DTV over the air Converter Questions

[AMP]

Anyone have a DTV Air TV Converter?

If so what channels are you able to pull in?

I picked up one and cannot get KTUL 8.  Could barely see it using Analog before, so not suprised that I cannot find the DTV signal, understand it is channel 10 Digital. KTUL seems to have the lowest wattage on the list in the Tulsa area for DTV.

I could never pick up KJRH Channel 2 Analog before, but with the Digital Converter it comes in strong and clear, plus they offer a weather channel as well.  

Biggest draw back I have found is having to use two remotes, one for the channel and another for the volume, and most the stations vary in loudness about 15 points on the volume control.  Also the converter has no manual buttons to change channels, so once you loose the remote or it gets damaged good luck ordering a replacement from China. LOL "S--t Outa Luck" comes to mind.  

http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Stations.aspx
This link seemed to have some great data on Air Digital TV.

DTV Antenna
Type Call Sign Channel Network City, State Live
Date Compass
Heading Miles
From Frequency
Assignment
yellow
vhf KOED 11 PBS TULSA, OK  117° 17.6 11
* yellow
uhf KOED-DT 11.1 PBS TULSA, OK  117° 17.6 38
yellow
vhf KTUL 8 ABC TULSA, OK  120° 22.3 8
* yellow
vhf KTUL-DT 8.1 ABC TULSA, OK  120° 22.3 10
* yellow
uhf KOTV-DT 6.1 CBS TULSA, OK  117° 17.6 55
* yellow
uhf KJRH-DT 2.1 NBC TULSA, OK  117° 17.6 56
yellow
uhf KDOR 17 TBN BARTLESVILLE, OK  17° 27.1 17
yellow
vhf KOTV 6 CBS TULSA, OK  117° 17.6 6
* yellow
uhf KDOR-DT 17.1 TBN BARTLESVILLE, OK Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition) 17° 27.1 17
* yellow
uhf KWHB-DT 47.1 REL TULSA, OK Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition) 117° 17.6 47
yellow
uhf KWHB 47 REL TULSA, OK  121° 15.9 47
* yellow
vhf KJRH-DT 2.1 NBC TULSA, OK Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition) 117° 17.6 8
* yellow
uhf KQCW-DT 19.1 CW MUSKOGEE, OK Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition) 117° 17.6 20
* yellow
vhf KOED-DT 11.1 PBS TULSA, OK Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition) 117° 17.6 11
* yellow
vhf KTUL-DT 8.1 ABC TULSA, OK Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition) 120° 22.3 10
* yellow
uhf KOTV-DT 6.1 CBS TULSA, OK Feb 17, 2009 (post-transition) 117° 17.6 45
* green
uhf KWHB-DT 47.1 REL TULSA, OK  117° 17.6 48
green
vhf KJRH 2 NBC TULSA, OK  117° 17.6 2
red
uhf KPBI 34 IND EUREKA SPRINGS, AR  355° 18.0 34
red
uhf KUTU-CA 25 BOX TULSA, OK  266° 2.5 25
red
uhf KXAP-LP 51 A1 TULSA, OK  127° 5.9 51
red
uhf KGEB 53 REL TULSA, OK  179° 7.5 53
* red
uhf KMYT-DT 41.1 MNT TULSA, OK  116° 17.2 42
red
uhf KQCW 19 CW MUSKOGEE, OK  160° 28.6 19
* red
uhf KOKI-DT 23.1 FOX TULSA, OK  116° 17.2 22
red
uhf KOKI 23 FOX TULSA, OK  116° 17.2 23
blue
uhf KMYT 41 MNT TULSA, OK  115° 18.5 41
* blue
uhf KGEB-DT 53.1 REL TULSA, OK  179° 7.5 49
blue
uhf KRSC 35 PBS CLAREMORE, OK  43° 25.5 35
blue
uhf KTPX 44 ION OKMULGEE, OK  201° 24.0 44
* violet
uhf KDOR-DT 17.1 TBN BARTLESVILLE, OK  17° 27.1 15
* violet
uhf KQCW-DT 19.1 CW MUSKOGEE, OK TBD 160° 28.6 19
* violet
uhf KTPX-DT 44.1 ION OKMULGEE, OK  201°

[da dawg]

I also have a converter question....when the power goes out I have a small battery operated TV that i use....what happens to this TV when the switch over occures? Will I still be able to get a signal?

[AMP]

The whole HDTV deal reminds me of around 1959 when my mom bought her first Color TV.  We were lucky to have a TV Repair man that lived across the street from us.  I recall him installing a large outdoor antenna in the attic, and then running wires down inside the wall and into the living room to connect to the TV.  

