How to use a converter box & antenna to get DTV

Digital TV offers potentially better picture quality and more channels than analog over-the-air broadcasts, but getting digital signals might not be as easy as plugging a converter box between your antenna and TV. Here's why.

Most analog stations are in the VHF band, channels 2-13, while digital signals are transmitted mainly over the UHF band, 14 and higher. (However, digital stations in some areas may move to the VHF band next February, when analog channels vacate their station frequencies.) The UHF band is more directional than VHF and more sensitive to obstacles (such as trees, tall buildings, and mountains) that lie between your antenna and the broadcast tower. So getting good UHF reception can be more difficult than pulling in VHF, affecting your ability to get digital broadcasts.

The all-or-nothing nature of digital broadcasts also comes into play. With analog stations, a weak signal can still yield a watchable picture—it might be snowy or have ghosts, but you'll get a continuous picture and uninterrupted sound.

If you're getting marginal reception of digital signals, both the picture and sound might freeze or break up to the point that it's not watchable. If you're really on the fringes—either too far from a tower or with too many obstacles in the way—you'll see a black screen that says "Weak or no signal."

You don't have to wait until next year to get an idea right now as to what kind of reception you can expect after the transition. Here's what you can do right now:

• If you have an analog TV but no converter box yet, you can test UHF reception for analog channels 14 and higher, provided any are broadcast in your area. That will give you some indication of the reception you can expect with digital signals. If they're fairly clear, odds are you might be OK. But if they're snowy, you might have trouble.


• When you get a converter box, try it as soon as possible. Most areas currently have access to at least a few digital stations, so see how well you can pull in digital signals. Reception is likely to vary by channel, depending on the location and broadcast power level of a given station.


• Even if you have a digital TV that's connected to cable or satellite, you might want to try it with an antenna to see whether you could get over-the-air broadcasts in the event of an emergency that shuts down other services.

With any of these scenarios, you should first try a basic indoor set-top antenna designed to pick up both VHF and UHF. If you're close to a broadcast station and there are minimal obstacles between your antenna and the tower, you should see a clear, continuous picture that might be better than what you get with analog. (Sound quality will be about the same, though.) Basic indoor antennas start at about $10, though some cost much more.

If reception isn't great, move the antenna around the room or close to a window. Most converter boxes indicate the signal strength you're getting as you adjust the antenna position. If you can't get a strong signal from any position, try a set-top antenna that has a built-in signal amplifier. No luck? Try an antenna mounted on your roof or in your attic. The most effective type of antenna is a rooftop model equipped with a rotor, which can point the antenna in different directions to pull in broadcasts from various towers. Basic outdoor models start at about $50.

You'll find information on antennas and more at www.antennaweb.org, www.hdtvantennalabs.com, and www.antennasdirect.com.

Unfortunately, there's a chance no antenna will work for you. Recent reports indicate that some households are in fringe areas with poor reception, and for them, off-air digital TV might not be a good option.

In any case, start soon. If you encounter problems, there will be plenty of time to resolve them before next February so you're not left out in the cold.

For more helpful advice and links to other DTV resources on the Web, check out our Digital TV Transition information center on ConsumerReports.org.

—Eileen McCooey

Comments

[Christopher]

I just set up my converter box (highest rated by Consumer Reports) and cannot pull in any DTV signals strong enough to view after scanning. I live two miles from downtown Chicago and get half a dozen analog channels just fine. Most of these stations are already broadcasting several DTV channels each. I think a lot of people are going to be pissed off when they can no longer get TV reception despite buying a converter box. In the meantime, I am shopping for a new antenna (you know, the one the FCC claims you won't need if you already get fine analog reception). I am not pleased.

[Milton Snitzer]

To Anne Lauren:

Very useful post. Thanks for all the info.

Milt

[everett whitney]

Anne - 10 Nov - Congrats - A Great Discovery / Search / Learning .. for Info !

Just a simple "look" now for their TV channels will help those with current difficulties ....

Disconnect & Leave any / all Converters out-of-the- situation for a moment. Reconnect whatever antenna exists directly to the TV's normal input.

