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Rick Locke
New member
Username: Rick78
Post Number: 1
Registered: 12-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 04, 2009 - 05:30 pm: | 
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Hello, I am new to the DTV scene in San Diego and I was hoping to get help. We just moved to SD from Europe and are currently in an apartment in Sabre Springs (92128), just outside of Poway. I just bought our first TV (Vizio 1080P) and an indoor Philips antenna. I scanned and got '0' channels. Is it even posible to use an inddor antenna to pick up DTV from a bottom floor appartment? It is not easy to run a cable to the outside terrace from where the TV is.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Rick |
Simon Parry
Intermediate Member
Username: Simonp
Post Number: 46
Registered: 06-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 04, 2009 - 07:31 pm: |
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Rick,
I am very, very close to your location. Just the other side of I-15.
In my humble experience, it *is* possible to use an indoor antenna (aerial), but positioning is really tricky, probably because all the 'chicken wire' that is used in the stucco soaks up the signal. That will obviously be true whether you are on the first or any other floor.
I use a Terk TV-5 amplified antenna, which pulls in everything except XETV (6-1), KFMB (8-1) and KGTV (10-1) - meaning we get KPBS (15-1), V-me (15-2), KNSD (39-1) (39-2) and (39-3), KUSI (51-1) and KSWB(69-1).
All previous attempts with other indoor antennae failed to receive any programming before I acquired the Terk.
BTW, it is almost certainly illegal for your Home Owners Association to prevent you from putting an antenna either on your roof or your balcony. Nonetheless, they may have some rules about *how* you do that.
HTH |
Dan
Member
Username: Audiovideo_enthusiast
Post Number: 13
Registered: 12-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 04, 2009 - 11:55 pm: |
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Several miles north of 92128 but I found that TERK TV-5 did not work well for my DTV reception, though it did work great for analog reception. (In particular, analog KUSI 51 was almost as clear as analog cable except for some visible ghosts.)
After trial and error with several different antennas, I have had to use a TERK TV-1 along with a 25dB video signal amplifier (unknown brand, purchased at Fry's Electronics) for my DTV reception. I still get frequent video issues if the weather is less than calm and clear, so I do find that I have to adjust the antenna more frequently the longer I am watching TV.
So even though the TV-1 is a rabbit ears type of antenna, it has provided better reception for me than any of the other VHF/UHF combo indoor antennas. I have also found that the reception is actually a few signal meter points higher with the FM trap of the video signal amplifier off (because with the FM trap on, I seem to get audio dropouts sooner).
Reception for my area is also everything except XETV (6-1), KFMB (8-1) and KGTV (10-1) - meaning I receive KPBS (15-1), V-me (15-2), KNSD (39-1) (39-2) and (39-3), KUSI (51-1) and KSWB(69-1). If conditions are just right, then in one room only I can get XETV (6-1) stable for about one hour before I lose the channel altogether.
DTV seems to also use very asymmetric antenna arrangements (i.e., one dipole element at about the 1 o'clock position and another element dipole at between the 9 and 10 o'clock position) to try to keep stable reception as much as possible in one room that has more reception problems than another room. I have also found that the dipole elements must not be fully extended, but actually left shorter (extended only about 2.5 to 3 segments maximum starting from the largest/widest segment). |
Rick Locke
New member
Username: Rick78
Post Number: 2
Registered: 12-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 05, 2009 - 02:32 am: |
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Thanks for the help guys.
Rick |
Gary Stigall, XETV
Moderator
Username: Garys
Post Number: 548
Registered: 12-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 05, 2009 - 08:53 am: |
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My opinion is that you will be disappointed with an indoor antenna pretty much universally. They don't really work to bring in a consistent signal.
Cable TV that includes HD locals is only $13 per month. That's one fast food meal, or 4 lattes.
(Message edited by garys on December 05, 2009)
Gary Stigall
Dir. of Engineering
Bay City TV - XETV
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Mike Mantle
Advanced Member
Username: Mm1
Post Number: 405
Registered: 09-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 05, 2009 - 09:32 pm: |
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What Gary says. Plus, there is so much more there. Discovery, Animal Planet, HGTV, Food, History all in HD. So much to watch and so little time... |
holl_ands
Advanced Member
Username: Holl_ands
Post Number: 2221
Registered: 06-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 06, 2009 - 01:40 pm: |
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It would help (you and us) if you posted the results URL after
entering your location into www.tvfool.com then we can see how bad
your terrain blockage is (in addition to bottom floor apt problem).
Rules of Engagement for apartment aren't very favorable for an
outdoor antenna....a small one on the balcony or patio is about it.
NO, you don't have authority to install on THEIR roof. That
would only apply if you OWNED the roof, such as would be the
case for homeowners fighting their home owner's association:
http://www.fcc.gov/mb/facts/otard.html |
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