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Author Topic: Anybody receive their digital TV converter box coupons?  (Read 31132 times)
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N3DRB The Derb
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« Reply #50 on: April 29, 2008, 10:51:24 PM »

I have the elgato eyeTV 500 which is a dvr and a hd tv that hooks up to your mac. So I watch and record HD on my mac. The only problem is that there just bout never anything on worth watching. the quality is great, but a turd in HD is just a more realistic turd.

my cable provider encrypts everything on the cable line, but I get 22+ OTA channels with a 22 element RCA on the roof pointed towards DC, along with a mast mounted Wineguard 22 db preamp. I have a 2400 ft mountain ridge in the way, but I get 85 to 90 + on most channels.

TV sux. 90% corporate gangster mind control and disinformation.


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WB2EMS
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« Reply #51 on: April 30, 2008, 12:22:23 AM »

Quote
I am wondering if when they turn off the analogue signal they will put full power into the digital to make it more  reliable.  What they are running now is a hybrid signal kind of like IBOC radio, but at least the digital doesn't seem to degrade the analogue signal as in the case of IBOC AM.

Don,

From what I've been able to find out, many if not most of the digital signals are in a different part of the spectrum even though they share the same channel number. ie analog 5 is down in the low VHF, but 5.1, 5.2, 5.2, 5.4 may actually be in the UHF spectrum on channel 17 or some other UHF allocation. Apparently some stations will be doing digital in the VHF spectrum, but most are being moved to UHF for their digital allocations. As far as I've been able to determine it's not a case of 'stacking' the digital modulations on top of the analog signal like IBOC tries to do.

http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/programming/index.php, click on the "over the air" broadcast icon for the network in question and then pick the media market that corresponds to your area. Left click on the bubbles on the map and it will show you the details on that station including transmitter power and the actual RF channel for digital output. I noticed that some of the digital stations in my area are very low RF output (1kw) which makes me think they will probably run that through an amp once they turn off the analog station and it's amp. Paying two 500kw power bills is probably no fun at all...

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73 de Kevin, WB2EMS
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Don
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« Reply #52 on: April 30, 2008, 05:20:23 PM »

From what I've been able to find out, many if not most of the digital signals are in a different part of the spectrum even though they share the same channel number. ie analog 5 is down in the low VHF, but 5.1, 5.2, 5.2, 5.4 may actually be in the UHF spectrum on channel 17 or some other UHF allocation.

Wouldn't that cause a problem with people using roof-top antennae that are specific to VHF or UHF?  Or is a VHF specific antenna so obsolete that they assume everyone has a combo antenna now?  It's been a long time since I bought a rooftop TV antenna.

But if what you say is true, that must be where they will be getting that VHF spectrum they want to auction off, to ultimately stick the public with the bill for zillions of dollars.

Once they phase out analogue VHF, that should end the old harmonic TVI problem with HF transmitters once and for all.  That will be great for those unfortunate enough to have neighbours receiving their TV signal over the air on VHF with a crappy antenna.
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Don, K4KYV                                       AMI#5
Licensed since 1959 and not happy to be back on AM...    Never got off AM in the first place.

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« Reply #53 on: April 30, 2008, 10:02:07 PM »

I'm hearing bad news for us purists that the DAM cable companies are compressing 3 HD channels into one analog slot on their cable systems. "THEY" won't tell which ones are getting the extra whamo of compression. The satellite folks seem to be giving a better value for not compressing so much, but the old problem is going to be our enemy RF bandwidth.
I guess it's costing everyone dearly to get into the HD race for who can carry the most HD channels. Where is that FIOS thing?Huh
Fred
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Fred KC4MOP
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« Reply #54 on: April 30, 2008, 10:06:11 PM »

FINALLY a real deadline to go digital. The ONLY changeover to a digital service that we can see and hear a difference!!!!!!!!!! Godd-bye Never The Same Color

Fred
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Fred KC4MOP
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« Reply #55 on: April 30, 2008, 11:09:53 PM »

From what I've been able to find out, many if not most of the digital signals are in a different part of the spectrum even though they share the same channel number. ie analog 5 is down in the low VHF, but 5.1, 5.2, 5.2, 5.4 may actually be in the UHF spectrum on channel 17 or some other UHF allocation.

Wouldn't that cause a problem with people using roof-top antennae that are specific to VHF or UHF?  Or is a VHF specific antenna so obsolete that they assume everyone has a combo antenna now?  It's been a long time since I bought a rooftop TV antenna.

But if what you say is true, that must be where they will be getting that VHF spectrum they want to auction off, to ultimately stick the public with the bill for zillions of dollars.

Once they phase out analogue VHF, that should end the old harmonic TVI problem with HF transmitters once and for all.  That will be great for those unfortunate enough to have neighbours receiving their TV signal over the air on VHF with a crappy antenna.

