This TV Antenna Gets All the Free Channels! - Televes DATBOSS LR Mix Review
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
- Buy one on Amazon: lon.tv/hl9e1 (compensated affiliate link) - The @AntennaMan recommended this over the air (OTA) antenna for my situation and it did not disappoint! Not only does it get all of my ATSC 3.0 channels it picks up the ATSC 1.0 channels I could never receive before! See more in this series: lon.tv/atsc3 and subscribe! lon.tv/s
VIDEO INDEX:
00:00 - Intro
01:35 - Assembly
02:24 - Preamp module
02:54 - Testing Environment
03:36 - ATSC 3.0 Performance
04:58 - ATSC 1.0 Performance
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Had a bunch of questions on tower distance - they are roughly 30-40 miles away depending on the station. WFSB (the station I couldn't get before) is around 35 miles away with a lot of challenging terrain in between.
Awesome
I noticed the antenna you have and the one on Amazon or not exactly the same antenna unless you purchased additional VHF elements?
@@jamesm568 The antenna in the video is the latest version of the DAT LR, updated for repack frequencies sub 608MHz and with higher VHF gain than the previous versions. Part number 149884
@@TelevesUSA I noticed the Amazon pictures don't match the actual model number of the newer repack version so it made me question the Amazon link.
what tuner card are you using on your computer?
Great posting. Please keep us informed as to your progress with OTA TV. Good luck and thanks for your channel!
Lon, this is out of the question where I lived in far northwest CT, but as a journalist, I really appreciate your attention to ethics and always disclosing whether or not you paid for the items that are being reviewed. A lot of tech reviewers don't do it, so kudos!
Excellent, I'm watching these videos very closely! I so want to be able to cut back on some of my streaming services.
Glad it’s working. Interesting journey for cable cutting challenges. Love it
I did the paid consultation service with The Antenna Man and he was spot on. Well worth the $40 for the analysis and antenna recommendation. In my case I'm much closer to the TV towers and a Televes Dinova-Boss antenna was recommended. I mounted mine in the attic and pulled in 30+ channels more than I was getting with a flatenna in the living room. The Dinova-Boss like the Databoss includes an RF amp/splitter/LTE filter. This was perfect for me because like you, I wanted to integrate the HDHomerun tuner so I could stream live TV across my home network. I've found that putting in a little extra money for an OTA TV solution makes a lot of sense because it's basically free, no monthly follow on costs at all. Thank you for producing these videos. They were super helpful in getting my home set up.
I have a smaller Televes antenna, and LOVE it!
I might get this one later, but for now, mine does the job well.
That, and my Tivo Edge.
Wow, what a big Antenna! The Antenna Man, is likely going to give you a trophy for showing your newest accomplishment. Very well done. I've been meaning to get me a new outside Antenna for a long time now, but since I watched this video, I have something to look forward to. Thanks, Terry
No, not a "big" antenna. That's on the smaller end, Televes sells it as a COMPACT antenna, as Channel Master , Winegard have longer ones for far away distance receiving. Just look at the towers people have beside their houses, for 50,40 60 years now----of course you saw those large ones still there, from those mfgrs., LASTING ALL THESE YEARS!!! COOL!!! Can't say that for TODAY'S tiny imported low quality antennas.
Thanks for the video. BTW guide wires will help with the wind and protect it from storms.
Thanks for the Review Lon, I have been wanting to get this on my tower with a rotor. It can be a expensive setup but it is the best for long range tv DX ing and I love picking up far away stations in the spring and fall!
I have a friend that likes to DX TV and audio. Both commercial and amateur.
Is that what we mean by fringe?
I might have to try this either though I just purchased a Channel Master Digital Advantage 100 CM-2020. Antennas are so inexpensive it's fun to test out different models. I'm still old school though because the bigger the better. I also find that antennas with low VHF elements seem to perform better when you're between two TV markets that are in the opposite direction as it helps soak up TV signals on the back side.
