OVER-THE-AIR TELEVISION
1 Web location for this presentation: http://aztcs.org Click on “Meeting Notes”
2 SUMMARY You can ditch your cable, satellite, or phone company's expensive television service by receiving high definition television stations over-the- air for free (= "cord cutting").
3 TOPICS • Television Systems Around the World • ATSC Basics • Implementing Over-The-Air Television At Your Home • Internet-based Site Survey
4 TOPICS (continued) • Antenna Basics • Antenna Placement Complexities • "Do It Yourself" Stick Antennas • "Do It Yourself" Array Antennas
5 TOPICS (continued) • Antennas Direct's "Clearstream Eclipse" Amplified Antenna • Mohu's "Sky 60" Amplified Antenna • Hauppauge 1191 WinTV-HVR- 950Q USB TV Tuner 6 TV STANDARDS AROUND THE WORLD • Most of the world does not use the "ATSC" television standard that we use in the United States, Canada, and Mexico as shown in the colored map at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVB- T#Countries_and_territories_using_D VB-T 7 8 TV STANDARDS AROUND THE WORLD (continued) • "DTMB" = "Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast" (Mainland China and Cuba) • "ISDB-T" = "Brazilian Digital Television System" (South America and Central America) 9 TV STANDARDS AROUND THE WORLD • "DVB-T" (continued) = "Digital Video Broadcasting - Terrestrial" (Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia) • "DVB-T" is also called "DTT" in Germany (= "Digital Terrestrial Television") • "DVB-T" is also called "Freeview" in the United Kingdom 10 TV STANDARDS AROUND THE WORLD (continued) • When buying television equipment online or downloading television software for a computer, tablet, or cell phone, it is easy to accidently end up with equipment or software that is not compatible with the ATSC television systems here in the United States 11 TV STANDARDS AROUND THE WORLD (continued)
• If a television device or software does not have "ATSC" in it's specifications, it will not work here in the United States
12 13 14 ATSC • "ATSC" stands for "Advanced Television Systems Committee" and it is sometimes called "digital television" • The former "NTSC" standard stood for "National Television Systems Committee" and it was often called "analog television" 15 ATSC (continued) • According to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AT SC_standards ATSC replaced much of the analog NTSC television system in the United States on June 12, 2009..
16 ATSC (continued) • On September 1, 2015, all remaining low-powered NTSC television stations in the United States were either turned off or converted to low- powered ATSC television stations.
17 ATSC (continued) • ATSC uses 8VSB (8-level vestigial sideband modulation) In some software, "8VSB" is used as a configuration selection instead of "ATSC" so be sure to select "8VSB", if you are given a choice when configuring a TV or software 18 ATSC (continued) • Dash nomenclature in FCC assigned call signs -TV means "television station" -LP means "low power station" -CA means "Class A low power" -DT means "digital television" -HD means "high definition" -SD means "standard definition" 19 ATSC (continued) • RF channel number and RF channel frequency and FCC assigned call sign (K* or W*) and FCC assigned virtual channel number (= PSIP channel number) are the same for all sub-channels 20 ATSC (continued) • "PSIP" means "Program and System Information Protocol" This information consists of a set of tables that is constantly transmitted by every ATSC television transmitter.
21 ATSC (continued) • The "PSIP virtual channel" and the "PSIP virtual subchannel" is displayed by set top boxes, TVs, and software in one of four formats: 12.1, 12-1, 12-001, or 12001 • When television viewers say "channel", they usually mean the "PSIP virtual channel" and the "PSIP virtual subchannel" 22 ATSC (continued) • The "PSIP Short Name" is usually also displayed by set top boxes, TVs, and software: Can be up to 7 characters. Some software and some of the cheaper set top boxes display the "PSIP short name" in the channel field or instead of the "PSIP channel and PSIP subchannel" 23 IMPLEMENTING OVER-THE-AIR TELEVISION AT YOUR HOME • Step 1: Internet-based site survey • Step 2: Pilot test of actual television reception • Step 3: Procure equipment and software • Step 4: Install and configure equipment and
software 24 STEP 1 DETAILS : INTERNET-BASED SITE SURVEY • Start off by getting a "short list" of viable television channels at http://antennaweb.org/Address
25 26 27 28 29 30 STEP 1 DETAILS: INTERNET-BASED SITE SURVEY • At http://antennaweb.org/Address the color code for each of the listed stations represents the type of outdoor antenna that is required as described at http://antennaweb.org/Info/AntennaIn fo:
31 32 33 STEP 1 DETAILS: INTERNET-BASED SITE SURVEY (continued) • Then, get more details for your specific location by running the more-elaborate site surveys at http://copradar.com/dtv/index.html or http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?opti on=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
34 STEP 1 DETAILS: INTERNET-BASED SITE SURVEY (continued) • http://copradar.com/dtv/index.html only shows the "PSIP virtual channel" for each television station that you can receive. They call the "PSIP virtual channel" the "TV Channel":
35 STEP 1 DETAILS: INTERNET-BASED SITE SURVEY (continued) • http://copradar.com/dtv/index.html only shows the true heading for each television transmitter. After they show you a list of television stations, click twice on heading of the "Signal" column to sort from strongest to weakest.
