Stock DTV OTA antenna sucks!

fredflint · 01-18-2006, 03:32 PM

Yesterday I upgraded to the h10-250 complete with OTA antenna. My problem is not necessarily with the intaller, but rather with the crappy OTA antenna he brought with him. D*mn thing looks like an oversized bat wing, attached to the dish, which I'm sure is a homeowner association's worst nightmare.

I never did get a signal worth watching. The installer told me there was really nothing more he could do, so he left. I called the 800 # printed on the service order to complain, but the number was registered to "Piedmont Food Service". The lady that answered told me that she gets several calls a week from angry Directv customers. I double checked the number and realized that I had been scammed. I then called Directv and they told me that "they don't guarantee reception". $400 out-of-pocket to watch and record one lousy channel in HD (FOXE). Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

DuffMan · 01-18-2006, 04:02 PM

Just curious - did you try and apply for any local market channels that HD? See Steve's comments in this thread for details:

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb...d.php?t=282413

I don't know all your details but your experience is exactly why I'm really hesitant to take the HD plunge right now.

DuffMan · 01-18-2006, 04:03 PM

sorry, meant "local market channels that Directv broadcasts in HD"

dswallow · 01-18-2006, 04:09 PM

Fred, you should go over to AVSForum into the thread specific to your local market and ask about antennas for your area -- see what others are going through and what stations are within range of your home/what direction they're off in.

A link to the index over there is in my signature below.

fredflint · 01-18-2006, 04:37 PM

Waivers are pending, but I am not optimistic.

I checked out the AVS forum for my area (memphis) and was discouraged by all the problems being reported. Most users report crappy reception, but they seem to blame the stations more than their antennas.

I couldn't figure out why everyone was so negative about HD in the Memphis area, especially since I got decent results with a silver sensor attached directly to the TV (SONY A10). So off I go. I ordered the OTA antenna thinking that an outside application had to be an improvement. Boy was I wrong. Not only did it fail, but the Silver Sensor signal was also significantly degraded when I plugged it to the H10 tuner. Apparently (from another thread) the H10-250 tuner is weak and is inferior to the Sony tuner. Who knew?

Bottom line is that I am faced with finding a stronger antenna that can overcome the limitations of the h10-250 tuner..... and even if that obstacle is cleared, then I still have the local station transmission issues to deal with.

Dssturbo1 · 01-18-2006, 05:06 PM

every single ota install is different with so many variables direction/distance/terrain the ota towers end etc etc... and dtv cannot guarantee the reception.
Have you tried to tune the ota a little better yourself? What signal strenght are you getting? You can complain and ask them to upgarde the antennea. or refund your money and try a different one.

DeDondeEs · 01-18-2006, 05:46 PM

Many people in my neighborhood have the DTV bat wing antenna which I think is VHF. Most of the HD/DTV channels here in Vegas are UHF. By the time DTV installed my antenna they switched their stock antenna to one of those square wire mesh antennas with the little "bowties" mounted to the mesh because they received too many complaints about the other type. So at least out here they figured it out. My reception is great. Check antennaweb to see if the OTA digital channels in your area are UHF or VHF. Then if it is UHF call DTV to see if you can swap out your antenna.

Redux · 01-18-2006, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeDondeEs

Many people in my neighborhood have the DTV bat wing antenna which I think is VHF.

You're probably referring to the Winegard GS-1100 (or the GS-2200 if it has the preamplifier). These are combination UHF/VHF.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeDondeEs

one of those square wire mesh antennas with the little "bowties" mounted to the mesh

The double bay UHF you seem to be describing is very low-gain. Works well only in very strong signal areas. Many people find they need a 4 or 8 bay UHF.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeDondeEs

Check antennaweb

Good advice. But swapping the batwing (especially if it's amplified) for the double bay would be a good thing only in very specific reception areas, generally I'd say it's a bad idea.

fredflint · 01-20-2006, 10:30 PM

Update. .....

Yesterday, while I was away, the installer came and attached a different antenna to my dish. This one looks about 2 ft. square with the bow-ties on a wire mesh structure. I have no idea about the brand or model number but you may recognize it from my pathetic description.

Anyway, when I got home I turned on the TV to see whether there was any improvement or not. Big surprise.....no improvement.

Today, I left work early, determined to figure this thing out. I ran a separate line (bypassing the diplexors the installer put in) from the OTA antenna inside to my receiver and got signal readings in the high 80's on all frequencies!

My apologies to Directv. I am now in HD heaven. My buyer's remorse is gone!