On Aug 19, 9:05 am, wrote:
On Aug 18, 7:06 pm, American Insurgent wrote:

Furthermore, the signal was jerky, like streaming internet video, with
frequent pixelation. I even lost the signal for a few seconds, after

Depending on where you live in Sacramento, signals can be very weak
and require and outdoor antenna. Most stations broadcast their signal
from Walnut Grove. I lived in Sacramento for 23 years and fully
understand the reception problems there. If you live in South
Sacramento, you are more apt to have a strong enough signal to use an
indoor antenna for a digital signal, but even then, what works in one
house may not work in the house next door. With a properly installed
outdoor antenna, WITH rotor, you should have NO problem getting all
the Sacramento stations perfect, AS WELL AS some of the San Francisco
stations. This will usually require a large UHF-VHF tv antenna.
Note: There is no such thing as an hdtv antenna. ALL television
antennas are hdtv-analog compatible. Another factor in Sacramento is
antenna height. Look around. You will see THOUSANDS of tv antennas
mounted on 20-ft to 40-ft masts with a rotor, on a roof top.

I live in Clovis, California (just outside Fresno), 180 miles from
Sacramento, and get hdtv on channels 3, 13, and 58 almost every day,
using a Channel Master 1160A antenna mounted with rotor on a 20-ft
mast. Some days I also get channels 10, 29, and 40 from Sacramento.
Reception is usually strong enough in the mornings and at night. I
have also, on occasion, received hdtv stations from the bay area, 200
miles from me.

Some stations are squeezing two signals on one HDTV channel. In two

That's the bonus with hdvt/digital tv. MORE program choices. In
future years, you may find that channel 40.1 is regular FOX, 40.2
might be FOX NEWS CHANNEL, 40.3 might be FOX MOVIE CHANNEL, etc.

Some reports have said that HDTV from different cities is available in
Sacramento; my antenna won't pick it up. I suppose that if I had an

Of course your indoor antenna won't pick them up. But with the proper
outdoor antenna, the stations you pick up will be perfect - no snow.
Generally speaking, whatever worked for analog reception will work for
digital reception, AS LONG AS the analog reception was good, not
weak. So IF you got, for example, channel 2 in San Francisco, snow-
free with an indoor antenna, you would probably also get their hdtv
signal using the SAME indoor antenna.

Be careful with these out-dated internet lists of hdtv channels. I
have found that the stations are still experimenting and have changed
channels on me at least once. Most Sacramento and Fresno stations
have gone back to using their analog channel numbers instead of the
ones posted on the internet. Unlike most cities, both Sacramento and
Fresno are using both UHF AND VHF channels for hdtv.

In Fresno, our signals are much stronger than you get in Sacramento,
yet my mothers new digital tv got no signal using the BEST non-
amplified indoor antenna made - a 2-bay bowtie with screen. I got her
an amplified antenna, and now all but one of the Fresno hdtv stations
come in, but still occasionally she loses a signal for a few seconds.
In general, indoor antennas are NOT a good choice for a digital
signal.

TIP - If you buy one of the Amplified (~20dB Gain) HDTV Antennas
that has a Built-in-Rotor and a Remote-Control to operate it.
- - - Try to find one that also has the Directional Controls on the
Controller Box. -IF- You lose or damage the Remote Control at
least you will not be UCWP / DIW ~ RHF