Re: Finally bought converter box



"Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:gqsksk$k1m$2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I hooked up the outdoor antenna, sort of. It's hooked up to a three year
old HD TV, not the 25 year old tv I got the converter box for. I didn't
move the tv set to the other side of the room where the antenna lead
comes in as I found a 20 foot long 75 ohm patch cord which I think came
in one of Comcast's self-install kits.

I went through a bag of old electronics parts and found a part labeled
transformer. I've now found 4 that state specifically that it's 75 ohm
input to 300 ohm output; this was the only one that didn't suggest it
wasn't 2-way. Maybe they all are 2-way. On the 300 ohm side, it had claws,
but not the claws with the 90 degree bend in them obviously for the back
of a tv or VCR in so it screws in straight on.

I had a real problem with the lead from the antenna. Some painter years ago
simply cut the thing real short where it came in through a hole drilled
through the outside wall, then tucked it in and painted over it. He
couldn't be bothered to patch the hole in the wall. (I don't think the
landlord bothers to hire experienced painters capable of doing a decent
job.) After cutting away the ugliest wire, I had less than 2 inches to
work with.

What do you know: There is such a thing as outdoor 300 ohm wire. It was
decently insulated with a white plastic cover directly over the wire and
between the two wires, then an outer plastic layer, no idea what kind of
plastic. The insulation is a lot thicker than I expected, so except for
it being unshielded, it seems like it would be capable of withstanding
the elements.

Still haven't found claws. So I wrapped the bare wires around the claws
of the transformer. It's ugly.

It seems to work. I was able to tune in various digital channels.

Digital reception requires a decent signal. Bad wiring can affect that.

Ideally, you should have a transformer connected as close to the antenna as possible. Use (good quality) coax cabling down to the TV. A signal booster will also help with reception. The better your reception is, the more channels you may be able to get.

There's a number of sites about off-air digital TV reception and it's worth reading up on it. tvfool.com can help you find station signals and show you what stations you're likely to receive.

--
Patrick McNamara
E-mail: patjmcnamara@xxxxxxxxx
Webpage: http://www.geocities.com/writerpatrick
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