Digital TV converter time coming up...

I'll start a new thread, lots of info on other ones. Can not find what I need to know.

  Background: I have two TV's in the rig. Have the video switching box (Audivox) which feeds the 2 TV's in a normal manner. I use a Batwing antenna or cable when available. Antenna amplifier with switch on or off, as needed.

  Today I installed my new converters (Zenith DTT900). Both TV's are working; problem is I can't check picture quality as there are no digital stations available, only one analog station. Guess I live in the boondocks in a very -somewhat- populated area in Florida.  ;D

  After February I am not interested in any analog stations; they'll be extinct. Now...

I am trying to figure out how to use Cable TV from campgrounds, when available. I prefer cable TV over off-air stations. I know that the cable signal comes from the ant. amplifier, when it is switched off.
    The question is: What is the best way to switch from dig/antenna reception to cable TV reception without rewiring?  The switch box acts like a splitter so that I get a raw antenna feed to each converter. I am using the RF input connector on the TV's.

  Have been trying to incorporate A-B switches but cannot devise a good plan as to where to put them.

  Anyone have a good plan on how to do this, or is more info needed.

carson FL

You shouldn't need to do any rewiring. The converter box goes in between the antenna and the switch box so it only converts the antenna signal. The cable will work without the converter so it just works as it always has.

Tom, I can't quite wrap my brain around your plan.. The antenna lead brings in a digital signal from the new TV format and also the cable signal from the campground, which is analog.

  If you re-read my post, it calls for 2 raw antenna feeds because I have 2 independent TV sets, each with its own remotes. (Being able to watch differing shows).

  Now if I turn the antenna off, the analog cable signal has to go directly to the old TV's, so that they can operate in the old way; nothing has changed in cable transmissions. My converters do not pass analog signals.

Does that make sense? Am I missing something obvious?

carson FL

First: There is some question as to analog after Feb cut off date.. Some folks claim that if you are "out in the boondocks" that repeater stations and some other "low power" analog stations may remain.. I AM NOT CONVINCED of this however do not yet write off all analog over the air.. yet

Second. Good luck on those Zenith converters (I have a twin of them, an Insignia)  Zenith used to advertise "The quality goes in before the name goes on" and I recall reading a review of a Zenith color TV, the reviewer said it was the hardest to set up and tune in of all the TV's they tested but... The results were better than any other tv too. (Worth it in his opinion)

That was then.. This is now.. Zenith was acquired by lucky Goldstar, whic  used to be called just Goldstar, but they put the LUCKY in front of it because you are LUCKY if a GOLDSTAR works like it should

My history with Goldstar

I sold Commodore computers, the original 1802 monitor was made by goldstar, Single most returned under warranty item in the store.  like 50% return rate  almost always the same part which could only be purchased from Goldstar and a big backlog on shipping.

Zenith VCR in motor home.. True it was a minor adjustment but labor to adjust it was 2x the value of the box so it got trashed

Microwave (Dometic) in Motor home.. That one I did the labor, re-designed & Re-built one part, repalced another part with the equivalent part from a GE microwave, works good now.   Goldstar Microwave in the office where I worked.. BY DESIGN, not due to a defect in parts or workmanship but BY DESIGN it caught fire, Thankfully a co-worker (I was not there at the time) put it out.

I will NEVER knowingly buy a LG product


As I said, there may still be a little analog out there post Feb

And if you hook to park cable, Many CATV systems (Cable) convert the analog to NTSC video so if the park does that you are good to view  (Provided you can either bypass the converter or it has pass-through,,, I understand the new Zenith/Insignia boxes do)

Digital cable is a different digital standard from OTA so there you need a different STB (Set Top Box) which you can either rent (I expect some parks will have them for so much a day) or buy  (E-bay?)

Many systems will be digi-log  that is both digital and analog on the same cable

I'll try to digest what you posted, John.

carson

Carson, are you sure you got DTT-900 and not DTT-901?  The latter has a passthrough that would let the cable signal through when the converter is off.  The former doesn't have the passthrough feature and you'll need an A/B switch to switch between digital OTA and cable.

We have two of the DTT-901 converters and they work quite well.  Easy to set up and use and I can even use my Harmony universal remote to control them.

Yes, they are DTT-900, no pass through. That still leaves me with my original question.

carson

Carson,
Try this:
Put an A/B switch between the antenna amp and the converter box. Route one leg of the switch around the converter - that handles the cable. Put a combiner (two inputs and one output) on the downstream side of the converter, so that the cable leg rejoins the coax that goes to the tv.  Since you are running two converter boxes, I guess you need to do this twice (once for each tv).

I amazed there are no digital signals and only one analog where you are. TV signals carry 30+ miles in the Florida flatlands and you aren't that far away from civilization.