36 STEP 1 DETAILS: INTERNET-BASED SITE SURVEY (continued)
• http://copradar.com/dtv/index.html gives you a more accurate and more up-to-date listing of "PSIP virtual channels" relative to http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?opti on=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
37 38 39 40 41 STEP 1 DETAILS: INTERNET-BASED SITE SURVEY (continued) • http://www.tvfool.com/index.php? option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29 only shows the "PSIP virtual channel" and the first "PSIP virtual sub-channel" of each television station that you can receive. 42 STEP 1 DETAILS: INTERNET-BASED SITE SURVEY (continued) • http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?opti on=com_wrapper&Itemid=29 shows both the true heading and the magnetic compass heading for each television transmitter. The list of television stations is automatically sorted by their estimate of signal strength: 43 44 45 46 47 STEP 2 DETAILS: PILOT TEST • Borrow or rent a television set (or a computer with a television tuner) and perform an on-site pilot test to check television reception at your location. • Build a simple "stick antenna" if you do not already have an existing television antenna.
48 ANTENNA BASICS • Place the antenna on the side of your house that is nearest the transmitters of the television stations that you wish to receive.
49 ANTENNA BASICS (continued)
• With the exception of the simple stick antenna (which you can build), most antennas are directional (even if the manufacturer claims that it is omnidirectional)
50 ANTENNA BASICS (continued)
• Use the RF channel of a television station instead of the (displayed) virtual channel to determine if you need an antenna that emphasizes VHF or UHF reception:
51 ANTENNA BASICS (continued) • If your antenna comes with an amplifier or you add an amplifier to an existing antenna, the amplifier needs to be placed as close as possible to the antenna (with as short a run of coaxial cable between the antenna and the amplifier as possible) 52 ANTENNA BASICS (continued) • Use RG 6 coaxial cable instead of RG 59 coaxial cable, since RG 6 has much lower signal loss
53 54 ANTENNA BASICS (continued) • When your power adapter or your cable going to your power adapter or your amplifier (if there is one) fails, you will be unable to receive any television channels. However, you can use the antenna without the amplifier as follows (while waiting for replacement parts to arrive): 55 ANTENNA BASICS (continued)
• Using your amplified antenna without the amplifier will usually reduce the number of television channels that you can receive:
56 57 ANTENNA BASICS (continued) • For each "channel", your television set needs to receive a signal from -5 dBm to -65 dBm ("dBm" = "decibels relative to a milliwatt") The following chart can be found at http://copradar.com/dtv/index.html# install: 58
ANTENNA BASICS (continued) • The channel listing tool at http://www.tvfool.com/index.php? option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29 will show you an estimate of the dBm value for each television station that you can receive at your location.
