Poor reception with bowtie

[lnx64]

This is odd, I know the rabbit ears is for VHF, and the bowtie is for UHF, but I'm finding that by using both, I can't get UHF to come in good.

For example, some of the channels in my area (all are digital, ugh!), that are in the UHF range, work better by removing the bowtie antenna entirely. Why would that be? Wouldn't those frequencies need to be picked up by the bowtie and not the rabbit ears?

[old_tv_nut]

How are you connecting the antennas to the receiver? Are you talking about a digital TV, which usually has a single coaxial F-connector antenna input?

[lnx64]

Yes, it's on a digital converter. Here's the connection.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...n/IMG_1470.jpg

[old_tv_nut]

That looks like a VHF/UHF combiner borrowed from the analog set, right? It may not be doing such a good job separating the two bands, plus the 300 ohm twin leads may be acting as antennas if the match is poor. In the analog days, you could just look at the picture and fiddle for best results. Hard to say, but you might get better results with a modern V/U antenna with coax cable connection.

[lnx64]

Hmm, I'll have to try that kind of antenna then. I was hoping to be able to use this TV's semi-built in antenna.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by lnx64

Hmm, I'll have to try that kind of antenna then. I was hoping to be able to use this TV's semi-built in antenna.

You may or may not get good results with your set's built-in antenna; it depends on how far you are from the TV stations' transmitters in Orlando, and how clear a shot you have to the stations from your home. I looked up your town on CityData.com and found that Oviedo is 15 miles from downtown Orlando, but the TV and AM/FM transmitters serving the Orlando area may be a bit further distant. An example: I live in a village that is 33 miles from downtown Cleveland. The TV, AM and FM transmitters serving the Cleveland area are located in a southwestern suburb of the city which is perhaps 10 miles further away, so I am getting local AM/FM/TV reception from stations located well over 30 miles from my apartment -- making my town a semi-fringe area.

I don't know what your specific reception problems are where you live, but I have problems receiving two digital subchannels (8.2 and 19.2) because the stations actually transmit on VHF DTV channels, which my UHF-only indoor DTV antenna will not receive. Rabbit ears will not work here (geography and probably distance issues), so I would have to use an outdoor antenna or cable to get all the stations serving this area.

I could use an outdoor antenna but I don't want to go to the trouble of installing one, so my only other option is what the cable company here (Time Warner) calls expanded basic. I don't want any part of HD cable, which would mean having a cable box on my TV and an extra monthly fee for rental of said box. If Time Warner offered the cable box for free, I might look into HD cable, but as long as they charge $8.50 per month, plus 30 cents extra (!) for the remote, I'll stay with x-basic.

BTW, how are you getting HD on a 19-inch CRT TV? I ask this because you said, IIRC, in a previous post, that you have cable so you can see football games in high definition. I think you also mentioned that you have a flat screen TV in addition to your 19" Samsung; if this is correct, it makes sense that you would prefer the higher quality HD cable signal as opposed to OTA broadcast.

[lnx64]

Well the 40" Samsung LCD in the living room receives cable and clear QAM OTA channels (as we have no cable box). In my bedroom I have a cable feed also for the cable channels, but because my converter box neither has analog passthrough nor clear QAM capabilities (even though the menus infer it does), I use OTA to receive higher quality versions of the channels. For example, on analog cable, football games are in 4:3, but on the digital converter box they are 16:9. Sure, it's a little smaller, but I get to see more of the football field and not miss a play.

I'm definitely not seeing HD on this old set though, it's just the 16:9 I'm seeing, and I prefer that. But there are some shows, like the Simpsons, where on cable it's in 16:9 (go figure, opposite of the football game), and I would prefer it to be 4:3, because it's a cartoon, there's nothing on the sides I'm going to usually care about.

I was thinking about using an outdoor antenna, but I got into a fight with my home owners association about using one, and I even showed them the FCC requirement that I have a right too, and they said that I signed the contract, and have no right. That's just a nightmare I don't want to deal with, so indoor antenna is what I'm going to need.

[NJRoadfan]

Setup the antenna on a stand in the backyard. Even that will be a vast improvement over any indoor setup.

[josephdaniel]

They can not fine you or even slow you down from installing an antenna regardless of what your contract says but they can regulate how it is installed e.g. The antenna must be grounded