How do I receive the digital TV signals?
The ideal way to receive our digital TV signals is to use a good quality “4-bay Bowtie” antenna pointed at Shaffer or Black Mountains. Use of a pre-amplifier may be necessary in some areas. As you can see, the example below shows that the antenna needed is quite small. Most are no larger than the satellite dish you are planning on getting rid of anyway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_KXRju_MmE&feature=email
https://youtu.be/1GjcbCUcGMo
Here are some websites that sell UHF television antennas and accessories:
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/
http://www.solidsignal.com/
http://www.radioshack.com/home/index.jsp
Any many more…just Google UHF TV Antenna!!
To assist you in determining the availability and signal strength of HLTV, go to this website and enter your info. This website is not run by Honey Lake TV, but is very helpful.
https://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29
If you have a DIGITAL television set, you’ll connect the antenna directly to the digital tuner connector on your TV. Follow the instruction for your TV to scan for digital channels and it should find them easily.
If you have an analog television set, you’ll need to purchase an HDTV set-top tuner with S-Video, composite, or RF outputs (as appropriate for the inputs on your television set) and connect the antenna directly to the set-top tuner. Follow the HDTV set-top tuner instructions to connect the tuner to your TV and scan for digital channels.
We are frequently asked what antennas and accessories are recommended. An excellent website with quality products is www.antennasdirect.com We recommend the DB4e bundle for most of our viewing areas. The DB8 bundle is recommended for those areas without line of site to the mountaintops. Bundled products on this site have the coax, antenna, pre-amps and small mounting masts included.
Antenna Installation Recommendations
All of Honey Lake Community TV’s transmitters use UHF frequencies. Your UHF antenna should be mounted outside, in line of sight of Shaffer Mountain or Black Mountain. The antenna should ideally be above the roofline, just tall enough to get a clear view of both mountains. You may find many satisfactory antenna mounting options at hardware or electronics stores.
NOTE: (Chimney mounts are not recommended because the soot from the chimney may collect on the antenna and destroy its ability to receive signals.)
If you are using an arrow-shaped antenna, make sure you point the tail of the arrow toward the mountaintops. (The “>” part of the arrow catches the signals.)
If using a pre-amplifier, attach it to the antenna and then attach the coaxial cable to the pre-amp.
Use good quality RG-6 coaxial cable. (Although existing coax should work fine unless it is old (more than 5 years) and weathered or is poor quality.) Run the coax along the eaves or through the attic to the location of the TV. If using a pre-amplifier, attach the end of the coax to the plugged-in part and run another piece of coax to the splitter or directly to the antenna connector on your TV. Make sure all the connectors are fitted hand-tight. Follow all instruction that come with the pre-amp.
If you live in a newer house built to be “cable ready” you should find a junction box — probably in your garage or near your utility entrances. You can bring the coax in from the antenna to that junction box and plug in the pre-amplifier right there. The amplifier splitter can also be mounted and plugged in there. Then attach the coax lines to the splitter and you should be able to have TV in every room.
What if I can’t see Shaffer or Black Mountain?
If you can’t see either Shaffer or Black Mountain from your home, don’t fret! You will be interested to learn that the digital signals actually cover the Honey Lake Valley very well. Our intrepid technicians went out and about and received our test 30-watt signal over most of the valley and Susanville area with simple UHF antennas held at approximately 6 feet over their heads. If you are unable to pick up usable signals with a low antenna, a simple fix may be to get the antenna higher in the air, above your roofline and make sure it’s pointing in the correct direction. As mentioned above, we recommend you visit the www.antennasdirect website for information on quality TV antenna bundles (packages with all items needed for an install). Remember, Honey Lake TV is all UHF. We have no VHF channels.
When did HLTV begin translating digital TV?
On October 16, 2009 we completed the installation of our first digital translator on Black Mtn. and began translating KRXI-DT at full power (30 watts).
What do I need to do to receive digital TV from HLTV?
To view digital TV from HLTV requires a DIGITAL TV (a digital converter box for analog TV’s) and a UHF antenna pointed at Shaffer or Black Mtn. As we add new digital channels, it will be necessary to perform a re-scan to add the ability to receive them.
My signal is breaking up! What is the problem?
Sometimes when it snows or rains heavily the signals get “scrambled”. Digital TV is actually data, streamed over the air to your TV tuner. When that data gets scrambled due to environmental reasons, the tuner can’t decode the signals for you to watch. Same thing for the translators on the mountaintops. If the signal from Reno (or beyond) gets scattered around because of weather, etc. the translator cannot retransmit a correct signal to you. The translators have some very sophisticated forward error correction schemes built into the digital transcoders, but sometimes mother nature over-rules all attempts to keep a good data stream alive. Most times this corrects itself when the weather clears. This phenom is not unlike when someone gets snow or obstructions on or in their satellite dish, or when heavy snow or rainfall inhibits a satellite signal.
How does the system work?
TV signals originating in Reno and other cities are received on mountaintops and via satellite downlink, then distributed via microwave links to the transmitters on Shaffer and Black Mtns. The digital TV signals are error corrected, then retransmitted. These are the signals you receive. This is, of course, a simplified explanation of a very complicated system.