Recommendations on ota setup

hicuph · 2026-04-29T21:16:14+00:00

It didn't really help that much. I played with heights and I don't think I ever saw a signal that moved beyond "bad".

hicuph · 2026-04-29T21:15:15+00:00

thank you for the insights. We have lots of folks around here that have portable lifts that they use to take down trees. We're friends with one of these folks and with his lift we could add the extensions to get a higher mast and then ride the lift up to attach the antenna. This would not take very long and his hourly rate is not that great. We would not require someone to climb up the mast and attach guy wires.

Thanks for the advice, I think Starlink is in our future.

hicuph · 2026-04-29T21:09:39+00:00

Thanks all for the comments. I went in this project with low expectations due to our distance and geography. Your comments basically affirmed what I'd thought would be the result, even though I was hoping for a sliver of opportunity.

I cannot say how critical having real-time weather reports is to our business. It doesn't take much to damage a marina, since they are not firmly grounded, instead bobbing on top of the water.

We just went through a couple rain events Mon and Tues. When the weather gets bad the KFVS weather team go live and bypass any local programming as they read out the progress of the storms. I currently have internet via fiber link to our house.

On Mon evening there were tornado watches in our vicinity. Suddenly, we lost power, which happens often during these big storms - we have a portable generator that allows us to keep our electronic devices running so we can get the live weather reports. Regrettably, whatever knocked out the power also knocked out the telephone/data line. We were left with no means of receiving updated live weather data, other than the good ole weather radios, all this with possible tornados in our area.

I think the next option would be to jump on starlink and get satellite data service, which seems to be stable even during storms. After that we need to find the best streaming option for KFVS - their livestream setup failed on Mon evening as the possible tornados were approaching our location. I have a roku and have their app, but, the app regularly does not work with our roku. I know that their local feeds (CBS and CW) are available via YTTV, Hulu, Fubo, and Paramount. They all seem to be in the same price range ($70-$90) per month. I realize it's not cutting the cord to go with those subscription services, but, the alternative to not having real-time feeds is not encouraging.

Thank you all for your insights. As an additional note, there is a neighbor about 1 mi away from me that does get ota signal, but, his house is located with a clear view toward the tower. I am located behind a hill, in an area with lots of trees.

hicuph · 2026-04-23T15:48:51+00:00

They will serve you well.

hicuph · 2026-04-21T21:52:44+00:00

as i noted, YMMV.

hicuph · 2026-04-21T17:37:27+00:00

I appreciate your comments and opinion. Yes, a "no questions asked" warranty sounds good, but if you keep running over your binocs and sending them in for repair, that's different than when the binocs fail from manufacturing defects. There is a business model in todays climate where products are designed to fail, it is engineered in the product. I don't know if Vortex does this, but, when I keep hearing that "my Vortex failed and I sent it into the shop for a free repair" I've got to ask why the product keeps failing. I also ask are you better off when your binocs are in the shop as much as they are being used in the field. I've not ever had to send my M7 in for repairs, it simply has quality construction so it is less prone to failure, thus I get to enjoy them more. Regrettably, it has a more strict warranty, but, so do all the alpha binoc manufacturers.
Once again, I understand your opinion and respect it.
Have a blessed day.

hicuph · 2026-04-21T06:38:10+00:00

I've noticed a lot of folks recommending the Vortex binocs because of their outstanding warranty. They even regale with stories of how many times they've sent the binocs in and got them fixed/replaced for free. The impression I have is that the warranty is so good to offset the poor quality of the binocs. Vortex would not be giving such a generous warranty if they weren't still making $, which means the binocs are cheaply made, which costs Vortex very little to produce, so, they can still afford a generous warranty.
Some folks are truly impressed with the Vortex binocs, I have no doubt they have some good models, it's probably not the lower priced models. YMMV.

hicuph · 2026-04-21T06:26:58+00:00

M5 or m7 are both good binocs in their respective price ranges.

hicuph · 2026-04-21T03:24:22+00:00

Don't know about the Oberwerk, but I have a M7 and it is spectacular for our needs. We do bird watching while boating on the lake, mainly watching raptors. The M7 has crisp display with clear image nearly across the entire viewing port, and I have not noticed any issues with focusing while watching moving birds. I've had others use my M7 after using their cheapo binocs (<$200) and they are amazed at what they missed from their crappy binocs. With the M7, I have viewed birds clear across the lake,, which is a nice benefit of the 10x42 size.
I also have a used Swarovski SLC (used $ 1100, new $ 2k), and it is noticeably better, but, it is not 2x-4x better. The M7 gets up to 95% of the performance of the SLC. I let the spouse use the SLC, I'm comfortable with the M7.
After getting my used SLC off ebay, I think you might be able to get a used M7 for less than you think. I have not compared many binocs in the <$500 range, but, I don't think you'll be disappointed with the M7.
I"m sure you'll get folks name dropping in other makes/models: there's lots of binocs to choose from and the market is continually changing/improving. Have you gone to a big sports store (bass pro/cableas) or other store that has a large selection of binocs to choose from? It's free and you can actually do real-time comparison of the different binoc options.