60 61 ANTENNA BASICS (continued) • The size and design complexity of an antenna is more important than whether on not it has an amplifier: • To illustrate this, look at Antenna Direct's line of antennas: 62 ANTENNA BASICS (continued)
• Antenna Direct's 25-mile antenna is not amplified:
63 64 65 ANTENNA BASICS (continued)
• Antenna Direct's 50-mile antenna is amplified:
66 67 68 ANTENNA BASICS (continued)
• Antenna Direct's 60-mile antenna is not amplified:
69 70 71 ANTENNA BASICS (continued)
• Antenna Direct's 70-mile antenna is not amplified:
72 73 74 ANTENNA PLACEMENT COMPLEXITIES • According to http://www.hdtvprimer.com/antenna s/siting.html:
75 ANTENNA PLACEMENT COMPLEXITIES (continued) •
77 Location Television transmitter of altitude is 1 mile up television at Mount Wilson set in mid- opposite Orange side County adjacent side of triangle
40 Miles Upward slope distance to of 1.43 degrees Mount Wilson78 ANTENNA PLACEMENT COMPLEXITIES (continued) • At the very shallow slope of travel of 1.43 degrees, when the antenna is placed below the prevailing roof height of your neighborhood, the signal then has to travel through dozens of houses before getting a clean path to Mount Wilson
79 ANTENNA PLACEMENT COMPLEXITIES (continued) • The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has their own mapping and channel listing tool at http://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineerin g/dtvmaps/ that we can use for illustrate the shallow slope of travel for television stations: 80 81 ANTENNA PLACEMENT COMPLEXITIES (continued) • Enter in your address • Click on the "Go" button
82 83 84 85 86 87 ANTENNA PLACEMENT COMPLEXITIES (continued) • Use the + button to zoom in • Select satellite view from the pull- down in the upper-right corner of the map • Click on the call sign of a television station • A black line shows the "line of sight" path from the transmitter: 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 "DO IT YOURSELF" STICK ANTENNA • 15 Mt. Wilson/Mt. Harvard television stations received in Huntington Beach, California:
98 "DO IT YOURSELF" STICK ANTENNA (continued) • Virtual channel 2.x KCBS-HD • Virtual channel 4.x KNBC • Virtual channel 5.x KTLA • Virtual channel 9.x KCAL-TV • Virtual channel 13.x KCOP-TV • Virtual channel 18.x KSCI 99 "DO IT YOURSELF" STICK ANTENNA (continued) • Virtual channel 28.x KCET • Virtual channel 34.x KMEX-DT • Virtual channel 40.x KTBN-TV • Virtual channel 44.x KXLA • Virtual channel 46.x KFTR-DT • Virtual channel 50.x KOCE-TV
100 "DO IT YOURSELF" STICK ANTENNA (continued) • Virtual channel 52.x KVEA • Virtual channel 58.x KLCS • Virtual channel 63.x KBEH
101 102 103 104 "DO IT YOURSELF" STICK ANTENNA (continued) • Remove the F-connector from one end of a RG6 coaxial cable • Remove 36-inches of outer insulation • Remove 36-inches of braided shield • Remove 36-inches of foil shield 105 "DO IT YOURSELF" STICK ANTENNA (continued) • Remove 35 inches of insulation from the center conductor • Make sure that the braided shield and the foil shield do not touch the center conductor • Attach something to the end for safety to prevent poking someone in the eye 106 "DO IT YOURSELF" STICK ANTENNA (continued)
• Lowest possible cost • This antenna is multidirectional and does not have to be pointed toward the television transmitters
107 "DO IT YOURSELF" STICK ANTENNA (continued) • At less than 15 miles from a television transmitter, anything else is probably overkill • At greater than 15 miles from the transmitter, this antenna will fail to pick up the weaker
TV stations 108 "DO IT YOURSELF" STICK ANTENNA (continued) • Easiest antenna to conceal in a window • Use this antenna as a baseline for evaluating other antennas
109 "DO IT YOURSELF" STICK ANTENNA (continued) • Use this antenna as a baseline for evaluating other antennas: Since this antenna is not amplified and has no technical complexity, it will not have designed-in failures to receive specific RF television channels. 110 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS • This "bow tie antenna" is a popular home-built antenna that we found in the attics of several homes while we were house hunting in Orange County in 2013:
111 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS
• All of the "elements" of this antenna should be 8-inches in length and the adjacent tips should all be 3-inches apart from each other
112 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS • The elements can be made from electrical wire or coat hangers. If you use coat hangers, you have to use sandpaper or paint remover to remove the finish from the center of each v-shaped element.
