OTA HD signal strengths... what are yours?

Just curious what everyone is getting for signal strength for your HD locals over the air.

I get one channel at 98-100% and the rest are high 70's to low 80's.

Just curious what everyone is getting for signal strength for your HD locals over the air.

I get one channel at 98-100% and the rest are high 70's to low 80's.

The OTA tuner in the 622 SUCKS!!! My Sony Bravia tunes and holds the stations much better. Try your OTA antenna directly into your TV if you have problems. If you are having problems recording OTA, you may need to use a signal amplifier (booster).

Just curious what everyone is getting for signal strength for your HD locals over the air.

I get one channel at 98-100% and the rest are high 70's to low 80's.

Of course those figures depend on many things including distance to stations, antenna type and position etc. My 622 grabs the signals very well and I get nothing lower than 95 on any of the local stations.

Just curious what everyone is getting for signal strength for your HD locals over the air.

I get one channel at 98-100% and the rest are high 70's to low 80's.

Yours are not too bad. I have two in the very high 90's, both are vhf. The rest range from low 70's to mid 80's. I do not have problems unless the ss drops to mid 60's.

Location, location, location....
I get 85-100 across the six locals I watch, with a Silver Sensor (indoor antenna) mounted under my eaves outside, about 12' high.

One station is consistently at 100%. Others are in the 90's. A couple of them are in the 62-70 range. I found that I sometimes lose lock if the signal drops below 60. That happens rarely and is usually when a front has moved through and it is breezy with temperature dropping. I do not seem to lose them in a heavy rain, however. My theory is that when a front moves through you get temperature gradients that cause multi path propagation that results in signal flutter and cancellations.

BTW, I have the 722 and it has a much better tuner than my Toshiba DLP. When I had cable I used the tuner in the Toshiba for HD because TW didn't carry all the locals. It would randomly remove the channels and I would have to do a "discover" all over again to train the set. It was very annoying. The 722 seems to be pretty solid. I have an attic VHF - UHF antenna with a UHF corner reflector on the front. It is a Channel Master brand I got at Lowe's for $35. That is half of the price Radio Shack wanted for some goofy looking super duper HD antenna.

The signal strength numbers under this topic are going to be all across the board depending on location, terrain, broadcast power of your local stations, antenna type, etc.

I can tell you from 46 miles away with gently rolling terrain and my antenna setup, I'm getting my full power local stations anywhere from 90% to 100% on my 722. Some weaker, distant channels I seem to lose around the 60% level.

I have found, however, that the 722 tuner is not as good as my TV or converter box tuner. I could lose a channel on my 722, but switch over to my TV tuner and it's available.

To future posters: I think when posting your signal strength for this question, it's important to elaborate on your location. Definitely mention the distance to the stations.

The signal strength numbers under this topic are going to be all across the board depending on location, terrain, broadcast power of your local stations, antenna type, etc.

I can tell you from 46 miles away with gently rolling terrain and my antenna setup, I'm getting my full power local stations anywhere from 90% to 100% on my 722. Some weaker, distant channels I seem to lose around the 60% level.

I have found, however, that the 722 tuner is not as good as my TV or converter box tuner. I could lose a channel on my 722, but switch over to my TV tuner and it's available.

To future posters: I think when posting your signal strength for this question, it's important to elaborate on your location. Definitely mention the distance to the stations.

I don't think that is necessarily very conclusive because actual installation environments can vary greatly, regardless of distance.
For the very reasons you state initially.

For those having problems, it would be helpful to consult the "Local HDTV Info & Reception" forum, as well as www.antennaweb.org But even antennaweb.org can only give you information based on 'terrain', distance, and azimuth, and not the effect of man-made structures.

I don't think that is necessarily very conclusive because actual installation environments can vary greatly, regardless of distance.
For the very reasons you state initially.

You're absolutely right. I was just suggesting that future posters give a little more detail. Ideally, they would have to go into great detail, listing not only distance, but antenna type, height, amplification, whether the signal is split, etc. etc. etc. :) I figured (generally), distance is one of the more important factors.

Using antennaweb.org is an excellent suggestion, along with tvfool.com.

Some time ago I had to replace the DISHDVR625 due to a hard drive failure. I had not used my OTA antenna for a long time until recently after getting a new HD television. When setting up the TV to the local stations with the OTA cabled through the DVR, I noticed unusual "snow" or weak signals on most of the stations I used to watch years ago. Both VHF and UHF were affected. I was in the market to purchase a new amp, but last night discovered that the line loss was the fault of the DVR as I had instantly clear pics on the analog stations and a ton of new HD channels after I installed a "barrel" between the outside and inside cable at my DVR, therefore bypassing the DVR. Has anyone experienced a high loss of OTA when connected through a DVR? There are no attenators in the line after the DVR. I can't amagine what service I would get from Dishnetwork Reps on explaining this to them????

Location is all fine and all that...but the fact remains that when your TV tuner picks up more stations than your DVR (on the same antenna signal), that indicates a deficit in the DVR's ability to tune relative to the TV.

If you must know 30 miles from towers, flat terrain, VU-60 antenna, CM booster.

The OTA tuner in the 622 SUCKS!!! My Sony Bravia tunes and holds the stations much better. Try your OTA antenna directly into your TV if you have problems. If you are having problems recording OTA, you may need to use a signal amplifier (booster).

