digital tv question

[jimbo]

We are having issues getting the new digital boxes to work in our cg. I was under the impression when they came out with digital tv it would bring us a better signal with better reception. We cannot recieve any of the signals from stations we recieved on analog tv. We get a error message that there is a weak signal.
The question I have is we already have a antenna booster on the antenna in the camper would it benefit us to add another in line with it to boost the signal. We do recieve the station for a second with a distorted picure. We are also in a very heavily wooded area and can't recieve any of the dish or direct tv signals where we are located.
I am thinking we may have to put up a external antenna on a pole to get higher in the air if nothing else works.

[whodo]

We are having issues getting the new digital boxes to work in our cg. I was under the impression when they came out with digital tv it would bring us a better signal with better reception.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/Browzin/ROTFLMAO.gif . http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/Browzin/cryingwithlaughter.gif

Sorry Jimbo couldn't help myself! But thinking that the gov't was doing something to improve something that wasn't broke already is just too funny.

Digital TV is either there or it isn't, gone are the days of the snowy picture with sound.

Now to try and help a little if I can...

Have you gone to http://www.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/maps/ and checked to see what stations will be available at your location?

Next have you gone to http://antennaweb.org/aw/Welcome.aspx and checked on what the gov't recommends antenna wise for your location?

Have you gone to http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/report2.html and checked to see what the TV stations expected coverage area for each broadcaster in your area will be? It conflicts with the gov'ts claims above, like that should be a surprise.

Here is one last web site that you can check out http://www.tvfool.com/

Now as far as adding another amplifier, remember these are broadband type amplifiers and will amplify all the noise as well as any signal that is present. You can try it, but not really sure how much good it would really do.

Personally I would look at a higher gain antenna on a higher mast that can be aimed at the transmitting station antenna.

Remember that if you have stations in different directions from your location you will have to aim the antenna at each one to be able to receive them.

[betsytom]

What we have discovered about digital tv, using a small rooftop rotor antenna with an in line amp;
The picture quality has to be seen to be believed, I am talking about the 'pure' digital signal that one gets over the air not the compressed digital signal you watch from your cable or satellite provider.

We are able to get fantastic picture quality from 'weak' signals, 50-40% according to our displayed meter from the converter, much under 40% strength can, on occassion result in picture freezes.

In our location we are watching about 6 stations that never even showed up at all prior to digital.

They seem to have gotten it right with the digital switch..

I remember reading about add on elements for the crank up bat wings to assist in capturing the digital signal, I'll post the link as soon as I find the article.

The two things I would do differently are: buy a much bigger antenna, and a more powerful amp. I was concerned about how the antenna would 'look' but once it is up on the roof it gets small fast and I did have a concern with overloading with the amp on local stations - what I discovered is that when this happens all you have to do is move the antenna away from the station and the signal improves.

[betsytom]

OK, got it but it was an April 30,'09 article on RV Business which I know not many here signed up for;

google Winegard Wingman and you should see alot of info on this add on

http://www.winegard.com/wingman/

[jimbo]

Thanks for the replys. I am finding our cg is on the fring of all the available stations and the only way we may be able to pick up digital is to put up a tall antenna. I may try the winegaurd add on it could help. We are on high ground in our cg and always got better tv reception tham most of the other campers that were in a low lying area. With the maps whodo put online here I found that even the channels that came in relativly good before the change only barely reach our area with the digital change and they say we would need a high mast antenna. So far no one in the cg has had any luck using the converter boxes according to the cg owner.

[geothom]

OK Gary, I have an HD view 360 mini state antenna system model HDMS9100 which was installed in Quartzsite this past Jan.

I thought it would be ok for the digital conversion but ......NOT.

Can I connect a coverter box using the tv out from the HDSM receiver to ant in on the coverter box then from the converter box to the tv.

In other words put the coverter in between the HSDM receiver & the tv.

Thanks

[jimbo]

geo your converter box should be installed between the wall plug and your tv. Also you may have to rescan several times to find your channels I did. But all my channels are comming in as weak signal so I either need a higher uhf antenna or a better antenna booster. Or I may be screwed cause the digital signal will not carry as far as the analog and you can't live with a fuzzy static picure. :mad:
Where our cg is located we are on the fringe or edge of all the stations we used to recieve.

[betsytom]

Try these for a great deal of info on dtv;

http://www.tvfool.com/


http://www.antennaweb.org/

[jimbo]

Happy Days are here again!!!! We are at the cg and we now have digital channels coming in fine although they are all pbs and cbs channels so not much variety. I ordered the bat wing for my antenna and the rv store called and told me it is in a hour after we arrived here Grrr. I will have to have my freind pick it up and bring it up this weekend since I paid for it. With it I hope to pull in a fox channel which almost comes in but pixilates and a abc channel we used to recieve. They are correct though either you get them or you don't no more fuzzy picures. I have to believe the stations were not transmitting at full power before the change. :D

[jimbo]

Well the new wingman came in and I had my freind bring it up here to the cg and install it on the antenna here. I seemed to help a bit but is not the cure all. Our channels we recieve here still fade in and out. I am kind of convinced that we are not going to recieve consistant tv reception here without a tower and a uhf antenna. As it is we recieve 2 channels and when one doesn't come in the other does. Both are cbs channels but all we really want to recieve is the news and weather we don't watch much tv here at the cg. The bad part is the channels seem to fade out right in the middle of the news every evening Grrrrr:mad: . We are still trying to figure out a way to get sattelite tv but with the trees it may be impossible. Right now we are trying to find out how long we can tun the cable if possible we could put a dish on the other side of the swamp here and share it between a couple campers here.