesterday, there's a big stack. You'll barely even have to talk to a salesperson.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

Go to Audio-Video Plus (http://www.audiovideoplusinc.com/products/) in Arlington.

[mrboboto.livejournal.com]

I pick up HD signals from local stations just fine with plain ol' rabbit ears (don't need a converter box because my TV already has an ATSC tuner)

[smammy]

In Somerville we're close enough to the towers that you don't really need anything special -- any old UHF antenna should work pretty well. I bought this one from Amazon: Antennas Direct DB2 Multi Directional HDTV Antenna and hung it in my window (facing the towers). Works quite well.

indoor antennas work well...

[jimmyfergus.livejournal.com]

I bought an amplified indoor antenna, and it works fine. I notice the amplification helps with some stations (and I need to split it 2 or 3 ways, so I think I need amplification).

However, it's a small neat table-top thing from RCA, not expensive. We're on the first floor (on Francesca, near Davis), so hardly ideal reception. As others said, signal is good and strong near Davis.

[horizon-radar.livejournal.com]

One of my roommates and myself have this:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062081

It picks up HD just fine, you do not need some stupid 80 dollar "HD" antenna, because there is NO difference.

[thewrongbloke.livejournal.com]

I second this suggestion, though you may have better luck, more channels and less interference using an amplified antenna. It will cost more, but I currently use this:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103916

$34.99 from radio shack in Porter Square. This gets about all the channels you can expect to receive around here (20'ish) from a first floor apartment.

[the-gadgetman.livejournal.com]

As far as Rat Shack antennas go, I've been using this one from Malden.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2131034

A nice feature of it is that there is a remote for pointing it, so you avoid the whole "body affects the tuning" bit.

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

There is a difference, sometimes.

For DTV you want an antenna that handles both UHF and VHF. While the HD channels are all UHF around here presently, after the february conversion, some of them may switch to VHF.

More expensive antennas probably have an amplifier; the product information will say so prominently if it does. An amplifier can be extremely beneficial in receiving decent signal if the signal is marginal at your home. Even though we're close to the transmitters, some people will end up with a home location with signal blockage... like me, with a huge apartment building directly across the street, blocking the signal from my home. An amplified antenna might make the difference between intolerable signal quality and watchable.

If you get an amplified antenna or an in line amplifier, for use with DTV, it should be a DTV antenna or a DTV amplifier, to ensure that it has an appropriately low noise level for DTV.

You may not need an expensive antenna. If you don't, that's great. But it isn't the case that the more expensive antennas have no difference or no use.

[purpless77.livejournal.com]

I'm not a fan of this conversion lol. This is what I did in the room with no cable. We don't have extra money for a converter box so we called for a card and got it pretty quickly. I have heard they're running out, unfortunately people who can spear the extra funds called for cards too, greedy in the US go figure. Anyway we didn't need an outdoor antenna. If you can get regular TV with a regular antenna on your TV, you don't need an another outdoor one. I got our TV antenna from radio shack just a regular plug into the TV antenna no wall plugs or anything. The one that came with the TV a few years ago broke on us. But the radio shack one works great. Cost between $10-$20 can't remember the exact cost. We do get a bunch of extra channels and the picture is extremely clear.

A lot of people are going out buying unnecessary things thinking without them their signal won't be as good, they won't get as may channels, things won't work, etc. I have friends who wasted money on different types of antennas just to get exactly what you could get without them. Don't fall into that. Just get a regular TV top antenna and a converter box, it will work fine.

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

"I have heard they're running out, unfortunately people who can spear the extra funds called for cards too, greedy in the US go figure."

The government is stealing $40 of my money from my paycheck in the form of "income tax" and giving it away in the form of a $40 coupon for a DTV converter.

If I merely say "Yes, please give it to me," they'll give it away to me, who they took it from, instead of to somebody else. And as it happens, I could use a DTV converter.

I'm supposed to say no to being given back the money they took from me without my approval and decided to give away without my approval... why?

[purpless77.livejournal.com]

The money was NOT taken from you specifically. If they took $40 or $80 [two cards] out from every person then there would be enough for everybody. This program was geared toward low income families. And no I'm not going to help hijack this into a "low income thread".

[aynatt.livejournal.com]

I recently picked up the converter box and used my coupon and it cost about $17. Could of purchased one for $10 but decided to get Tivax STB-T8 which had A+ reviews vs. the other one which only had received B reviews. Well worth the extra bucks. I just used my old attenna (rabit ears) and reception is so much better and the picture quality is magnificent.

The saga of DTV

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

I bought an RCA DTA800B1 digital converter box and a Philips MANT510 (http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Performance-Amplified-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B000ES8EG0) amplified indoor antenna, both on ebay. I selected them because of good recommendations of each I found on the net from customers who tried and compared several models, and chose that particular antenna because while it wasn't the best regarded antenna I found, it was described as second best and I was able to get one for a very good price. (A lot less than it sells for on the page I linked to.)

I'm very happy with the RCA converter box. It's easy to use and does an excellent job. Its remote control is well organized and has large cumfy buttons.

The antenna I got had something wrong with it: the seller had listed it as new, but it seemed to be both used and damaged. (Oh, felgercarb.) I repaired it as best I could, and it did receive a number of channels, but all but one didn't come in well enough to maintain a steady stream of picture and sound. (All I wanted was PBS. All I got was NBC.) I complained to the seller, and got a full refund.

Oh, and that antenna really is as ugly as it looks.

I did a little research and decided to take my money and spend it on an even better antenna, as a lot of tall buildings around my home undoubtedly block a lot of signal; I bought a Winegard SS-3000 (http://www.amazon.com/Winegard-SS-3000-Amplified-Indoor-Antenna/dp/B001DFZ5II) amplified antenna. Warning: it's wider than my TV and looks completely ridiculous sitting on top of it. Also, it requires some minor assembly, which took about 10 minutes done slowly. (Six pieces snap together, and you have to install two screws and attach a few wires. It's pretty easy.) That said, it works very well. I now have nearly flawless picture and sound on every channel I receive at all. (After I change channels, there is often a momentary glitch a second or two later. Otherwise picture and sound are flawless.) I've never before seen picture quality from a broadcast station remotely as good as this, and I'm very pleased. I recommend the antenna, and note that if you compare the retail prices, the Winegard antenna is actually cheaper than the Philips.

A side note: I got all this stuff with the intent of hooking it up to my Tivo, having read that Tivo Series 2 units support DTV converter boxes, with the box I bought being on the list of models supported. However, when I tried to follow Tivo's instructions to set up my Tivo to use it, the option to use antenna (and box) just wasn't listed like it's supposed to be. I phoned Tivo, and they told me that yes, Tivo Series 2 units do support the converter box... but the particular Tivo model I have, a dual tuner series 2 model, doesn't. It only works with cable or satellite. Grr. I only got it a few months ago, and now I may be replacing it. This seems ridiculous.