Thank you for showcasing Televes. I hope they gain traction in the U.S. ATSC 3.0 should bring on a renascence of OTA viewership. Even if I already have cable/streaming, OTA is great to have as backup.
*renaissance
I purchased this exact antenna when it 1st came out this years model a few months ago.
I live in Louisiana flat country with trees, antenna is installed at 22' height & set up for 2 towers 70 miles away.
I receive 56 stations clear but edited out PBS repeaters. This is the best antenna on the market & have 3 others installed.
I have the same one and works! I get 67 Channels in Houston!
Glad to learn that I'm not the only one who struggles with spousal approval when it comes to projects like this.
Lon, based on your drone footage, it appears your attic nearest the driveway would perhaps allow you to do a test by trying it there. You don't have to do any fancy mounting to try it out...just suspend it with something like paracord and see what you get. This could be an interesting datapoint for your viewers, too. I have a smaller model Televes in my attic and it works great. I'm about 25 miles from my broadcast towers and have trees and a neighbor somewhat intefering with my line of sight.
My Televes Dinova Boss Mix does a great job. It can pick up all the DC stations (10 miles away) and all of Baltimore's UHF stations (45 miles away) from my condo unit. It's small so I have it on a shelf out of the way.
Got the antenna with the extra vhf elements had it about three weeks, like it very well so far get about 45 channels from the east and about the same from the west some are the same channels but it works great.
Love your honesty and looking to learn about these boxes and antenna
This is extremely compelling content. Unfortunately, there is an unspoken elephant in the room, which is that classical TV contains ads. When I tried adding classical over-the-air TV to our household about 5 years ago, I found this to be an Achilles heel and we never used what I hooked up because we couldn't stand the ads, and we wanted more control over what was playing anyway. I am tempted to hook up another antenna where we are now, but really honestly, I think it is a fail.
At 1:54 --- Hey Lon, I always thought you had a couple of screws loose. HA HA. Thanks for the vid
I have an indoor Clearstream 2Max antenna and get all the digital channels I ever need (57). Sometimes some drop out do too windy or stormy days, but 96% of the time all channels come in great. I do have an amplifier to give a little more boost. I am in the Chicago area.
It's great hearing about the progress you've been able to make with pulling-in high-quality broadcast TV signals (and your video consultation with The Antenna Man was brilliant). Is there an out-of-the-way corner on your property where you can raise the antenna on a sturdy mast above most of the trees, so that the antenna still remains relatively unobtrusive, or perhaps on a part of your roof where the antenna is not visible from the street? I'm hoping you have success finding the perfect solution to your TV reception puzzle.
Impressive looking antenna, something I wished I could use but can't unless I had a rotator. In my location, directionals don't work all that great due to the trees in the way. It was far cheaper for me to just buy a 8 bay antenna with a amp than with a directional I'd still need a amp for, plus the rotator. Bay antennas imo work better with trees in the way than directionals unless you're close to TV stations. I'm 55 miles away from any transmitter, bay antenna's is my only real solution. The trees I have are right there thick as a bush no way to remove them and don't want to. I'm actually amazed I get all the channels, especially the weaker ones and yet they still do fairly good.
Televes is an impressive company. I purchased their 3 input preamp which works perfectly for me. It has 2 UHF inputs and 1 VHF. I could have spent money on a rotor, but I couldn't find one location, at any height where I could pick up ALL of the channels in a 70mi radius perfectly. The 3 inputs on the preamp allow me to point 3 separate antennas at all of the stations at different directions, elevations and various locations for their optimum signal levels. For my current setup, on the south side I have an 8-bay, sitting on my deck picking up a UHF station from a 70mi distance. It get's it's optimum signal only in ONE spot and ONLY at a 10 ft. elevation (very strange). I tried mounting it as high as 30 ft in several areas of the yard and NO signal!! According to the FCC footprint, I'm at the extreme contour for a signal.
