Nathan Sauser

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Cutting the Cord: Cancel DirecTV and setup streaming with OTA HDTV

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Do you pay too much for DirecTV? I’ve put together a tutorial based on my experience on cutting the cord and switching over to an HDTV antenna to pull over-the-air (OTA) channels for free. Our DirecTV bill was simply too expensive for the amount of TV we were watching so we decided to cut the cord and install an outdoor HDTV antenna on our house and started living my life without DirecTV.

Here’s a look at the finished product:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mandatory equipment needed:

  • HDTV Antenna – I purchased the RCA Outdoor Antenna with a 70-mile range for less than $50
  • RG6 Coaxial Cable – You will need cabling to run from your antenna to your connection in the house
  • Coaxial Cable Splitters – You will need these to replace any DirecTV splitters

 

Optional Cord Cutting equipment:

 

The first step in this process is to figure out what HDTV antenna you need. I’m going to walk you through the steps I used to replace my DirecTV with an outdoor HDTV antenna. You can also use a Mohu or similar antenna to capture HDTV channels from inside your house for one tv. The tutorial I’m going to walk you through will replace your DirecTV with an outdoor HDTV antenna. This should give you HDTV signal in every room with a coaxial outlet. DirecTV is different from basic cable because you need a box for every tv. If you previously had basic cable you should get tv in every room you previously had the tv in before.

First thing is first, you need to see what channels are available in your area. Head over to the TV Fool to use their HDTV signal detector. To enter your address, click the large “Click Here” in the middle of the page and you should be directed to a page where you can enter your address. If you will use an outdoor attic installation for your HDTV, you can also enter the height at which your antenna will be placed. The TV Fool tool will help you inform the range of HDTV antenna you’ll need.

 

Based on my location, this is the antenna that I purchased: RCA HDTV Antenna 70 mile range

The best approach, in my opinion, is to install your antenna close to your DirecTV dish since you know that is the line into the house and because of that, you know the signal will get to every room. Using the instructions that came with your antenna, find a safe location to install it on your house or roof. You should always be mindful of any large objects that might be on the path of receiving a strong signal. You can always move your antenna around to a different location and then just run coax cabling to the location where it enters your house.

 

Installing HDTV Antenna and removing DirecTV

Now it is time to head to your DirecTV dish and inspect the coaxial connection that comes from the dish. My DirecTV system was using the Single Wire Switch or SWM technology so unfortunately, I can’t speak to any other DirecTV technologies. Here is a picture of the SWM adapter that was coming from the DirecTV dish, note that it looks very much like a cable splitter.

SWM adapter coming from DirecTV dish
Note that this is a special SWM splitter from DirecTV and works only with a satellite signal.

You will want to understand where the different cables are going to from this SWM adapter. In my case, they were going to another box that was an original Cox cable installation for the house. I was able to identify that there was a ground wire that was existing already so I’m good there but here’s another resource on ground wires if you want to do more research.  I’m not an electrician and really didn’t want to mess much with what was already existing so I decided to just hook the antenna up to the existing cables to see what would happen and then I could diagnose any problems as they arise. Again, the house was already wired so in my mind all I’m doing here is just changing the source from satellite to antenna.

I was worried about signal loss throughout the house since I have no idea where other splitters could exist and don’t have an idea of the existing wiring in the house either. This is probably common sense but worth noting that the signal is strongest the closer you are to the antenna and the least amount of splits in the line as well.

My next step is to remove the DirecTV SMW adapter and replace it with my new Coaxial splitter. Use the coax cable from your HDTV antenna as the “in” source, and then use whatever cabling was attached to the “out” sources on your DirecTV SWM adapter as the “out” sources for the splitter. Once you have replaced the SWM adapter with the coaxial splitter then believe it or not but you’re almost done!

 

Steps for switching TVs from DirecTV to HDTV

Step 1: Remove DirecTV from your TV and hook coaxial cable directly to TV

Now that we have all of the connections completed, we need to see what comes in on your tv. I would recommend not starting with your family’s main tv but instead start with a tv in a spare room. The next step is to remove the DirecTV box from your TV. My TVs were all connected via HDMI cable, so I removed the HDMI plug from the back of the TV. Next, find the coaxial cable that runs from the wall outlet to the back of the DirecTV box and unscrew it from the DirecTV box. Once removed, find the cable connector on the back of your TV and screw the cable in.

Regular coaxial cable splitter
Ran the coaxial cable from the antenna to a new splitter. Then attached the coaxial cables from the SWM splitter to the new splitter.

