Z Max - is it good to use?

[Stuart F.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

I picked up two units with my allotted coupons just to have the antenna capable in case the next hurricane knocks out the cable. It happened in 05 for a while, and I would miss the great TV weather reporting here that can pin point a Tornado's path to the minute. I watched it so on TV and went out to verify it twice. They were right on. That kind of accuracy helps you live your life here. You know exactly how many more slugs you can take on your beer bottle before you have to duck.

Stu Fox

[Duke W.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

Duke, You are gonna be out of commission with the rabbit ears shortly my friend.
I did get a couple of TV converter box coupons worth 40 buks each but they expired one month ago. visit www.DTV2009.gov
for nice free coupon Duke. I have a TV for my little trailer that I guess I will need the rip off box for. JD

I'm WAAAAAY ahead of you!

I signed up for two coupons on the date the web site opened in early January 2008 - got them in March '08 and bought two RCA (DT8800?) converters from Walmart - net price out the door about 15 bucks each. (Had to pay sales tax on the approximate $50 price then got $40 off.) These converters are nice because the remote can be programmed to control TV on/off and volume, so I only need the TV remote to alter picture parameters, like brightness and contrast, which is rare.

Currently in LA all the DTV channels are on UHF, so all I need to get perfect reception are the two-dollar "bowtie" antennas from Radio Shack that I've had for 30 years. With these converters my two late nineties analog TVs (13" in the office and 19" in the bedroom) yield what is basically a perfect analog signal - absolutely no noise/interference at all. I was amazed!

Meanwhile in Feb. '08 I bought a new 32" HDTV for the living room and it's receiving perfect HDTV on a third antenna, as above.

Because all the LA DTV stations are currently broadcasting in the UHF spectrum I don't need "rabbit ears", which are tuned to the VHF spectrum. When the final switch to DTV and the new spectrum allocation occurs on June 12 (I was really POed that it was delayed from Feb.) I may need a new antenna configuration.

The "low VHF" sprectrum, channels 2-6, 54-88 MHz, is going away as is the upper end of the UHF spectrum, channels 52-69, 698-806 MHz . Several local/network stations (including ABC and Fox) will then move their digital HD signal to their original old high VHF frequencies, which are now still broadcasting SD analog.

The narrowing of the broadcast spectrum (Ch. 7-13, 174-216 MHz, and Ch. 14-51, 470-698 MHz will remain) will change the optimum antenna design. In fact, the Radio Shack bowtie might pick up DTV in the VHF spectrum okay. I won't know until the change happens and I can test.

I have not seen a commercially available indoor or outdoor antenna that is tuned to the new spectrum, and if I can't find one, I'll just make my own. The dimensions for simple half wavelength dipole antenna can be had from a simple formula (L= 468/f, where L is the tip to tip length in feet and f is the highest frequency in MHz).

Two dipoles may be necessary - one for the new UHF Ch. 14-51 spectum and one for the VHF Ch. 7-13 spectrum. I'll find out.

There is a good Web site that has all the data on the new channel allocation along with signal power. In fact, you can input your address and determine actual signal strength at your location.

www.tvfool.com

You can get perfect DTV reception with a relatively weak signal - one that would be lousy on analog TV - about -70 dBm or even worse. Also, if you don't have line of sight, orient the antenna to receive a reflected signal. (The analysis tells you if you're line of sight or refraction/reflection.)

Also, in my case - stucco house - the wire mesh under the stucco acts as a reflector because the mesh dimension is less than the signal wavelength, so my antenna has to face a window, and from that orientation (about 90 degrees left of the TV tower azimuths, 35 miles away on Mt. Wilson) I get a reflected signal from the stucco houses on the rise above me to the west.

Duke

[John H.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

Here's a link you WON'T find on the Z-Max website - it's to their consent decree with the Federal Trade Commission related to false advertising; as they continue to violate it, the FTC has since filed another order, which is currently in litigation.

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2001/02/zmax1.shtm

When you sell a product for 300-500 times what it costs to make it, you have LOTS of money to spend for sucker marketing and infomercials, and the cost for lawyers to fend off the FTC is statistically insignificant; think the "Tornado", the "nuclear-magnetic clamp-on fuel molecule straightener", "Slick-50", ad nauseam.

[Dick W.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

"Poor" old Bruton Smith is getting hit from all sides, he fell from the billionaires list, auditors issued a "growing concern" advisory on Sonic Automotive, and now the FTC. He will slither out of this as he has done many times in the past, including RICO charges about 25 years ago.

[Dale S.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

Things can not be to good at the Tracks if he has to resort to hawking snake oil. dale

[Michael A.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

I have a 71 small block (all stock) with 270 HP. The engine has 64/K miles on it. I've been seeing Z Max advertised more and more. Is this product safe to use on older engines? Does anyone else use it or have any thoughts?

Thanks,
Greg

Greg -
This is what you gotta love from this TDB. From your question about an additive it goes from Snake Oil to Rock & Roll to TV Critique to Digital TV to the prince of the evil empire (Carroll Shelby) to the Legal System and finally back to Snake Oil.