A second 4 bay antenna is on the west side, pointing west, up in the attic, along with the VHF in the attic that points to a station South-West at a distant station 35mi away. It also picks up 2 other VHF stations well in that location. Using the HDhomerun signal meter I now get full signal level with 90% SNR quality on all channels except for the 70mi distant station, which comes in with 90% signal and 65% SNR, but that's good enough for 100% solid reception. Without the Televes preamp, that signal is fairly solid (with occasional dropouts) but the SNR drops to 30%. Some engineers say preamps only compensate for long coax distances. I disagree. I measured this signal at the antenna both with and without the preamp. This preamp definately makes a marginal signal SOLID.
The only drawback is that none of the inputs make use of a UHF/VHF antenna. But the 3 separate antennas at various locations provides perfect reception for all of the stations WITHOUT the need for a rotor, and each preamp is fully adjustable. I think it would work great for Lon considering where his signals come from. I remember as a kid we would watch (then) WTIC with a low band antenna, which was a HUGE monster 12ft in length, tuned ONLY for Channel 3, but we had perfect reception 60mi. north of Hartford. We also received WTNH in New Haven with another 12 ft. antenna tuned to Channel 8. We had a switch to switch between antennas. Those were the days and those massive antennas peaked my interest in antennas.
Yes, you'll clearly spend more for the Televes preamp and additional antennas, than you would a rotor, but if you're using a system like Plex and sharing it with others in your family, it will eliminate a fight over a rotor and all of your available channels will always have optimum signal levels.
Seems a lot cheaper and easier to pay to stream it here except that there is no Individual ABC streaming service.
oh yea. that's the mac-daddy of antennas. I really love that antenna. unfortunately for me, it was too big to fit nicely into my attic. as far as trees go, I have tons more trees than that, and I'm down a hill, and my antenna is in the attic. I did notice a drop off in signal strength a bit when the foliage came in, but otherwise, no problem. I'm using an RCA ANT705E and a Televes pre-amp. On the brighter side, I get the ATSC 3.0 channels here in Atlanta at 100% across the board. So I'm good for locals.
Great video,my antennas are on tower,I live in backwoods in south east Alabama,most people in my area use junk and outside antenna 20 ft high or less mabe get 15 channels from 1 market at most,but I am on tower 65 ft high scan in 5 markets,Tallahassee fl, Panama city fla,Montgomery ala,Columbus GA and dothan ala,about 60 full power channels.I use a/b switches and channel master pre Amp and power supply.Biger and higher is always better if you live in sticks trees will always kill the signal.I bet in your area if you could get above the top of that tree you showed in your video you could easily scan in over 100 channels.Most channels I receive are 70+ miles away.
I bought a Mohu leaf 65 mile antenna. I put it in the bedroom window and currently receive 75-80 channels. The most I've pulled in was 94. I'd love to have one of those monsters to see what I can get with it.
Liking the classic Mac's in the background! 😀😊
Post Script - I still have my original SEGA Genesis 16bit with two controllers!
I have had mine over a year .it is an awesome antenna. I have mine on a 40 ft tower. I am reliably getting stations over 60 miles away. It is a big antenna.
Lon, I rewatched this vid. I thought based on a small part of the channel monitoring the HDHomeRun ATSC 3.0 could single-scan channels. I spoke with Silicon Dust and that is not the case. So a Rotor would not be a solution for more channels. I have a televis long-range UHF model as Channel 8 ABC ATSC 1.0 is on channel 10 vhf. When I first put up the antenna I believe it was last fall. Now I find I get most channels except CBS 3 with 80 deg angle. I need 40 deg for ABC and still most. It may be that with the increased signal to noise of ATS 3.0 I will be able to get all channels with my compromise normal 60 deg angle. Or :) I could get a 2 HD HomeRun split antenna and scan each at different angles. It seems plex can handle multiple devices. So I am ordering from Amazon. I will let you know how it plays out. And by the way, I really like your channel.
These type of antenna is all over houses/villa's/apartments in Spain
They've lost some popularity in the US but I think they may be making a bit of a comeback.