 He brought over a mirror and lots of tools, sitting behind the TV he would tune in each and every station and adjust the Color knobs on the back of the set.  This took a few nights work, he would arrive shortly after dinner.  

 The DTV/Analog unit I purchased takes 110 volts and uses one of those wonderful AC/DC adaptors, of which I believe I own a few dozen of, most are in boxes in storage and I have no clue what they go to at this time in my life.  Not only does the DTV/Analog adapter require 110 volts, but so does the power antenna which seems to be required to find a signal by the DTV/Analog adapter.  The power antenna also runs off of a 110 volts low voltage adaptor.  If you could identify the exact DC voltage and which pin is positive on both of those units, you could find adapters that ran off of say a 12 volt marine or automotive battery to accomplish you task.  Inexpensive alternative is to run an inverter off your vehicle's battery.  

 I have found the indoor power HDTV antenna requires moving about to pick up all the stations available, which is a real hassle when running the station scan feature.  Reminds me of the early Color TVs and especially the one we had at the lake house with the outdoor Power Antenna that rotated from a box inside the house.  It was mounted on a long pole way up in the air, and you rotated it using a dial towards which ever station's antenna you desired to capture a signal from.  

 I feel we have gone back in time technologically with this change over to Digital TV. At least with the Analog version even if the picture was fuzzy, you could still capture the station and hear the audio fairly well.  With digital it appears to be all or none, with the exception of the voice not being in sync with the picture many times.  Can't wait to test it during a rain storm.  LOL  

 Read in the manual that came with my unit that was made in China, that the phone number for parts and service is an International Number.  Can just imagine what language the folks speak that answer the calls there.  

 If this in any indication of how messed up the television industry is, it is no wonder why the parking lot at 21st and Sheridan at that Direct TV customer service place is packed with workers.  

 May be an ideal time to open a mobile HDTV Repairman business again.

[patric]

Our past discussions on this, at your fingertips:

http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8090

http://www.tulsanow.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9964

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by da dawg

I also have a converter question....when the power goes out I have a small battery operated TV that i use....what happens to this TV when the switch over occures? Will I still be able to get a signal?

If the portable TV is new enough to have an ATSC (digital tv) tuner you should be fine after February.  Any older TV will need a converter between the antenna and the TV, and most low-end portable ones dont have any way to plug in an external antenna.

You would also need a way to power the converter (we discussed a UPS or inverter) but in the long run it would really be best to invest in an ATSC-capable TV.

[AMP]

Yeah right... Here is one for JUST $349.00 The additional Battery Box is only $50.

Last two TVs I bought a few months ago were $20 each at the pawn shop.

[bugo]

quote:Originally posted by AMP
 I feel we have gone back in time technologically with this change over to Digital TV. At least with the Analog version even if the picture was fuzzy, you could still capture the station and hear the audio fairly well.  With digital it appears to be all or none, with the exception of the voice not being in sync with the picture many times.  Can't wait to test it during a rain storm.  LOL  

I'm waiting for a rash of deaths caused by this phenomenon.  Somebody wakes up to loud thunder/wind/hail/etc and turns the TV on for a weather advisory.  Since all TV will be digital, during a storm the signal will likely be so pixellated that it's unusable.  I know there are sirens and what not, but sirens aren't audible in all areas, and since they blow the sirens in Bixby for a storm that is headed towards Skiatook, they tend to be ignored anyway.

[Hoss]

quote:Originally posted by bugo

quote:Originally posted by AMP
 I feel we have gone back in time technologically with this change over to Digital TV. At least with the Analog version even if the picture was fuzzy, you could still capture the station and hear the audio fairly well.  With digital it appears to be all or none, with the exception of the voice not being in sync with the picture many times.  Can't wait to test it during a rain storm.  LOL  

I'm waiting for a rash of deaths caused by this phenomenon.  Somebody wakes up to loud thunder/wind/hail/etc and turns the TV on for a weather advisory.  Since all TV will be digital, during a storm the signal will likely be so pixellated that it's unusable.  I know there are sirens and what not, but sirens aren't audible in all areas, and since they blow the sirens in Bixby for a storm that is headed towards Skiatook, they tend to be ignored anyway.

Do a search on DIY HD Antenna, and if the converter has an external antenna connector, build and use that.

I built one; given though I do have a digital ready TV now, and it works great...even in bad weather.

Also, one reason why you're having so much trouble with KTUL is because they transmit in VHF only right now; all the other stations transmit in UHF.  That changes next year, though.

[Conan71]

Like everything else the government does when enforcing deadlines, look for this deadline to be revised for another year or two.

