Well I tried something yesterday, since I need an antenna for the Tivo I'm
setting up now, and I got tired of going back and forth borrowing an antenna
from one of the two TVs.
I took an old metal coat hanger, and I bent the hook to an L shape, and
turned it 90° from where it was, and I filed around the end, about the width
of the file, enough that the clothes hanger end would fit into the hole in
the plug where coax screws in, and found out that it makes a pretty good
antenna.
It seems to improve it if you pull a bit on what was the bottom of the
hanger, in the middle, to make a bigger hole, making the hanger closer to a
square loop, instead of a triangle.
Glenn
----- Original Message -----
From: "Amanda Lee" <amandainparadise777@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindcordcutters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, November 13, 2022 9:05 PM
Subject: [blindcordcutters] Re: single home antenna
Yeah, a whole house lightning arrester is a good thing, albeit surge will
still occur on old POTS and yes as you said, cable TV coaxial lines and
anything which is near any sort of EMF.
-----Original Message-----
From: blindcordcutters-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blindcordcutters-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of K0LNY_Glenn
Sent: Sunday, November 13, 2022 7:19 PM
To: blindcordcutters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindcordcutters] Re: single home antenna
True enough, I think I used it for a lengthy, cable TV run, tapping into my
brother's cable TV next door, but those can get surges, as well as power
lines.
In the house I live in now, I have a lightening suppressor for the entire
house.
It's something that costs 3 or 4 hundred dollars, and an electrician puts it
in by the household circuit breakers.
But back then, when I got this thing, either they didn't make suppressors,
or I didn't have the cash for one, well, both are likely the case.
Glenn
----- Original Message -----
From: "Amanda Lee" <amandainparadise777@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindcordcutters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, November 13, 2022 6:06 PM
Subject: [blindcordcutters] Re: single home antenna
Yes and no! if it has access to an outside antenna, electrical energy from
nearby lightning surges could have damaged it over time. Or, where it
receives power, surges could have occurred over time and caused component
breakdown. If it has any phone line connectivity, that's a prime source of
surge damage. There was a lightning strike nearby which took out anything
with electronic circuitry connected to it along with our intercom which was
in the kitchen by the phone jack.
Over time, unless you have everything surge protected, it can become rather
vulnerable. Even then, resistance to damage is feutal if the surge
progection isn't strong enough.
-----Original Message-----
From: blindcordcutters-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blindcordcutters-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of K0LNY_Glenn
Sent: Sunday, November 13, 2022 6:15 PM
To: blindcordcutters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindcordcutters] Re: single home antenna
Well I determined that either my old, like 40 year old, TV booster either no
longer works, or it does not boost digital TV signals.
I hooked it directly to the Tivo box, and the digital TV antenna to the box,
and nothing.
Then I connected the same antenna to the Tivo directly, and I got stations.
Even though the antenna signal booster is like 40 years old, it was never
used that much, so it should still work.
Glenn
----- Original Message -----
From: <jovian3@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindcordcutters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2022 11:44 AM
Subject: [blindcordcutters] Re: single home antenna
By the way, are you aware that you can get a fire TV recast box and transmit
the signal from the antenna via Wi-fi to your TVs?
Jo
-----Original Message-----
From: blindcordcutters-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blindcordcutters-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of K0LNY_Glenn
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2022 12:31 PM
To: blindcordcutters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindcordcutters] Re: single home antenna
Yeah, as mentioned, I split it with the signal booster.
It is about a 30 year old device, so maybe it doesn't work any more.
It has one line in, and four lines out, but I only used one, but it's
possible that that line was defunct a long time back.
I don't know what works for a signal tester that I can use for it, I'll just
have to mess with trying it on a line I knew used to work recently I guess.
Also, I am still not sure if amplifying the digital TV transmission will
amplify on an old analog booster.
Glenn
----- Original Message -----
From: <jovian3@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindcordcutters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2022 11:10 AM
Subject: [blindcordcutters] Re: single home antenna
So you would need to split the signal coming in from the attic and have it
go into multiple rooms in your house. When you do this you are going to lose
some dBs before the signal gets to a TV unless you amplify the signal enough
before it splits to account for the splitting and cable losses. If you have
not split the signal and are still not getting anything, then you have
something wrong.
Jo.
-----Original Message-----
From: blindcordcutters-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blindcordcutters-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of K0LNY_Glenn
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2022 11:29 AM
To: blindcordcutters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindcordcutters] Re: single home antenna
Hi Joe,
I have it connected up in my attic.
A coax was run to the finished attic long ago.
But I also have to explore the possibility that this connection is no
longer part of the cable box junction box.
Glenn
----- Original Message -----
From: <jovian3@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <blindcordcutters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2022 10:23 AM
Subject: [blindcordcutters] Re: single home antenna
Glenn,
With an outdoor antenna, how do you bring in the coaxial cable into the
house? Do you drill through the outside wall?
Jo
-----Original Message-----
From: blindcordcutters-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blindcordcutters-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of K0LNY_Glenn
Sent: Thursday, November 10, 2022 11:17 AM
To: blindcordcutters@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blindcordcutters] single home antenna
Hi All,
I wonder if anyone here has tried putting in a single TV antenna for all the
TVs in the home using the existing cable TV cable that is no longer getting
a cable TV service.
I put an antenna that was on one of my TVs and connected it to an old Radio
Shack analog TV signal booster, but it's a big house, so maybe the booster
isn't enough, or maybe it does not work any more, or maybe a digital signal
booster is required.
So far, nothing has come in on one of the TVs I connected to the cable coax.
Thanks.
Glenn
