Are you a TV antenna fan? I don’t blame you. Most areas have over 50 different channels available that are not carried by any satellite or cable service. Generally all it takes is a TV antenna to receive these signals for free. But, reception is only one part of the package, at least here in the 2020s. You really want to have all your channels accessible in the same guide, and be able to record from those over-the-air sources.
DIRECTV’s Local Channel Connector
The image you see at the top of this article is DIRECTV’s Local Channel Connector. It was manufactured in a very small quantity in early 2018. It does exactly what you want, as long as you can find one and as long as you have compatible hardware. The LCC was a replacement for the DIRECTV AM21, made in 2008, which did the same thing for older receivers.
The purpose of the LCC was clear: to act as a hedge against channel blackouts. It’s always been designed as an option for people who are in the middle of a long channel blackout, such as the one caused by Nexstar. In a case like that, DIRECTV reps will offer the LCC to customers who call complaining about losing their favorite channel. It’s often supplied at no cost to the customer.
Using the LCC
For those who can use the LCC, setup is easy. Connect it to an antenna, to power and the USB port on a compatible DIRECTV box. It’s detected automatically, there’s a process where it determines where you are and gets guide data. Within about 15 minutes, you’re all set.
In order to use the LCC, you must have one of the following devices:
- 2-tuner HD DVR models HR21, HR22, HR23, HR24 (HR20 is unsupported but generally works)
- 5-tuner Genie DVR models HR44, HR54 (HR34 is unsupported but generally works)
- Single-tuner receivers models H21, H23, H24, H25
Note that if you have a supported Genie DVR, connecting the LCC to the DVR also supplies over-the-air TV to the client boxes.
No Genie 2?
That’s right, there is no support for Genie 2. Genie 2 uses a different set of drivers than older Genies, and there never has been support for an over-the-air adapter. Genie 2 has always been intended as a simplified system without extra black boxes. That’s probably why there’s no support for this particular black box.
DIRECTV has always hesitated when it comes to over-the-air support. I suspect some of that has to do with their advertising platform, which serves ads to people watching channels over satellite. The platform doesn’t serve ads to over-the-air channels, so watching them could mean a loss of revenue for DIRECTV.
Where to get an LCC
Unfortunately, the Local Channel Connector is not available from Solid Signal. While we did sell the AM21 in the early ’10s, no DIRECTV dealer has been able to offer the Local Channel Connector. It’s only available by calling DIRECTV Customer Service. I hate sending people to any large call center, but in this case I don’t have a choice.
It’s my understanding that there are still a few LCCs available, although not every person in the call center may not know about them. The best thing you can hope for, long term, is that the channel blackout which caused you to seek out that LCC ends quickly.
