AM21N TV Tuner works great

Learjet wrote:
well... a couple of points you guys missed.

1. It works during heavy rain.

2. I get a station that DirecTV does not broadcast, yet it is on the AM21 guide and can view thru the AM21.

3. I get all the sub-channels of a particular local station, and yes I know i could get this with the TV hooked to the OTA...but it is nice to have it all in one place....if you will.

You are right..........all because these are all attributes of receiving a signal from the OTA antenna, NOT the satellite receiver/dish antenna.

Learjet wrote:
well... a couple of points you guys missed.

1. It works during heavy rain.

2. I get a station that DirecTV does not broadcast, yet it is on the AM21 guide and can view thru the AM21.

3. I get all the sub-channels of a particular local station, and yes I know i could get this with the TV hooked to the OTA...but it is nice to have it all in one place....if you will.

Well put, Learjet. Also, our Directv receiver is not high def, so with the tuner we at least get a few high def channels from the OTA and we can record them.

well... a couple of points you guys missed.

1. It works during heavy rain.

2. I get a station that DirecTV does not broadcast, yet it is on the AM21 guide and can view thru the AM21.

3. I get all the sub-channels of a particular local station, and yes I know i could get this with the TV hooked to the OTA...but it is nice to have it all in one place....if you will.

Simply put, the AM21 was "invented" for the purpose of integrating local channels in cities that DTV didn't have satellite "spot beamed locals".

As others have said, it can also be used to "expand your local services".

Sooner Schooner wrote:

gotsmart wrote:
Amazon link. It says that it is a product from DirecTV

It is a Directv product. My point was that after many rounds with Directv about receiving the major networks (and that is another long nightmare story) they never mentioned the tuner. We wanted to be able to record our favorite shows, and to be able to do that they wanted us to purchase the "distant network package".That was another $13.00 per month I believe in addition to our normal monthly satellite bill. We did that for a while and then we learned about the tuner.

I feel there may be some confusion here. The "network package" allows reception of network stations/feeds from satellite signal. The AM21 does nothing more than integrate your OTA antenna with your DirecTV DVR.

In other words, even with the AM21 you MUST be receiving the local network stations on your OTA antenna in order to view. You could then be watching these stations even if you did not own a satellite receiver. The ONLY advantage to using the AM21 is that it allows you to record these OTA channels on your DirectTV DVR.

No hacks, no new channels, no cost savings.....just a convenience.

docj wrote:

Learjet wrote:
seems like I've used the AM21 during rain fade?

Using the AM21 requires a satellite connection during setup so the receiver can download the local channels for wherever you are. I believe that once that list has been loaded it doesn't really matter what happens to the satellite signal.

My complaint with the AM21 was that it required a satellite connection in the first place. I don't watch OTA TV unless we're in a place where we can't get satellite so I was forever having to disconnect the AM21 so I could directly connect the antenna to the TV. Another issue with it is that the list of local channels DTV provides through the device are not necessarily all the channels in your area, but you can't add to their list.

We have DNS service and hardly ever watch local channels; if we want local news or weather we use the internet. Eventually, I decided the AM21 was a couple of pounds of stuff I could be rid of and I tossed it.

good info, I should have also said that use the AM21 at home with my DVR, not in the RV.

Learjet wrote:
seems like I've used the AM21 during rain fade?

Using the AM21 requires a satellite connection during setup so the receiver can download the local channels for wherever you are. I believe that once that list has been loaded it doesn't really matter what happens to the satellite signal.

My complaint with the AM21 was that it required a satellite connection in the first place. I don't watch OTA TV unless we're in a place where we can't get satellite so I was forever having to disconnect the AM21 so I could directly connect the antenna to the TV. Another issue with it is that the list of local channels DTV provides through the device are not necessarily all the channels in your area, but you can't add to their list.

We have DNS service and hardly ever watch local channels; if we want local news or weather we use the internet. Eventually, I decided the AM21 was a couple of pounds of stuff I could be rid of and I tossed it.

gotsmart wrote:
Amazon link. It says that it is a product from DirecTV

It is a Directv product. My point was that after many rounds with Directv about receiving the major networks (and that is another long nightmare story) they never mentioned the tuner. We wanted to be able to record our favorite shows, and to be able to do that they wanted us to purchase the "distant network package".That was another $13.00 per month I believe in addition to our normal monthly satellite bill. We did that for a while and then we learned about the tuner.

Amazon link. It says that it is a product from DirecTV

seems like I've used the AM21 during rain fade?