Select some channels of Both the VHF as well as UHF Bands - 02/13 plus above 13.

IF some channels DO come in at very clear picture qualities on Both analog Bands now, it's a very good "bet" that the antenna set up will also do properly after FEB.!

IF "no or poor" channels #14 - #60, there's "Trouble-In-River City!"... time for a new antenna!

[everett whitney]

TO: P. Schaaf- 10 Nov - "New Roof Antenna = 60 w/o but with Converter says Zero?"

You didn't include the Make / Model of the new roof antenna ... could you ? Is it connected w/ Quad RG6coax?

IF it's only a VHF Band, the federal coupon Converter will not 'see' any channel signals at all. Except for Chicago, NYC & a few others after Feb., all need a strong UHF Band signal.

[Anne Lauren]

Can’t find a channel you used to have before you got a converter box? Well...

DON’T buy a new antenna yet,
DON’T return your converter box for a different brand yet,
and
DON’T worry about it yet, because here’s why:

One of the biggest reasons you probably can’t get channels now through your converter box that you previously got before is because those channels are NOT YET being broadcast in digital. They might only be available in analog right now, and your new converter box can’t do anything about it, unless you have an analog pass-through box. And the funny thing about those pass-through boxes? You have to TURN THE BOX OFF to get those missing channels (at least in the case of the Zenith 901) – basically, just use your TV as you did before you got the box. I know it seems strange, but that’s technology for you. So, that’s the short of it – for a more detailed explanation, read on.

I’ll give you an example of a channel I couldn’t find and what I ended up figuring out...I live in Lincoln, NE, and receive channel 51, whose call numbers are KCWL. This channel came in perfectly clear through analog, mainly because it is broadcast only 3 miles from my house. After I hooked up my converter box, though, I couldn’t get the channel at all. I mean, NOTHING. I was so frustrated and fed up after running the auto scan 50 times that I surely thought the problem was the box or the antenna or both. The next day, I did some serious searching on the internet, trying to figure out what was going on. I found my answer on the website www.rabbitears.info. Here you can type in the call numbers of the station you’re looking for (KCWL, KETV, etc) and look through reports about their transition to digital (although the reports aren’t easy to find or easy to read through – you have to click on “Technical Data and Screencaps” and then on “CDBS List” – click on any of the “Application” links after that and read through the reports). It looks intimidating, but I assure you, I’m no technical genius and I figured it out.

I typed in the call numbers for channel 51 and came upon the following statement in one of the reports: STATION KCWL-TV WAS NOT ASSIGNED A PRE-TRANSITION DIGITAL CHANNEL, AND THUS MUST TRANSITION TO DIGITAL OPERATION ON ITS CURRENT ANALOG CHANNEL. What that means is this: channel 51 plans to use its current analog channel as its future digital channel – and since stations can’t run both an analog and a digital signal on the same channel, my channel 51 will remain an analog channel until 2/17/09 (or maybe earlier, if they get their act together). Then it will literally go from being analog one minute to being digital the next (or have a brief outage between the two). Only after that point, when it becomes digital, will I be able to get it through my converter box.

I didn’t realize any of this. I thought, well, I’m getting broadcasts of NBC, FOX, CBS, etc, through my converter box and some of those stations are more than 50 miles away in Omaha, so I should be able to get a station that’s broadcast only 3 miles away, right? Nope. Not until it switches to digital. And here’s one of the reasons why I couldn’t figure out what was going on: say you watch analog NBC on channel 6 right now (whose call numbers are WOWT). When you hook up your converter box, you’ll actually be watching it on channel 22, EVEN THOUGH it will show as channel 6 on your screen. Channel 22 is called the “pre-transition” channel because they needed somewhere to put the digital transmission while they still have the analog transmission on channel 6. After 2/17/09, however, the permanent digital channel will end up being channel 6 when analog goes away (notice how in this example WOWT is able to have both an analog and digital broadcasting at the same time while in the example above, KCWL is only able to broadcast in analog until the transition deadline because it doesn’t have another channel to broadcast a digital signal in).

