The HR20s do not scan for OTA signals. Instead, the OTA channels you receive depend on what is in the guide information sent to your box for your zip code. I suspect the correct information for channel 13-2 is not being provided by the station to DIRECTV.RyMcQ said:
Strange OTA problems with HR20
After losing my DNS service last month, I finally tried to see what I could get in HD OTA. (Our local market is broadcast by DirecTV in HD, but the HD signal doesn't hit my community because the signal footprint is too small. The SD channels are fine.)
It turns out that I can get CBS, ABC, FOX, and PBS in HD OTA. The channels look great when I run the cable directly into my Sony LCD. When I use the tuner on the HR20-100, I get good signal strengths for all of these channels, but some subchannels don't come through.
For example, I get 4-1 and 13-1, but not 4-2 or 13-2, even though both show the same signal strength and both come through fine when I plug the antenna directly into my Sony LCD. 13-2 is the HD signal for the FOX affiliate and is the signal I'm most concerned about.
Any clues on this? I am in 84790 (St. George, UT) part of the Salt Lake City market.
Thanks.
It turns out that I can get CBS, ABC, FOX, and PBS in HD OTA. The channels look great when I run the cable directly into my Sony LCD. When I use the tuner on the HR20-100, I get good signal strengths for all of these channels, but some subchannels don't come through.
For example, I get 4-1 and 13-1, but not 4-2 or 13-2, even though both show the same signal strength and both come through fine when I plug the antenna directly into my Sony LCD. 13-2 is the HD signal for the FOX affiliate and is the signal I'm most concerned about.
Any clues on this? I am in 84790 (St. George, UT) part of the Salt Lake City market.
Thanks.
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All of the channels show up in the guide with the correct program data. And the signal strength for those channels is the same as the channels I can get a picture on.Smuuth said:The HR20s do not scan for OTA signals. Instead, the OTA channels you receive depend on what is in the guide information sent to your box for your zip code. I suspect the correct information for channel 13-2 is not being provided by the station to DIRECTV.
Or are you saying that the local stations have to tell DirecTV exactly on what physical channel or frequency or whatever the programming will come in on? If so, is this something that could be solved by getting information from the station managers?
Do the AM21 boxes scan for OTA signals? Would an equipment change fix my problem?
If the channels you want are showing up in the guide on the HR20, I would guess the correct information is being provided to DIRECTV by the station. If you are not getting anything when you tune to that channel, the signal strength may not be strong enough for the HR20 to receive.RyMcQ said:All of the channels show up in the guide with the correct program data. Or are you saying that the local stations have to tell DirecTV exactly on what physical channel or frequency or whatever the programming will come in on? If so, is this something that could be solved by getting information from the station managers?
The AM21s do not scan for OTA signals either, although the tuners in the AM21 are reported to be slightly better than those in the HR20s.
No...the AM21 doesn't scan. It is a superior OTA tuner to the HR20, however...but I don't think that's your problem.RyMcQ said:All of the channels show up in the guide with the correct program data. And the signal strength for those channels is the same as the channels I can get a picture on.
Or are you saying that the local stations have to tell DirecTV exactly on what physical channel or frequency or whatever the programming will come in on? If so, is this something that could be solved by getting information from the station managers?
Do the AM21 boxes scan for OTA signals? Would an equipment change fix my problem?
If there is an error in the data from Tribune Media (D* database provider), then even if the stations show up in the guide with good programming data, you will still not be able to receive them. My bet is you have a problem with Tribune. The only way I have seen this problem corrected is to talk to your local station engineer, explain the problem and ask them to contact Tribune with the proper info. Tribune has mishandled this info on many occasions, and the only people who appear to be able to influence them is the local station engineer (so be REALLY nice to him/her).
I was missing two channels for nearly a year, using every avenue available to me and got nowhere until I got the local engineer to contact Tribune. The problem was then fixed within two weeks.
Thanks for the input.
But just to reiterate in response to the last two posts:
Signal strength for 13-1 (which I get) is the same as for 13-1 (which I don't). Same for 4-1 and 4-2.
I'll call the station engineers tomorrow to see what suggestions they have.
But just to reiterate in response to the last two posts:
Signal strength for 13-1 (which I get) is the same as for 13-1 (which I don't). Same for 4-1 and 4-2.
I'll call the station engineers tomorrow to see what suggestions they have.
If you are in St George you are receiving the signal off of translators and not the main signal of the stations and that is why you are not getting the sub channels. I am surprised Tribune and D* are mapping translators in outlying areas.
You said part of Salt Lake City. Should you not use a zip from it as a secondary and try it again?RyMcQ said:After losing my DNS service last month, I finally tried to see what I could get in HD OTA. (Our local market is broadcast by DirecTV in HD, but the HD signal doesn't hit my community because the signal footprint is too small. The SD channels are fine.)
It turns out that I can get CBS, ABC, FOX, and PBS in HD OTA. The channels look great when I run the cable directly into my Sony LCD. When I use the tuner on the HR20-100, I get good signal strengths for all of these channels, but some subchannels don't come through.
For example, I get 4-1 and 13-1, but not 4-2 or 13-2, even though both show the same signal strength and both come through fine when I plug the antenna directly into my Sony LCD. 13-2 is the HD signal for the FOX affiliate and is the signal I'm most concerned about.
Any clues on this? I am in 84790 (St. George, UT) part of the Salt Lake City market.
Thanks.
That is a good point. But the crazy thing is that my signal strength for 13-2 is the same as all of the other channels I am receiving. If that channel was mapped wrong, why would I be showing a signal?aramus8 said:If you are in St George you are receiving the signal off of translators and not the main signal of the stations and that is why you are not getting the sub channels. I am surprised Tribune and D* are mapping translators in outlying areas.
DirecTV also mapped the PBS translators correctly. The SLC channel is 7 and I can get it both on 7 and 18, presumably from two separate translators. So they have clearly taken the translator system into account.
The SLC market is huge. I am actually 300 miles away from SLC, which is the reason the HD locals do not reach our community from the satellite. (Not sure why they can make the footprint large enough for SD channels and not for HD. I think someone screwed up.) When I search for secondaries, it lists Las Vegas channels that are likely way out of range.joshjr said:You said part of Salt Lake City. Should you not use a zip from it as a secondary and try it again?
While you may think that someone screwed up, it has to do with the SATs being used for your locals. The SD channels are from one [Ku] SAT and the HD are from another [Ka] SAT that has a different antenna type.RyMcQ said:Not sure why they can make the footprint large enough for SD channels and not for HD. I think someone screwed up.
So you are saying that they can't make the HD footprint large enough to cover the market? If they can hit the entire continental US with some signals, why can't they hit the whole state of Utah?veryoldschool said:While you may think that someone screwed up, it has to do with the SATs being used for your locals. The SD channels are from one [Ku] SAT and the HD are from another [Ka] SAT that has a different antenna type.
They use focused "spot" beams so they can re-use the same frequencies in different parts of the country for different local channels.RyMcQ said:So you are saying that they can't make the HD footprint large enough to cover the market? If they can hit the entire continental US with some signals, why can't they hit the whole state of Utah?
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
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