I'm 60 miles from the Denver TV stations and I just bought top quality VHF-only and UHF-only Winegard antennas and hung them at 80' up on the tower last weekend. They still are making the VHF antennas, in my area a least one Denver DTV station will remain on VHF (Channel 12). I expect the future VHF TV antennas will only be for channels 7-13, without the large elements no longer needed for 2-6. The mega-fringe VHF jobs with the 15' booms will soon be history. But I am also interested in FM reception on 88-108. From the noise I'm seeing on analog, I will need add a mast-mounted preamp for UHF and digital. My antennas feed maybe 175' of RG-6, and then a 6-way splitter which feeds jacks around the house. Way too much loss.

Derb is absolutely right, 90% of teevee is garbage. But I am NOT going to pay $80/mo or so for satellite TV..It's not worth it to us.  I'd consider $25/month for a few satellite channels of my choosing, none of the satellite providers offer a la carte packages.

The free Denver stations carry pro football and baseball, local and network news, and there's some neat multicasting stuff going to happen on digital.
Off-air forever at the HG household.

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Pete, WA2CWA
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« Reply #56 on: May 01, 2008, 01:36:42 AM »

Got my coupon on Tuesday and went over to Circuit City today(4/30) and picked up a Zenith unit. Receives 29 digital channels with an antenna I put up sometime in the 70's. Use to be plagued with some type of motor interference late afternoons on Ch. 2 and 4. Now, with the box, no interference, and the quality of all the channels is great. Of course, still have the cable for all the super stuff on the "big" TV's.
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« Reply #57 on: May 01, 2008, 07:11:45 PM »

Just as information, I live 15 miles from the local Morgantown, WV digital transmitter which is considered as "line of sight" on the HDTV forums.  My signal strength is usually in the 40 - 50% range.  Last week we had a few heavy rain down pours.  The rain scattered the digital stream and with a reading of 45% on the built in meter scale I was UNABLE to receive ANYTHING except garbled video with zero audio.  All the big three networks out of Pittsburgh are broadcasting with their current output listed as 1000.0 KW.  Of these I can OCCASIONALLY receive channel 4.1 & 4.2 provided the skies are clear between here and Pittsburgh.  During heavy summer storms WTAE in Pittsburgh goes into its weather alert mode providing real time warnings for severe windshear & areas of storm rotation that could be forming tornadoes.  These new DTV working parameters defeat the Emergency Alert System.  How can you be provided with information that has pending storm damage if you can not see it being sent out?  With this in mind I personally feel that the new digital TV format constitutes a threat to general public safety.
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Bob  WB3LEQ
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« Reply #58 on: May 01, 2008, 07:21:59 PM »

I'm hearing bad news for us purists ...

Fred,

That should be "we purists".

Bill, who couldn't resist
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« Reply #59 on: May 01, 2008, 07:24:37 PM »

Godd-bye Never The Same Color

Fred

I think you mean "Never Twice the Same Color.

Bill "Anal retentives of the world, unite" W1AC
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ka3zlr
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« Reply #60 on: May 01, 2008, 07:47:15 PM »

Ditto on the TV leaving alot to be desired...I agree....Springtime is upon us now and Outside is where it's at for me...They couldn't give me a big screen TV.. Told the Kids..if that's what "you" want....knock yourself out in "your" own apartment...it's all over kill now anyhow...

However i did convert a little transistor radio i had since i was a kid to 160 it's in the garage..hooked it into the stereo out there...cold beer in the little frig out there Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard on the 8 track....a little slice of Red Neck heaven...Kamon... Grin
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« Reply #61 on: May 01, 2008, 11:09:55 PM »

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Wouldn't that cause a problem with people using roof-top antennae that are specific to VHF or UHF?  Or is a VHF specific antenna so obsolete that they assume everyone has a combo antenna now?  It's been a long time since I bought a rooftop TV antenna.

Most of the antennas that I have seen in recent years seem to be LPA's covering the low and high VHF portions with another section tacked on that is specific to UHF, sometimes even with a separate feedpoint. Or you can buy band specific antennas, but those are harder to find. I think pretty much any metro area has had a mix of VHF and UHF channels once they got more than the big 3 networks, so a broad band antenna system seems to be the standard offering. With the move to UHF for digital I see a lot of emphasis on higher gain "HDTV capable" antennas.

Quote
But if what you say is true, that must be where they will be getting that VHF spectrum they want to auction off, to ultimately stick the public with the bill for zillions of dollars.

Bingo!

Quote
Once they phase out analogue VHF, that should end the old harmonic TVI problem with HF transmitters once and for all.  That will be great for those unfortunate enough to have neighbours receiving their TV signal over the air on VHF with a crappy antenna.

