TiVo Community Forums Archives - Satellite AND Antenna for locals ... can it be done? ... does it work well?

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Satellite AND Antenna for locals ... can it be done? ... does it work well?
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Posted by: redrhino

Hi all,

This is probably a question that has been often addressed, but I've not been able to successfully search the forum for an answer.

I am wondering whether TiVo can gracefully record some things off the antenna and others off a satellite (such as Dish Network).

Now the interesting variant of the question. Does the guide deal well with the possibility of receiving some local channels over the antenna while others from another television market? (For example, if I lived in Dallas and picked up some stations via my antenna but got others from San Francisco via Dish Network.)

Thanks for any thoughts, tips and pointers....

Redrhino

Posted by: phone1

I haven't done it, but others who have say it works fine. TiVo will blend both your Dish and OTA lineups. Just verify that yours are available at www.zap2it.com

Posted by: redrhino

Perhaps I should re-phrase my question for some additional precision.

I want to know if I can receive local (geographically local to me) coverage via antenna but "locals" from another area ... even if the area isn't one of the standard cities (NYC, LA, Atlanta, Chicago or Denver) but instead is San Francisco, typically a city which one cannot receive via satellite UNLESS one lives in the SF Bay Area or happens to have a satellite mounted to an RV.

I.e., could I continue to get my SF locals via Dish AS WELL AS Dallas antenna coverage once my satellite dish and TiVo are in Dallas?

Thanks again...

Redrhino

Posted by: SleepyBob

As long as SF locals aren't on a spot-beam ( I didn't check on that), it should work fine, if you leave your service address in SF. The call letters of the antenna stations will be different, so there shouldn't be any conflict there.

You need to check on the spot-beam coverage, though.

Posted by: srs5694

It's been a while since I used an SA TiVo (I've got a DirecTiVo), but my memory is that it bases its guide data selections on the zip code you enter. If I'm right, that means you won't be able to see both your OTA locals and your satellite locals if you've "accidentally" given Dish Network the wrong address and therefore receive the "wrong" Dish Network locals. I'm not positive of this, though. In any event, I suggest you hold out for an answer from somebody who's actually tried this before drawing a conclusion. Note that forum rules frown upon discussion of topics such as getting out-of-area locals against the satellite operator's policy (and the law), so you may not get such responses here.

Posted by: phone1

I assume Dish works like DTV, if you have "moved" in order to receive distant locals, you'll have to do a workaround with the zip code and lineup. However (never having done it) I'm not sure TiVo will let you choose two different zip codes during set up (why would they in normal operation?), so what you want may not be possible.

You could possibly enter the Dish guide data and then add the OTA locals manually, but you'll have no guide date for them. Or if the numbers match any in the OTA lineup for the zip code you have chosen, it will be wrong.

Posted by: redrhino

quote:
Originally posted by srs5694
Note that forum rules frown upon discussion of topics such as getting out-of-area locals against the satellite operator's policy (and the law), so you may not get such responses here.

Understood. However, it is entirely legal to have a satellite mounted on an RV. In fact, such setups are, by definition, eligible for distant locals (so I could get NYC, LA, Atlanta, Chicago or Denver networks) but I would hope to be able to get local news and my local PBS programming. Hence my question.

I just want to be clear here .... we are not discussing any violation of any satellite operator policies here, so no one should be hesitant to answer for fear of violating the forum rules.

Thanks!

Redrhino

Posted by: Darthnice

quote:
Originally posted by redrhino
it is entirely legal to have a satellite mounted on an RV. In fact, such setups are, by definition, eligible for distant locals

I'm gonna mount an RV to my House! Distant locals, here I come!

:D

Posted by: Bigg

LOL. Anyway, I'm not sure how living in two places at one will work, but it can deal with two channels from the same afiliate, as I have it on cable. Why do you need distant networks when you can pick ypur own up ota???

Posted by: redrhino

quote:
Originally posted by SleepyBob
As long as SF locals aren't on a spot-beam ( I didn't check on that), it should work fine, if you leave your service address in SF. The call letters of the antenna stations will be different, so there shouldn't be any conflict there.

You need to check on the spot-beam coverage, though.

Thanks for the pointer. I checked and the SF spot-beam coverage for the San Francisco stations doesn't extend much outside of the state of California (and only the part North of LA at that). So, I guess that this setup would be good while RVing, but only in state. I guess this would not be the best approach for a long-term trip to Dallas.

Thanks and all the best....

Redrhino

Posted by: Bigg

LA loacals may be on a nat'l transponder.

Posted by: redrhino

quote:
Originally posted by srs5694
It's been a while since I used an SA TiVo (I've got a DirecTiVo), but my memory is that it bases its guide data selections on the zip code you enter. If I'm right, that means you won't be able to see both your OTA locals and your satellite locals if you've "accidentally" given Dish Network the wrong address and therefore receive the "wrong" Dish Network locals. I'm not positive of this, though. In any event, I suggest you hold out for an answer from somebody who's actually tried this before drawing a conclusion. Note that forum rules frown upon discussion of topics such as getting out-of-area locals against the satellite operator's policy (and the law), so you may not get such responses here.

As an experiment last night I tried to adjust the zip code (yes, it takes some time to re-run guided setup) and found that if you want a particular antenna channel (say 8) as well as to use satellite TV with a particular set of locals via satellite you would need to have a zip code that allows for that set of satellite locals as well as has a local channel that could (at least in theory) be reached via antenna.

So, although entirely academic now (because Dallas is not in the SF spot beam which seems to only extend a few hundred miles at best), if one were camping in California for an extended period of time and if one wanted to continue to get SF area satellite service (for SF news and other SF-specific programming like cooking shows that are on KQED) but also local antenna service (for local news and perhaps other local-specific programming), one would need to choose a zip code that is in the SF DMA (for satellite purposes) but also one which happens to have local over the air channels that match up with the over the air channels which you want to receive in, say, Redding.

As you note, though, the guide information WILL BE INCORRECT. For me this would not be too big of a deal because most of my programming would be from San Francisco, but only the local news would be with incorrect guide info. It is not too hard to remember that "washington week in review" actually is the Saturday night news.

This won't help me much with my trip, but perhaps someone else can benefit from this info.

Thanks all...

Redrhino

Posted by: Bigg

If you were camoing in calif, could you mount an antenna on your RV??? That might be simpler, I don't know the configuration of your rig though.

Posted by: phone1

Did you hear about the two antennas who got married? The wedding wasn't much, but the reception was great! :D

Posted by: csyria

*Groan* :rolleyes:

Posted by: Bigg

:D LOL :D