# Anyone try the DTV HD outdoor Antenna bundle?



## teeboy (May 16, 2005)

I ask this question because it seems the cheepest way to go
if in fact that I cant get a waiver for local HD channels. I was gonna
order the HR10-250 from one of our forum sponsers but when I 
informed him that I needed a new HD dish as well, and now I am
thinking out door antenna as part of the package the money 
just about evens out seeing how DTV's charges include professional
installation for both the new dish and antenna. 

Anyways I ask about the outdoor antenna because, I dont want to 
have them hook up something that may not even do the job. 
I live in Tracy, Ca. and have to get my locals from Sacramento. which
is close to 40 miles away although its all flat land all the way.

Sorry bout gettin sidetracked, HAS anyone had any good or bad experience
with the outdoor Antenna that DTV bundles with their HD package???

Thanks in advance if anyone would be nice enough to advise me/.


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## Ed Campbell (Jul 13, 2002)

I just plain avoided it when I had the new dish installed. I saw almost no one saying anything positive [at the time]. This was last year.

I'm good line-of-sight to the regional antenna farm; so, even at 45 miles +, I do fine with a Silver Sensor.


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## ChofuHS (Apr 15, 2004)

Wish I could be more helpful Sorry. That said, I went through hell with my outdoor antenna. D* didn't have their package when I needed it (not that I know of) and I tried multiple methods for indoor, attic, outdoor, and finally an outdoor, first class antenna from Radioshak. Radioshak then hired an outside contractor to install my antenna. It still isn't perfect, as I our locals are weak, but I liked that Radioshak had the completed package. Please post if you go with D*'s and let us know. Heck, I didn't know D* even had the service, seems like a winner as they would have to guarantee it. After just typing this far, I'm sold that D* would be the way to go, and maybe add their warranty service which "should" include the outdoor antenna. Good luck and sorry for the "thinking out loud" type of response.


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## naples1381 (Dec 29, 2003)

I upgraded to the NON TIVO package with the OTA and the ladder phobic installer showed up and said it would not work. After I got beyond that I went out and
bought the $40 Terk Indoor and I can the main - CBS/ABC locals loud and clear, 80%. If I point the Terk more to the right. I can get NBC and Fox. I get
the two local PBS just fine on the same compass heading as CBS. 

I guess they don't want to build an install base so we will buy the locals when 'in July when the new birds are ''ready''. Not that I believe July ready date.

I live near Boston about 13 miles from the towers on a heading of between 90Deg and 95deg.

They deducted the $50 from the bill that is difference between the NO OTA HD and the OTA HD (non Tivo).

Go to the antenna.org site and see how far you live and on what compass heading and see if you meet the distance and tall buildings criteria. 

Good Luck.


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## BigTuna (Dec 9, 2003)

Mine works great but I'm only 4 miles from the Sears tower with direct line of sight. DTV provided a Winegard (model?), the one that looks like an airplane wing. I get 85-95 on almost all locals (15 or so) but really only watch 6.

Previous post is right, go to www.antennaweb.org to get your requirements (distance and type of antenna needed).


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## Sherman67 (Aug 27, 2004)

My experience was good. When I had my HD dish installed, I did not know about the antenna. I later called D* and asked about it. They offered the antenna and installation for free. I said okay. I live in the DC metro area and I can receive DC locals via OTA no problem and sometimes I'm able to get Baltimore stations as well.


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## heathramos (Jul 26, 2004)

Well...

I just moved and asked to get an antenna installed along with the dish by Directv.

First of all, they wouldn't tell me what antenna they would install and wouldn't guarentee it would work. Told me to look at it when the installer came out.

When the installer came out, he said that I was 50 miles out and didn't know if it would work. He called a different installer and said that guy said the antenna wouldn't work. He said he could put it up anyways to see if it would work but would have to charge me anyways. I told him to forget it.

I have the silver senor but while it worked well in my last house, it is really weak in my new house.


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## zoepup (Nov 11, 2004)

I had my OTA installed with my 3LNB dish in November. It works petty good. In fact, it is the only way I can watch HD on my plasma. I have a regular Tivo box hooked up for other stations. I am about 12 miles from the NYC towers and I get good reception on all channels except CBS (which comes and goes). SOometimes during bad weather I get pixelation. Otherwise for the $50 it was well worth it.


Z


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## gregftlaud (Jun 16, 2004)

when i upgraded to hd last year i got a deal from directv 99 dollars for the hd box and free installation of the triple lnb dish and they even installed an ota antenna that was available for my area


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## teeboy (May 16, 2005)

Just a follow up on my adventure. I did
in fact order the bundle and the install was
done bout 4 hrs ago. That outdoor Antenna
that they bundle works really well. I am 38
miles away from all 4 major networks and 
from the signal test I ready in the low 90's .
I am very pleased with this . 