I realize to some people, especially the experts, that this is crystal clear, a big fat “duh.” But after reading post after post on the internet all day about people not being able to receive channels they used to and not knowing why, I realized I wasn’t the only one who was having a hard time understanding what was going on. I feel really sorry for the seniors out there and for the people who can’t or won’t take the time to figure all this out. These are the people who are either going to get swindled by somebody trying to sell them a “digital” antenna, end up killing themselves trying to rig up something on their roof, or just give up and order cable. And you know a lot of the salespeople in the stores don’t have a clue about what’s going on either. I just can’t believe the government, FCC, etc, can’t mention any of the above information in one of the countless DTV ads they’re running. You just know, however, that the cable and dish companies are laughing all the way to the bank.

[P.Schaaf]

I can recieve around 40 channels (UHF &VHF) with rabbit ears. I had a new roof antenna installed and get around 60 channels now. Clear as a bell....then I put on my converter box and it say's "Weak signal". It's not the antenna direction or distance from stations, as it hasn't changed. What is going on with this box????
Is this a cable/direct TV conspiracy?

[Tom]

I am in Poughkeepsie, NY - halfway between New York City and Albany - on the fringe of two TV markets. My rooftop antennas are 25 years old (one fixed VHF antenna and a UHF antenna on a rotor), and they served us well during the analog years. Unfortunatly these same antennas did a poor job for digital reception and we had to make some upgrades.

I hooked up my converter box as soon as I could get one earlier this year. Our reception went from 8 analog stations from New York City (7 VHF, 1 UHF) down to zero. When the UHF antenna was aimed toward Albany, NY, we went from one UHF analog station (WXXA) down to zero UHF digital stations. We also have two local independent UHF stations (WTBY and WRNN). Their DTV signals come in fine because they are less than 10 miles away. However, since the major network affiliates broadcast from Albany (67 miles away) and New York City (Empire State Building - 63 miles away), I am most interested in receiving those DTV channels.

As soon as the weather permitted access to the roof, we installed a Channel Master preamp to the mast and ran RG6 coax cable (which replaced the existing twin-lead flat wire) from the preamp to the Channel Master pass-thru power supply inside the house. I spent most of the summer tweaking the aim of the UHF antenna with the rotor. We can now receive Albany stations WTEN-DT (ABC), WMHT-DT (PBS) and (most of the time depending on the weather) WRGB-DT (CBS), which raises the DTV station total from Albany up to three.

With the UHF antenna aimed south, only WNYW-DT (Fox) comes in from New York City. No other NYC station even makes a dent on the DTV tuner. Although that is still better than zero, I still get fewer digital stations than analog. TVFool.com shows the terrain is not favorable for UHF. Our VHF antenna currently picks up all the VHF analog stations from NYC, so it will be interesting to see what happens when three NYC DTV stations return to their original analog VHF channels in February.

Anyone who thinks he should wait until just before the DTV switchover in February to buy a box is going to be in for a rude awakening if they live in a fringe area. Who is going to want to risk falling off on an icy roof to upgrade an existing antenna or install a new antenna in February? Start working on your DTV checklist now.

http://www.hdtvexpert.com/pages_c/DTV_transition08.html

[everett whitney]

a "p.s." for L. Spaulding - "Canada Analog ..."

These analog channels via Canada do NOT change at all !

They have a Much later digital Conversion.

everett

[everett whitney]

TO: L. Spaulding - 29 Oct -" Rochester gets zero .."

IF this link will work, here're the Rochester Channels -
http://www.antennaweb.org/aw/Stations.aspx

Note that it will require both VHF & UHF band capable antenna ... BUT - they are all { forget about Batavia's "ION"} apparently on the same TV Tower / common Compass heading!

At that short distance, there must have been something drastically wrong w/ their antenna selection.

Even a basic Channel Master #3016 - a.k.a. #5646 - in their attic, using Quad RG-6 coax, should have worked marvelously!

Agreed that any outside mounting would be horrible - we lived in Depew for 6 years & that snow belt is terrific!