Thanks to all the contributors for giving me a good chuckle to start my morning. The scary thing is I could follow the thread AND it seemed very logical. You guys are the best.

I think I'm going to go out now and diagnose a miss in my 66 SB and remove the hardtop from my BMW. Heck I may even throw caution to the wind and put the summer tires and wheels back on. It's a beautiful sunny day here in Illinois. I love spring!!!

Cheers
Mike

[Stuart F.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

Michael;

Is it true that the're going to hire your former Governor Blogo to hawk the stuff from his Fed prison cell?

Ha! I can say these things as an Illinois escapee living in Florida.

Stu Fox

[Jay G.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

Heck, quit watching TV completely. The only thing I watch is PBS Nova, Frontline, and some of the concerts (HD over the air with a two-dollar Radio Shack antenna).

Get your news from the Internet, and you don't have to sit through a bunch of fluff.

Rather than TV I listen to music - right now Jimi Hendrix' "All Along the Watchtower" is playing. Grand Funk Railroad's "Closer to Home" is up next followed by The Alan Parson's Project's "The Tell-Tale Heart" - the all time best hard rock tune ever produced!

Classic rock goes great with classic cars. Anyone got a light?

Duke

Got me thinkin about the concerts we seen over the years. I was a stringer photographer for both Don Law Productions and Cross Country Concerts 70'-early 90's When the music got to "Boys to Men. Brittinay Spears" I left. Glad we grew up when we did . Saw the best performances from Clapton to ZZ top. Started when my then girlfriend got tickets to Harrison's Bangledesh Aug 71 Concert. We muscled our way up to the stage with our old 1965 Nikon F. Being a 19yr ol kid with hair down middle of our back didn't hurt. It both Opened and Closed doors. Just ol and in the way guy remenising now. Still crank up Sammy Can't Drive 55 when we take out the muscle cars.

[Michael A.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

If Blago hawks this stuff from prison, he'll probably sell a ton of it in Illinois. This is the state stupid enough to elect him not just once, but TWICE!!!

It's time we change the motto on our license plates from LAND OF LINCOLN to ILLINOIS - WHERE OUR GOVERNORS MAKE OUR PLATES.

Stu, be sure to enjoy your sunny Florida...... and keep an eye on the Weather Channel!

Cheers,

[Michael A.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

Got me thinkin about the concerts we seen over the years. I was a stringer photographer for both Don Law Productions and Cross Country Concerts 70'-early 90's When the music got to "Boys to Men. Brittinay Spears" I left. Glad we grew up when we did . Saw the best performances from Clapton to ZZ top. Started when my then girlfriend got tickets to Harrison's Bangledesh Aug 71 Concert. We muscled our way up to the stage with our old 1965 Nikon F. Being a 19yr ol kid with hair down middle of our back didn't hurt. It both Opened and Closed doors. Just ol and in the way guy remenising now. Still crank up Sammy Can't Drive 55 when we take out the muscle cars.

Jay - What a great job to have in the golden days of rock and roll. I just hope your body has survived the "Magical Mystery Tour" that was the 70's. Do you have any of your pictures from those day to share? It would be a hoot to see some of them.

I sure enjoy cranking the classic rock in my 66 and hitting the highway. Thank goodness we have moved beyond the 8 Track. An iPod loaded with great music, an open road, the top down and my favorite date beside me creates all sorts of possibilities.

Keep driving & keep rocking!

[Jack U.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

I just went to the Zmax website and Carroll Shelby is endorsing the product.

My opinion of him just went down.

[Duke W.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

If Blago hawks this stuff from prison, he'll probably sell a ton of it in Illinois. This is the state stupid enough to elect him not just once, but TWICE!!!

It's time we change the motto on our license plates from LAND OF LINCOLN to ILLINOIS - WHERE OUR GOVERNORS MAKE OUR PLATES.

Stu, be sure to enjoy your sunny Florida...... and keep an eye on the Weather Channel!

Cheers,

For the first time in memory, another state - in this case Illinois - has become the butt of more jokes than California.

But I think the best recent example of stupidity is Seattle's decision this past winter to not salt the roads (during their once a decade major snow storm) because they didn't want to "pollute Puget Sound".

Duke

[Stuart F.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

How about their recent ban on Cascade dish washing soap? Guess it is just illegal to sell it and not yet to use it. So, everyone is crossing the border to Idaho to smuggle some in. Wait until the State catches up to that and start jailing people for washing their dishes!

Stu fox

[Duke W.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

Yeah, I heard about that. I think it was just in the eastern part of the state - Spokane.

I have a buddy to wants to move to Washington to escape CA taxes and other buffonery. WA has no income tax, but the tree huggers are in control. Oregon, too.''

Duke

[Dick W.]

Re: Z Max - is it good to use?

Things can not be to good at the Tracks if he has to resort to hawking snake oil. dale

Look at the price of Speedway Motor Sports stock. Check the price a year ago