Apparently there will still be some locations, I think 6 metro areas was what I read, where there will be low VHF stations, but yes for most folks the harmonic issues should be better. Now whether the new digital converter boxes hooked up to, oh say 66' of coax cable, will suffer from fundamental overload and puke pixels when you fire up is something yet to be determined.

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73 de Kevin, WB2EMS
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« Reply #62 on: May 01, 2008, 11:12:28 PM »

Just as information, I live 15 miles from the local Morgantown, WV digital transmitter which is considered as "line of sight" on the HDTV forums.  My signal strength is usually in the 40 - 50% range.  Last week we had a few heavy rain down pours.  The rain scattered the digital stream and with a reading of 45% on the built in meter scale I was UNABLE to receive ANYTHING except garbled video with zero audio.  All the big three networks out of Pittsburgh are broadcasting with their current output listed as 1000.0 KW.  Of these I can OCCASIONALLY receive channel 4.1 & 4.2 provided the skies are clear between here and Pittsburgh.  During heavy summer storms WTAE in Pittsburgh goes into its weather alert mode providing real time warnings for severe windshear & areas of storm rotation that could be forming tornadoes.  These new DTV working parameters defeat the Emergency Alert System.  How can you be provided with information that has pending storm damage if you can not see it being sent out?  With this in mind I personally feel that the new digital TV format constitutes a threat to general public safety.

Yep, thats the only reason Im bothering with this at all. I guess it wouldnt matter anyway though, we dont have a basement.


"DTV: Turn On, Tune, In And Drop Out!"
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« Reply #63 on: May 02, 2008, 08:30:27 AM »

The US over the air standard for Digital is 8VSB a form of AM, so it is appropriate that we are bitching. Actually the signal is digital AM.

Imaging taking a carrier and amplitude modulating it to 8 discrete levels, each level representing one digital state (data word). The fast data modulation process of course causes two sidebands to occur. The lower sideband is filtered (thus it is similar to analog TV) thge V in 8VSB stands for the same thing - Vestigal Sideband.

So the HDTVtuner demodulator has the dubious job of telling which level 1 through 8 it is seeing at any instant in the presence of fading, multipath interference, co-channel interference - all the usual AM stuff.

The System in Europe is totally different - miles different - like real different. They use a system called OFDM which is the same multicarrier type used on 802.11g. It is digital (real digital) and does not suffer from the problems mentioned since several hundred of the carriers can be wiped out and it still corrects the signal.

It does share a couple of common things with the US system, at the end of the path - you lose everything! and MPEG encoding.

Mike WU2D 
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« Reply #64 on: May 02, 2008, 11:28:34 AM »


Quote
Once they phase out analogue VHF, that should end the old harmonic TVI problem with HF transmitters once and for all.  That will be great for those unfortunate enough to have neighbours receiving their TV signal over the air on VHF with a crappy antenna.

Apparently there will still be some locations, I think 6 metro areas was what I read, where there will be low VHF stations, but yes for most folks the harmonic issues should be better. Now whether the new digital converter boxes hooked up to, oh say 66' of coax cable, will suffer from fundamental overload and puke pixels when you fire up is something yet to be determined.


I think the biggest advantage of DTV is that it will mute itself instead of passing the interfering signal through. I started doing voice on six meters back in the Sixties, and I think I had a bigger audience on channel four than on 50.4 MHz! I had only to key the rig and my sisters would yell out my name at the top of their lungs - but my father wasn't as amusing to listen to, so I put a length of twin lead across the input to cure the problem, much to my sisters' delight.

I have a Gonset G-50 and a couple of Clegg 99'ers (my very first AM rig) downstairs on the shelf, just waiting for the sunspots.

73, Bill W1AC
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k4kyv
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« Reply #65 on: May 04, 2008, 02:50:42 PM »


I think the biggest advantage of DTV is that it will mute itself instead of passing the interfering signal through.

At least the TV should just puke pixels with no way to identify you as triggering the problem, unless they simpltaneously have an audio rectification problem in the TV.

As for what the satellite companies offer, DishNet used to offer a limited choice of stations à la carte.  You could order stations in a specific foreign language.  I recall a choice of French speaking stations from Europe, or Arabic speakers from somewhere in the middle east IIRC, for about $20 a month.  I haven't checked recently to see if they still offer that service.
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Don, K4KYV                                       AMI#5
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« Reply #66 on: May 05, 2008, 10:45:44 AM »

Here is an interesting story on subject from NPR this weekend. Click the "Listen" link.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90157323
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« Reply #67 on: May 10, 2008, 02:17:42 PM »

Got mine yesterday (2 coupons).  I think it took about 50 days or so.

I didn't realize they expired.  These are good until 7/29/08.

Regards,

Steve
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