Re: HD baby steps



Scooby wrote:
"-hh" <recscuba_google@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1140192254.054869.24000@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi All,

Been lurking a few weeks and reading. Didn't really see a good FAQ
that covered what I was looking for.

I'm looking at beginning to transition from NTSC to ATSC via
over-the-air antenna.


Upstairs (outside on the roof) is an aging Winegard VHF/UHF antenna ...
roughly a 60" boom with just under 50 elements. As per antennaweb.org,
this is probably a "Red" antenna for range and it will really need to
be replaced fairly soon.

Our ZIP is 07834 and this antenna has been satisfactory to pull in all
of the New York City NTSC VHF channels, as well as a respectable number
of NTSC UHF channels, in no small part very much aided by an OEM
mast-mount amplifier, but UHF is a bit marginal.

When looking at antennaweb.org for ATSC guidance, I find that our local
PBS station (WNET 13) calls for jumping the antenna size all the way up
to a "Violet" antenna (Red-Blue-Violet). Not only would I prefer to
not have to upgrade to a 'monster' antenna, but the SquareShooter
(SS-2000 version) is a 'Blue', so if my 'Red' can pull in the ATSC I
want, then I'd be inclined to just move to the much cleaner looking
Square Shooter.

In other words, I'd like to test my current antenna's ATSC performance
before I have to replace it simply due to age, to see if my current
size is OK or if I need to go larger.

To run such a test, I need an ATSC tuner recommendation.

Downstairs, the TV is a ~5 year old, 25" Sony WEGA, which is non-HD
ready, but will probably last for another 20 years. It has standard
NSTC coax, composite and S-VHS inputs.

Since a new Monitor will be the most expensive piece, I want to have
everything else already sorted out and working first....keep the boss
happy.

This means that I think that I'm looking for recommendations for a
reasonable (performance/cost) HD ATSC tuner. Since the Sony lacks
digital inputs, it clearly doesn't need to be a high-end item.

With such a tuner in place, I can then test my current antenna (and
immediately fall back to NTSC if it doesn't work as well as desired),
and use that info across a variety of weather/seasons to make sure
everything's solid before updating the antenna. By then, monitor
prices will probably have come down by another 25%-33%, and we can make
that upgrade.

a) Sounds like a reasonable plan?

b) What tuner would you recommend?


Finally, my current antenna wiring is roughly 15 year old "standard for
its day" 75 ohm coax. Do I understand correctly that I'll need to
replace (some portions?) of this with something better?


TIA,


-hh


Sounds like a good plan to me. BTW - I have the SS-2000 and it is a good
antenna. I've tested with and without the preamp, and it makes a big
difference to have it on there.

I bought a Hughes HIRD-E86 for $54 shipped off ebay. That was actually a
pretty good deal and may be hard to duplicate, but you should be able to
come reasonably close. It is a Directv unit, but does not require a
subscription to view OTA. Not sure what generation tuner it is - a fair bet
that it is not 5th generation. So, if this is just a test, that would do
well, since anything new you bought should get a better signal. BTW - You
can put this in 480i and test with your traditional non-hd tv.

The current standard for video coax is RG6, I think the standard 15 years
ago was RG59. I'm no expert in coax, so I couldn't tell you what it means
that you stay on your current cable vs. upgrading. My guess is that
upgrading will help some with your signal level, but not a whole bunch.

Hope that helps,

Jim

RG6 has less loss than RG59. So if the length of the cable AND the distance to
the stations is long the RG59 could be an issue. But don't change out the
cabling until you've tried it.


.

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