Combining OTA and QAM possible?

[dinki]

This may sound way out there, but I'll ask anyway.

I've got a Hauppauge HVR-1600 card that I'm currently using to tune QAM. While this is nice, other OTA channels are available in my area. Is it possible to combine the signal of an OTA antennae with my cable signal and have both QAM and OTA picked up in SageTV? I've used two way splitters as signal combiners in the past and it works fine. I'm just not sure if the two signals will play nice with each other.

[Protoman]

One issue that you might experience with combining two different signals like that is with the EPG. Just something to consider.
This could be a great excuse to get another tuner card for your setup. One can never have enough tuners. Especially with the Hauppauge 2250, I don't have it... yet, but it looks pretty sweet on paper.

Hope this helps,
Protoman

[Conejo]

Originally Posted by dinki

Is it possible to combine the signal of an OTA antennae with my cable signal and have both QAM and OTA picked up in SageTV? I've used two way splitters as signal combiners in the past and it works fine. I'm just not sure if the two signals will play nice with each other.

Um, no.

If you tried to combine the cables there are several channels where the signals would stomp each other. You're more likely to turn your antenna into a Low-Power Cable Broadcast Transmitter / Large Fine receptor.

Cable signals are encased in shielded coax both as a delivery method and to prevent egress interference. Cable TV operates on frequencies from 7Mhz to 1001.75Mhz, and if these signals leak out (or focused using an antenna) they would interfere with normal Radio Spectrum users.

So each 'spectrum user' needs it's own coax cable.

The second reason this wouldn't work is that each receiver is normally 'set' into ATSC or QAM mode and can't dynamically switch back and forth between modes as it can between channels.

Originally Posted by Protoman

One issue that you might experience with combining two different signals like that is with the EPG.

What???

[dinki]

Originally Posted by Conejo

The second reason this wouldn't work is that each receiver is normally 'set' into ATSC or QAM mode and can't dynamically switch back and forth between modes as it can between channels.

This is the information I was looking for. Thanks.

I'm not sure if there is a filter that is available, but I do have a filter that filters out channels 90+. I was thinking if there were one that would filter cable channels 86+ that I could use one of those when combining with antennae as my QAM channels don't start until 86 and the OTA frequencies are all lower than 86. But according to your post there is no way for the card to switch between the two types (QAM and OTA).

[evilpenguin]

I'd bet its possible with some frequency filters. I'd imagine all the signals you want through OTA are below 500 mhz and everything you'd want in cable are above 500 mhz.

I'm not sure it would work with the HVR-1600, but I think it might with an HDHR. I've been meaning to try this for a while.

[Conejo]

Originally Posted by dinki

I was thinking if there were one that would filter cable channels 86+ that I could use one of those when combining with antennae as my QAM channels don't start until 86 and the OTA frequencies are all lower than 86.

IF the two systems you propose to merge each use a separate frequency spectrum then, yes, it's possible to 'merge' them onto the same cable.

Your Cable System is probably still using channels 2-86 (57-597Mhz) for analog TV and your antenna will broadcast the cable signal. So you probably wouldn't be able to combine them just using reverse splitters and filters. There is equipment made for hotels and large apartment complexes that combine cable systems with in-house channels, so it can be done, just not cheaply.

[evilpenguin]

With the right combo of taps/combiners/filters it'd be doable, but the morale of the story is that its much more cost effective to just buy another tuner

[Conejo]

It's just that, when I hear that someone is unknowingly building an RF death-ray microwave gun mounted to their house, it scares me a little.

[dinki]

Originally Posted by evilpenguin

With the right combo of taps/combiners/filters it'd be doable, but the morale of the story is that its much more cost effective to just buy another tuner

To me, it's not a matter of cost more than it is a matter of possibilities. Sure, I could add another card, but then I'm losing another valuable pci slot. Not to mention that if I could combine the signals AND I added another card then I'd have even more opportunities to record what is playing on the 'blended' cable on BOTH cards. In reality, it's not that big of a deal