Setting up your HDTV with built in ATSC tuner with OTA

Once you have your Antenna setup and cable run from your HDTV Antenna, you are now ready to setup your television to receive HDTV OTA with your new Antenna.

Firstly connect your RG6 cable from the antenna to the back of your TV, some TV's have inputs for this one is normally marked cable and the other is marked as Antenna (or Terrestrial). Connect it to the one marked Antenna and not cable. If you only have one input connect your antenna cable to this one input.

Using the remote from your TV go to the settings menu, usually in the Channel Menu for Samsung and Sharp TV's select the Antenna type from Cable to Air. Then go to the auto program and select auto program, your TV will now search for digital and Analogue TV channels. Once complete you are ready to view the best picture quality you will ever see on your TV.

On Sony TV's (like Bravia) go to menu and under channel select add digital channels this will scan for all DTV (Digital) over the air channels, you may also have to do a separate scan for analogue channels too!

Setting up your new converter box for digital (DTV) Over the air (OTA) channels

Once you have your Antenna setup and cable run from your OTA Antenna, you are now ready to setup your television to receive DTV (Digital) OTA with your new Antenna.

Firstly connect your RG6 cable from the antenna to the back of your Digital converter box to the Antenna in.

You can now connect your digital converter box to your TV using either :-

1. Coax Cable, which means it works similar to a VCR, when it is on channel 3 usually on your TV and converter box on then you can use your converter box to change channels.
2. Use the RCA cables (red and white Audio and yellow for video). You then use the source or input on your TV remote control to change the input to the digital converter box
3. S-Video which also connects to you TV and then you also use the source or input on your TV to the one connected to the digital converter box.

Once you have connected your digital converter box you then go to the menu and perform a scan, after the scan is complete you will be able to use your new digital converter box to watch crystal clear digital over the air (OTA) feeds known as DTV.

Setting up multiple TVs to receive OTA signals

To be able to watch OTA on multiple TVs you need to split the cable from the antenna to feed all your Televisions in your house. This is done using a cheap splitter similar to the ones used by cable companies. Sometimes you may lose signal or the quality becomes so degraded. If this is the case then a drop amp like the channel master 3412 (2 way) or the 3414 (4 way) or even the 3418 (8 way) powered distribution amp to boost the gain along your split so you can view all the digital signals on all TVs

Remember each tv should have an ATSC tuner and if you don't have an ATSC tuner on any of the TVs , you will then need a digital converter box for TVs that don't have a built in ATSC tuner.

Combining Satellite and Antenna using a Diplexer

Connect the Antenna and the satellite cable to a diplexer as shown below

Inside your house uncombine them as shown below

The inside application can go one into your satellite receiver and the other to the back of your TV, or a digital converter box, all a diplexer does is combines then un-combines the signals to save you drilling another hole into your house for your antenna.