@@jmr if they had an special model for non FCC frequency plans countries
Nice antenna. Here in the UK I get 100 plus channels from a transmitter 50 miles away with a labgear 48 element without any amplifier in the attic so not bad. Does help if you use good low loss coax of course. It made a real difference when I used some RG6 coax recommended by antenna man…Will you do a follow up with your new super high antenna location ?
All those trees and everything. I have the exact same situation as you.
We told you so. Televes is the thing.
One mistake I made when switching to an antenna was not picking one that would work in the least desirable conditions. I picked one that would work 95% of the time and thought that would be good enough. However, once one of my wife's programs didn't record on my PVR (TVHeadEnd on RPi 4), I went out and got a bigger antenna and have never looked back.
Best one I’ve ever had 50 channels found 😊
Looks like a great antenna. I think I will seriously consider buying one. So Lon, does this mean goodbye to Comcast Cable TV? 😂
I live over 50 miles in either direction to our nearest TV station and I just purchased the DATBOSS and I pickup stations from Winston Salem and Charlotte with up to 80 percent signal. I am getting over 60 channels (many duplicates - Like PBS, Major networks and the ME. Channels.) Total cost of antenna, rotor and cable was around $300. At $75 bucks per month, I will recoup my money in 4 months. More noteworthy and surprising my home is surrounded by Leyland Cypress Trees and I still get a good signal.
It’s an amazing antenna !
My antenna is only 7 feet high. It is aimed at a forest of 60 foot tall trees. Most of our channels have been moved to the same location. My antenna is aimed at 306° magnetic according to Rabbitear information. I did rescan and now we receive 72 channels 40 miles away, I was getting 60 channels before. I use online OTA TV guide to learn what is on TV. Reception is better than before, a 70 foot tower won't make reception better. If I rotate my antenna to 89° magnetic I can receive the same channels from a different town 70 miles away. That town is at a higher elevation about 2000 feet. Where we live our house elevation is 860 feet. It is interesting if I am the antenna up at about 30° at the clouds sometimes I can receive a few stations 120 miles away. Shortwave ratio people call that, skip.
I got that antenna recommended from the antenna man. Put it 100feet up on the wind turbine tower. It's fabulous. I get stations 150miles away
I believe you. I tested a Televes DATBOSS LR UHF in Costa Rica on a site with no LOS and 220 km (150 miles) away from the repeaters on the Irazu volcano (3,400 m altitude) and got most DTV stations. It was just amazing!
@@robertogalvez3865 I tried it at 40' it did good at 75 miles when I went up to 100 foot on the wind turbine tower it gets damn near everything I have it on a rotor. The TV does a scan for stations. I turned it end to end till it got done scanning. Worked perfectly
@@royamberg9177 pardon my ignorance but did you climb a wind turbine and attach your antennae to it? I plan to cut cable and I'm trying to figure all these info out..thanks
@@mariejosalaverria5125 it folds over for easy service
Lon... What was the average distance from the antenna to the transmitter towers? I'm seriously thinking about switching to an outdoor antenna to use in conjunction with my HDHomerun Flex 4K tuneer. Where I live the majority of the transmitters are on the top of a mountain about 15 miles away, but there are a few that are not on the mountain. If I were to get the antenna you used in this video do you think it might be able to pick up the channel signals that would be comimng in from the side? There might be as much as a 90 degree difference for those channels that aren't on the mountain.
Is that an Apple IIGS behind you? Brings back memories!
Glad you got a real antenna, one piece of misinformation is the white box for inside is the power inserter for the preamp in the antenna and not a preamp itself.
True that!
Another great video Steve. Thanks and keep on practicing. 73 KD4FJ
Well Lon. Given the number of views on this video it looks like you are going to have to have that difficult conversation with your wife to put up the Televes on the roof of your house. No attic hide on this one. Good luck man. I'm a rootin' for ya.
I've been told if you want to get a good signal you need to get your antenna at least 10 ft. above the tree line. That just means your going to need a tower.
The preamp is built into the driven element housing on the antenna itself. The box you were holding is just the power supply for it. If you tried using it with the Antennas Direct antenna, it would not do anything. Not sure if you were using a separate preamp for the Antennas Direct, or thought the power supply for the Televes was actually the preamp.
