Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

Got new HR10-250 HD DirecTV set installed this week. Every thing works
fine and HD does make a huge difference in picture quality compared to
the old RCA 40 that was replaced.

The rub is the OTA antenna does not appear to be working OR I cannot get
tranmissions from two large cities 30 miles away. How can I determine
which is true. The tech's that installed the OTA antenna claimed
several things:
1) OTA antenna would not get signal -- we were too far away and no way
to test from software
2) The searching for Antenna in the menu was for the old kind of
box/antenna and would not work with the HD OTA antenna since it was
built into the HD dish.

Is all this true or just BS.

Thanks for any help.

u4ick
--
-Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler-

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

Here's a place to start
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx

and here's tons of reported experiences
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=381623
--
Barry


"u4ick" <nospamm@nospamm.com> wrote in message
news:43020327.9030301@nospamm.com...
> Got new HR10-250 HD DirecTV set installed this week. Every thing works
> fine and HD does make a huge difference in picture quality compared to the
> old RCA 40 that was replaced.
>
> The rub is the OTA antenna does not appear to be working OR I cannot get
> tranmissions from two large cities 30 miles away. How can I determine
> which is true. The tech's that installed the OTA antenna claimed several
> things:
> 1) OTA antenna would not get signal -- we were too far away and no way to
> test from software
> 2) The searching for Antenna in the menu was for the old kind of
> box/antenna and would not work with the HD OTA antenna since it was built
> into the HD dish.
>
> Is all this true or just BS.
>
> Thanks for any help.
>
> u4ick
> --
> -Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler-

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

That doesn't make sense to me. I have also just purchased a HR10-250 and I
currently have it connected to a standard definition TV until I buy the new
set. The OTA antenna is a seperate antenna that in my case will mount in
the attic. The OTA HD antenna is not built into the dish.

Dave G

"u4ick" <nospamm@nospamm.com> wrote in message
news:43020327.9030301@nospamm.com...
> Got new HR10-250 HD DirecTV set installed this week. Every thing works
> fine and HD does make a huge difference in picture quality compared to the
> old RCA 40 that was replaced.
>
> The rub is the OTA antenna does not appear to be working OR I cannot get
> tranmissions from two large cities 30 miles away. How can I determine
> which is true. The tech's that installed the OTA antenna claimed several
> things:
> 1) OTA antenna would not get signal -- we were too far away and no way to
> test from software
> 2) The searching for Antenna in the menu was for the old kind of
> box/antenna and would not work with the HD OTA antenna since it was built
> into the HD dish.
>
> Is all this true or just BS.
>
> Thanks for any help.
>
> u4ick
> --
> -Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler-

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

You are correct. The OTA antenna is mounted on over and next to the
oval dish for HD. My bad. I am amazed at the difference in picture
quality with a HD TV and the HR10-250.

u4ick

Dave G wrote:
The OTA antenna is a seperate antenna that in my case will mount in
> the attic. The OTA HD antenna is not built into the dish.

-Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler-

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

I believe most installation packages come w/ an HD OTA antenna that clips on
to the Sat dish

http://www.radioshack.com/product. [...] =15%2D2190

The problem w/ those is reportedly, they aim the wrong way, altho they are
supposedly omni directional

--
Barry


"Dave G" <dgrinne1@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:N2oMe.18679$Oy2.8587@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
> That doesn't make sense to me. I have also just purchased a HR10-250 and
> I currently have it connected to a standard definition TV until I buy the
> new set. The OTA antenna is a seperate antenna that in my case will mount
> in the attic. The OTA HD antenna is not built into the dish.
>
> Dave G
>
> "u4ick" <nospamm@nospamm.com> wrote in message
> news:43020327.9030301@nospamm.com...
>> Got new HR10-250 HD DirecTV set installed this week. Every thing works
>> fine and HD does make a huge difference in picture quality compared to
>> the old RCA 40 that was replaced.
>>
>> The rub is the OTA antenna does not appear to be working OR I cannot get
>> tranmissions from two large cities 30 miles away. How can I determine
>> which is true. The tech's that installed the OTA antenna claimed several
>> things:
>> 1) OTA antenna would not get signal -- we were too far away and no way
>> to test from software
>> 2) The searching for Antenna in the menu was for the old kind of
>> box/antenna and would not work with the HD OTA antenna since it was built
>> into the HD dish.
>>
>> Is all this true or just BS.
>>
>> Thanks for any help.
>>
>> u4ick
>> --
>> -Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler-
>
>

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

This OTA antenna came with the package from DirecTV and looks sort of
like a large bat and the out side is made of plastic. The front of it
faces Baton Rouge (15-30 miles) and the back toward New Orleans (50-60
miles). This part of Louisiana is very flat and any elevation for the
towers comes from the tall buildings in town. The OTA antenna is about
25-30 feet off the ground mounted on the edge of the roof of second story.

