How do I receive the digital TV signals?
The ideal way to receive our digital TV signals is to use a good quality “4-bay Bowtie” antenna pointed at Shaffer or Black Mountain. Use of an antenna pre-amplifier may be necessary in most areas and is highly recommended. Most antennas are no larger than the satellite dish you are planning on getting rid of anyway.
Video Guide on Installing an External UHF Antenna
Antenna Shopping
Here are three suggested websites that sell outdoor antennas, but there are many options. Even amazon likely has them. Just google "UHF Outdoor TV Antenna" for more options.
https://www.antennasdirect.com/
https://www.newark.com/c/audio-video/antennas/aerials
https://www.solidsignal.com/tv-antennas-and-parts/tv-antennas-outdoor
We are frequently asked what antennas and accessories are recommended. An excellent website with quality products is www.antennasdirect.com, as mentioned above.
We recommend the DB4e bundle for most of our viewing areas. The DB8 bundle is recommended for those areas without line of site to the mountain tops. Bundled products on this site have the coax, antenna, pre-amps and small mounting masts included.
Which Mountain Top Do I Use?
To assist you in determining the availability and signal strength of HLTV, go to this website and enter your info. This website is not run by Honey Lake TV, but is very helpful.
https://www.rabbitears.info/searchmap.php
Instructions:
Enter your address in the search bar in the bottom left of the map and click on "Search".
Just below the map there is a "Move Pushpin to Center of Map View". Click this button.
You may need to move the map around by clicking and dragging to get the pushpin placement right on the money.
If you know the height at which you will be mounting your antenna, or one that's already mounted, enter that value (in feet) in the appropriate box.
Click "Go"
The three channels listed as "Litchfield" are the Black Mountain Transmitters.
The seven channels listed as "Susanville, Etc" are the Shaffer Mountain Transmitters.
The list is sorted in order of strongest signal to weakest. If Litchfield is the first three channels, you should be pointing at Black. If Susanville, you're pointing at Shaffer. The direction columns, whether you're using True or Magnetic north, provide the direction (in degrees) that you should be pointing your antenna.
Antenna Installation Recommendations
All of Honey Lake Community TV’s transmitters use UHF frequencies. Your UHF antenna should be mounted outside, in line of sight of Shaffer Mountain or Black Mountain. The antenna should ideally be above the roofline, just tall enough to get a clear view of both mountains. You may find many satisfactory antenna mounting options at hardware or electronics stores.
NOTE: (Chimney mounts are not recommended because the soot from the chimney may collect on the antenna and destroy its ability to receive signals.)
If you are using an arrow-shaped antenna, make sure you point the tail of the arrow toward the mountain tops. (The “<” part of the arrow catches the signals.)
Example: "<-----" "Mountain Top"
If using a pre-amplifier, attach it to the antenna and then attach the coaxial cable to the pre-amp.
Use good quality RG-6 coaxial cables. (Although existing coax should work fine unless it is old (more than 5 years) and weathered or is poor quality.) Run the coax along the eaves or through the attic to the location of the TV. If using a Signal Booster (pre-amp), attach the end of the coax from the antenna to the Signal Amplifier and another coax cable from the Signal Amplifier to the Power Supply (the part that gets plugged in to the electric outlet) and attach another coax cable from the Power Supply to the splitter or directly to the antenna connector on your TV. Make sure all the connectors are fitted hand-tight. Follow all instruction that come with the pre-amp.
If you live in a newer house built to be “cable ready” you should find a junction box — probably in your garage or near your utility entrances. You can bring the coax in from the antenna to that junction box and plug in the pre-amplifier right there. The amplifier splitter can also be mounted and plugged in there. Then attach the coax lines to the splitter and you should be able to have TV in every room.
Connecting Your Antenna to the TV
If you have a DIGITAL television set, which most newer televisions will be, you’ll connect the antenna directly to the digital tuner connector on your TV. Follow the instructions for your TV to scan for digital channels and it should find them easily.
If you have an old analog television set, you’ll need to purchase an HDTV set-top tuner with S-Video, composite, or RF outputs (as appropriate for the inputs on your television set) and connect the antenna directly to the set-top tuner. Follow the HDTV set-top tuner instructions to connect the tuner to your TV and scan for digital channels.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What if I Can't See Shaffer or Black Mountain?
If you can’t see either Shaffer or Black Mountain from your home, don’t fret! You will be interested to learn that the digital signals actually cover the Honey Lake Valley very well. Our intrepid technicians went out and about and received our test 30-watt signal over most of the valley and Susanville area with simple UHF antennas held at approximately 6 feet over their heads. If you are unable to pick up usable signals with a low antenna, a simple fix may be to get the antenna higher in the air, above your roofline, and make sure it’s pointing in the correct direction. Another good item to check is to be sure you're utilizing a pre-amplifier between your antenna and tv set. This should be a powered asset, verify it's connected properly and is still receiving power.
As mentioned above, we recommend you visit the www.antennasdirect website for information on quality TV antenna bundles (packages with all items needed for an install). Remember, Honey Lake TV is all UHF. We have no VHF channels.
When Did HLTV Begin Translating Digital TV?
On October 16, 2009 we completed the installation of our first digital translator on Black Mtn. and began translating KRXI-DT at full power (30 watts).
What Do I Need To Do To Receive Digital TV from HLTV?
To view digital TV from HLTV requires a DIGITAL TV (a digital converter box for analog TV’s) and a UHF antenna pointed at Shaffer or Black Mtn. As we add new digital channels, it will be necessary to perform a re-scan to add the ability to receive them.
My Signal is Breaking Up! What's the Problem?
Sometimes when it snows or rains heavily the signals get “scrambled”. Digital TV is actually data, streamed over the air to your TV tuner. When that data gets scrambled due to environmental reasons, the tuner can’t decode the signals for you to watch. Same thing for the translators on the mountaintops. If the signal from Reno (or beyond) gets scattered around because of weather, etc. the translator cannot retransmit the correct signal to you. The translators have some very sophisticated forward error correction schemes built into the digital transcoders, but sometimes mother nature over-rules all attempts to keep a good data stream alive. Most times this corrects itself when the weather clears. This occurrence is not unlike when someone gets snow or obstructions on or in their satellite dish, or when heavy snow or rainfall inhibits a satellite signal.
Also be sure to check out the "News" page to keep up-to-date with current issues we may be having with the system.
How Does the System Work?
TV signals originating in Reno and other cities are received on mountain tops and via satellite downlink, then distributed via microwave links to the transmitters on Shaffer and Black Mountain. The digital TV signals are error corrected, then retransmitted. These are the signals you receive. This is, of course, a simplified explanation of a very complicated system.