PS... you need a good 60' Rohn tower to clear all those trees. It would double as a great ham radio mounting point.
This is exactly what I was thinking!
Yes that was just the power inserter preamp is on the antenna
These comments are correct. The indoor unit is actually just the power injector that sends DC to the preamp which is located within the antenna driven element. Depending on how the Antennas Direct drive/pickup element is configured, it *might* appear as a direct DC short across the coax. Hooking the power injector to that DC short *might* potentially harm the power injector, and make it unusable to provide DC to the Televes antenna in the future.
Yep, he missed the part that the telelvis has a preamp built into the antenna, with bypass capability. The other responder was correct that he was holding the power inserter in his hand.
Hey Lon I get over 75 channels with my indoor RCA antennas and I think that's excellent considering I get every channel I like to watch nice and clear with no pixelation.
Same here mounted my indoor attic on a 20 ft pole outside I get 60 chs when it storms and moves it I just go out and turn it used pvc pipe with old fence poles inside used a ground rod 3 ft in ground with a copper ground for lightning no problems
Three important criteria for good OTA reception:
1) location
2) location
3) location
I currently get over 100 hd ota channels, but there’s one channel (4.x) that gets detected by our TVs using regular indoor antennas, but the channels and subs are black screens. This station’s signal is coming from ~60 miles away. Wondering if this antenna model would help bring in channels 4.x? 🤔
What kind of range do you get with it? And how high did you mount it on your ham pole/ tower?
I live in a rural town but the closest stations to my house are: 50 miles from the closest PBS /OETA Transponder; 80 miles for ABC and around 150 miles and 100 miles from the rest.
What does "Symbol Quality %" mean on the HDHomeRun Config GUI? Also the "Signal Strength %" implies a max of 100%. What value and units does the "Signal Strength %" represents? Thanks, Great Videos!
You are the man of the house. If you want to mount the antenna, mount it bro.
Does she ask for approval for your house decorations when she wants something?
You can use one of the tree for a high position and discreet.
Is it possible to get reception on A portable Battery TV ? Thanks
So I have Televes automatic pre amp that takes three antennas. If I got this antenna would I even use the preamp connection on the antenna or just bypass it all together?
Seems like a 60-80' tower would be good, for TV, I mean amateur radio! 👍
DO oyu have a link to that antenna stand
The best test
I wish i got half the channels you got. Im in ct i only get nbc and wtnh. Was really hoping for fox61 and wfsb but cant get them to come in.
What city are you in now?I'm in Torrington and can't pick up channel 3 and 8...I also have a backyard of trees.
Why didn't you get the one with the LOW VHF antenna's the 8383 ?
I subscribed .How much was the antenna.
I had this Antenna and still have it and I'm trying to sell it because it's just too big and it was getting Interference from a bunch of different things like Tree's and Car's that went by our House and even if the Wind would blow just a little it would get Pixelated because it has moving parts especially the back Elements they move very easily so it's not good for if you live somewhere where it's Windy or if you get a lot of bad Weather. I ended up going with the Channel Master Pro Antenna it's a medium sized Antenna and it's built very well with no moving parts and we get 96 Channel's so sometimes larger isn't best.
Unless you're looking for the sub-channels, you don't need to worry about tuning in the ATSC 1.0 signals for WFSB, WTNH, WVIT, or WTIC anymore. It's cool that you get them, but the ATSC 3.0 versions of these stations (along with WCCT -all on UHF 33) are so much better! It would be nice if one of our local PBS affiliates started broadcasting ATSC 3.0 too!
Living in 06615 only CT channel I get is WTNH but RF 33 is about 33 miles from me so I get them all!
Are you close enough that you pick up WWLP & WGGB from Springfield?
Thanks.
I have a wine gaurd on a thirty foot tower. it gets about the same as a small antenna
To be fair you have to add the Televes preamplifier to the other antennas that you are doing for comparative of testing.
Before the grand finale!
