Anyone have an idea how to connect two antennas to a Tablo? I want use one that is focused and goes out about 150 miles to pick up some channels that are really far away and the second antenna just wanted to be a regular 50 mile range one. I read some stuff about couplers etc... but just wondering if anyone has done something like this?
Also wondering how does that Tablo handle it if you are picking up two stations using the same channel. Which one takes precedence?
For two antennas, you’ll need to combine them to one down-lead, using an ordinary 2-1 splitter (in reverse).
Try the $6 one I linked to above before going to the more expensive options…
You need a diplexer. If you search Amazon for an antenna combiner or diplexer you’ll find what you need.
Anyone have an idea how to connect two antennas to a Tablo? I want use one that is focused and goes out about 150 miles to pick up some channels that are really far away and the second antenna just wanted to be a regular 50 mile range one. I read some stuff about couplers etc… but just wondering if anyone has done something like this?
Getting in a couple of days late on this, but I’m curious - would these be pointed in the same direction? If that’s the case I’d first try seeing what the results are just using the single directional antenna. I’d also echo @ChrisFix, try the inexpensive options first, and also his caveat about the “ton of variables” involved with combining.
Feel free to take a look at my TV Fool chart, and also this chart of the signal levels I made using a Magnavox ATSC tuner with its arbitrary 0-100 scale. At around 18-20 reception starts to cut in and out, so those readings are in red.
I have two identical ~80 degree beamwidth Winegard Flatwave Air pre-amplified antennas, one at 28’ pointed north and the other at 30’ pointed south in the general center of the stations of interest. I tried the Channel Plus 2512 splitter/combiner and some inexpensive generic Gemini/RCA/Magnavox 10 and 24db distro amps I had laying around in various combinations pre- combiner and finally got all channels. A week later atmospheric conditions changed and I lost the +80mi stations, never to return.
Without the combiner, I get that south PBS station (and the north Fox) just fine, for the last three months anyway (knock on wood). The south PBS is necessary to my cord cutting agenda since the wife likes Create TV. I ended up purchasing a second Tablo and dedicating one to each antenna rather than spend the money on test equipment trying to figure it out. YMMV
Well I don't really need to high end pointing directional antennas. I wanted one directional and one generic. The generic one would end up picking up everything behind the directional because they are close. I read somewhere that a coupler is needed to do this and that you if just use a regular splitter to join two antennas it would cause a bunch of interference.
Here is another question that I am curious about, with a directional antenna there is a chance I will pick up two channels on the same channel (meaning two channel 16-1 for example from two different cities). How does this get handled? Is the one with the strongest signal win? I wish there was some sort of device where I could block certain channels from getting through before the two lines merge. I would think that would be the best solution and cause no interference.
Well I don't really need to high end pointing directional antennas. I wanted one directional and one generic. The generic one would end up picking up everything behind the directional because they are close. I read somewhere that a coupler is needed to do this and that you if just use a regular splitter to join two antennas it would cause a bunch of interference.
I read this article, and as best as humanly possible, made sure both coaxes were identical length. An email back from Winegard recommended 2’ spacing rather than what the calculation in the article gave me, so I went with that. I used a device that was advertised as a splitter/combiner rather than just a splitter. Still no joy. So take it a step at a time, analyze your results and decide how much money you want to throw at the solution. 
Here is another question that I am curious about, with a directional antenna there is a chance I will pick up two channels on the same channel (meaning two channel 16-1 for example from two different cities). How does this get handled? Is the one with the strongest signal win? I wish there was some sort of device where I could block certain channels from getting through before the two lines merge. I would think that would be the best solution and cause no interference.
I’ve worked with inline bandpass filters for cable TV freqs, but haven’t
found any for OTA freqs although they may be available and someone else
here can provide a source. With the two Tablos, I simply use the Tablo
setup menu to turn off the north channels the south antenna picks up
and vice versa.
Someone with more channels than I have available will have to chime in about how the Tablo reacts to two stations using the same frequency.
Found this interesting YouTube video on two atennas. Anyone have comments?