My review of the web sites makes me wonder if the tech's installed it
correctly.

thanks for the help

u4ick

Brynk wrote:

> I believe most installation packages come w/ an HD OTA antenna that clips on
> to the Sat dish
>
> http://www.radioshack.com/product. [...] =15%2D2190
>
> The problem w/ those is reportedly, they aim the wrong way, altho they are
> supposedly omni directional
>

--
-Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler-

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

Good sites --- thanks.

u4ick

Brynk wrote:

> Here's a place to start
> http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Address.aspx
>
> and here's tons of reported experiences
> http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=381623

--
-Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler-

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

So are you saying you hooked up the antenna and did a channel scan and
you can't get any of the channels to lock, or are you taking the
installers word that the antenna will not pick up the channels? Also
just for your information there is no such thing as a OTA HD antenna,
any OTA antenna will give you the HD locals if it can pick up a signal.


--
skidog, Posted this message at http://www.SatelliteGuys.US

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

The tech's hooked up the OTA antenna and the channel scan for antenna
always came up to zero regardless of the channel number. Is there any
other way to test the OTA antenna signal other than in the software test
within the HR10-250? The tech's said that the signal came down the same
wires as the HD -- in other words the OTA antenna connected to the HD
dish and that the antenna power scan in the software did not apply. Was
this BS?

thanks

u4ick

skidog wrote:

> So are you saying you hooked up the antenna and did a channel scan and
> you can't get any of the channels to lock, or are you taking the
> installers word that the antenna will not pick up the channels? Also
> just for your information there is no such thing as a OTA HD antenna,
> any OTA antenna will give you the HD locals if it can pick up a signal.
>
>

--
-Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler-

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

I don't have Direct tv I have Dish Network with an 811 HD receiver which
has a separate input for OTA. I'm not sure how your HR10-250 works, but
I don't know how they would run both antennas down one piece of coax.
Sorry I'm not more help but I'm sure if you post this ? in the HD OTA
thread someone could probably help you seeing as how this is a Tivo
thread. Hope this helps and like I say I'm sure someone in the other
thread will be able to help you. Good Luck


--
skidog, Posted this message at http://www.SatelliteGuys.US

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

The HR10-250 works the same way with a separate coaxial input jack for the
OTA antenna. There is a menu choice to run a signal test on that input jack
only.

Dave G

"skidog" <skidog.1tvhxy@satelliteguys.us> wrote in message
news:skidog.1tvhxy@satelliteguys.us...
>
> I don't have Direct tv I have Dish Network with an 811 HD receiver which
> has a separate input for OTA. I'm not sure how your HR10-250 works, but
> I don't know how they would run both antennas down one piece of coax.
> Sorry I'm not more help but I'm sure if you post this ? in the HD OTA
> thread someone could probably help you seeing as how this is a Tivo
> thread. Hope this helps and like I say I'm sure someone in the other
> thread will be able to help you. Good Luck
>
>
> --
> skidog, Posted this message at http://www.SatelliteGuys.US
>

Archived from groups: alt.video.ptv.tivo (More info?)

u4ick wrote:
> The tech's hooked up the OTA antenna and the channel scan for antenna
> always came up to zero regardless of the channel number. Is there any
> other way to test the OTA antenna signal other than in the software test
> within the HR10-250? The tech's said that the signal came down the same
> wires as the HD -- in other words the OTA antenna connected to the HD
> dish and that the antenna power scan in the software did not apply. Was
> this BS?

The OTA signal enters your DVR via a different coax connector.
This means either running a third coax cable to your box (two to
the dish, one to the OTA antenna) or by using a diplexer at each
end. (OTA + one leg of dish combine via one diplexer, get
carried by a single coax to the diplexer attached to your DVR,
where the signal gets split back into two separate cables.)

Check the back of your DVR. Make sure that all three coax
connectors have cables attached. If not, your installer screwed up.

The part about "antenna power scan does not apply" is misleading.
There are two different menu items for measuring signal power.

Message & Setup -> Settings -> Satellite & Off-Air Antenna
-> Test Satellite Signal Strength
-> Test Off-Air Antenna Signal Strength.

Use the latter to check for OTA signals.
-Joe