One off note my HDMI output seems not
to be working out of the box on my HD TiVo.
So a higher lvl tech guy is comin out to see 
what gives. My toshiba is maybe 3 weeks old
although it was a display model. I did notice that
the Cosco were not using the HDMI before I watched
them unhook it. Well anyways, thanx all for the input.
Hope my little review of the OTA helps someone.


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## iamjoe (May 17, 2004)

I went with the direc tv ota antenna when I got my hr-250 about 6 months ago. I figured, let the installers install it. SO far it's been good. My question is... woudl I get more HD channels with a better antenna. An antenna that you can rotate is probably the best way to go.


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## Redux (Oct 19, 2004)

iamjoe said:


> I went with the direc tv ota antenna when I got my hr-250 about 6 months ago. I figured, let the installers install it. SO far it's been good. My question is... woudl I get more HD channels with a better antenna. An antenna that you can rotate is probably the best way to go.


 Hard to use a rotator with a Tivo, kinda defeats the purpose. A good UHF antenna will get some signal off-direction, always worth trying that. Keep in mind ghosting and snow is not an issue with digital (there are other multipath issues but not as common). For Tivo users with more demanding directional needs, two antennas facing different directions joined through a low-gain, ultra-low-noise preamp is a solution that almost always works well. Usually you need a large antenna only for one direction, with a much smaller antenna pointed elsewhere.

I'm a big fan of the classic bowtie UHFs, notably the Channel Master 4224 and 4228 (4 and 8 bay). Most digital broadcasting is UHF or VHF high range, which these antennas handle pretty well.

DTV did an install for me, a bad one, with a generic 2 bay bowtie that got three stations. I have read that many installers are using the Winegard batwing, which is an elegant solution for a very nearby mixture of UHF and mid-low-range VHF. But a 2 bay bowtie is pretty feeble. I replaced that with a CM 4228 and now get about 14 stations.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

The 2 bay bowtie is probably the DB2 which is one of the better small antennas out there according to the reviews. That's what DTV installed for me. 

I'm only 12 miles from most of the towers so signal strength isn't a problem, but I still have problems with breakup on the strongest station. I think it's multipath so I'm going to take it down off the roof and try moving it around some to see if I can find a sweet spot.


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## heathramos (Jul 26, 2004)

I considered installing the Channel Master 4228 but it is kind of big. I am worried about it being an eye sore, especially if I have to put it on a long post.

How high do people noramlly mount these things?

I know it depends on the situation (my stations are 45 to 50 miles away). I tried to install the amped square shooter on the roof once and it was actually weaker on the roof then in the house. Might have needed to be mounted higher or in a different location, though, since I put in next to the dish at the back of the house.


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## eddiwill (May 13, 2002)

My install was awful. The installer CLEARLY didn't care if I was happy or whatever. And then there is the actual antenna. I don't know WHICH antenna it is (I don't do heights), but it appears to be TINY. I am only 15 miles from all of my stations, and all are within a few degrees of each other, but my reception is not very good. More importantly, I ONLY get reception when I plug into my TV's built in tuner. From my HD10-250, I GET NOTHING. ZIP. NADA. Thinking it was a bad tuner in the box, I had it swapped out. Same thing.

Anyway, I have a new Channel Master 4221 coming tomorrow and a friend will install it instead of the POS that DirecTV put up there. Hopefully, the signal will be strong enough to work even with the HD10-250. Otherwise, after several years of being very happy with DirecTV, I'm heading back to cable. I'll just eat whatever contractual loss I have to. It' sreally too bad; before this whole HD debacle (and there's more that is not in the post, I assure you) I really liked the service I was getting.


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## KatCo (Feb 16, 2006)

Just got the directv antenna installed, no charge (long story on that one). Don't know which antenna it is, but its very small. Getting all channels except 2 which they (the installers) told me would be the case. Haven't watched it very much yet but so far the reception seems fine. We are about 50 miles from the Chicago towers.

The installers I talked to didn't think we'd get any of the channels, so I'm actually very pleased with the results (so far).


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## pjdoogie (Jun 14, 2005)

They installed the Winegard batwing for me, and after the installer reassured me that it would not work, IT DID NOT WORK! He put it on the wrong side of the roof (opposite of the line of sight to downtown towers).

I recently put the Radio Shack VU-120 in my attic using old cable that was still up there running to my family room. It generally gets good OTA reception on the HR10-250, with NBC pixelating for a couple days at a time (especially now during the Olympics). Thank God for the east coast HD feeds in times like these.

Generally, the Rat Shack has been a good ($75) solution..


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