Step 2: Find HDTV channels on your TV

The next step will be for your TV to catalog the new HD channels it is receiving. Since we all have different brand TVs, I recommend finding the remote that came with your TV, you can use your DirecTV remote if you programmed it to control your TV, but more on that later. With your remote, you need to access your TV’s menu, and from there you need to try to find a section that says “Tuner” and from there you might see the input as Cable, if you do, switch it to the “antenna” or “TV” input and complete a channel scan operation. If this hasn’t been of any help, you can Google “how to scan for HDTV channels for [insert brand of TV] TV”

How to find HDTV channels on a Vizio TV

Here are the basic instructions on how to find HDTV channels from an antenna source for Vizio TVs:

Press the Input button on the remote control and select “TV”.

Press the Menu button on the remote.

Select “Tuner” and press OK.

Check the “Tuner Mode” settings. It should say “Cable”. If it says “Antenna” press the left arrow button on the remote to change it to “Cable”.

Go to “Auto Channel Scan” and press the OK button on the remote.

Your TV will then scan for channels based on the signal strength. When the progress bar reaches 100% you will have access to all of the TV channels your TV receives.

Step 3: Watch free TV!

Scroll through the local channels you want and watch each of them for a few minutes. You’ll want to watch and see if the signal comes in strong and steady. If not, you may need to go back to your antenna and adjust the direction it is pointing. I spent about 30 minutes calibrating the antenna based on the various signal strengths I was receiving. When you are satisfied that you’ve found all of the channels you’re going to get, repeat this process for every TV.

I had one minor issue during my transition to HDTV. A TV in a bedroom was only getting half the channels that the others were getting. I thought it was a signal loss because this was our master bedroom and was the furthest point from the antenna.

When the DirecTV installers were at our house we had them run coax to an outlet so we could have a TV on our patio. Turns out they spliced the cable in this bedroom and there was a SWM adapter on the line! As I mentioned before the SWM adapters are for satellite signal only and it wasn’t allowing the HDTV signal to pass through. I replaced the SWM splitter with a standard splitter and reprogrammed the tv and I had all of the other channels my other TVs were receiving. At this point, I don’t really think I have any signal loss from point of entry to the TV furthest away.

SMW splitter inside house
SWM splitter that was attached to my bedroom TV. Once it was replaced with a regular splitter, the reception, and channel count both increased.

 

Final Thoughts and Tips

After completing the transition over to OTA HDTV it seems to me that the picture quality is better than DirecTV. It could be wishful thinking but I honestly believe it to be the case. I also thought that this process would be much more difficult than it really is. I really wish we had done this sooner because we do not miss DirecTV. It is also worth mentioning that if you have a family member who has DirecTV, you can also utilize their login to be able to stream content from various apps like ESPN, FoxSportsGo, HBONow, etc.

Cancelling DirecTV

So in my experience with canceling DirecTV, they only wanted 3 of the 6 units I had back. I find this to be quite disingenuous since they have no problem charging me equipment charges every month, but I digress . . . .

If they do not request back all of the equipment and you programmed your DirecTV remote to control your TV, you might as well keep the remote. No reason to return a universal remote since one of your TVs may need a new controller one day.

The process to cancel with DirecTV was pretty simple. They sent me the postage paid boxes to return the equipment they wanted and they sent me a prepaid Visa debit card for the balance left on my account. If they tell you that you can just cancel when your month is up, just say no and ask for a refund. This helps pay for your antenna and any other equipment you had to purchase.

Fully Cutting the Cord, How Much We Saved

HDTV Antenna on roof
An antenna attached to my roof getting over 40 HDTV channels over-the-air.

At the beginning of this tutorial, I had links to optional equipment if you want to add streaming to your TVs. We’ve been really happy with Roku devices as well as the Amazon Fire TV sticks. The way the current technology is, you will need a streaming device for every TV if you want to stream video. My math shows us way ahead over the next year even if we were to purchase a streaming device for every TV. We saved over $220 a month and over $2,400 a year by ending our relationship with DirecTV and installing an antenna. Please note that this tutorial was based on my specific setup. Please leave any comments or questions below.

Cold Smoking Cheese on Big Green Egg

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What follows is my method for cold smoking cheese on the Big Green Egg. As a kid I always liked smoked cheese, there’s something about the smokey flavor combined with your favorite cheese. Just a quick head’s up, once you finish smoking the cheese you will need to let it sit and cure for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. I’m just letting you know ahead of time because I know it was hard for me to get over but trust me it is well worth the wait! The key to smoking cheese is to keep the temperature inside your grill as low as possible while still creating a good amount of smoke.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Selecting the Cheese

I’ve cold smoked many different kinds of cheese from brie to cheddar to pepper jack. When starting out I recommend getting a couple 32 oz blocks of cheddar, monterrey jack, or pepper jack cheese. When using the 32 oz blocks, I usually cut them into 3 pieces. This makes decent size pieces that are easy to consume, and will also help when you get to the latter stage of this process and need to vacuum seal the cheese.