I’ve heard some not so good things about this antenna. How’s it compare with a channel master or winegard?
Does hd home run charge a monthly fee
In some cases it is overkill. But the one you got I hope is the newest version. I think it is since you have the new VHF elements that include plastic protectors for the ends. If so a couple of corrections. The indoor device is a power supply plus a splitter which you might want to cap with a 75 ohm terminator if it is going to be unused. The preamps [yes two, one for VHF and one for UHF] is built into the antenna has had a significant increase in what this and the lesser range design version Televes makes can pick up in the VHF band. This unit also has an improved VHF system over it's predecessor with 4 new elements in the reflector. I own both and this new one finally brought in the other set of 3.0 channels in my area [but only at night for now] along with one of the VHF channels. I credit the repack design of the elements for the UHF improvement. The two preamps make a world of difference. First it is 3G & 5G resistant. Second a friend of mine determined in a hybrid of just the UHF of the Dat Boss LR and a Stellar VHF antenna. That something was blocking one of the VHF signals. He applied a very old balun for VHF to the separate VHF antenna, the channel cleared up with no affects on other channels found. So possibly some power feed back? A week later Tyler released his review of the Televes Ellipse repack and update with two preamps. Confirmed what my friend found about some power issues between the two frequency ranges when amps are in use. May not happen in all locations. To date this is the only antenna that addresses this issue built in I have seen.
You might want to try tipping the front up 2 degrees so the middle bar is pointing up. This is a tip Tyler passed on from Televes in his original review of the older standard range version I think. You have a good base line to work with. Put it on a spread sheet of channels and the two main metrics. Look for the 2 best and the 2 worst that matter to you. You will be looking for a balance in the direction and have about a 35 degrees forward width. I do get a group of channels about 160 degrees from my forward angle that comes in very clear but a single channel with a repeater less than 3 miles to my west does not due to some big trees. The least expensive way to do that is with an apple app [$2.99] that can display 3 signals; Tyler reviewed it.
So when you go to a pro for setting up the antenna. Your going to want to collaborate on using the HDHR gui to look at the active signal of 3 channels including 3.0 probably. A device that you could scan one signal of 1.0 is $450, a multicast scanner is $4500. If the person you contact can multicast scan 3.0 then they are putting down some cash for that or they are already using the HDHR 3.0. Height matters and you never know where on a ridgeline your best signal will be or at what angle. There is no common sense to this stuff only hard data and using the antenna web app as a good starting point. The sooner the better as the signal will get better as leaves fall. Don't skimp on the guide wires.
Almost forgot to mention. The Televes preamp has auto gain so you may not need to worry about too hot a signal from the amp. Though I tested my brothers home after rebuilding his network to have two apple TV's and using my HDHR 3.0 to show him a easy path to recording. I got 85 channels [8 were 3.0], some he's never seen on the TV scans of 1.0. I found a channel with all three bars at 100% [his antenna is not amped and in the attic with 2 bow ties, lucky him]. It isn't a channel he would watch and it is run on each TV via coax which should have the ability to protect the tv tuner anyway. I have found the strengths on my A80j for 3.0 to be the same with the HDHR and on 1.0 stations out of the power unit to each at the same time using my laptop to see the gui data.
A thought on the two extra screws. Check the main VHF elements to see if they have been secured. I think you have to remove the RF connector module to check that? It is where the preamps are also. Not all of the Televes models have been fully updated yet with the new preamps. Still waiting on the Lo-VHF included version of either an Ellipse or Dat Boss standard range with Hi-VHF for a friends situation and my sisters with attic feeds. Tyler will be doing a review of the LR version soon.
That's a lot of work and a lot of money! I'm trying to figure out why you guys would spend so much time and money for 50 channels? Is it the principal of the thing?
@@me4654 For me to some extent you may be right. I can afford it. Part of it is also keeping the broadcast tv format alive and able to provide content in mass over the air. Versus subscription services from a variety of content creators and cable companies who would prefer to sell you data plans to view it. They are moving quickly to end multicast streaming of channels to open more bandwidth to sell to the public and business's.
