antenna ties to the input
F-connector and the
output connects to the
antenna F-connector
on the TV set. (NOTE:
An F-connector is just
a 75 ohm coax cable
connector. It is threaded
and the solid wire of the
coax is used as the center conductor
of the connector.)
• S-video connection. S-video is
a slightly higher resolution video connection. It uses a special connector
and cable. Most converter boxes
have an S-video output if you need it.
Normally, you have to hook up the
audio separately with a pair of stereo
audio cables with the usual red and
white RCA phono type connectors.
• Composite video connection.
This is where you connect the video
output (not the RF) from the converter
box to the composite video input on the
TV set (if it has one). This is usually
done with a coax cable with RCA phone
connectors (typically coded yellow).
You also need the red and white RCA
connectors and cables for the audio.
• Set the channel switch to either
channel 3 or 4. Your TV set should be
set to the same channel. It used to
be a problem which channel to select
but today, either usually works fine. If
you have any interference problems,
just change the channel setting on
the converter box and your TV set.
■ FIGURE 1. Typical back panel of a
DTV converter box. Note the smart
antenna jack that is designed to
attach to one of the newer amplified
rotational indoor antennas. (Andthe
Do Not Temper label! - Ed.)
ABOUT SMART ANTENNAS
In Figure 1, there is a jack for a
"smart antenna.” A smart antenna is a
new high-tech type of indoor antenna
that is basically omnidirectional and self-adjusts to signal level. When connected
to the converter box, it senses channel
changes and then adjusts itself to pick up
a signal. The internal mechanism is like
having an antenna rotor since it scans the
horizon for a signal then optimizes the
signal level. There’s no having to get off
the couch to tweak the position of the
rabbit ears or add the aluminum foil. If
you are still using the old rabbit ears, just
be aware that there have been some real
upgrades to indoor antennas. Many are
amplified to give even better reception.
Check out the smart antennas next time
you are in an electronics store.
converter box. Nevertheless, you
should know the new channel numbers
so you can get the right antenna.
Finally, let me say this. Follow the
instructions in the manual you get
with the converter box. Hook-up is
relatively simple. What I found
difficult is the complex remote
control that comes with it. Over
three quarters of my converter box
manual is devoted to the remote
control operation. (Not as bad as the
complex three remotes for my new
HDTV setup, but bad enough!)
ANTENNAS
WHAT CHANNELS ARE
INVOLVED?
Before you go any further, make
sure you know what TV channels you
watch and where they are located. You
probably know their channel numbers
but just make note that their digital
signal will be on a new UHF channel.
You will need to find out what these are.
The best way to do this is to go to
www.antennaweb.org. The site asks
for your address, then comes back to
you with a list of local stations you can
get, their old analog channel numbers,
and their new digital channel number.
The listing also gives you the azimuth
readings from your house to the TV
station antenna so you can point it
properly if you have a compass.
Another good source of the digital
and HD TV channels is
www.antennas
direct.com. They list the major TV
markets, the stations, and their new
channel numbers. Most are in the UHF
band but as it turns out, there are about
100 US stations that have their HDTV
in the VHF bands. Check out the
sidebar that shows the VHF and UHF
channel frequency allocations. There
used to be 69 UHF channels from 14 to
83. But in the 1980s, the FCC (Federal
Communications Commission) took
channels 70 to 83 (806 to 890 MHz)
for the US cellular telephone band.
More recently, the TV bands also
lost channels 52 to 69 (698 to 806
MHz) since there were very few TV
stations in that spectrum. This is the
700 MHz band the FCC recently
auctioned off for $19.6 billion for an
expansion of cellular telephone use
and other wireless services. Today, the
UHF channels are 14 to 51 only. That’s
okay though, because broadcasters
can squeeze up to four complete
digital HDTV signals into one of the
old 6 MHz analog channels using data
compression techniques. You will see
the channels designated like 24.1,
meaning that is the first channel of
four digital signals for channel 24.
Actually, you can get by without
knowing all the channel numbers as
most of the converter boxes will scan
for the digital stations in your area
and make a list for you. It sets up a
menu for you to select from with the
remote control that comes with the
This could be an entire article by
itself! There are tons of choices and
they all depend on your specific
situation. There is no “one size fits
all” antenna. Since TV is basically RF
or radio, it is subject to all the rules
of physics and oddities of radio wave
propagation, not to mention the
characteristics of your specific
location. What you were using for
■ FIGURE 2. A standard bow tie
configuration antenna with a
mesh reflector that gives gain,
as well as directionality.
February 2009 25
