(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best satellite tv products

That sounds stressful! I've created (free) accounts with FedEx and UPS so that I can have incoming packages held at a nearby store instead of left at my doorstep. It's actually quite handy, especially for expensive gear that I know will be sitting there all day while I'm at work. I also get emails from FedEx or UPS as soon as a label gets created with my address, regardless of whether the vender has sent me a tracking #t, which is helpful because, as you noted, Massdrop sometimes sends you the shipping email well after the package has actually shipped.


Regardless, congrats on the studio monitors! The JBLs are killer for the price -- kind of the 6xx of the near-field world in terms of value.


As for the buzzing, I've had all sorts or horrible buzzes in my various apartment buildings. Here are some things to try just in case the surge protector with noise filtering doesn't help (my very expensive Furman didn't anything for my own issues). You're smarter than I am and probably know all of this and more, but just in case it helps you (or others):

1. Confirm that it is a ground loop. Use a cheater plug on the valhalla when it's buzzing. If the buzz goes away, then it's a ground loop hum. You shouldn't use cheater plugs permanently for safety reasons, but they are helpful in diagnosing the problem.
   
   
   
2. Identify the source of the loop. Unplug everything in your system, turn on the valhalla (or JBLs, whichever is buzzing at the time), and then plug everything in one by one until you can hear the buzz again. Often the source is from a cable connection for tv/internet, if that's wired to components in your system. Disconnect the coax from the wall and see if the hum disappears. If that's it, try this on the coax directly out of the wall and before your modem/tv
   
   
   
3. As a safe alternative to the cheater plug, Hum X works wonders for ground loops. Throw it on your Valhalla or the component that's giving you trouble, and it will safely isolate it and you can be done with the problem.
   
   
   
4. Balanced cables are often helpful for buzzing/interference between components, especially on studio monitors, but it tends to be much more expensive to find a DAC with balanced outs. Even a cheap audio interface from Focusrite or Sternberg might help if you just want to feed a balanced connection to your JBLs, even though you have nicer DACs for you headphones. Or just spend $900 like me on a Dangerous Music Source as a monitor controller ;)
   
   
   
5. It doesn't sound like you're experiencing this, but for anybody else who has a hum on an amplifier's transformer that none of the above will solve, it could be DC offset from something in your building, like a dimmer, refrigerator, plasma tv... This guy from Emotiva saved my home theater where my expensive Furman line filter failed. I don't know anybody else who makes this exact product. I have a powerful Parasound amp for my 2-channel setup that was getting interference from something in my building, and I was about to sell it before plugging it into this. Viola, crystal clear.
   
   
   Sorry for the essay, just trying to help!

you have good signals in your area

if you have 35db or higher then you will have really steady signal

as you can see your best signals come from 145deg southeast of you so your best bet is to put your antenna on that side of your home .. maybe at a window.

Most of your channels are on UHF I suggest you also run your location by doing a www.rabbitears.info search that will tell you all of the channels available to your area

if you want to use your existing Coax and want to keep broadband over your coax you can not mix the two... you will probably have to have your cable provider run a single coax wire to your cable modem and then detach all your coax from their system so you can use it for antenna... you can do this yourself too

So any channel under REAL 14 is VHF so you will need an antenna that can do both UHF and VHF..

you could try this antenna at a TV

https://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT111Z-Durable-Antenna-Rabbit/dp/B000HKGK8Y/

you can also get them at discount stores and walmarts

if you want to do the whole house over one antenna you can try this antenna

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0749CQXFY

location of your antenna matters.. extending the antenna on the rabbitears is important to be flat and fully extended for best results

give those two a shot and see what happens.