What's that "...DVD Player... " got to do with TV reception, please?

[L Spaulding]

My daughter recently bought a converter box for her TV in the Rochester, NY area. Without an antenna, using her DVD player she received 4 Analog stations. With the converter box AND an Antenna she received ZERO stations. She is very frustrated and is thinking of getting cable (even though she probably can't afford it).
Where we live, we get some digital stations, but not others and it's hit or miss depending on the weather. We also receive alot of Canadian analog channels which will change. THIS WAS NOT WELL THOUGHT OUT and I sometimes wonder if it's a way for Cable and Dish networks to make more money.

[everett whitney]

TO: Lu Ann - 25 Oct -"How many Converters to (1) antenna?

Depends on how "strong" or effective the antenna. I.E. - some will only provide sufficient "gain" or signal strength for a single Converter.

Others - able to send a much stronger signal & mounted properly outside, high atop the roof - will support(3) or perhaps (4) ... eventually, all antennas will be so Overloaded that the signal will "fail."

[LuAnn Vance]

How many converter boxes can i hook up to my antenna

[Brian]

The whole "digital transition" is a farce. The FCC would have you believe that it's being done in the interest of "progress" and "for the people" but what it really is is payday for the FCC. They stand to make billions selling off the airspace previously occupied by analog television (digital signals take less bandwidth).

If you cable (even standard analog cable), most of the times you don't need an antenna to receive digital signals from your local stations. Most digital televisions have a ClearQAM tuner (QAM is the format that cable companies send their digital signals in). Most digital channels are encrypted (to prevent theft) and so you won't get those on a TV with a QAM tuner. However 90% of the time, the digital feeds of the local channels are not encrypted. If you plug a television with a digital tuner into analog cable, a lot of times, you'll get the digital and HDTV signals from your local stations without having to pay your cable company extra.

And it'll work, unlike trying to mess around with OTA reception.

[everett whitney]

TO: Joseph K. - 03 Oct - " No Adequate Info .."

Sorry for your many unsuccessful attempts! BUT - even C.R. has often stated that some will NOT be able to get antenna digital reception, regardless. It IS far more problematic than analog ever was.

A) - Were those 5 - 6 antenna mounted outside, high on your roof? Was a good Quad RG-6 coax used in a single length?

B) - Did you get recommendation of ....
www.antennaweb.org ....
only input your ZIP - ignoring all the rest ... listed Will be the digital channels available, the Compass headings, distance in miles, which TV Band { VHF or UHF, now as well as after Feb.} plus by a color code, which might function best.

C) - IF, like RAZ above your post - there are any mountains, trees, tall buildings - Anything - in the line-of-sight path between your antenna & the TV Tower from where the digital signals emit, you Will have great difficulty in obtaining dependable, consistent reception!

D) - Under ideal conditions, 35-40 miles is a reasonable maximum, although 1 or 2 will post ..." I get channels from 65 miles!"

www.solidsignal.com

is one web site to view all the different antennas.

[everett whitney]

TO: Raz - 05 Oct - "Use Cable as well as Antenna ..."

IF those surrounding mountains are sufficiently tall to interrupt a "line-of-sight" between any antenna & the TV Towers which are sending those digital signals, then, you'll NOT get dependable, consistent digital reception, regardless of whatever you try!

A) - Indoor, "universal, amplified.etc., antennas" will generally NOT be satisfactory with UHF digital signals except in extraordinary locations . i.e. - next to TV Towers, in plain sight, No trees or buildings or hills in between, etc..!

B) - Your situation IS one of those described by C.R. as a problem or "fringe" area ... NO antenna TV may be possible at all.

C) - Stay with your existing cable connection & return whatever you can for refunds. You are in a "bowl" ... the only reason the indoor antenna happened to "pick up" those (3) channels when connected directly to the TV was simply that it WAS still analog ! All digital reception IS much more problematic!

[Raz]

I have been trying to install RCA's Model ANT1450 antenna with RCA's digital converter box, Model DTA800B1.

