Getting rid of DISH

[Dmcintyre]

Hello everyone,

I have finally made the decision to get rid of satellite and go with an OTA. In doing research I'm finding a lot of antennas on the market. What I'm trying to figure out is which one will work best for me in my area.

Below is the link to the channels available in my area:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...1ddaea2a1a7286

With these options what would be the best antenna to use. I would be mounting the antenna where my current Dish is residing. I will need to feed 5 TV's

Thanks for all the help

Doug

For Reliable Reception of , Many , many , many , many , many , Digital Broadcast Tv stations/channels will be received at your location.

Above the Peak of the Roof in such a manner that reception is not blocked by the roof and house in the directions of , south , south east , north west.

Install a Winegard HD7080P antenna aimed at about 150 degree magnetic compass direction.

The HD7080P antenna is --> Heavy Duty<-- long lasting outdoor antenna.

Here is how to aim antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.

Install a Channel Master CM3410 distribution amplifier.

Install a 6 way splitter. Leviton 47690-6.

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Here are some strong and sturdy roof top antenna mounts.

http://www.ronard.com/909911.html , use the 5 foot tripod antenna mount.

http://www.ronard.com/34424560.html , use the #4560 eave antenna mount.

http://www.ronard.com/ychim.html.

http://www.ronard.com.

Buy the ronard antenna mounts at solidsignal by typing the word ronard in the solidsignal search box or buy from ronard.

Here are some places to buy antennas and etc..

http://www.solidsignal.com.

http://www.amazon.com.

http://www.winegarddirect.com.

http://www.channelmasterstore.com.

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As always , trees and tree leaves do a good job of , multipath/reflecting , absorbing , blocking , OTA=Over The Air , Digital Broadcast Tv Reception and so do buildings and other obstructions including your own roof and house.

It is best to install the HD7080P antenna at a location that has the least amount to no amount of obstructions of any type or kind in the directions of reception including your own roof and house.


The Tv's Must Channel Scan for the Digital Broadcast Tv stations/channels , often named the 'Air Channels' or ' Antenna Channels' in the Tv Setup Menu because the Tv transmissions travel through the Air from the transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna.

Some Digital Tv's will automatic channel scan for cable tv channels.

DO NOT channel scan for cable tv channels.

Go into the Tv Setup Menu and select , 'Air Channels' / 'Antenna Channels'.

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Some satellite systems will except a Tv antenna connected to the system and some will not.

If discontinuing satellite service it is best to Remove All satellite system hardware , multiswithces , diplexers , splitters , etc. .

Yes the coax cables that are on/in your house can be used for the antenna system.

[GroundUrMast]

My personal inclination is to chase down every possible signal... That would require a large antenna or perhaps multiple antennas. That would in turn, require a heavy duty mount... If you're choosing to limit your choices to what will fit on the existing J-pole with little risk of wind damage, you still have a number of good options available. You'll want an antenna that covers both the UHF and at least the High-VHF bands. Here's a list of antennas that fall into a generally similar category

Antennacraft HBU-22 & HBU-33 http://www.antennacraft.net/index.html
Antennas Direct C2V http://www.antennasdirect.com/store/uhf-vhf.html
Channel Master CM-2016 & CM-2018 http://www.channelmaster.com/default.asp
Winegard HD-7694P http://www.winegarddirect.com/

Start with an antenna aim of about 160°, then adjust either direction to find the best overall reception.

You can reuse the cable left behind from the Dish install, but be sure to remove satellite system accessories such as matrix switches, diplexers, power supplies, etc.

You may need an amplifier, but I would install the antenna first, verify it is able to drive a single TV with no splitters or other accessories. Then add a 4-way splitter, with one port feeding a 2-way splitter... be sure to place the 2-way after the 4-way. The outputs of the 2-way will be lower in level so use those to drive the shortest cable runs. http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=13090

If you find that you loose one or more weak signals, you can add a Channel Master CM-3410 distribution amplifier between the antenna and input of the 4-way splitter.

[Dmcintyre]

Everyone,

Thank you for the help. This certainly helps. Now I need to find out exactly how my Dish is wired and obtain the correct components as described above.

This information has been very valuable. Thanks again

Doug