DTV Box

[centralradio]

DTV DXing LOL.I cant even get one bloody channel here and the TV tower is only 10 to 15 miles away.I still have my 2 $40 buck coupon freebies here somewhere which I got from Walmart when they did the switch.I think they are Magnavox or RCA,I cant remember at the moment.Also I have 2 Sharper Image 7 inch sets which receive some channels if I'm on top of the mountain in town here.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by centralradio

DTV DXing LOL.I cant even get one bloody channel here and the TV tower is only 10 to 15 miles away.I still have my 2 $40 buck coupon freebies here somewhere which I got from Walmart when they did the switch.I think they are Magnavox or RCA,I cant remember at the moment.Also I have 2 Sharper Image 7 inch sets which receive some channels if I'm on top of the mountain in town here.

The Walmart units were Magnavoxes, made by Funai. Most of the units that are around are Magnavox, as they were only $10.00 with the coupon. The first ones came through with a poorly designed remote control, where the channel up-down buttons were in the upper right corner. Older users couldn't use them, as the buttons were too tiny.
The Mags were cheaper, as the video cable wasn't included, just the RF.

[centralradio]

Originally Posted by dieseljeep

The Walmart units were Magnavoxes, made by Funai. Most of the units that are around are Magnavox, as they were only $10.00 with the coupon. The first ones came through with a poorly designed remote control, where the channel up-down buttons were in the upper right corner. Older users couldn't use them, as the buttons were too tiny.
The Mags were cheaper, as the video cable wasn't included, just the RF.

Thanks.Yes .Thats what they were Maggie's .I do agree.The remote is a POS poor design.Good grief .Its a Funai.Wonder why they suck on reception here.

[Robert Grant]

Originally Posted by centralradio

Thanks.Yes .Thats what they were Maggie's .I do agree.The remote is a POS poor design.Good grief .Its a Funai.Wonder why they suck on reception here.

Well, what are you using as an antenna, where is it placed (e.g., on the roof, in the attic, on top of your TV), and where are you.

There are websites (TV fool, for example) where you can enter your location, and it will show the direction and signal strength of TV stations in your area.

However, just because the signal is strong does not itself assure good reception. DTV favors outdoor antennas (actually designed under the presumption that a directional antenna 10m (33') off the ground would be in use).

To succeed with an indoor antenna, you almost need to have the indoor antenna behind a window that faces the transmitter sites. You may get away with going through walls if your exterior is wood or vinyl, but brick or stucco (because it has a metal wire mesh inside) will cause trouble, unless you can use a window facing the transmitters or put the antenna in the attic.

[centralradio]

Originally Posted by Robert Grant

Well, what are you using as an antenna, where is it placed (e.g., on the roof, in the attic, on top of your TV), and where are you.

There are websites (TV fool, for example) where you can enter your location, and it will show the direction and signal strength of TV stations in your area.

However, just because the signal is strong does not itself assure good reception. DTV favors outdoor antennas (actually designed under the presumption that a directional antenna 10m (33') off the ground would be in use).

To succeed with an indoor antenna, you almost need to have the indoor antenna behind a window that faces the transmitter sites. You may get away with going through walls if your exterior is wood or vinyl, but brick or stucco (because it has a metal wire mesh inside) will cause trouble, unless you can use a window facing the transmitters or put the antenna in the attic.

Thanks Robert. That what I got to do is put an attic antenna up.I would love to put an antenna up in the 90 foot pine here but it wont be safe when it gets hit by lightning .I see that BJs has DTV antennas there but dont know about the quality of them and same goes for the ones at Walmart.I need a backup in case the cable goes out for a long time.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by centralradio

Thanks.Yes .Thats what they were Maggie's .I do agree.The remote is a POS poor design.Good grief .Its a Funai.Wonder why they suck on reception here.

The later run of Funai-Magnavox's had an improved remote control, with easier to use channel up-down buttons.
The last ones have a gray remote and case and seem a little hotter.
BTW, they're getting a little rarer in the thrifts and higher priced. The last two, I saw were priced, $12.99 for a new-in-the-box Magnavox and $20.00 for a NITB Insignia.

[Robert Grant]

I can't help but notice that the price of almost anything in the "bric-a-brac" section of thrift stores has gone through the roof. Just today, I saw Sears branded Sawyer's Rototrays (a form of round tray for storing and projection of 100 slides), historically priced in the 50 cent-$2.00 range, priced at $19.80 each.

I just found out I'm rich!

[centralradio]

Originally Posted by Robert Grant

I can't help but notice that the price of almost anything in the "bric-a-brac" section of thrift stores has gone through the roof. Just today, I saw Sears branded Sawyer's Rototrays (a form of round tray for storing and projection of 100 slides), historically priced in the 50 cent-$2.00 range, priced at $19.80 each.

I just found out I'm rich!

greed factor.Once they search on Ebay,Amazon and forums to see what is the going price and they jack it up to the highest.I switch to my fleamarket,tag sale mode and do some bickering with those people.If they dont budge .Just walk away. Sometimes they will call you back.

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by centralradio

greed factor.Once they search on Ebay,Amazon and forums to see what is the going price and they jack it up to the highest.I switch to my fleamarket,tag sale mode and do some bickering with those people.If they dont budge .Just walk away. Sometimes they will call you back.

They all seem to have access to the internet and many times, they look up the selling price on a similar item and price it accordingly.