Someone with more channels than I have available will have to chime in about how the Tablo reacts to two stations using the same frequency.
Our antenna guru says:
If the combiner is used with directional antennas and they are pointing
in different directions than there should be no issues. However, distortion can
occur if the antennas both receive the same channel. The power level would be
high but the channel may not be watchable.<o:p></o:p>
Found this interesting YouTube video on two atennas. Anyone have comments?
LOL. Yeah, it looks like he crimped his F connectors with a pair of slip joint pliers. He’s probably got signal leaking everywhere, and if it was a cable TV install in the US the FCC could be on him. Also, if at all possible you should ground to your main electrical service ground rod rather than a separate ground rod, and if you do have to use a second rod, that rod needs to be bonded to the main electrical service ground rod. Otherwise, the bonding path from the antennas to the main rod is through your equipment. “Poof” goes the Tablo.
Found this interesting YouTube video on two atennas. Anyone have comments?
LOL. Yeah, it looks like he crimped his F connectors with a pair of slip joint pliers. He’s probably got signal leaking everywhere, and if it was a cable TV install in the US the FCC could be on him. Also, if at all possible you should ground to your main electrical service ground rod rather than a separate ground rod, and if you do have to use a second rod, that rod needs to be bonded to the main electrical service ground rod. Otherwise, the bonding path from the antennas to the main rod is through your equipment. “Poof” goes the Tablo.
Sounds like you know what you doing. Do you know of a better video on YouTube on how to connect two antennas?I am planning on this soon and doing my information gathering right now.
Someone with more channels than I have available will have to chime in about how the Tablo reacts to two stations using the same frequency.
Our antenna guru says:
If the combiner is used with directional antennas and they are pointing
in different directions than there should be no issues. However, distortion can
occur if the antennas both receive the same channel. The power level would be
high but the channel may not be watchable.<o:p></o:p>
What if they are not the same channel but use the same channel? The two directional I am getting will go out 150 miles ( http://www.spectrumantenna.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SP613&Click=564 ) so there is a chance that some channels may overlap from the two directions because I live in Maryland and there are a bunch of cities north of me that are within range. There is a decent chance I will get channels from Baltimore, Harrisburg and Philadelphia. From the South I will get Washington DC and maybe Richmond.
Sounds like you know what you doing. Do you know of a better video on YouTube on how to connect two antennas?I am planning on this soon and doing my information gathering right now.
Nothing on YouTube I’ve found, but I haven’t really looked. My experience comes from 20 years as an electrician, 10 years on a college campus pulling and terminating twisted pair and fiber for their data network and RG6 for their CATV system, then the last 10 being their PBX tech so now I can count beyond white/brown to violet/slate.
I’m also an Extra Class Amateur Radio licensee, so I’ve got some knowledge of antennas, terminating for RF and proper grounding. But combining two TV antennas was new to me, and my Googling came up with the same limited results you’re probably getting. I followed the instructions on the link I provided you earlier and it didn’t work for me and I wasn’t going to spend more time and money chasing the concept. I went with two separate systems rather than continue an attempt to combine them.
Like I said, YMMV, so have at it. Like ChrisFix said, there’s a ton of variables. It’s not PnP, your situation is going to be your own so there’s no guarantee if it will work for you and without test equipment you’ll not know which way to go next if it doesn’t.
You asked for comments on that video and I gave them. Just because someone has a camera and posts an internet video doesn’t mean they know what they’re doing. I could film myself ballet dancing and I’d expect people to laugh at me too.
@Whatzit said: “I could film myself ballet dancing and I’d expect people to laugh at me too.”
@ChrisFix - if you could see me IRL you’d be ROTFLYAO and I wouldn’t blame you a bit.
@Lothos - Tell you what, you buy the antennas and I’ll send you a Channel Plus 2512 combiner on my dime (I sure don’t have a use for it). Ping me with my user name (all lower case) at the domain I have the signal strength chart on. Roll the dice… if you get what you want, you win. If you don’t, then I get to say I told you so. Deal?