113 114 115 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS (continued) • For detailed instructions and designs for making a bow tie antenna from wires, see http://www.popularmechanics. com/culture/tv/how- to/a6608/build-your-own- digital-tv-antenna/ 116 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS (continued) • Or see http://www.diytvantennas.com/ bowtie.php • Or see http://m4antenna.eastmasonvil leweather.com/
117 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS (continued) • Or see http://www.makeuseof.com/tag /ditch-cable-diy-hdtv-antenna/
118 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS • A bow tie antenna can also be made from aluminum foil:
119 120 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS (continued) • For instructions on making a bow tie antenna from aluminum foil, see http://hubpages.com/art/make- this-powerful-hdtv-antenna- out-of-cardboard
121 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS (continued) • Or see http://www.instructables.com/id /Powerful-Modern-Homemade- HDTV-Antenna/
122 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS (continued) • For additional antenna designs, see http://www.diytvantennas.com/i ndex.php and http://www.diytvantennas.com/ dipole.php 123 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS (continued) • and http://www.diytvantennas.com/ sbgh.php
124 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS (continued) • All of these antennas require a balun matching transformer such as the RCA model VH54R:
125 126 127 128 "DO IT YOURSELF" ARRAY ANTENNAS (continued) • See http://www.amazon.com/RCA- VH54R-Matching-Transformer-- VH54R/dp/B00005T3EY/ref=sr_1_4? ie=UTF8&qid=1458611243&sr=8- 4&keywords=balun+for+antenna
129 ANTENNAS DIRECT "CLEARSTREAM ECLIPSE" • 25 Mt. Wilson/Mt. Harvard stations received in Huntington Beach, California • In the following list of television stations, the ones that we were unable to receive by means of the unamplified stick antenna are in
red font: 130 ANTENNAS DIRECT "CLEARSTREAM ECLIPSE" (continued) • Virtual channel 2.x KCBS-TV • Virtual channel 4.x KNBC • Virtual channel 5.x KTLA • Virtual channel 7.x KABC-TV • Virtual channel 9.x KCAL-TV • Virtual channel 11.x KTTV • Virtual channel 13.x KCOP-TV 131 ANTENNAS DIRECT "CLEARSTREAM ECLIPSE" (continued) • Virtual channel 18.x KSCI • Virtual channel 20.x KNLA-CD • Virtual channel 22.x KWHY-TV • Virtual channel 25.x KNET-CD • Virtual channel 28.x KCET • Virtual channel 30.x KPXN-TV • Virtual channel 34.x KMEX-DT 132 ANTENNAS DIRECT "CLEARSTREAM ECLIPSE" (continued) • Virtual channel 35.x KTAV-LD • Virtual channel 40.x KTBN-TV • Virtual channel 44.x KXLA • Virtual channel 46.x KFTR-DT • Virtual channel 50.x KOCE-TV • Virtual channel 52.x KVEA • Virtual channel 57.x KJLA 133 ANTENNAS DIRECT "CLEARSTREAM ECLIPSE" (continued) • Virtual channel 58.x KLCS • Virtual channel 62.x KRCA • Virtual channel 63.x KBEH • Virtual channel 64.x KILM
134 135 136 137 ANTENNAS DIRECT "CLEARSTREAM ECLIPSE" (continued) Many rave reviews: • http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/b est-indoor-hdtv-antenna/ • http://www.businessinsider.com/b est-hdtv-antenna-indoor-buying- guide-2016-2 138 ANTENNAS DIRECT "CLEARSTREAM ECLIPSE" • http://the- gadgeteer.com/2014/09/29/clearst ream-eclipse-hdtv-amplified- indoor-antenna-review/ • http://www.gadgetreview.com/free -tv-is-the-best-tv-so-says-the- clearstream-eclipse-amplified- indoor-tv-antenna 139 ANTENNAS DIRECT "CLEARSTREAM ECLIPSE" (continued) • Has a "lifetime" warranty which implies a warranty without an expiration date • Failed after one week of use (and we returned it to Amazon when it's amplifier apparently
failed") 140 ANTENNAS DIRECT "CLEARSTREAM ECLIPSE" (continued)
• This antenna is truly multidirectional and does not have to be pointed toward the television transmitter.
141 ANTENNAS DIRECT "CLEARSTREAM ECLIPSE" (continued) • Smallest possible design for an amplified antenna: Easy to conceal in a window
142 ANTENNAS DIRECT "CLEARSTREAM ECLIPSE" (continued)
• Works horribly when the bundled amplifier is not installed: Unable to simulate a simple, unamplified stick antenna when the bundled amplifier is not installed
143 MOHU "SKY 60" • 25 Mt. Wilson/Mt. Harvard ATSC television stations received in Huntington Beach, CA: • In the following list of television stations, the ones that we were unable to receive by means of the unamplified stick antenna are in red font: 144 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • Virtual channel 2.x KCBS-TV • Virtual channel 4.x KNBC • Virtual channel 5.x KTLA • Virtual channel 7.x KABC-TV • Virtual channel 9.x KCAL-TV • Virtual channel 11.x KTTV • Virtual channel 13.x KCOP-TV 145 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • Virtual channel 18.x KSCI • Virtual channel 20.x KNLA-CD • Virtual channel 22.x KWHY-TV • Virtual channel 25.x KNET-CD • Virtual channel 28.x KCET • Virtual channel 30.x KPXN-TV • Virtual channel 34.x KMEX-DT 146 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • Virtual channel 35.x KTAV-LD • Virtual channel 40.x KTBN-TV • Virtual channel 44.x KXLA • Virtual channel 46.x KFTR-DT • Virtual channel 50.x KOCE-TV • Virtual channel 52.x KVEA • Virtual channel 57.x KJLA 147 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • Virtual channel 58.x KLCS • Virtual channel 62.x KRCA • Virtual channel 63.x KBEH • Virtual channel 64.x KILM
148 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • Has a one-year warranty • Still working fine after 14 months of use
149 150 151 152 153 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • Many of their "marketing" claims (at gomohu.com and amazon.com for this antenna are totally erroneous and ludicrous) and these claims detract from the end user's perception of an otherwise great product:
154 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) •
155 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • Crystal-Clear TV for Free: CleanPeak Filter technology filters out cellular and FM signals resulting in low noise, a clearer picture and access to more free hdtv channels in 1080 HD
156 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • A Completely New Take on the Roof Top / Attic Mounted HDTV Antenna: derived from advanced US military technology,...