Lastly Lon and I share a love of a company that makes products in this arena. Silicondust and the HDHomerun series of TV tuners and delivering that content to the home network. I was an early adaptor of the Prime cablecard tuner and over the years benefited greatly from using which cut my cable bills enough to save me more than the cost of the devices. I helped out in the forum for many years with people getting the system set up. Siicondust did a kickstarter to get some Nextgen tuners out around the country mostly for research. I jumped in to see if I could actually get anything better than 60 years ago.
From there it became an reeducation on what matters for broadcast tv in terms of signal strength and quality that differ from cable greatly. A lot of people who knew about antennas are long gone. Innovation in the space of antennas is few and far between. In reality what worked for analog works the same for digital; HD, 4K or whatever. The antenna is the same. But recent changes so that cell phones can have more bands. It brought conflicts with LTE and now 5G have happened and the UHF band for TV have been reduced. It was called The Repack by the FCC. I think Televes and one other are the only ones to update the UHF elements to focus on a tighter set of bands.
I figure by the end of the year there will be much more about 3.0 as tv's under $1500 will be getting these tuners built in and about 100 markets will have 4K broadcasts. It is expected that each 4K broadcaster will set up their own tower eventually and stack channels on its frequency. The old standard can do up to 8 the new one should do at least 15. With markets like Portland having 80 plus broadcast channels representing 40-60% of cable channels right now. I can see that growing by 50% in a few years. It is a viable and sometimes the only option to see some sports teams in an area and not pay the ever rising local fees for local channels via cable or satellite. I have already helped 5 people see the potential for where they live and helped set up 2 homes. I will do two more next month.
Were you able to see the picture quality difference as far as the ATSC 3.0 stations? I'm thinking of upgrading to an HDHomerun FLEX 4K tuner, but wasn't sure if it was worth the upgrade.
It looks a little better - the input source from the broadcaster is the same but the hevc compression is superior to the MPEG2 used previously.
Any update? What did you end up doing and how is it working out for you?
Not exactly on topic, but have you ever studied which TV brands do the best job of upscaling from 720p or 1080p to 4K? As somebody who gets most of his content at lower resolutions, I'd like to know if there are big differences between brands.
My stations are 46 miles away. Not sure if it will get those. My large RCA gets most of them. Antenna is in attic Hd820XL, But I would like to try Databoss antenna. Not sure If I could put it together. Maybe. Not sure if I would want it bad enough to put something complicated together.
The HDHomeRun Flex K tuner does not have add-on scan making it a miserable experience when using it with a switch. And, all the apps for Apple devices (iOS, iPadOS, macOS) are not good.
Would this work inside an attic or is it solely an outdoor antenna? Our HOA has strict rules about not having antennas or dishes visible from the street. Also what is the (ballpark) maximum cable distance from the preamp to the antenna?
NO! NO HOA can prevent you from putting up an antenna anywhere of any size. From the FCC: "In short, the OTARD rule prohibits homeowners' associations and condominium associations from placing restrictions on residents which impede the installation, maintenance, or use of satellite dishes, TV antennas, or wireless cable antennas."
got anything to record tv?
Great Video. Thanks. Tell the wife that you're the boss and have needs, also.
I have this antenna and while it gives me quite a few channels, it doesn't give me all of them since I'm 80 miles from the towers and in a hilly forested area.
What software are you using to monitor statistics from the HD homerun?
HDHomeRun config_gui on windows
Could you use this antenna and then split it via a cable splitter for multiple users???
Yes although you cut the signal strength in half with each split. The power module that runs to the antenna has two full power outputs.
I'm only 5 miles from tons of the broadcast antennas, BUT I am on the wrong side of a ridge...which probably goes 75' higher than my roof. Can I just walk a good antenna up to the top of the ridge...maybe 150' or more up the hill....and stick the antenna there?
I think my big problem will be the length of the coax...signal loss.
A preamp will keep the signal level up with that long run of coax. That's their function.
