Options for Rural DTV Viewers
Farmerswife recently posted a question on our forums:
Hi,
I am on a farm and have always gotten tv signal from an antenna, great reception. My antenna is just an indoor one, but it works great. I hooked this up and received the message No Signal
unable to tune into this channel, ect.
Looking in the book I see it is recomended to get a smart antenna. Very expensive. I have a RCA digital converter, only one the Walmart I was in sold.
Help…..
Hello there, and thanks for visiting!
Just for reference, I’m going to post some information for our viewers that do not know what a smart antenna is:
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_antenna
In 2008, the United States National Telecommunications and Information Administration began a major effort to persuade consumers to purchase digital television converter boxes.[1] Through this effort, many people have been exposed to the concept of smart antennas for the first time. In the context of consumer electronics, a “smart antenna” is one that conforms to the EIA/CEA-909 Standard Interface, such as the model DTA-5000 marketed by Sylvania.[2]
In your case, I’m thinking that you may live outside of the 30 mile perimeter (from a tv transmitter) that Smart Antennas are typically limited to.
You may want to think about adding an outdoor antenna. It doesn’t have to be mounted outside, in fact some of the models sold are actually quite compact (Like the DB2, which I have sitting behind my TV cabinet) An antenna like the above referenced one should be capable of receiving dtv signals from atleast 40 or more miles away.
Placement and direction of the antenna also plays a big role in receiving DTV signals. Have you tried rotating your existing antenna a little bit?
Websites like: http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Welcome.aspx also have a great antenna selector tool for determining the type that you may want to purchase.
Another route for consumers in a rural area would be to hire an antenna technician with the necessary equipment to dtv signals and signal quality equipment. This may not seem like a cost effective alternative, but they can take a lot of the guess work out of determining the best antenna setup that you’ll need.
Good luck, hope this helped, and let me know if you have any other questions.
Jay
If I bought a digital tv would I still need the converter box because we only have local stations?
Paige2905 recently posted a question on our forums:
At this time I have an analog tv and bought the converter box, we live in a rural area without cable or satellite, only local programs. If I bought a digital tv would I still need the converter box because we only have local stations? Or can you receive digital programming on a digital tv with only local programs?
Also, can I set up my converter box now or do I have to wait until next February?
Hello Paige2905, and thanks for visiting,
Are you going to purchase a brand new TV from a store?
If so, then yes, 99% of the new TV’s that are sold now contain digital converters. You’ll want to probably verify though just by checking if the TV contains a “ATSC Tuner” which decodes over-the-air digital television signals.
The only TV’s I’ve seen as of lately that do not contain a digital tuner are the left over “mobile” television sets sold in audio stores for cars/trucks.
Stores and manufaturers are also required to put labels on television sets that do not contain digital tuners, but a recent story ( FCC Relaxes Rules on Digital Television For Retailers ) about the feds relaxing those restrictions has caused some confusion and controversy.
If you’re buying a used TV, you just need to make sure that the television set contains an “ATSC Tuner”. You may want to check out Information about DTV and Your TV to see which years of TV’s have the best chances of containing a digital converter.
In regards to your question, can I set up my converter box now? Check out Begin Watching DTV Today for your answer.
Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions.
Is it possible to use the digital converter, vcr, and tv so I can record one show and watch another or will I need two converter boxes?
deh7510 recently posted a question on our forums:
Is it possible to use the converter, vcr and tv so I can record one show and watch another? would I need two boxes? I know you need two signals this and PIP. Thank You.
You will need two converter boxes, one to view the channel you want to watch on TV, and one for the VCR set to the channel you want to record. This is because your VCR is only equipped with only a ATSC (Analog) Converter and not a digital converter.
If you decide to go this route, you’ll need to be sure and check the back of your TV for 2 total RCA (Also known as Composite) inputs. One to receive the converter input and one to receive the VCR/other converter input.
Will dtv make more stations available to me vs my old broadcast reception?
Battlecat recently posted a question on our forums:
Will dtv make more stations available to me vs my old broadcast reception?
Hey Battlecat,
Yes, more programming will be available with Digital Television. It depends on your area/state that you live in with DTV programming and channels available….but….here in Phoenix (Metro Area), Arizona, we get approximately 20 DTV channels compared to 12 analog regular channels.
