Large Directional Antenna with Pre-Amp - Page 3

RaRaLew · 05-29-2009, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piggie

What part of town do you live in and what antenna do you use?

Hi,

I live in the center of Quincy. My latitude and longitude are 42.251889, and -71.021697 (if that helps).

Right now I'm using a converter box (TIVAX STB-8) with an indoor
RCA ANT111. I know this antenna won't pick up digital TV as I've already lost some channels. I think I need to get an outdoor antenna, but I'm so confused by those maps. Although, I definitely "get it" now that I shouldn't use AntennaWewb.org. at all.

RaRaLew · 05-29-2009, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HTNut

Are any of the channels VHF or are they mostly UHF?

Violet Sector channels are pretty tough and I mostly see the Channel Master 4228 8 bay recommended at a good mounting height, and a preamp is a must with a Winegard AP 8275 or Channel Master Titan 777.

Actually more channels are VHF, but I watch UHF too. I'd like to get one antenna for both.

cowboyup4christ · 05-29-2009, 11:59 AM

for both I recommend a two antenna set up which will give you the best performance, see Cowboys deep fringe prescription in this tread.

Piggie · 05-29-2009, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowboyup4christ

the two YA-1713 should be 8ft apart from most people I know that stack these antennas you can also gang them side by side.

I tried everything from 5 ft (60 inches), I tried 50 inches and was better than 60 inches. Just a few days ago I moved them to 40 inches per Winegard engineering (and other books I read and people in other forums that know a lot more about antennas than I do).

Sure enough, 40 inch separation, they now really work. It even gave me a new station in the daytime, WJCT. It as there before but always in and out.

8 ft from everything I have read would be too far. That would be 1 1/3 wavelengths at center of the band. Granted I didn't try that much separation, but I now have a station I didn't have on either one antenna or other separations, until I tried 40 inches. Which is about 2/3 of a wave length.

Piggie · 05-29-2009, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RaRaLew

Hi,

I live in the center of Quincy. My latitude and longitude are 42.251889, and -71.021697 (if that helps).

Right now I'm using a converter box (TIVAX STB-8) with an indoor
RCA ANT111. I know this antenna won't pick up digital TV as I've already lost some channels. I think I need to get an outdoor antenna, but I'm so confused by those maps. Although, I definitely "get it" now that I shouldn't use AntennaWewb.org. at all.

I will come back, edit this post and answer your questions later tonight after I get off work. Gotta head to the restaurant.

staticMHZ · 05-29-2009, 05:27 PM

You have LOS line of sight for almost everything around here so an indoor antenna should do you fine at that distance. Consider the Terk HDTVi (non amped). All of the boston market stations are green for you. 11-12 miles you can get away with indoors. Just gotta find something that works.

Don't bother with WZMY, they are only running 7.3kW on UHF. It's so weak it doesn't even make it through the same town the studio is in. (NH)

The main band for our area is UHF. I only know of 2 stations for boston that will be VHF and those are the weak zero audience independent station from Norwell, MA and WHDH in needham.

Piggie · 05-29-2009, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piggie

I will come back, edit this post and answer your questions later tonight after I get off work. Gotta head to the restaurant.

I am back.

I am really surprised you can't pick up everything there on your RCA ANT111. Your signals are very strong. TV Fool

You will have only one VHF I can see after transition. WHDH-DT.

StaticMhz, you are about to get in the "Hidden Transition" I have been talking and warning about. The "Hidden Transition" is the one not talked about, hence it's name. It is a town, like Boston, where many even more so in the know have got their home all set for OTA digital, probably a year or more ago. Then comes June 13th, and you can't find WHDH on the dial. NBC is missing. Is it off the air?

No they moved to VHF. Now is one is close enough, they can probably get enough signal from their UHF antenna system to pull in WHDH on RF channel 7 in digital. But then many farther away or weaker signals will find their UHF antenna is not enough to pull in NBC. They will have to rethink their antenna, after assuming for the last year or more they were ready for the transition!

That is the hidden transition. I would call NBC a not a minor station on VHF.

=======

But what ever stations you want to get. I myself like enough NBC to plan a system to receive it.

=======

Back to the subject of her antenna.

Stephanie, I stand my my suggestions of using more than a set top antenna, but nothing big. Getting the antenna outside or up in the attic will keep pictures stable when someone moves in the room and under more conditions. But it won't take much of an antenna.

