tellspk

Hi:

I am missing some of the local channels that I was hoping to see with my setup. I would really appreciate if you have some input here.

Following is my setup

TV: Sony trinitron analog TV
Antenna: Terk HDTVa Indoor Amplified High-Definition Antenna for Off-Air HDTV Reception
Digital converter box: RCA STB7766C

I've tried the double reset method to erase memory in the converter box and it did not help as well.

Following is the tvfool.com reception guide for my area. Of this I am able to get a few channels. The channels I was hoping to see were the ones in the yellow band - these are the abc, nbc, cbs ones. Can someone please guide me here?

http://tinyurl.com/yajdw8t

Best,
SPK

Don_M

The key at the bottom of the report says it all: Stations listed in the yellow zone are generally too weak to be received with an indoor antenna. Here are some possibilities:

• Do you have access to an attic? Try putting the HDTVa up there on a long coax cord, as long as you're able to get house current to it as well. Higher is usually better.

• Do you have a balcony that faces generally westward? An antenna mast could be clamped to a railing spoke, with an antenna mounted on top. A flat coax cable allows one to snake the antenna cable through a window or door frame without drilling holes. (As long as you own or have a leasehold on the premises to which the balcony is attached, there's a federal regulation that says you can do this regardless of what an HOA or landlord thinks about it. Be aware that they can require you to insure it in case it falls and damages property or injures someone, among other things.)

With either of these options, a compact outdoor antenna such as the Winegard HD-7694P should work reasonably well.

• If neither of these options is possible, extend your current antenna's coax cable and place it by a window. That should help, particularly if it has a view to the west. To extend the cable, use an additional length of coax and splice it to the antenna's cable using a barrel connector. They look like this:

cost less than a couple of bucks and should be available in most places that sell coax cable.

tellspk

Thanks so much for the pointer Don.

I looked at few other websites. I am in bellevue, WA. I am able to receive all the channels that are east of my location - channels transmitted from Issaquah, WA - which are numbered as 50, 33, 44, 42. I am not receiving any of the channels from the west.

My house is located on the top floor of the north east corner of my apartment complex. So getting a line-of-sight to the west from the inside of my apartment is not possible.

I am wondering if I get an outdoor antenna - how tall should I host it for it to pick up these channels? Is it enough if they just clear the roof of my apartment? (this itself will be a tough ask on me ). Anything else that I could try?

Thanks!

Don_M

The antenna should be several feet above the roof, and you'd also want to make sure it's not pointing at any common rooftop components like metal vents or large air handlers in steel enclosures. Anything metal would block the signals.

If the building has a flat roof, try asking the owner/manager for permission to put the antenna on a tripod mount on top of the roof, with the cable slung over the edge toward your balcony. They probably won't go for screwing the legs into the roof, so secure the tripod to a sizable sheet of plywood instead, and weigh down the panel with sandbags, cinder blocks or the like to keep the assembly from toppling or flying off the roof. Promising to remove it at the end of your tenancy would be wise as well.

If this isn't possible, the remaining alternative would be "lifeline" cable service (Comcast used to call it "limited basic") that includes local broadcasts. Most cablecos pass HD broadcasts over their systems. The monthly price of "lifeline" is regulated, so it costs maybe $20 a month in most places.