A lot of the stations including NBC, ABC, and PBS carry two (three channels for PBS) of programming due to the nature of DTV using less “bandwidth” broadcasting waves.
Here’s a quote from consumerreports.org on DTV
“More channels, better quality. Digital over-the-air broadcasts can provide very high-quality picture and sound—including high-definition programming and surround sound—free of charge. You might even get more channels than you did with analog broadcasts, because many networks broadcast several subchannels with different programming than the main station. (You won’t pull in cable- and satellite-only stations such as ESPN and CNN.)”
I hooked up to the digital converter box but it could not find a signal hence no picture
J. recently posted a question:
I presently use rabbit ears for an antenna which works fine. I hooked up to the digital converter box but it could not find a signal hence no picture. It displayed the message weak signal. What options do I have?
I would recommend buying an indoor powered antenna first from a store with a good return policy. They cost anywhere from $20-$40. Installation time takes less than 5 minutes (One wire to connect to the converter), and the antenna itself is pretty easy to hide behind the TV due to its small size. Once you get everything installed, and turn the TV on, you’ll know right away if it’s the right one, or if you may want to upgrade to a larger outdoor antenna.
I have a DVR Cable Box from Insight, do I have to buy a converter box?
Tim recently posted a question:
I HAVE A DVR CABLEBOX FROM INSIGHT DO HAVE TO BUY CONVERTER BOX
Hello Tim,
Good news, you are already receiving Digital Television. With a DVR box from Insight, you’re receiving a digital signal capable of DTV and HDTV (Depending on the TV you’re using). Source: Insights Digital Cable Page
Let me know if you have any other questions,
Jay
We were told that you won’t be able to receive DTV channels more than 50 miles away from the broadcast tower, is this true?
Joy recently posted a question:
Someone told us that with the converter boxes you wouldn’t be able to get channels more than 50 miles away, is this true or will we be able to get what we’re getting now?
Should we get the smart antenna or is our regular antenna going to work? We don’t want to keep spending money and then none of it work
Hello Joy, great question,
You’ll want to first try using your existing tv antenna. If you currently receive good reception on analog broadcast waves, the odds are slightly tipped in your favor to receive digital television (DTV) signals, with the same antenna.
Connect your existing antenna digital-to-analog converter box connected to an analog TV. Be sure to perform a “channel scan,” the first time you use your converter box, this will allow the converter box to automatically check to see which stations it can receive and save them to memory.
Improving Reception
TV reception can be affected by trees, buildings, and weather so you may want to check the location of your antenna for such obstructions.
Often, a small adjustment in the direction that the antenna is facing will make a huge difference in DTV reception. It’ll most likely be a trial and error the first time you connect your digital converter box to your tv.
Worst case scenario, you may want to have an antenna technician come out ($50/hour) to troubleshoot for you. In most instances, it shouldn’t take more than an hour or two to diagnose and modify your setup to be optimized for DTV. I’ve recommend this before, but it’s definitely not the cheapest altenative.
I purchased a converter box but received a “No Signal” Message after I hooked it up
Mark recently posted a question:
I have purchased two of the RCA converter boxes with the coupon program and have tried to hook them up to my TV’s. When I hook them up I get the message NO Signal. I live in the Saint Louis area and without the converter (just using my rooftop antenna) I get a good picture on several channels. What is the problem and how can I correct this?
Hello Mark, thank you for visiting!
When you get a chance, can you email me and let me know if you have tried connecting your rooftop antenna to the DTV converter boxes? Have you tried changing the channels on the converter boxes after the message “No Signal” appears on the TV?
I spent memorial weekend driving from St. Louis to Chicago, and was blown away by all of the green landscape and tree’s you guys have!
Anyway, according to consumer reports.org ,you’ll see a black screen that says “Weak or no signal” if you’re either too far from a tower or with too many obstacles in the way. How tall is the antenna from the ground?
You may want to try connecting a different powered antenna, just to confirm that you don’t have any problems with your roof antenna. Weather can wreak havoc on roof top mounted antennas over time, especially on the coax cabling.
Worst case scenario (not the cheapest alternative!), you may want to have an antenna technician come out ($50/hour) to troubleshoot for you. In most instances, it shouldn’t take more than an hour to diagnose and modify your setup to be optimized for DTV.
Let me know about my questions above, via email or by commenting on this article below.