If you wish to put the antenna outside this would be a small easy one to either put on a small pole attached to the house or not. It could also be mounted on a J-pipe or sometimes called J-Pole.
Winegard HD-1080 2-Bay Bowtie UHF and High Band VHF Antenna (HD-1080) | HD-1080 [Winegard]

If you have much of an attic at all, it might be a lot easier to put this on in the attic. Just pointed west. You could hang it from the rafters with some good string or light rope. Or set in on boxes or anything not metallic.
AntennaCraft HBU22 22 Element High-Band VHF UHF Outdoor HDTV Antenna (HBU22) | HBU22 [AntennaCraft]

The hardest thing with an attic mount is getting the coax from the antenna to the set through the ceiling. But there are plenty of people here to help you which ever setup you choose.

RaRaLew · 05-29-2009, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piggie

From your address you are not in a weak zone at all, unless you are trying for stations way out of town.

Here is the TVFool plot I found down to the road level

TV Fool

Unless Churchill Road is very long , this plot says you would probably use rabbit ears to pick up the Boston station.

Do you live between Furnace Brook Golf Course and the North Commons? If so then the plot above is correct. I looked up the road on Google Maps then plotted the Lat/Long and got the same TVFool plot as above.

Post transition you will have one VHF station, which is NBC WHDH on RF channel 7 back where they were before they temp were on UHF for DTV.

Even at 10 miles and them running 29.KW, unless you live in a metal building, like a trailer or metal walls, I would think even rabbit ears would pick this up.

Now if you want a more stable signal without the rabbit ears getting bumped and having to adjust them, you could put up a small outside antenna.

With the levels on the chart above you should never run an amp, it will overload with strong signals.

AntennaCraft HBU22 22 Element High-Band VHF UHF Outdoor HDTV Antenna (HBU22) | HBU22 [AntennaCraft]
Winegard HD-1080 2-Bay Bowtie UHF and High Band VHF Antenna (HD-1080) | HD-1080 [Winegard]
Channel Master CM2016 HDTV VHF High Band and UHF Antenna (CM2016) | CM2016 [Channel Master]

I didn't put them in order because a lot of things determine which to buy.

The HBU22 is the best antenna overall in the group, but requires pole mount unless you can get a j-pole above the roof line. But it can go in the attic nicely at your distance

The CM2016 has the best UHF gain, but is in the middle on VHF, but it can be j-pole mounted to a wall at your distance

The HD1080 is the weakest, but smallest most compact. It has poor VHF, but your VHF is strong where you live. It's UHF is enough also for Boston stations.

If you mount on a j-pole or a short mast below your roof line, you need to be on the west side of your house, and from the map that seems possible.

If I see the water tower, it's south of you? If that is it, then your mulitpath problems or blockage should not be bad, as it's off the side of any antenna you mount.

Any reflection off that tower might effect you the most on the HD1080, so you might want to drop that idea.

And if you only want Boston stations, then you don't need a rotor either, as they are all just a little north of west of your street.

If you need suggestions on how to mount it please chime back in, or tell us if any of the suggestions worked.

Hope your injury is better now also.

First, thanks for asking about my ankle. I had surgery on May 19th and I'm driving and walking, just no running yet.

I think I'm a little clearer about what I need to do. When I looked at my TVFool map, it appears that I may only need a small outdoor antenna. Whew! I can just see myself on my roof, trying to install a large directional antenna with pre-amp by myself. Not pretty.

The water tower Is 250' high and southeast of my house. URL="http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM1EHA"]http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM1EHA[/url] I'm only about 8 miles south of the city of Boston.

There are one or two stations I'd like to get that fall in the yellow area on TVFool, but they're not deal-breakers.

Here are my TVFool results:

My TV is on the east side of my house, but you recommend putting the antenna on the west, right? I can certainly do that.

Believe me, I don't get any of the stations that have gone digital with my TIVAX STB-8 converter and the RCA ANT111.

RaRaLew · 05-29-2009, 09:49 PM

Me too. I watch WHDH (NBC) all the time and I'd hate to lose it.

staticMHZ · 05-29-2009, 10:56 PM

At that distance you should have no problems getting it even after they change over. I watch WHDH all the time especially the THIS-TV subchannel they put on their.

But yeah, if you want more then whats in the green you'll have to get something outdoors.

Piggie - I'm near haverhill mass btw.


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