boise idaho reception tips/recommendations.
first off, cool site. wish I would have found it sooner, lol.
second, the specs for my area: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...60ed1f871cce8b weve never been much of tv enthusiasts, but the wife has been struck down with a disease called crps and we are pretty much homebodies until her condition (hopefully) goes into remission. that said, I have a 2 part question regarding reception. at home and out camping. for home. I look at the list in that link and notice some of those channels we have, some we don't, and we have some that aren't listed. currently using bunny ears (for each set, no splitters) and reception is different from one end of the house to the other. we recently picked up a tv for the kitchen and decided to try a different antennae in that room. we picked up a Mohu Mini Flat 25-Mile HDTV Antenna from wallyworld and it seems to pick up quite a bit more than the oldschool bunny ears. so apparently technology with antennae's has come a little ways. im guessing that our old bunny ear setups need to be thrown away and updated. so my question would be is this mohu setup with buying 2 more of for other sets in the house, or is there a better way to go? for camping... is there anything available for up camping? all we really want is to be able to catch a football game or olympics when up camping and weather keeps us in the rv. we typically camp within 25 miles (as the crow flies) from the main antennae's outside of town, but at times there are taller mtns in the way. im guessing we are pretty limited on this question, but wanted to touch on the subject just in case one of the gurus here had any solutions. thanks in advance for the help. I searched for other Idaho threads and there really isn't much on here, so I understand there may not be much assistance available. either way, thanks for reading and trying. |
Welcome!
The TV Fool site has been having issues of late with missing stations and/or erroneous information in the reports. I went to another site to find current and future Boise television stations. I am not a fan of any indoor antenna. Simply stated, an indoor antenna is akin to a temporary spare on your car. It can work, short term, but there will be compromises such as intermittent reception on certain channels or total loss of signal during inclement weather. You have strong signals at your home unless there are obstructions, like trees or buildings. You could try the following. For the price, it is hard to beat. http://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/3...dtv/dp/71Y5463 It comes complete with everything you need. You could mount outside a window or on facia, pointed towards your Boise transmitters. There certainly are better and much more expensive alternatives but this would get you started...... |
boise idaho reception tips
Since you're in a strong signal area at home and camping, if you're not inclined to put up an outdoor antenna, there are several very good indoor antennas which should give you stable signal levels for enjoyable TV watching.
Obviously, an outdoor antenna like JoeAZ recommended will always give you higher signal levels, but not necessarily better picture quality in most situations where a viewer lives in strong signal areas--albeit, depending on your local terrain and home conditions. I live in a strong signal area here in SoCal OC, and my current set up includes an outside RCA751R and I receive very strong readings on my TVs meter, but I also have experimented with several indoor antennas and even though the signal strength is less than my 751R produces, I do have stable and quality picture viewing. You might want to consider the Mohu Leaf 50 Amp, or Antennas Direct Clearstream Eclipse Amp, their new Flex, available now at Lowes. Those have served me equally well here and might do the same for you--again depending upon your particular conditions. I was once advised on this forum by rabbit73, to default to your TV; it will tell you if your antenna is working or not. I have found that to be good advise. Anyway, I hope my two cents helps and best TV viewing to you. I hope your wife gets well soon.:) |
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For a portable configuration for camping and the like, my usual recommendation is for either the C2V or our new C2MAX. Both offer a good amount of performance in a small package and the VHF dipoles easily fold down for packing and transport. FWIW, the C2V has been my universal "go to" antenna for most non-fringe, non-complicated situations, both indoors and outdoors, for a long time. It's simply a been a great combination of performance, size and ease of use that allows it to succeed for many customers. |
JoeAZ, that looks like a easy setup to get going. priced right as well. if I was to get that and setup the house is it better to run the splitter to middle of house and use equal length cables to each tv or is length irrelevant in this scenario? also, is there a recommended splitter? ive purchased at radio shack in the past and lets just say it was less than a stellar piece of equipment.
