Quote:
Originally Posted by skylimit1959
... is there a rule of thumb with regard to cutting over to OTA from Cable. Can one simply start the process with reasonable hope of success; by disconnecting the cable from the street and connecting the antenna feed?
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Generally, if the cable feed was working well at the time you disconnected the cable from the grounding block, OTA signals of similar strength and adequate quality (net NM of 10 dB or better) will distribute through the building cabling without difficulty. As a rule, CATV grade parts such as coax and splitters are interchangeable in OTA applications.
The cable company spends a great deal of money to manage signal levels of all the channels on their system, keeping levels matched to within just a few dB. Consumer grade OTA reception technology does not provide a means to control signal levels of individual channels so you will be faced with differences of 40 dB or more. If you have trouble with a few weak signals you may need to look carefully at the cabling throughout the building to determine if it can be optimized.
Successful OTA reception starts at the antenna, it's mounting location and it's design. Compromise here, and none of the down-stream components will be able to correct the deficiency.