How many times has the government let the passport law deadline be revised?

How's enforcement on HB-1804 coming along?

The whole crock is how many people have probably gone out and gotten these converters on the gov'ts dime and don't need them.

[AMP]

The best thing thus far is a channel I never have seen prior to having this converter box that plays old Westerns a lot!  

Always missed the Westerns, I thought they were scrubbed from free tv due to guns and violence, fist fights an donkey whoopins' goin on constantly.  Plus they had some down to earth story lines like dudes finding who killed their pa and paying them back later in life.

And there are no cars or trucks in these films, just horses!  Lots of bars, drinking, card playing, shooting, riding and fighting.  Wages being paid in Cash with no taxes and some good lookin grub coming from the Chuck Wagon.

Roads looked better than today, and when you got plastered at the saloon, your horse didn't, and most likely knew the way back home!  

[sauerkraut]

quote:Originally posted by da dawg

I also have a converter question....when the power goes out I have a small battery operated TV that i use....what happens to this TV when the switch over occures? Will I still be able to get a signal?

No, it'll be useless. However some SMALL stations will still be broadcasting in analog after the change over, (small local stations, church channels and things like that)  If you have a converter box most will not pick up those small analog stations, Most boxes will only convert the digital signals it gets into analog and not pass thru any analog signals it gets. There are a few boxes out that can pick up a analog signal and let that pass thru to the TV set as it converts the digital signals, but I heard those boxes are hard to find. HDTV has another drawback, you either get a clear picture or no picture. There will be no more "snowy" pictures you'll just get a blank screen. They call that effect "the falling off the cliff effect"

[sauerkraut]

quote:Originally posted by Hoss

quote:Originally posted by bugo

quote:Originally posted by AMP
 I feel we have gone back in time technologically with this change over to Digital TV. At least with the Analog version even if the picture was fuzzy, you could still capture the station and hear the audio fairly well.  With digital it appears to be all or none, with the exception of the voice not being in sync with the picture many times.  Can't wait to test it during a rain storm.  LOL  

I'm waiting for a rash of deaths caused by this phenomenon.  Somebody wakes up to loud thunder/wind/hail/etc and turns the TV on for a weather advisory.  Since all TV will be digital, during a storm the signal will likely be so pixellated that it's unusable.  I know there are sirens and what not, but sirens aren't audible in all areas, and since they blow the sirens in Bixby for a storm that is headed towards Skiatook, they tend to be ignored anyway.

Do a search on DIY HD Antenna, and if the converter has an external antenna connector, build and use that.

I built one; given though I do have a digital ready TV now, and it works great...even in bad weather.

Also, one reason why you're having so much trouble with KTUL is because they transmit in VHF only right now; all the other stations transmit in UHF.  That changes next year, though.

Yes, but they do have converter boxes that will let analog signals pass thru as well as convert digital signals to analog. Those boxes are hard to find though. Most boxes just process digital into analog, and any analog signal it gets is blocked out from the set..

[zstyles]

I guess if you are worried about bad weather you should maybe..umm i dont know..buy a weather scanner?

[nathanm]

quote:Originally posted by bugo

Since all TV will be digital, during a storm the signal will likely be so pixellated that it's unusable.

I get far better DTV reception than analog reception, and storms don't do much to it, except on the channels where the signal is already marginal. (I have a very crappy unpowered antenna)

Few of the analog stations come in at all, while I get most of the DTV stations. Go figure.

[Hoss]

quote:Originally posted by sauerkraut

No, it'll be useless. However some SMALL stations will still be broadcasting in analog after the change over, (small local stations, church channels and things like that)  If you have a converter box most will not pick up those small analog stations, Most boxes will only convert the digital signals it gets into analog and not pass thru any analog signals it gets. There are a few boxes out that can pick up a analog signal and let that pass thru to the TV set as it converts the digital signals, but I heard those boxes are hard to find. HDTV has another drawback, you either get a clear picture or no picture. There will be no more "snowy" pictures you'll just get a blank screen. They call that effect "the falling off the cliff effect"

Wrong..wrong.

If you have a marginal signal on HD you can still receive but it will be degraded.  Degraded to DTV/HDTV is different than analog.  Pixelation and sound cut outs are the symptoms.  There's no either/or with it.  It's just the gray area is narrower and harder to watch.  How do I know?  I watched HD and other stations last night over the air directly.  If you make the DIY antenna and have a way to put it outside and point it towards Coweta, then the only DTV/HDTV station you'll have trouble with is KTUL, and that's because they're using a VHF signal, and most of the HDTV DIY antennas are built on a dipole (bowtie configuration) which is mainly for UHF.