dgs

I got a new "balun" from Radio Shack and replaced the one with the broken insulation. Although the wire looked intact, all the monkeying around with the antenna was starting to take its toll and the wires were starting to break. Nevertheless, I think the electrical connection was sufficient and replacing the balun had no effect on my signal. I also adjusted tilt and azimuth with my wife watching the signal meter and could not get any improvement.

Just for kicks, I got a $5 bowtie antenna while I was at Radio Shack to see how it would do. I connected it directly to the DTV converter in the kitchen. My signal on 43.1 (40) jumped to a watchable 55! However, I lost two other channels at 13.1 (13) and 46.1 (46). 46 is my second worst channel and I could probably stand to lose it, but 13 is PBS and we've gotta have that.

I also discovered something new about the channel lineup. I thought 9.1 was broadcasting on 39, since that's what tvfool showed. Since it was my strongest signal, I couldn't understand why I was losing the adjacent 43.1 (40). Well it turns out that 9.1 is actually broadcasting on 9 and 9.2 is on 39! 39 is watchable, but the signal is not as strong as 9.

All this brings me to my next round of thoughts. I was so impressed with the difference in UHF reception on the cheap bowtie, that I'm thinking my old yagi just doesn't have what it takes in the UHF range for the attic installation. The UHF stations were always a problem for me and the main reason I added the amp. Since I'd rather buy a new antenna for the attic than move my existing one outside, I'm thinking about trying that first. If it doesn't work well in the attic, it will be a lower profile installation on my chimney and will look better than anything I can come up with for the old yagi. Any suggestions for an antenna that will work well in an attic? My lowest real broadcast frequency is channel 7 and I've read claims that multiple bay UHF antennas also typically get the Hi VHF.

I could also combine a new UHF antenna with my yagi, but I'm not sure how to do that properly. I have plenty of room in my attic to add antennas, but my outside options are limited. Any final thoughts before I pull the trigger on a new antenna?