High Definition Antenna Vendor Expert Needed! MD

aquila

Dear Members:

I need a few vendors who are experts in external High Definition Antennas so that I may get one installed on my house.

I live in Carksville, MD 21029 which is between Baltimore and DC.

Please provide some vendors who know what they are doing!

Thanks - Thanks - Thanks

tigerbangs

There are antenna vendors, and there are antenna INSTALLERS:Which do you need? Are you planning to install the antenna yourself? If you are between Baltimore and DC, you have a few different options depending on what your specific needs are. Based on what I can see from TVFool.com, your area tends to favor Baltimore over the DC stations, even though both sets ot transmitters are about equidistant.

__________________
Real men don't use indoor antennas; neither do real women!

aquila

I want an INSTALLER who knows the best antenna(s) for my house and can install approximately 6 drops. For example, should I have 1 antenna that rotates or two antennas for Baltimmore and DC. I do not want to do the installation myself, but I do want a "high end", "perfect" solution and I am willing to pay for the best.

Please recommend....Thanks for taking the time in advance to reply.

scottbrown77

There is no "perfect" solution" when it comes to antennas. Do you have cable, Sat. or Fios? or are you going to go only OTA?

aquila

I currently have Comcast cable, specifically 2 drops, one is high defintion and the other is just digital.

I want OTA because from my limited research (i.e., the reason why I want to pay someone rather than me having to come up to speed like I did when I went high defintion with a 50" plasma over 6 years ago) I am in a rather good area to receive a high defintion stations.

Consequently, why pay a cable/satellite/fiber companies when I can receive "basic" programs for free, especially in other rooms of my house which are basically only use as guest rooms. However, I still want to have OTA drops where my 2 cable drops are.

You are correct regarding "perfect" - I want someone's expertise regarding which high end antenna(s) to get to get the majority of the stations in my area, shoudl it motorized or not, do I use several or just one antenna, do I need to amplifier, etc.

Thanks for your time and expertise.

scottbrown77

I asked because if you have QAMs tuners you may be able to get the programing you want without an antenna and without paying any extra. We will need your zip code to help with an antenna. You will need to look into the type of tuners your TVs have, ATSC Tuner (OTA digital), NTSC Tuner (analog), or QAM Tuner (Cable digital). Many TVs have two tuners. You need the ATSC tuner for the OTA signal and the QAM tuner for the digital cable signal without a STB. Just putting up an antenna may not help you if you don't have the tuner to decode the signal.

Tower Guy

In many locations there are subchannels available over the air that are not on cable.

EdwardTheHead

If he's got Comcast like I do then they put the digital channels up to where the QAM tuner can't pick them up. I'd love not to use the antenna, but since I can't get any digital channels I haven't used my cable except to record stuff.

scottbrown77

Ed,
Well here is the info.
Gaithersburg, MD - Comcast (Basic Cable Service - No Digital/HD Service)
01/12/2007

WETA4:669000000:QAM_256:2112:2113:14
W26HD:669000000:QAM_256:2240:2241:11
WETA2:669000000:QAM_256:2176:2177:12
WUSA-HD:669000000:QAM_256:2048:2049:1
WETA3:669000000:QAM_256:2368:2369:3
WTTG DT:681000000:QAM_256:2048:2049:3
WDCW-DT:681000000:QAM_256:2112:2113:1
WDCW - Tube:681000000:QAM_256:2176:2177:2
WRC-1:699000000:QAM_256:2048:2049:1
WRC-2:699000000:QAM_256:2112:2113:3
WJLA-HD:699000000:QAM_256:2176:2177:11
WJLA-SD:699000000:QAM_256:2240:2241:2

look at the link: http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php...FHD_Service.29

They are available without a STD on Comcast. How ever you have to know how to use your TV to find the channels with a QAMs tuner.

EdwardTheHead

I did try using the tuner to pick up what comcast sent out last summer and at that time I couldn't pick up any of the digital stuff. I get all my stuff via OTA and only use the cable to record. I will try again tonight to see if I can pick up the digital channels.

aquila

I have plasmas displays so I'm not sure about and do not know what "QAMS" is?

I do not believe my plasmas have a tuner in them.

Spoke to "the expert" at Action Antenna and they will only come out for 1 trip for installation - no consultant visit (i.e., measuring, etc.).

"Ken" said I want a "Master Antenna" which will allow me to get channels 4, 5, 7, 9, 26 in Washington, DC and channels 2, 11, 13, 22, 45 in BAltimore.

Please explain / recommend?

Thanks,

Dave
zip code 21029

scottbrown77

Do you have an ATSC tuner? Without that the antenna will not do any good. You will have to purchase an OTA tuner $100 to $250.

What model TVs do you have?

dettch

My installer tied my old rabbit ears (with which I could not get most locals previously) into the Dish system and it picks up ALL of the locals with 90-100% signal strength (I put a little aluminum foil on the ends of the rabbit ears and that boosted strength by about 10% or more. Even better these channels appear on the Dish menu system with all bells and whistles. My local PBS station has five subset channels all of which are not broadcast 24 hours a day and my local NBC station has two subsets. The quality of all of these is so good I hardly feel the need for the puny Dish offerings except that I couldn't get along without the DUAL Recorder.....

Bob in Idaho

aquila

My old 50 " plasma (almost 7 years Panasonic TH-50 PHD3) has controller Tuner input. But I plan on replacing this plasma with the Panasonic TH-65PX600U which has a built in HDTV tuner (ATSC/QAM and a NTSC).

1. What is a "Master Antenna?"
2. What is the best solution to receive Baltimore and DC stations?
3. What solution best attempts to "future proof" changes coming doen the road?

Please feel free for anyone to comment?

Thanks.

scottbrown77

You are in very good shape the digital stations are below. You need a rotor and a 4221 antenna.