OTA antenna hookup

[chewey]

I have some questions regarding my experiences with ota antenna install.

I have an 811. I pick up the ota digital stations via a couple of indoor antenna hidden in a cabinet using about 4 feet of coax running from the receiver. I am able to pick up all of my local digital stations with this setup.

My bro-in-law got a 921 and paid a ridiculous amount of money to have it installed with some antenna's in his attic. His house is very close to mine, yet he could not pick up any stations. The antenna up in the attic was massive and they had it feeding into the receiver using diplexers and a signal booster. There was a lot of cable running from the antenna to the receiver (several hundred feet I would guess). I checked out the setup and they had everything wired corrrectly.

Based on my testing, diplexers don't work well with digital ota signals. Same goes with signal boosters. So I took over a couple of rabbit ears, combined them with a splitter, sat them up close to the receiver, and he was then able to get some channels, but not all like me.

Then my father in law got a similar setup (and also paid a hefty install price), a 921 being feed from a good UHF antenna using diplexors and miles of coax. He couldn't pick up anything either. So I tried the old rabbit ear trick and he was able to pick up some stations.

So I am curious about other people's experience setting up ota antennas. I personally think diplexors don't work well with ota digital transmissions. I also believe that the shorter the coax run from the antenna to the receiver helps a lot. I also think that part of the problem lies with the 921's ability to pick up ota signals.

I would appreciate anyone's comments/suggestions on the subject as I will be the one fixing my in-law's OTA antenna issues (for free of course, after they have paid their installers hundreds for the job).

[rcbridge]

The diplexers should not be a problem as long as the frequency range is correct, they will pass any type of signal within that frequency range, also I assume they were the type that would block the DC on the low side (this will keep the DC from the Sat box from affecting the OTA signal). When you say miles of cable how much are you really talking about, was the antenna optimized (pointed in the best direction) and perhaps the amp was overkill (to much signal can be just as bad as not enough signal). If you can get away with short cable run to a local antenna do it!! ;)

[boylehome]

I have an 811. I pick up the ota digital stations via a couple of indoor antenna hidden in a cabinet using about 4 feet of coax running from the receiver. I am able to pick up all of my local digital stations with this setup.
I have a 6000 and my son-in-law has a 811. Both of these receviers seem to be more sensitive to receiving digital OTA and both bring in a stronger signal over my 921.

My bro-in-law got a 921 and paid a ridiculous amount of money to have it installed with some antenna's in his attic. His house is very close to mine, yet he could not pick up any stations. The antenna up in the attic was massive and they had it feeding into the receiver using diplexers and a signal booster. There was a lot of cable running from the antenna to the receiver (several hundred feet I would guess). I checked out the setup and they had everything wired corrrectly.I tried my roof antenna through the diplexer. For whatever reason it caused signal loss on all digital channels, yet the analog were pretty good. I have a couple of Terk antennas that hook to the dish and feed thorugh the dish systems cables. They don't work worth a darn for the digital but again, they work pretty good for the analog.

It sounds like a single RG6 cables needs ran from the attic antenna to the input on the 921. This allows for higher db in signal, and reduced interference from the satellite devices. If necessary, putting an amplifer in-line will help increase signal strength.

Then my father in law got a similar setup (and also paid a hefty install price), a 921 being feed from a good UHF antenna using diplexors and miles of coax. He couldn't pick up anything either. So I tried the old rabbit ear trick and he was able to pick up some stations.

Too much coax means decreased db (signal loss). Are the diplexors actually in-line with a satellite receiver so there is actual amplificaton for the satellite signal? The satellite cable must have the satellite connecitons for signal amplification and the satellite receiver must be plugged into the AC. IF not it will severly reduce the OTA signals (both ditital and analog.)

So I am curious about other people's experience setting up ota antennas. I personally think diplexors don't work well with ota digital transmissions. I also believe that the shorter the coax run from the antenna to the receiver helps a lot. I also think that part of the problem lies with the 921's ability to pick up ota signals.
I agree with your theories. If the OTA digital signal is strong, the diplexor process should work. Here may be the biggest factor making diplexors not that useful for digital OTA. Digital OTA is a data stream carried in a specific frequency range. The amplified satellite cable with diplexor boosts a vast range of frequency. In that process, it may boost harmonics which will compromise the digital OTA signal.