Combination UHF for Fringe reception.

bfults · 05-24-2009, 07:46 AM

Here is the deal. I live by TIVO and can not use a rotor I need to get all channels in clean all the time with no antenna rotation. My CBS/ABC/FOX channels are all 120 degrees from each other and the NBC is VHF. So no problem on NBC, but what I need is to Combine 3 directional UHF antennas to get my CBS/ABC/FOX stations. The only thing that I found that was close is the “Winegard CC-7870” I was thinking of ordering 3 of these and chaining them, but that seems like a mess and I imaging that there are other problems that will crop up.

I can’t believe that I am the only person with this problem, but I have put in a lot of research time and have been unable to come up with any type of answer.

Thanks for any help.

Piggie · 05-24-2009, 08:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfults

Here is the deal. I live by TIVO and can not use a rotor I need to get all channels in clean all the time with no antenna rotation. My CBS/ABC/FOX channels are all 120 degrees from each other and the NBC is VHF. So no problem on NBC, but what I need is to Combine 3 directional UHF antennas to get my CBS/ABC/FOX stations. The only thing that I found that was close is the “Winegard CC-7870” I was thinking of ordering 3 of these and chaining them, but that seems like a mess and I imaging that there are other problems that will crop up.

I can’t believe that I am the only person with this problem, but I have put in a lot of research time and have been unable to come up with any type of answer.

Thanks for any help.

Many other problems will crop up. Combining that many antennas get to between something called insane to a real honest science project.

Lets approach this from another angle. There is a site that will give us the distance, signal strength, directions to each channel, there may actually be a one or two antenna solution for you out there that is not obvious yet.

Go to TV Fool

Click on the Start now, put in your address and post the link they provide here. It won't show your address to the world, just a nice radar type plot and listing of the stations near you.

Then if you could list the 4 stations you wish to receive by call sign if you know them as sometimes there are two close stations of the same network to some locations. If not list their virtual channel numbers.

Post it all back here I will take my best stab at an antenna solution.

bfults · 05-24-2009, 04:05 PM

TV Fool

Here is my VHF NBC KPLC-DT (Digital) Channel: 7 (7.1)

UHF

ABC KATC-DT (Digital) Channel: 28 (3.1)

CBS KALB-TV (Digital) Channel: 35 (5.2) <-- Not listed but Same tower as 5.1

FOX KVHP-DT (Digital) Channel: 30 (29.1) <-- Very poor reception form this tower (RF Map from tvfool show that they have a 3 lobe antenna and I am am in between to lobes.)

Lots of wrong information on this list as well. As far as I know. 10.1 is not there 12.1 Is not there. May be in the future but not now.

Piggie · 05-24-2009, 05:32 PM

TV Fool

VHF
NBC KPLC-DT RF07 (7.1) 57.9NM 136 deg

UHF
CBS KALB-TV RF35 (5.2) 33.0NM 56 deg
ABC KATC-DT RF28 (3.1) 34.3NM 109 deg
FOX KVHP-DT RF30 (29.1) 45.9MN 223 deg

What doesn't make sense but I believe because no map is perfect that
KVHP would be the weakest station.

I see one way to do it with two antennas. You may end up with a mulitpath problem or maybe not.

You would buy small VHF/UHF array and point it somewhere between KPLC and KATC in Lafayette. Then are 27 degrees apart, within the beam of say a HBU22.

Then take a Antennacraft U-4000 and don't unfold the reflector elements.

Take a Winegard CC 7870 2-Way Antenna Joiner Coupler and put the output of the HBU22 into the side that is power passive.

Then take the output of the U-4000 into a Winegard AP 4700 Chromstar 2000 Series UHF Pre Amplifier, then the output of the preamp into the active side of the CC 7870.

Then the output of the 7870 to the TV.

The idea behind not unfolding the reflector elements makes it pick up in two directions. Off the front and back. Then tend to still favor the front, so point the front at KVHP and it should pick up KALB off the back.

This is even deep in the experimental category. I know several people that live with stations in all directions and they have tried a lot of combination to get things to work.

All in all you are begging for a rotor but I understand the Tivo problem with a rotor. It's too bad Tivo doesn't make a model that has outputs to drive a remote control A/B switch, so it could switch between antennas as it recorded one channel or another. It would still not solve recording 2 channels at once.

Let me know if my idea makes sense.

The one thing I am not sure with saying KVHP is weak if you would need an 8 bay with the reflector not unfolded or removed. But with signals in the 30 range on NB (db), with an amp it should work. The Winegard 7870 combiner is made to run an amp through one side and not the other.

Then I hope that KATC is strong enough not to need an amp.

=====

I guess with you saying some stations are hard to get, you are using some kind of antenna now? If so what is it and where is it? And are you running an amp now?

bfults · 05-24-2009, 06:22 PM

Wow what an amazing post. I don’t normally post to forums because people don’t read your question and give stupid answers to questions that are not asked.

Well it is going to take some time to go over what you have here, thanks for the effort, let me see what I can come up with.

As of right now I am running a (New) C4 on my UHF
Antennas Direct | C4 ClearStream HDTV Antenna for the DTV Transition

and My VHF is the antenna I have been running for the last 8 years, its a VHF/UHF Long range thing its like 10 feet long I bought at Lowes.

With a UHF/VHF combiner
Antennas Direct | UHF / VHF Antenna Combiner from Antennas Direct


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