Unfortunately, above combination does not work at all. I do not get any channels/signal. I have tried all the possible combinations available on
the converter box. I get three channels (numbers 18,26 and 64) when I connect the above antenna directly to the television. According to the
information provided for the above antenna, it is suppose to be "amplified
flat multi-directional indoor antenna." It should be capable of receiving both UHF and VHF signals.

We live in a regular two story house, surrounded by mountains. Currently,I have basic cable with Time-Warner Cable.

Please tell me which would be the best antenna for our house so that we can use the digital converter box, instead of the cable. I would like to receive as many channels as possible (both VHF and VHF bands).

Would it be possible to install the new small antenna near the existing cable inlet box to
the house, so that we only install one antenna for the whole house. Coaxial cable is used to connect the three televisions in the house.

I appreciate your help.

[Joseph Keyerleber]

I truly hope CR is developing a detailed analysis for publication of the many technical DTV issues that are cropping up all over the country. The government and broadcasters have failed to provide the necessary information about antennas, digital signals, UHF/VHF transmissions, and broadcast towers. CR should try to fill in these blanks, as soon as possible, to help OTA viewers cope with this bizarre changeover. I have tried five different antennas with variable and inconsistent results. Digital signals are more quirky and unreliable than analog. The switch to digital television is looking more and more like a train wreck.

[Greg Patrick]

I think digital signal, you may need a smaller or medium outside antenna. I really do not thing the large ones do that great. I can get one station that is about 40-50 miles with rabbit ears. The tv stations power output is about 889.00. Start small then work you way up. Try with and without a pre-amplifier. Of course, this still may not work. Just a note, with analog going off, you might be able to get repeater stations that still broadcast in analog. For those with outside antenna, I would wait tell the end of March before getting new ones. This give stations time to get problems sorted out. Most stations will also increase power output after the change over. Good luck.

[everett whitney]

To Jill - 24 Sept - "I need a Chair to Adjust my indoor ..."

Please do be careful! Even the purchase of a small, neat kitchen step stool would be lots less than any fall / serious damage, hear?

Another "glimmer of hope?" That condo antenna system Will go totally "dead" / be of no use to all ! Haven't there been any discussions to date in your association monthly meetings re: ... what will it cost each unit to fix the old system to work for digital? .... Surely, there Must be others experiencing same issues as yourself!

And, do consider a "gamble" of ~ $68 w/ freight for a DB-4, which would also fit on top of your Entertainment Center ... should need less "tweaking!" That's expensive but much less than any X-Ray after a fall.

View at www.solidsignal.com

[Jill]

My advice to anyone using an indoor antenna and converter box is keep trying the antenna in different locations and angles. I realize in some areas it may never work, but it's worth the effort to see if by chance you can find the "sweet spot" where it will work.

I got a converter box about 6 weeks ago and also live in a condo complex that doesn't "allow" outside antennas. Previously (before the converter box), I was connected to the condo's common antenna and was getting pretty bad reception. With the converter box, the condo antenna didn't work at all. With an indoor amplified antenna (and not living near any of the TV stations), I am able to get fantastic reception--most of the time on 3 of the major networks along with their extra digital channels and a few UHF channels. This took ALOT of time switching the antenna around on top of my entertainment unit and trying different angles. But, at least for now, I seemed to have found that sweet spot where it's getting good reception on at least some channels. It is certainly frustrating to have to adjust the antenna from time to time (especially since in my case I have to stand on a chair to reach it!), but the result is the best quality picture I've ever gotten on my very old TV. So, if you have this same situation of an indoor antenna and aren't getting good reception, keep trying and see if you hit upon the right spot!

I'll be interested to see what happens next February when everything goes digital--hope Everett's right that everything will be better, meaning more channels and a stronger signal that produces a consistently good picture.

[everett whitney]

TO: Marcello -21 Sept- "Apartment doesn't allow antennas"

That's now illegal to enforce ... the FCC ruling has been "tested" in court & upheld.

But, IF these will be stolen, no sense in going there anyway.

Absolutely agree about the vast majority of Public Informercials being less than candid !