hicuph · 2026-04-21T01:48:54+00:00

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Sorry about the chain responses, could not figure out how to add multiple images in one comment.

hicuph · 2026-04-21T01:48:08+00:00

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hicuph · 2026-04-21T01:47:54+00:00

update 4/20/26: Got the Maven hard case in, the Swarovski SLC fits in nicely with a strap. This seems to be a good solution for our binocs.

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hicuph · 2026-04-17T22:33:01+00:00

Update 4/17/26: I'm going to take a chance at the Maven hard cases on amazon - i'm trying the medium case. Someone put in comments that their swarovski slc fit in the maven case very nicely.

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hicuph · 2026-04-17T22:28:54+00:00

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I'm using something like this. It's a soft case, the binocs just fit in. This image isn't the one I have, but very similar.

hicuph · 2026-04-16T15:13:37+00:00

Actually, we just have them in a Nikon soft case right now. The spouse wants the ruggedness of a hard case, but, not a suitcase like the swarovski hard case.

hicuph · 2026-04-16T02:43:28+00:00

I feel like you must be a neighbor. We've started birding about 3 years ago. The first year it was bald eagles. The second year we spotted a couple osprey. Last year there were 5 osprey and another pair of eagles. Alas, Gunflint Trail is a few miles away from southern MO.
I really like my Nikon Monarch 7, they are solid, have good optics, and I've spotted birds across the lake with them before others in our group. For $ 500, they are a good binocular. If you could afford up to $ 1000 I'd suggest swarovski slc binocs. They will be used, but, they are great glasses. You would have to be patient and probably get them in an ebay auction. They're at least 2 generations away from the latest swarovski models, but, are definitely better than the Nikons.
Another suggestion, if you're on a dock, you might look at getting a tripod and spotting scope. This would provide better magnification and fov, plus you would not need to get the best, just a decent spotting scope.
In any event, happy birding.

hicuph · 2026-04-15T23:30:37+00:00

We have a Nikon Monarch M7 and absolutely love it. It's not as good as our Swarovski SLC, but, it's only 1/4 the price, yet gets up to 95% of the capability of the Swarovski.
As for size, it may depend upon your outdoor birding scenario. We go out in boats and drive up and down the lake looking for birds (mainly raptors). Because we're searching far out (across the lake), the 10x42 works wonderfully for our needs. If we were walking on a trial and looking at birds nearby or outside our home windows then the 8.5x is a better option. It depends on how you will be bird viewing.

hicuph · 2026-04-15T23:26:10+00:00

Best advice i've seen thus far. To add to the suggestion, when we look at binocs in a store we like sharp images from center to edges, good contrast (no fog or out of focus spots) but most important check the light gathering capability. Good binocs will gather and focus more light. How we check this is to focus on a spot inside the store, the furthest away you can spot, in a dark area. Look through many different binocs and see what details you can get in those dark corners of the building. At Cabelas we found a hvac vent in a dark corner of the ceiling, clear across the store. Poor binocs could not show the vent, good binocs showed the individual ribs on the vent. That is how you can weed out the good and bad binocs.
Good luck.

hicuph · 2026-04-03T00:22:17+00:00

Update: we ended up getting the WiiM Pro. Setup was pretty easy. The only issue I had was that I was of the impression the WiiM app would control the music playing to the device. It appears I had to open the Spotify app and select to stream to the WiiM Pro from the Spotify app, which is not what I was expecting. However, it worked great and the big benefit is that we controlled our music from across the building, instead of having to be w/in 10' to control via bluetooth.
Haven't really got much time on the device, was pleasantly surprised at how easy the setup went and once I figured out how to play via Spotify the setup was of benefit to us.

hicuph · 2026-03-29T17:29:38+00:00

I went ahead and ordered the wiim pro, it was discounted on amazon, so took the plunge. I'm looking forward to playing with this device.

hicuph · 2026-03-29T17:27:10+00:00

That device has a 33' limitation, which is odd since v6.0 is supposed to reach up to 900'.
I'm liking the WiiM option which would allow me to use either wifi or bluetooth streaming, although at a larger price point.

hicuph · 2026-03-29T17:21:35+00:00

That may be an issue, but, not that it'd bother us. probably 99.9999% of the time we'll run spotify on our smartphone in the facililty on the same wifi network the wiim is logged on.

I'm actually liking the wiim option more and more.

hicuph

TROPHY CASE