4 replies to this topic

[JamieH]

Hi all

Is there a STB that anyone can recommend that would be good DTV DXing? Obviously, it would need to have a rather sensitive tuner.

cheers,
Jamie

[andrewlace]

A commercial DVBT tuner will do quite well.  Personally have had some experience in difficult reception areas.  Fracarro do a product that does cofdm regeneration.  It takes the signal processes it and puts it back together.  It is built with a very sensitive tuner.  Other tuners are around that will do said job, but they are not $50 or $100 they run into four figures. It might be worth playing with some different settop boxes.  Particular one with a CAM rather than silicon based tuner in it.  The HHT894 healing is popular because it is cheap, sensitive and has good picture quality.  I have found that each settop box (even the same model) will vary signficantly in terms of sensitivity.  That sounds like an interesting hobby.  What aerials are you going to play with?

JamieH, on Jul 15 2011, 09:45 PM, said:

Hi all

Is there a STB that anyone can recommend that would be good DTV DXing? Obviously, it would need to have a rather sensitive tuner.

cheers,
Jamie

[JamieH]

andrewlace, on Jul 15 2011, 11:57 PM, said:

A commercial DVBT tuner will do quite well.  Personally have had some experience in difficult reception areas.  Fracarro do a product that does cofdm regeneration.  It takes the signal processes it and puts it back together.  It is built with a very sensitive tuner.  Other tuners are around that will do said job, but they are not $50 or $100 they run into four figures. It might be worth playing with some different settop boxes.  Particular one with a CAM rather than silicon based tuner in it.  The HHT894 healing is popular because it is cheap, sensitive and has good picture quality.  I have found that each settop box (even the same model) will vary signficantly in terms of sensitivity.  That sounds like an interesting hobby.  What aerials are you going to play with?

Haven't TV DXed in a long time - these days I FM DX more, for that I have an 8 element FM yagi on the roof, along with a Sony XDR-F1HD and Onkyo T-4970 tuners. Furthest for me so far has been Cairns and West Coast WA.

BTW, just checked that Healing model STB you mentioned, looks good to me.

Thanks for your thoughts on the subject.

Edited by JamieH, 16 July 2011 - 12:35 AM.

[andrewlace]

No worries Jamie, while I probably won't be DXing in a while (some jobs just turn out that way anyway...) I'm glad you are.  It gives a different testbench for antennas and recievers. Let us know what frequencies you use.  I'll be most interested in what you find. Don't try a HTPC  

JamieH, on Jul 16 2011, 12:25 AM, said:

Haven't TV DXed in a long time - these days I FM DX more, for that I have an 8 element FM yagi on the roof, along with a Sony XDR-F1HD and Onkyo T-4970 tuners. Furthest for me so far has been Cairns and West Coast WA.

BTW, just checked that Healing model STB you mentioned, looks good to me.

Thanks for your thoughts on the subject.

[mtv]

+1 for the Healing