OTAFAN, we are lucky in the sense that we can see the towers from our house and there is zero anything in the way of reception. no trees, no buildings, etc. ill look into your suggestions further, but I get a lot of varying results looking up flex antennae. can you link me to exactly the one you are recommending? also, tyvm for the well wishes for my wife. really appreciate that! ADTECH, is the c2m/max a relatively sturdy unit? we camp out of a 4wd van and we go where you typically don't see campers. the road in and out and cramming an antennae in the mix of everything else could tend to be rough on it. think it is tough enough for hard road use? appreciate the warm welcome and advice as well. thanks for the replies everyone! |
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but I get a lot of varying results looking up flex antennae. can you link me to exactly the one you are recommending?You can go directly to Antennas Direct website to get all the info you need about the new Flex Indoor Antenna. Also, there is another review that just appeared on Tom's Guide on the web.
Skip both the Mohu (all of them except, perhaps, the Glide) and the Eclipse, they are UHF-only designs and are very poor on VHF channels. The Flex has both excellent VHF and UHF reception characteristics. It does come with an amp that probably is not needed.Actually, I was quite surprised from both the Mohu and Eclipse (especially) at the stable picture quality and viewing on VHF in my location here. I also tried their new Glide and the signal strength was better overall, except there was a noticeable drop in real channels 7-9, from 11-13 which were stronger; 7-9 measured around 26-27 on my meter but 11-13 showed 30. So, there was a downward curve in the Glide's performance in my home. Shenrie, if you're going to watch your TV from your RV, the above Indoor antennas would probably work for you, depending upon where you actually are camping. Antennas Direct has a couple in their RV on their website with an Eclipse Indoor Antenna on their window! And they look happy with their set up. Anyway, you'll find TV Fool very helpful for your OTA issues. Everyone has always been quick to answer my questions. An essential website IMHO! |
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Sorry, Shenrie and Adtech about the lack of wrap around quotes on my above post. I've tried several times to get that right, but I can neither preview my replies before I post to make sure they are formatted right, or get the quotes in grayscale. Rabitt73 told me once where to include this feature, but it still is not working. Where do you look for the grayscale quote feature, Adtech??? Thanks for the help! |
It's like this:
http://forum.tvfool.com/attachment.p...7&d=1498533066 Select the text, and click on quote icon. |
It's like this:Ok, rabbit73, I'm giving it another try. I hope this works.....if so, thanks again very much for your help! If not, I did follow your instructions literally to the letter and what more can I do???
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PTL and pass the ammunition, he (me) finally figured it out!!! Thanks for your and forums patience while I got up to speed.....
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Anyway, keep us posted on your progress and where you find pay dirt with your particular antenna(s). I would certainly be interested. |
[QUOTE=shenrie;59168]JoeAZ, that looks like a easy setup to get going. priced right as well. if I was to get that and setup the house is it better to run the splitter to middle of house and use equal length cables to each tv or is length irrelevant in this scenario? also, is there a recommended splitter? ive purchased at radio shack in the past and lets just say it was less than a stellar piece of equipment.
Without actually being there, it is hard to say what is going to work best with regard to location of your signal splitter. Length is very, very important. Keep your cable runs as short as possible. Use RG6 cable and be sure to ground your system. It can actually improve reception. Not sure who to recommend on a splitter. You might be best with trial and error. With regard to mounting your antenna. The most convenient location often times does not produce the best results. Again, trial and error. One person watching the tv/signal meter and the other moving the antenna around...... |
FWIW, online reviews are useless for selecting an antenna since >90% of the reviews don't provide any information that might actually be relevant to YOUR situation.
When it comes to splitters, I just tell folks to go to Home Depot or Lowes and buy the Ideal branded splitters. They're good enough for almost any application. Heck, you can even go to Walmart and buy the ones there, they'll also work well enough. It's extraordinarily rare that anyone actually needs the "best" splitter that was ever made (whatever that might be). |
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I will most definitely post up what we end up going with, does and doesn't work etc. might be a while though. currently working a full time and a part time job trying to make ends meet while we fight for my wifes disability status. she hasn't worked since feburary and short term disability ended in august. money isn't exactly flowing well right now :( Quote:
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