HDHR... a few questions

[rytheguy]

First off, I had no luck whatsoever when using a crossover cable to connect the tuner to the computer, HAD to be connected through my router. Now that I have solved that here's my issue... I'm on a college campus, and we get our cable from the same cable company as everyone else around here, However I find NO QAM stations when I scan with both the HDHR and te built in QAM tuner in my TV. Is this most likely due to poor wiring in the building? So now that I know I wont be able to get any quam channels I'm hoping to use the HDHR as an OTA HD tuner... How do I configure that with BTV?

[Joe The Dude]

I believe you just choose the "Antenna (Digital)" option in the BTV Setup program, then enter your Zipcode when prompted, then pick an OTA Channel Lineup when prompted.

In essense, you just ignore the QAM instructions that you used earlier, and set it up as a normal dual-OTA HDTV tuner.

[rytheguy]

I tried that. When I chose the option it showed the few OTA HD stations in a list and sais "Starting recorder" and just locked up wont do anything. It's really bothering me. I looked at the setup in the wall behind the cable jack, the cables don't look that bad but the splitter that basically daisy chains all the rooms together is only 600 Mhz, is that not enough for the QAM stations? If I replace that, even though the rooms in the daisy chain before us have the same splitter it wouldn't do me ant good would it? Do I have any other options, an amplifier or something?

[Joe The Dude]

Well, most QAM stations (at least in my experience) are above 600MHz, and I think that those splitters may very well be the problem.

You can ask around and see if any of the other students have a Cable box. If so, ask them about the reception and reliability of their Digital Channels, Pay Per View, and/or On Demand service (if available).

Also, you can ask around about Cable Modem service, if it works, or if it's even available, as cable companies usually use a frequency for it that is above 600MHz.

You can try talking to the Dorm Room Head Guy (or gal) and see if perhaps he (or she) can get the splitters upgraded to the 1GHz variety, but at the very least, they really should be using a single splitter and/or amp with multiple outputs, instead of daisy chaining.

However, if you want to take matters into your own hands...
If you are lucky enough to be really close to the Cable Tap, and the splitters for your dorm building are accesable to you (like in a wall or something), you might want to try getting a Drop Amp that has "0dB forward gain".
One of the places where you can get them is at This Link, such as the EDA-UG2402 (4-port), or the EDA-UG2802 (8-port).
It depends on how many outputs you need.
They're at the bottom of the page I linked to.

If you need more than 8 ports, just wire it so that you get 7 (or 3 if you get the 4-port model) ports to yourself, and have the last port connected to the daisy chained splitters that go to the other rooms.

Input --> Drop Amp --> 7 (or 3) Ports to yourself
                 |
                 V
                 One port that connects to the daisy chanied splitters for
                 the other rooms.

The reason why I suggested that you pick one of the two drop amps listed above, is that they output the same signal strenght to each output, as it gets into the input, so basicly, there is little to no signal loss. Also, this als makes sure you won't suffer from the dreaded "Over Amplifying" a signal issue, witch is bad in it's own respect.

They come with a Power Brick that you'l probably want to connect to the UPS that your PC Connects to, so when the power goes out, the drop amp will still work.

Another Thing To Consider...
If you want to just get an Antenna and try to get normal Over The Air signals with the HDHR, you can do that, as BTV Supports that setup too.
If you want more detailed instructions, you can poke around at the HDHR Manafacturer's website: www.silicondust.com .
If you can't find what you need in the FAQ, you can try the forums.

You probably allready know the diffrence, but just in case you, or another reader doesn't, you'll be wanting to search for:
A) The ATSC Setup Instructions (for Over The Air with an Antenna).
OR
B) The QAM Setup Instructions (for digital stations through your Cable TV Wire).

Whatever the case may be, it might also help to get "RG-6, Quad-Shield" coaxial cables.
They have some 3-foot RG-6, Quad-Shield cables at This link for $4.50.
I'm mentioning it because the 3-foot RG-6, Quad-Shield cables can be hard to find locally.
Normally most places don't sell RG-6, Quad-Shield Cables shorter than 6 Ft.
As a general rule, the shorter the cable, the better, but you should be fine with any length of cable coming outta the drop amp, so long as they are shorter than 100 ft.

[Fonceur]

Are you getting any digital channels through a STB or is it all analog? Typically the analog channels will be in the lower frequency ranges, so a good deal of the digital channels from the cable company might be passed that 600 Mhz...