You can buy a complete package here:

Complete HD FTA Satellite System Manhattan RC-1978 HD Receiver LNB and Dish With Meter

Sadoun S1-PVR200 36" FTA Complete HD DVR Satellite System Free To Air

FTA Complete Glorystar Satellite One Room HD DVR - Free to Air Television

If you want to roll your own system:

Winegard DS2076 76 cm Dish Antenna ($48.99+ $20.95 shipping)

Science Purchase Digital Satellite Finder ($6.35)

FTA Universal Ku Band LNB, Dual, 0.1dB Satellite Dish LNBF, Linear, Polarized (0.1 dB, Dual) ($15.95)

DVB S2 HD Satellite Receiver, Free to air FTA with AC3 1080P blind scan. Great for C Band and KU Band satellites like Galaxy 19, 97 west. Also great on motorized systems and positioners.($60.00 + $4.49 shipping)

If you aim to AMC21, you'll get PBS channels. If you're on the extreme upper east coast, you may be able to aim to Astra 2e and pick up FreeSat out of the UK, but you're going to have to be as easterly as possible.

Here's an Amazon option as well. :)


Blueyouth Air Mouse Remote Control - Q5 Bluetooth/2.4GHz WiFi Voice Remote Control Air Mouse with USB Receiver for Smart TV Android Box https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GXQ6WX5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_IGSKBbMA7F4B7

Directv receivers: I just sold one on ebay. I researched before I listed to make sure it was okay with ebay and Direct. I used this ebay guide and the Amazon listing for guidance. I also provided the RID number and told potential buyers to contact direct with the number too find out if a contract or fees would apply.

The unit was NIB, it sold in about a week for a $45 profit. I have two more to list.

edit: fixed link for ebay guide.

I bought a $24 antenna last month just to watch football. I surprisingly get a lot of channels. One time fee, hook it up to your TV, in my case hang it to your window and you're good to go.

Edit: I was doing streams at first but they can be laggy (depending on your internet connection) and pop ups can be annoying.

Edit 2: This is the antenna I've been using it's easy to hook up. Although it does say it works better when you're higher up and I live on the 4th floor of my apartment complex.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073SWLLQY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_lXVDNjv5riFYR

amazon is your friend SZSS-CAR HD Car Digital TV Turner ATSC Mobile Digital TV Receiver for USA Canada United States Mexico Korea

I live just west of Madison and use This antenna and it works great. I have it in my basement and it gets all the local channels just fine.

Lmao, honestly garden shovel might work if your dirt is firm enough, but I used this tripod when I first got my dish. It's really sturdy, and realistically you could stake it into your yard and use it as a permanent solution if you didn't wanna mount it to your roof.

One thing I just remembered is that if the ground or mount isn't level, them you'll have to fiddle with the elevation some more. My elevation was supposed to be 33.4, but I ended up having to set the dish to be around 43 because my mount wasn't actually level on my roof.

With satellite not being used, check out MoCA. IMO, it is way more reliable than WiFi. They will require a bit of an investment.

​

I bought these a few years ago, they work really well: https://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-Bonded-Ethernet-Adapter-ECB6200K02/dp/B013J7O3X0/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=MoCA+adapter&qid=1558476543&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Amazon Search: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=MoCA+adapter&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

​

Prior to the Actiontec devices, I was using some MoCA 1.1 devices from Netgear. If it wasn't for the sale a few years ago, I'd still be using them.

​

If you go with MoCA, you may want this filter at the entry point: https://www.amazon.com/Filter-MoCA-Cable-coaxial-networks/dp/B00KO5KHSQ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=MoCA+filter&qid=1558476808&s=gateway&sr=8-3

SDR ideas aside, you could try to get into free-to-air (FTA) satellite TV, but nearly all of the signals you can get in the US are linearly polarized, and DirecTV uses circular polarized signals.

You can replace the LNB of course - get a linear one for $8-15 on Amazon, along with an FTA receiver for $20-40+ (example). The dish will probably work.. not sure how specific dishes can be with the polarization. Point your dish at Galaxy 19 and get a bunch of foreign channels. Might not be your thing, content-wise, but it's interesting none-the-less.

This is the antenna I currently have mounted on the top of my house. Do you think either of the ones you suggested would be any better?

I was actually planning on replacing it with this https://www.amazon.com/Standar-KU-Band-Satellite-Orbital-Tracker/dp/B00TYP62Y0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1480180713&sr=8-2

is it any good?

Is the stadium hosting the football games close to your house? They may be setting up temporary cell towers during games to handle the number of attendees. You can try an LTE filter to see if that's what your antenna is picking up and causing interference. Also, yeah you're on the right track with reducing the splits or trying a powered splitter.