Use an A/B switch to switch the output of the amplifier between the converter and the TV directly.  Use the audio/video outputs from the convert to the TV for the digital signals.

Better solution is to return the DTT-900 and demand the DTT-901.  The 901 replaced the 900 last summer.

Thanks, Gary. I'll pursue your idea.

We are 70 miles N of St. Pete... nothing in between. Nothing from the north either.We only get Channel 10 here over the air, and I never watch it. It is still analog.

carson FL

Ned, another idea I will contemplate, but not tonight.
  I bought the converters 6 months ago with a coupon. Further more I like this challenge.

Thought about the A/V cables, but they would have to be hanging in front of the TV sets.

After all, I should be able to figure it out, with all your help; I used to be a TV station electronic tech in the early 60's. --No digital, Ampex video recorders the size of a small car, vacuum tube processing and cameras(Marconi), celluloid film to electronic video conversion, etc. etc... What a blast.

  Should have my design ready for publication in a few days.

Any one else??

carson FL

Carson, Gary's solution will probably be the easiest for you if you don't have the A/V inputs in the back of the TV.

[quote author=carson]I used to be a TV station electronic tech in the early 60's ..... vacuum tube processing and cameras(Marconi)...[/quote]

Small world Carson. I was doing pretty much the same thing in the late 60's, but at a steel plant. I remember those large rack-mounted CCUs and remote cameras, both packed with vacuum tubes. Used to be fun (not) climbing external structures in the cold and wet, hoping I didn't drop a camera.

I hear you, Tom.  Those studio cameras must have weighed 150 lbs, each. The cables were an almost 2" thick. We used to do remote TV casts in a big bus, with a generator in the back. My first taste of driving a 40 footer. Even got to shake hands with the famous Jim McKay of ABC at a football TV remote. When the generator was a bit of frequency the vertical scan would slowly roll on the images.  what do we do now??

What a blast...

carson FL

LOL Carson. When some bright spark decided to replace those tube systems with compact all-in-one cameras using semiconductors, it was a disaster. The only "good" thing was that the 2" cable was replaced by a coax. When the first frost arrived, all those cameras lost line sync. We'd take them back to the shop and all was OK. It finally took a can of Arctic spray to find the transistor(s) that were at fault.

At the other end of the spectrum, many of these cameras were looking at cherry red hot steel, and all that IR just swamped the vidicon tube, and the AGC didn't have enough range to be able to compensate. My job became one of placating heavy equipment operators who were controlling equipment 0.25-0.5 mile away and reliant on a couple dozen cameras that either displayed a washed out image, or had lost line sync, to be able to see what they were doing.

Apologies for the diversion, but your earlier message brought back lots of memories  ;D

Carson --

I would be absolutely amazed if you could be anywhere in Florida and not pick up some digital channels with a standard powered bat-wing RV antenna.

I went to www.tvfool.com and entered Bayonet Point, FL.  It's about 70 miles north of St. Pete.  Looking at the table it calculated, you should be able to pick up 10-15 digital channels easily.

I've got the same Zenith box as you and I can pick up ~30 digital channels on my RV bat-wing.  I'm not that much closer to the Orlando market than you are to Tampa.

I get several digitals out in the boonies where we live too, and we are 50 miles from Orlando or Gainesville.

It's a fact, though, that if you are on the fringe with digital, you get a usable signal or nothing. No snowy, faded out pictre in between. Carson may be "over the line" where he is.

If they are no-pass through, then take a look at the jpg  

Note to Tom and other moderators.. I posted this in another thread as I recall, feel free to link to edit to that file so as to save server space)


I have a problem here now.. For some months we have been watching channel 7-2 which is RTN television network,  All shows from days gone by when television was much better than it is today, Alfred Hitchcock through roughly Knight Rider (The original Camero version)

Well, there was a problem with customer service at the provider as it turns out (Sound familure, read Kwikee thread) it seems that WXYZ buys from someone who buys from somewhere and somewhere along the way a contract expiered and phone calls were not being returned.. So I found channel 4-2 which is still listed in TV-Guide as doppler weather radar has changed to THIS  Classic movies (Just watched a movie staring Drew Carey as the killer)

Well RTN's contract issues have been resolved.. I got to figure out how to record two digital channels now with non-programmable receivers ... Oh the conflict

John In Detroit said:

First: There is some question as to analog after Feb cut off date.. Some folks claim that if you are "out in the boondocks" that repeater stations and some other "low power" analog stations may remain.. I AM NOT CONVINCED of this however do not yet write off all analog over the air.. yet

Click to expand...

It's comin' like a freight train, and is causing me to cut my Quartzsite trip short . The LP's and Class-A's will remain (at their own discretion) analog.

As I understand it all signals coming off of cable will be digital after Feb 17th. You should only need a converter box for you antenna.