new to sat and ota

[gdlewis]

Hi all,

I am new to Dish (two weeks) and have decided to try ota programming. I live in Ct and am able to recieve ch 8 hdtv wtnh in new haven approx 30 miles away. I am not able to recieve ch digital 30 wvit in new britain/hartford. I can watch ch 30 in analog on normal tv, but not through dish net 942 reciever. Channel 30 shows not digital signal what so ever. Question is, if I can watch ch 30 analog, shouldn't I be able to recieve digital signal also? Hope this question is detailed enough and makes sense. Thanks in advance for your help....

Geoff

[Mike Johnson]

Welcome, Geoff! :welcome_s

Here's a bit of a quick answer to hopefully help get you going. Digital stations broadcast on different channels than their analog companions. In your question about WVIT, they are analog on Channel 30 and digital on Channel 35. They run 3,090,000 watts on Ch 30 and a much lower 205,000 watts on their digital Channel 35. Right now, many stations are running lower power on their digital. Also to confuse things, broadcasters are allowed to use "virtual" channel numbers. The other station in your question is WTNH Ch 9. They broadcast on digital Ch 10, but due to virtual channel mapping, your 942 probably displays the channel as "9" even though it is being broadcast on Ch 10. The broadcasters wanted this so you wouldn't forget you were still watching the station you know as being "Channel 9".

The answer to your question: Shouldn't I be able to recieve digital signal also? should be yes, but right now it isn't. Deadlines to upgrade power are soon.

If you don't have a good antenna, preferably and outdoor one, it would be a good idea to get one. In your area, you will need an UHF/VHF antenna.

Do a channel scan with the 942 if you haven't already. You could also try adding channel 35 manually.

Spend some time reading the forum. You can learn a lot here at DBSTalk!

Also, the analog tuning feature on the 942 will be added later via a software update. Right now, the 942 will only receive digital OTA signals.

[gdlewis]

Thanks for the info, it was/is very helpful. I should have considered the lower wattage for the digital broadcasts. I am going to invest in an outdoor antenna. I tried a couple of indoor (silver sensor and a terk) with no success. I am looking into a channel master 4228 (for uhf) but can't find one locally. Probably will order one by sunday night. Thanks again for your help.

Geoff

[Mike Johnson]

Geoff, The only problem with the 4228 in your area is that it is UHF only and at least one of your digital stations is on VHF Ch 10. The 4228 is a great antenna, but it won't work for that channel.

If you haven't been to http://www.antennaweb.org yet, you should check it out and see what they recommend for your location. The will also list all the channel numbers in your area.

Another popular misconception is that all digital stations are UHF. Most are, but some aren't.

[gdlewis]

I am able to get wtnh (vhf) with good ol' rabbit ears @75% signal strength. I am actually now looking in to the crossfire 3671 and trying to pull some signal in from NY, NY. What do you think?