157 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • TV Antenna comes with a 1- year Warranty. Email us at [email protected] for help setting up your product. You can also visit www.gomohu.com or call 1-855-4GOMOHU (855-446-6648)
158 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • See http://www.k3dav.com/mohusky60 antenna.htm for a very negative review of this antenna
159 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • Fairly large-sized relative to other amplified antennas: Hard to conceal in a window
160 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • Works well when the bundled amplifier is not installed: This antenna is able to simulate a simple, unamplified stick antenna when the bundled amplifier is not installed. (In contrast, the Antenna Specialists "Eclipse" is unable to
do so.) 161 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • The manufacturer claims that this antenna is multidirectional. However, when we turned the "front" side away from the television transmitter site, we lost reception from three of the television transmitters on Mount
Wilson. 162 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • (In contrast, the Antenna Specialist "Eclipse" is a truly multidirectional antenna.)
163 MOHU "SKY 60" (continued) • Mixed reviews at Amazon are probably due to the relatively high price compared to other models both by Mohu and by competitors: http://www.amazon.com/Mohu- Lightweight-Detachable- Performance-MH-110585/product- reviews/B00AVWKUXE?pageNum ber=2 164 INTERFERENCE ISSUES OF MULTIPLE ANTENNAS • When we placed next the Mohu "Sky 60" near an Antennas Direct "Clearstream Eclipse" antenna, the two antennas interfered with each other unless we provided at least 11 inches of separation between the edges of the two antennas AND kept them in the same vertical radius relative to the earth. 165 INTERFERENCE ISSUES OF MULTIPLE ANTENNAS (continued) • When we placed the Mohu antenna above the "Eclipse" antenna (with 11 inches of separation), both antennas worked well when we turned to "SkyHD" horizontal relative to the ground and the "Eclipse" was in its normal vertical orientation. 166 HAUPPAUGE 1191 WinTV-HVR-950Q USB TV Tuner • After extensive testing, we do not recommend the newer Hauppauge 1191 WinTV-HVR-955Q USB TV tuner (for Windows.. computers) • Buy the older Hauppauge 1191 WinTV-HVR-950Q USB TV instead
167 HAUPPAUGE 1191 WinTV-HVR-950Q USB TV Tuner (continued) • Compared to the 1191 WinTV-HVR-955Q USB TV, the 1191 WinTV-HVR-950Q USB TV brings in more television channels and shows them clearer and is compatible with more free "Personal Video Recorder" software programs and is compatible with more distributions of "Linux". 168 HAUPPAUGE 1191 WinTV-HVR-950Q USB TV Tuner (continued) • Due to high demand, the Hauppauge 1191 WinTV-HVR-950Q USB TV is being sold for outrageously high prices by some of the "marketplace" dealers on Amazon so you should either shop very patiently and carefully on Amazon or buy one directly from the Hauppauge company instead: 169 170 171 HAUPPAUGE 1191 WinTV-HVR-950Q USB TV Tuner (continued) • You can buy one for a reasonable price directly from Hauppauge at http://hauppauge.com/site/products/pr ods.html but they do not always have it in stock so check them more than once and you will eventually find one there.
172 173 174 REFERENCES
• https://www.maximintegrated.com/en/app -notes/index.mvp/id/734 • http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/T V_Channels/8_Bit_VSB.pdf • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_subch annel • http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/print- edition/2015/06/12/antennas-direct.html
175 REFERENCES (continued) • http://www.hdtvprimer.com/issues/what_is _atsc.html • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High- definition_television_in_the_United_State s • http://www.hdtvprimer.com/antennas/sitin g.html • http://www.hdtvprimer.com/ISSUES/erecti ng_antenna.html 176 REFERENCES (continued) • http://mediashift.org/2015/04/5-tricks-for- getting-the-best-possible-reception-with- your-indoor-antenna/ • https://www.groundedreason.com/watch- tv-free-antenna-guide/
177