As do most people with purchased cable service I have physical cables coming in near the front of...

[G+_Rud Dog]

As do most people with purchased cable service I have physical cables coming in near the front of the house.

Would like to add an antenna near this connection point. Then, and I don't know if this exists or is even possible, add a switch allowing me to toggle between OTA or Comcast signal? Of course, the toggle mechanism would have to be wireless and with a signal strength reaching to the back of the home. This would allow a remote control to select which signal to allow throughout the house.

Possible?

[G+_Gerry Wilton]

I'd recommend setting this up inside your house where the cable demarcation point is located. This avoids having to deal with weather related issues.

 

Simply feed your OTA cable into your house near the same location your cable feeds into the house. Then setup the switching device.

 

As far as the correct switching device... you will need to do some looking around, you may need to setup an arduino or some other device to connect to the switch, beyond me sorry :)

[G+_Rich Sobocinski]

Is there some reason you wouldn't just toggle the HDMI port on the TV itself?

[G+_Paul Hutchinson]

To distribute the OTA signal to multiple TVs/DVRs/Etc. you will need a distribution amplifier because the antenna signal strength from the antenna can only drive one TV RF input. The cable signal is much stronger so it can drive multiple inputs.

 

Here are a 25dB and a 30dB unit:

http://www.newark.com/mcm/30-2167/25db-rf-signal-amplifier-50-860mhz/dp/52T9527

 

http://www.newark.com/mcm/33-8715/rf-amplifier-30db-variable-one/dp/11J1844?MER=bn_level5_5NP_EngagementRecSingleItem_2

 

The output of this would go to the device that switches the whole house between the two signals.

[G+_Paul Hutchinson]

BTW this can only work if you don't have individual cable boxes at the TVs. Meaning you've either got no box needed cable service or you have a single box feeding all the TVs.

[G+_Jared Twomey]

Depending on what frequencies your cable provider uses, but you may be able to use a pair of diplexers.

 

I used to install satellite service, and we would use diplexers all the time to run ota on the same line.

 

It basically looks like a splitter, you use one to combine the signal outside, and then you split it back apart inside the house.

 

It would only work as long as your cable provider uses different frequencies than your ota signals.

[G+_Bob Shields]

I'm making an assumption here, but doesn't switching off the Comcast cable also mean killing your Internet as well?

[G+_Ben Reese]

1) assumptions: this is for a single TV. Your switching will be happening indoors. You don't have a digital cable box with HDMI output to your TV, but instead coax is connected directly.

2) quick look online, I'm seeing lots of A/B switches for coax. Not seeing any that are switched electronically. For a remote, perhaps get your KH on and push the buttons with a survo?

3) I'd be curious if a cheap relay can handle the antenna signal. It probably wouldn't have a clean enough connection for the high frequency signal, but might be worth trying.

[G+_jim hatch]

Lokk into antenna to IP.

 

I have 4 antennas in the attic of small to large arrays.

 

The go into Silicon Dust HDhomerun boxes.

 

No coax loss, only a couple feet of coax to each hdhomerun input.

 

Several ways to watch.

 

1. I use 10m ethernet to my mythtv box built around 2004.

 

2. Can be seen on pre windows 10 machines with most dvr features,

 

3. Smart tv or dvd players with built-in dlna.

 

4. Utilites with the hdhomerun show live program on mac, pc, linux, and android devices I have.

 

From mythtv dvr, I can copy to DVD to share, to network, or drives.

 

No tracking. On Netflix, tivo, Amazon, I get in a bubble of what they think you want to watch.

 

No one knows what I watch on MYTHTV.

 

Most on this forum could handle a myth build, but I would not build a systen for a customer. I'm already married.

 

Originsl wad in a custom home theater cabinet, but got blown up by Central Maine Power. Last few years running on a $20.00 yzrd sale pc. Ugly looking.

 

Mythbuntu is what I settled on.

 

I am running very old hdhomerun boxes. I think now they have many antenna and cable solutions.

[G+_jim hatch]

Forgot to mention, I run just a cat 5 cable from attic to router. Power from lightbulb socket in attic, put will run power over cat5 soon.

 

Easier than coax :). No loss.

 

Never thought I'd get 30 miles signals (many stations reduced their power output on digital). with snow on roof or forest of chlorophil sp? filters, as I had done this in fall. 2 years no dropout.

[G+_Rud Dog]

Thank you all. My house was built back in the 70's and for some reason during this time period Comcast installed two sets of cables to each room. At each connection point there was an AB switch.

At some point in time Comcast stopped using both and only feeds signal down on cable throughout the home the other cable is not a spare.

This setup might help answer some questions posted in this chat session.

[G+_Jason Marsh]

+1 for networked OTA capture. I'd do this as well, if there were any reliable signals reaching my home. The nearest towers are roughly 60 miles away and shielded by forest around me and a mountaintop forest between the transmitters and my home.

 

I get a few channels right now, but when the leaves come back I'll lose them.

[G+_Rud Dog]

Bob Shields See my comment on double cabling in my home.

[G+_Paul Hutchinson]

Rud Dog With that wiring you can connect the antenna to a signal amplifier where it enters the house and drive the unused coax from the amplifier output. Then each TV will be able to use the old A/B switch to move between cable and antenna.

 

Of course if the cable box to TV connection is changed from coax to HMDI/Component then you can connect the antenna coax to the RF input and use the TV's built in switch to change from cable to antenna.

[G+_Ben Reese]

Paul Hutchinson honestly, I'd try without an amplifier first. Maybe digital is broadcast with a lower power than the old analog, but I've seen TV work over long runs of RG6 without an amplifier. In my parents' house, we ran a single cable from the antenna in the attic to a central location in the basement (about 100 ft of cable) then split out to 4 or 5 rooms 40-70 ft away. They're about 45 miles (LOS) from Kansas City and still get all KC channels.

 

They do have a huge antenna in the attic though, so maybe that's why they can get by without an amp?

[G+_Paul Hutchinson]

Ben Reese Sure it's worth a try.

 

My experience has been that multiple splitting of antenna signals to often ends up with snow and other small noise errors which when translated to digital signals are occasional pixelation and freezing, instead of just a little noise. Given that it's only $12 for an amplifier I just routinely use one right off the bat nowadays.

[G+_Rud Dog]

Paul Hutchinson Cable to HDMI and using the input selection on the TV sounds like an excellent idea.

[G+_Rud Dog]

Thank you for the help. I now have enough info to setup the antenna connect to one of the pair of cables.

 

Now to find an outdoor motor to rotate the antenna.

 

Cable A will continue to carry the Comcast signal cable B will carry OTA signal. Plug each into the flat screen then use the input selection from with in the set and mission accomplished.