Another good cheese to use when starting out would be string cheese, just buy yourself the 12 pack and unwrap the pieces. I recommend these types of cheeses because they are aren’t particularly soft but are porous enough to accept the smoke.

Setting up the Smoker for Cold Smoking Cheese

Using my large Big Green Egg, I start with an empty chamber (no charcoal). I place the plate setter legs down inside the egg. Take the A-Maze-N pellet device and fill with apple wood pellets. Place the A-Maze-N smoker in the middle of the (upside down) plate setter. Grab your torch, light it, and place it in the end of the A-Maze-N smoker.

Setting the smoker up with pellets:

Setting up the Amazen Smoker for Cheese with Apple Pellets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using the torch to light the pellets:

Using the torch to light the pellets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Starting the fire:

Starting the fire!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depending on your torch you will want to burn the pellets for a few minutes so that there is a decent fire going in the pellets. Let the pellets burn for about 10 minutes to insure a good coal base has been started. Using thermal gloves (like a Pitt Mitt), grab the non-burning side of A-Maze-N, with the other hand remove the plate setter and then pace the A-Maze-N in the bottom of the Big Green Egg. Then put the plate setter in the Big Green Egg, legs up.

Now we’re cooking!

Apple pellets on fire for smoking

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In terms of the ventilation on the egg, close the lower vent to about an inch or less open. Put the daisy wheel on top of the egg and turn the wheel so the vent holes are about 1/3rd open. The goal here is to prevent is too much air flow through the chamber and the pellets catching fire. If the heat inside the egg gets over 100 degrees the cheese will start to melt. I’ve had this happen to me, the air flow was too great and the pellets caught fire and I had no idea until I lifted the top of the egg to find really soft blobs of cheese.

Cold Smoking Cheese: Cook Time

In terms of how long to smoke the cheese there’s no single answer for everyone. I live in Arizona so my temperature outside my Egg is frequently at 100 degrees before I even get started smoking. Very often when I’m smoking cheese, regardless of the season, I will usually smoke the cheese for 90 minutes to 2 hours. I will check the grill every 20 minutes to verify the temperature and ensure there haven’t been any pellet flare ups. While there is some science involved, I’ve found that smoking cheese is mostly an art form. You will end up with melted or soft cheese, it is just part of the learning process, don’t get discouraged. If you’re lucky you will end up with cheese that looks like this when you’re done:

Smoking cheese on the Big Green Egg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ll notice that I use a tiered rack and frog mats on the grates. The tiered rack allows you to smoke more cheese in one batch. Frog mats have been life savers when smoking cheese, they are coated so they won’t get ruined by the cheese and if you happen to melt some cheese, they clean off really easily. I highly recommend you get some frog mats as they also help keep the cheese off your greasy grates. I have a frog mat on the second tier and just used scissors to cut out a hole for the tiered rack center spindle, very easy to do and doesn’t damage the frog mats.

Finishing the Smoked Cheese: Vacuum Seal

As I mentioned at the outset of this tutorial, the most important part of this process is patience — you must have the patience to wait for 2 weeks for your cheese to cure. As a learning lesson, for the first time you smoke cheese, please cut a small bit off one of the blocks and eat it. Oddly enough it will taste like an ash tray. Now you’ll understand why we need to let the cheese cure for two weeks.

Pro tip: Remove the cheese from the Egg and place on a plate or cutting board. Whatever you do, resist the urge to put the cheese in the refrigerator to cool down. The smoke from the cheese will get into your fridge air filtration system and it will smell smokey for at least the next two weeks.

The last step in this process is to vacuum seal the cheese and let it sit for two weeks. I recommend that you write the date you smoked the cheese on the vacuum sealed package, it is much easier to know when the two weeks is up that way.

 

Cheese waiting to be vacuum sealed:

Cheese waiting to be vacuum sealed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The finished smoked cheese product:

Smoked Colby Cheese on Big Green Egg
 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you found this smoking cheese tutorial for the Big Green Egg helpful, let me know in the comments if you have any questions.

 

Disclosure: If there is a product that I like and it has an affiliate program, then I might link to that product using an affiliate link. By using an affiliate link it means that I might earn a commission on a product if you buy something through that link. This doesn’t cost you anything but I just wanted you to be aware.