According to this page that model doesn't have freesat built in.

We brought a Humax Freesat Receiver and connected it to our TV. It's been working a treat.

Get a good directional antenna.

http://www.amazon.com/2-4GHz-24dBi-Outdoor-Antenna-Cable/dp/B001J1Y7IA

Get a 3w commercial amplifier. Something like

http://www.4netonline.com/on/index.php?product_id=424&target=products

I'd look for a cheaper used amp though. If you put this setup at both end points you might get away with 1w amplifiers. Point to point link is FCC legal I believe.

But fuck them either way as nobody is going to peep in on your power rating if you aren't a commercial entity. You can probably get there for under $400 bux.

I found two sellers selling new "BN44-00358B" on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZZ06W4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_RloTBbXYD6G4M

https://www.amazon.com/Blackmore-BTU-5001-Rechargeable-Speaker-Bluetooth/dp/B01M0QOSVB

Even cheaper on Amazon homes

$40 here https://www.amazon.com/Blackmore-BTU-5001-Rechargeable-Speaker-Bluetooth/dp/B01M0QOSVB

AIRFREE Amplified Digital TV Antenna

https://www.amazon.com/AIRFREE-Amplified-Rotation-Antenna-Wireless-adjustable/dp/B073GYMFYW

I haven't had cable in almost 6 years. We have this antenna I bought last year and I have had this one for the whole 6 years. They both pick up HD local channels. Netflix, Hulu, and AmazonPrime all fill in my other needs. You figure out work arounds for sports and stuff too.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KO5KHSQ is exactly what I put on..

we have one of these in my IT shop at work that we were going to use to build a wireless lan with to our other building across the SF bay. I may need to repurpose it for use as a wifi antenna.

You may have to go for some kind or RF isolator on the line. If so, you may need to use two isolators (I think they are directional).

It sounds to me like you have RF being conducted along the outer surface of the coaxial shield. An RF Isolator is designed specifically to eliminate this issue.

Call your cable company and see if they offer ground loop isolators for sale.

EDIT: Found this on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/TII-220-Ground-Isolator-applications/dp/B0070Q6URO/ref=pd_sim_e_3

So partial success just nowhere near reliable enough.


One possibility is that one or both units are defective.

Let's test the units either:

1. get a single, simple piece of coaxial cable and run it between the two adapters
   
2. try the adapters at different locations
   
   if it works under either of those circumstances your issue is likely the wiring (maybe there are splitters in your coaxial cabling, find that and try a more direct connection with fewer splits), maybe the cord is nicked (find the nick wrap with electrical tape and cross your fingers)
   
   -------------
   
   If it isn't that, it COULD be some sort of conflict with the multi-room DVR, that is something trickier and not something I'm familiar in dealing with. Your path forward there COULD potentially be trying to disconnect that one segment of your coaxial network from the others. If that resolves the issue, you COULD try adding a MoCA filter.
   https://www.amazon.com/Filter-MoCA-Cable-coaxial-networks/dp/B00KO5KHSQ
   
   Full disclosure, I'm making speculative guesses.

This is exactly what techs in the Washington region install for their X1 service. You can buy one and install it at the ground block on the outside of your house, or better yet, if you have a common splitter that all the outlets you want to use are attached to, install it there on the input. A comcast tech may or may not install one for you. Technically it's for customer equipment so not their responsibility, but in reality it takes 5 minutes and sets you up for if you ever want to get X1. So worth a shot, but they may charge you for a trouble call which is far more than the cost of buying your own. But if your outlets are Daisy chained from one splitter to another splitter it may not work as the signal could be getting lost. You really need to have all your outlets in a single splitter for it to work properly.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KO5KHSQ/ref=asc_df_B00KO5KHSQ5062256/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B00KO5KHSQ&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167120550856&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17841763362069419674&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033257&hvtargid=pla-313682556639

the incoming ground from the cable plant is terrible with interference, since cable tv (internet as well) uses the same frequencies as the broadcast tv putting them close together can cause problems. however there is this its an isolator that separates the ground out from the cable company between your house/system. The best place to put it is outside with a grounding block between the cable drop and your grounding system.