Anyone have some knowledge of TV antennas/signals/etc?

[nullbyte]

Last week my wife and I took the plunge and cut cable TV. We still have a cable modem, so there's still a live signal coming in. Here's where it gets weird, though --

 

(for reference, this is Time Warner in the Milwaukee area)

On all TVs, we still get TBS (channel 2)

On one TV that still has a cablecard/digital switching tuner set up (haven't turned it in yet), we get cable channels up to like 35, plus a few others -- even some digital and HD channels (!?)

Without any intentional TV antennas set up (new house.. I looked and there's nothing in the attic that I can see) we do get 12-1, 18-1, 24-1, 58-1, and a few others. No 4-1 or 6-1 though.

 

Ultimately we just want to get all the HD channels OTA. We're well within the "yellow" zone for all the Milwaukee-area stuff -- zip 53172, South Milwaukee.

 

1. Does anyone know what the deal is with the cable channels we still get? My guess was that it's piggybacking on something that the cable modem still needs

2. Since we're fairly close to all the transmitters, should I opt for an antenna in the attic (or roof, ick) or would a set-top be fine? I'd like to only need one antenna.. maybe that narrows it down

3. It looks like the cable signal comes in from outside, goes to an amplifier box, which has two cables running out of it -- one to the basement (where I think it's plugged into a wall outlet box thing, picking up power) and the other to a massive splitter that seems to lead throughout the house. Would I be able to hook up an antenna there in the attic, attach it and the incoming cable signal to a splitter (using it as a signal merger rather than splitter), then run that to the amplifier's input?

 

I'm totally flailing on this stuff since I don't really know anyone with any expertise. Any clues would be awesome http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[nate82]

I live in Franklin so I am close to the area you live in. For my TV in my room I just use an indoor amplified antenna that I got from Radio Shack and I get all of the local channels. About 40 of them I believe.

[1992casey]

nullbyte, you might find some useful information on antennas in the "Antenna for WMLW games?" topic. There are several helpful links in there, including one for constructing your own antenna.

 

I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope for an indoor antenna serving several TVs, but you never know. The one thing that stuck in my mind when was reading about attic antennas is that they could be affected by metal content in the roof. I believe several members here have been happy with them, though.

 

nate82, which antenna do you use? I've messed with two indoor antennas in southern Milwaukee County; I'd say that I've had good--but not excellent--success. Being near a window seems to be a real key; neither set I've tried is near one.

 

Oddly, Channel 10 seems to be the most temperamental. I don't understand that; several other Milwaukee channels are on the same tower, and they're fine.

 

For reference, this appears to be the Milwaukee channel list:

<span style="font-weight: bold;">Call Sign Channel Network RF Channel</span> WTMJ-DT 4.1 NBC 28 WITI-DT 6.1 FOX 33 WMKE-CA 7 BOX 7 WMVS-DT 10.1 PBS 8 WISN-DT 12.1 ABC 34 WVTV-DT 18.1 CW 18 WCGV-DT 24.1 MNT 25 WVCY-DT 30.1 REL 22 WMVT-DT 36.1 PBS 35 WBWT-LP 38 AZA 38 WBWT-LD 38.1 AZA 31 WMLW-CA 41 IND 41 WBME-DT 49.1 IND 48 WPXE-DT 55.1 ION 40 WDJT-DT 58.1 CBS 46 WYTU-LP 63 TEL 63

I don't think you're going to come close to getting Channel 7 and the 38s. (I never heard of them until I saw the list.)

 

WYTU-63 (if you can understand Spanish) is on a digital subchannel of Channel 49. Likewise, WMLW-41 (the important one) is on a subchannel of Channel 58. Channels 49 and 58 should come in just fine.

[nate82]

nate82, which antenna do you use? I've messed with two indoor antennas in southern Milwaukee County; I'd say that I've had good--but not excellent--success. Being near a window seems to be a real key; neither set I've tried is near one.

 

Oddly, Channel 10 seems to be the most temperamental. I don't understand that; several other Milwaukee channels are on the same tower, and they're fine.

I just went to radioshack and picked up one for about $30. It picks up all the channels decently except when the microwave gets turned on then all channels get lost but that is another problem.

 

I set my grandmother's up last summer and none of the TV's she has in her house have the amplified antenna just an old rabbit ears antenna and she picks up all of the channels listed:

<span style="font-weight: bold;">Call Sign Channel Network</span> WTMJ-DT 4.1 NBC WITI-DT 6.1 FOX WMKE-CA 7 BOX WMVS-DT 10.1 PBS WISN-DT 12.1 ABC WVTV-DT 18.1 CW WCGV-DT 24.1 MNT WVCY-DT 30.1 REL WMVT-DT 36.1 PBS WBWT-LP 38 AZA WBWT-LD 38.1 AZA WMLW-CA 41 IND WBME-DT 49.1 IND WPXE-DT 55.1 ION WDJT-DT 58.1 CBS WYTU-LP 63 TEL

I'm not sure of the model for the Antenna that I am using right now all I know is I get all of them and then some that come in and go.