IF you will be very firm with the local cable company, you'll find out about an offering - kept quite secret - which was a part of the FCC/ Cable Industry last Sept 07.

It made cable offer basic analog thru early 2012, Not stop next Feb. It is usually only about 20-24 channels & costs in the neighborhood of $11 - $12/ monthly ... will "feed" as many picture tube sets as one has as well, whereas an antenna can not. In the case of Cox, it is (24) @ $11.75 ... Comcast has ~20 @ $11.00, etc..

Good Luck.

[marcello]

Thanks, Everett, but I don't have an attic or rooftop -- I'm in an apartment. This complex forbids outdoor antennas and they're likely to get stolen anyway. I bought my antenna based on suggestions from antennaweb.org and multiple other sources. I had purchased the most powerful and highly-recommended indoor antenna that I could afford. I have returned the antenna for a full refund. According to the store that I purchased the antenna from, I'm not the only one in this area who is having these problems.

Meanwhile, the government's website continues to paint a rosy picture: "You should be able to receive digital television signals with your existing broadcast antenna." Utter baloney.

Consumer Reports deserves credit for being more forthcoming: "Unfortunately, there's a chance no antenna will work for you. Recent reports indicate that some households are in fringe areas with poor reception, and for them, off-air digital TV might not be a good option."

Apparently Southeast Michigan is a "fringe area". Who knew?

[everett whitney]

TO: Marcello -20 Sept -" New Antenna didn't help..!"

Since it Did do something on your analog channels but zero on the others, they sold you an improper antenna .. return it.

All need UHF Band - channel 14 & up - antennas for the federal coupon Converters. Only a very few cities now - Chicago / NYC, etc.- use VHF Channels for their digital broadcasts. You obviously does not.

Essentially none of those "indoor" digital specials at the various local outlets accomplish anything other than to raise one's anxiety + cost a lot!

Necessary are two easy steps ... www.antennaweb.org .. is one of the places to enter your ZIP & address, check "digital" & see listed what Channels you do have available, what their channels are (both numbers), Which Band, IF there will be any returning to VHF after Feb, where on the Compass &, by color-coding, what strength antenna group is needed.

Mount the appropriate one outside or , at the least, in the attic, connect w/ a Quad RG-6 Coax to the federal coupon Converter & you Will "see" television !

[Marcello]

I suppose it's nice to know that I'm not alone!

But it's most certainly not nice to know that I will not be receiving any watchable broadcast television signal after February 2009. I've purchased the converter box, which produces nothing but pixelated garbage, and even spent an extra fifty dollars on a new antenna, which improved the analog signal but did nothing for the digital signal. I've gone from about twelve watchable channels to one -- and that channel broadcasts nothing but infomercials!

What's most frustrating is the completely misleading propaganda that's being promoted by the FCC and the broadcasters. It's being promoted as a "win-win" transition for everyone. They don't mention that you might lose some, if not all, of your broadcast TV stations. They don't mention that more powerful antennas probably won't solve the problem. They don't mention that your viewing choices may soon be limited to cable TV or Netflix.

When the FCC calls this "the end of an era", they're not kidding!

[everett whitney]

TO: Bryce N. -20 Sept- "No signal one floor below ..."

That is to be expected .. any construction, whether a roof or walls, etc., essentially always absorbs 50 % of the original signal strength. Some even a greater %, including a built-up tar/paper or a metallic type.

Mount a proper digital antennas on a mast at that roof and just run up to a 100 feet of Quad RG-6 Coax directly to the Converter & it WILL function! The antennas should NOT be inside.

Since you visually see the TV Towers, a DB-4 strictly for UHF would / should be sufficiently strong as well as be more compact than some varieties ...

A "combo" in case some signals go back to VHF after Feb would be the Channel Master 3016 .. a.k.a. - #5646 but in different packaging. It is not always the tuners.

Do understand that the FCC set forth the requirements & the various China makers are simply following those stipulations ... nothing is going to change. Just consider the basic analog cable service for (24) channels @ less than $15 as an alternative. All cable companies MUST offer this.