Another statement that is not entirely true.
I have done many installs, 622s, 722s, 222s, etc. and found these
tuners in many cases receive signals better than some HDTVs, including my own Sony.

fred

Another statement that is not entirely true.
I have done many installs, 622s, 722s, 222s, etc. and found these
tuners in many cases receive signals better than some HDTVs, including my own Sony.

fred

That's been my experience too. And adding amps is not always a good idea anyway. Nothing beats a good antenna based on your location.

An amp should be reserved for very long cable runs or additional distribution to other rooms, etc.

That's been my experience too. And adding amps is not always a good idea anyway. Nothing beats a good antenna based on your location.

An amp should be reserved for very long cable runs or additional distribution to other rooms, etc.

I tried it both ways and yes I split my signal right in front of the TV & DVR. This is the pre amp:
Winegard HDP-269 12 dB Gain VHF / UHF

If you are familiar with it, it is very low noise and Tigerbang recommended.

Perhaps my 622 is an anomaly or my Bravia is just that much better. But the 622 loses channel lock even on strong stations occasionally. Can't tune local PBS at all, and breaks up occasionally on other stations it does pick up well.
That spells sucky tuner to me.;)

I tried it both ways and yes I split my signal right in front of the TV & DVR. This is the pre amp:
Winegard HDP-269 12 dB Gain VHF / UHF

If you are familiar with it, it is very low noise and Tigerbang recommended.

Perhaps my 622 is an anomaly or my Bravia is just that much better. But the 622 loses channel lock even on strong stations occasionally. Can't tune local PBS at all, and breaks up occasionally on other stations it does pick up well.
That spells sucky tuner to me.;)

Wow, that does suck. You and I are about the same distance from the tower farm in Cedar Hill too, you're East and I'm west(Crowley). I get PBS great, signal strengths in the mid to high 80's. The only channel I have regular trouble with is 52. Even if strength is around mid to high 70's it will still cut out on me.

Overall I would say the tuner in the 622 and my Sony are about the same. They both cut out on 52 on a fairly regular basis. Keep in mind I only have an indoor antenna, a Terk.

Wow, that does suck. You and I are about the same distance from the tower farm in Cedar Hill too, you're East and I'm west(Crowley). I get PBS great, signal strengths in the mid to high 80's. The only channel I have regular trouble with is 52. Even if strength is around mid to high 70's it will still cut out on me.

Overall I would say the tuner in the 622 and my Sony are about the same. They both cut out on 52 on a fairly regular basis. Keep in mind I only have an indoor antenna, a Terk.

Your lucky. From the Dallas postings I've read at AVS Forum, almost everyone has a problem with either 8 (ABC) or 13 (PBS). Most get one but not the other. I get 8 off the scale, but PBS can only be tuned (in HD) by the Bravia...the 622 can't even tune the signal.

Hey guys, new DISH customer here. Here's my story:

I have a DISH HD-DVR box in my living room hooked up to my 46" Samsung 1080P tv. This box also plays on my SD tv in my bedroom. I have my antenna hooked up through the box so that I can tape from the antenna and still watch regular channels.

My signal strength seems to be around 75% at all times, on all channels (OTA - in Appleton, WI). My antenna is indoors, amplified. I am about 28-30 miles away from the towers in DePere, WI.

Now, when watching Ugly Betty for example, it lost signal through the entire show. I never had this issue when the antenna is connected directly to the TV.

Do you think there is signal loss at the coax connection at the back of the box?

Not too impressed with DISH right now....

Hey guys, new DISH customer here. Here's my story:

I have a DISH HD-DVR box in my living room hooked up to my 46" Samsung 1080P tv. This box also plays on my SD tv in my bedroom. I have my antenna hooked up through the box so that I can tape from the antenna and still watch regular channels.

My signal strength seems to be around 75% at all times, on all channels (OTA - in Appleton, WI). My antenna is indoors, amplified. I am about 28-30 miles away from the towers in DePere, WI.

Now, when watching Ugly Betty for example, it lost signal through the entire show. I never had this issue when the antenna is connected directly to the TV.

Do you think there is signal loss at the coax connection at the back of the box?

Not too impressed with DISH right now....

Not surprising (as I said above, the Dish tuners suck).
I subscribe to locals as well as use OTA. That will give you the local programming through the Dish guide and allow you to record 3 locals at one time. But my egocentrism is showing. Can you subscribe to locals?

Sorry about that, yes, I do subscribe and get local HD's via DISH (and OTA). IE, I get 011-00 (HD FOX via DISH), 011-01 (HD FOX via OTA). I have 2 dishes on my house, one for local HD's and one for the rest (at least that's what they told me).

So, I can record from antenna, record on TV 2 and either watch on TV 1 or record a non-OTA channel on TV 1.

But, as I said, I seem to be losing signal via OTA through the box....I lose signal all the time, which never happens when I put OTA direct to my TV...

Sorry about that, yes, I do subscribe and get local HD's via DISH (and OTA). IE, I get 011-00 (HD FOX via DISH), 011-01 (HD FOX via OTA). I have 2 dishes on my house, one for local HD's and one for the rest (at least that's what they told me).

So, I can record from antenna, record on TV 2 and either watch on TV 1 or record a non-OTA channel on TV 1.

But, as I said, I seem to be losing signal via OTA through the box....I lose signal all the time, which never happens when I put OTA direct to my TV...

On all OTA channels or only a couple of low signal strength stations?

It seems to happen on ABC, FOX...haven't noticed much on the others...

72-83 http://www.highdefforum.com/showthread.php?t=72091
But I get ALL the channels clearly without having to re-orient the antenna, so it's all good.