[1992casey]

Nate, would this be the one you're using?

 

RadioShack® Amplified HDTV Antenna

 

This is the one I've been messing with.

 

ClearStream Micron/Micron XG

 

I edited the "RF Channels" into reply #2 above. I wonder if the issue with Channel 10 is that it's VHF while all the others are UHF.

[whizkid]

Yes, channel 10 being VHF is definitely the problem. I live about 40 miles as the crow flies from downtown and made one of those you-tube homemade antennas and can get all the major stations except channel 10. During the digital conversion either channel 18 or 24 was VHF temporarily and I couldn't get it until they moved to their permanent UHF channel.

[Godspeed]

3. It looks like the cable signal comes in from outside, goes to an amplifier box, which has two cables running out of it -- one to the basement (where I think it's plugged into a wall outlet box thing, picking up power) and the other to a massive splitter that seems to lead throughout the house. Would I be able to hook up an antenna there in the attic, attach it and the incoming cable signal to a splitter (using it as a signal merger rather than splitter), then run that to the amplifier's input?

 

I dropped cable from TW but kept the internet about a year ago, so maybe I can help. The cable for the TV/Internet should be coming in on one line. What I did was route the TW cable straight to the outlet that servers my modem. I was fortunate enough to inherit a roof-antenna in the attic left from some previous owners, so I then routed that signal into the general splitter that serves the individual rooms. So my standard cable infrastructure is being utilized solely for the OTA signal. Since I have some older TVs, I had buy individual set-top boxes to turn the digital signal into analog.

 

 

Without any intentional TV antennas set up (new house.. I looked and there's nothing in the attic that I can see) we do get 12-1, 18-1, 24-1, 58-1, and a few others. No 4-1 or 6-1 though.

 

I'm pretty sure TW sends all the local channels through the clear QAM, which is the same pipe they're sending their internet down. (I could test this since I'm in the same boat as you, but I have a giant roof antenna logded in my attic that's working perfectly.) You just have to have a tuner that can decipher it. However, you may have to rescan from time to time to retain the signal.

 

Being where you are you should be fine to get all the locals OTA through the smallest of antennas. The signals are coming from Lincoln Park in Milwaukee, so that's a good frame of reference if you need to point anything.

[bork]

I've been using a homemade antenna for about a year in Muskego (posted in the other thread). It's in the rafters of the garage. The fewer obstructions you have, the better (metal, brick chimney, etc). Also, the higher it is, the better. The only channel that cuts in and out is channel 6. I think it is because channel 6 is at a slightly different direction than the rest. The antenna is pretty directional, so you have to play with it a bit to get it aimed just right.

 

Channel 10 comes in fine. Even though it's VHF, it's a very strong signal.

 

The homemade antenna has worked a lot better than one of those powered indoor antennas we used to use.

[nate82]

Nate, would this be the one you're using?

 

RadioShack® Amplified HDTV Antenna

Sort of. I don't think they sell the one I have I was looking for the one I bought on their website and couldn't find it but it is basically like that one.

[nullbyte]

Thanks everybody. I wound up getting the Radio Shack antenna that casey linked to -- works pretty well. I might end up getting something a little more hardcore to hook up in the attic, but for now my wife gets all her broadcast stations, and they look great. (No more video recompression from TW!)

 

Regarding the other cable channels we were getting -- it looks like TBS is definitely coming in with the cable modem signal, but the rest were only working with the CableCards & tuning adapter. Interesting -- maybe there's a way to take advantage of that http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[MJLiverock]

Check out this site

 

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/welcome.aspx

 

 

They provide a lot of information on not just the antenna's but the compass headings for the direct line for the best signal.

 

I know a lot of people who live in a city but can't get one channel in particular because it's best line is directly opposite all the other channels in the area so without an amplified antenna or a much bigger antenna they have to move the rabbit ears.

 

When I lived on the SW side of Madison I could not get 15-1 (NBC) unless I moved the antenna and then lost most of the other signals. Now living in Waunakee I can get everything except 47-1 (FOX) without moving the antenna.

[1992casey]

I had a chance to try out a couple of sets side by side without moving the antenna. There can definitely be differences among tuners. One would think that now that we're in the 21st century, all tuners would be "equally excellent" as far as reception goes--especially with a major technology switch.

 

Anyway, I have a question. If I want to add a channel or two manually, can I enter the virtual channel number, or do I need to look up the RF channel number?

[Godspeed]

I would think the virtual number would be sufficient for most TVs. I know it is for my Panasonic.

 

On a side note, 55-1 WXPE (ION) in Milwaukee is now in HD as of this afternoon. Not that there's anything great on there, but HD is still better than SD