How far away were the channels you picked up?
About 35 miles but the trees and terrain are the challenging things here.
What town do you live in.?
I'm curious to know what advice you can get from a professional installer on lightning protection, I ask because there is a high probability that lightning can damage the TV receiver
Yeah. Last year i pid 1200$ for both protection parts needed, but i paid around 2000$ including installation. Covers 100% of the house inside and outside. High Voltage protector that costs 850$ and is connected to main line before the house. Then you need a 350$ Surge protection in the other end. Only electricians are allowed to installed this. I paid around 2000$ for everything including electricians. Note that i paid extra for a modern certified protection. Not some old useless 100$ crap.
@@smdwillis
Exactly what I thought about, ya
Antenna Man has a video about this on his channel.
A professional installer will ground the antenna and the cabling to the antenna with ground blocks and grounding wire. Surge protectors can be installed by the owner itself inside.
I wonder if this works in another country to get their local channels? I have great grandparents and they use old tv's still. >_
If we still had repair men around I'd get the old one fixed! I prefer the picture and the sound doesn't get lower as the flat screen age's and if you're watching someone texting a message on the phone with the flat screen I have to get up to see it! Old one I didn't I'm thinking maybe cuz it had a kidda beveled shape to the glass and the flat screen is plastic? Just me
Hard to understand which stations you are comparing like which are Low-VHF, High VHF or UHF and which are ATSC1.0 or 3.0? I believe only WTNH-DT was High VHF, but the others that had signal strength charts were UHF. Also, you show a Channel 33 WFSB and a Channel 36 WFSB. Why the same call letters?
Can you detail why this antenna is so much better at receiving more stations than other antennas?
Because it's designed for the newer frequencies that all the TV channels move to and it's also more directional. The other antenna he has is not designed to pick up distant stations as it's mainly a suburban area antenna for omnidirectional use.
That type of antenna where I live in fl. Is lighting please hit me.
Any updates on your antenna & Next Gen ATSC 3.0?
Just so happens we are installing it today
@@LonSeidman Thanks, I'm considering the same one as I'm over 62 mi away but I'm concerned about the wind load.
I believe you pointed at the opposite connections, hello?
👍
Any old school VHF antenna will work if it has enough range. There is no such thing as a "special DIGITAL antenna the receiver box and digital tuner takes care of the "digital" frequencies. The antenna is just the directional reception device, isn't it?
VHF / UHF I meant, and tuner + preamp to tune in the station OTA signals and then boost them. That's what I meant.
That would be uhf
@@clarencefoster7689 see my correction. The UHF section of a VHF/ UHF TV antenna or old school "flyswatter" UHF.
And VHF can be modified but there isn't much point to wasting the effort.
How many miles are you away from the towers?
About 35 miles but the trees and terrain are the challenging things here.
@@LonSeidman There are multiple Dallas towers that are all between 45 and 60 miles from me. Idk if this would work for me unfortunately
Next episode: This Chainsaw gets me even more free channels!
Rural Ontario would give it a real test close tv station would be 50 miles
So when you say you are not qualified to put an antenna on your roof do you just mean you are not confident in your abilities? Are there actually people out there "qualifying" others for the task?
When I was growing up, there were recognized experts who went up on steep slate roofs. They knew what they were doing. There is also the issue of placing the mast on the peak of the roof (which involved drilling holes!) God was it dangerous! I would NEVER consider a roof top installation. First, it may not really be the optimum location for your signals, which may be twice as strong in other areas of your yard, or possibly with a side mounted antenna in another location. And second, it's also hard to maintain the antenna, not to mention potential lightning strikes.
Try a side mounted antenna first. You can purchase 40 ft. telescoping poles that will allow you to experiment with finding the best signal, which may may exist only at a certain elevation and location, and without damage to the roof. And, if you have to bring it down for maintenance, it's FAR easier!
2000: We will have Tv's that don't require antennas in the future!
2024: A bigger antenna will get you better reception.
2050: Tv's now come with built in antennas but they cost extra.