James48

Think my bunny ears have seen their last days. I've gone to TVFool and here's my info:

TV Fool

My Insignia can't find WOGX or WNBW.

If anyone would be so kind to recommend a small indoor antenna preferably.

Don't know if this is important but the rabbit ears antenna I currently have connected is not powered. Should I just buy a amplifier or do they even make one for a antenna like this?

staticMHZ

the tvfool map you posted isn't for your actual address, you need to submit one with your actual address, don't worry, nobody here can see it, its hidden

James48

I don't care to share my address online with any site (be that with TV Fool or a government site), regardless if it's posted or not. Sorry.

Piggie

I used to live in Gainesville for along time and don't live that far away now. I watch WOGX, WCJB, WUFT and WGFL here in Orange Springs, FL. I have a Radio Shack U-75R at about 23 ft pointed toward town.

WOGX is possible on an indoor antenna in Gainesville but tricky.

Lots of people in Gainesville find they need at least the Silver Sensor to pull WOGX indoors in NW Gainesville. I think you are near the Glenn Springs area of town.

A better antenna for WOGX is the amplified Terk antenna. You can buy them locally I believe.

Now to the bugger of all buggers, WNBW. Some people say they get it on amplified rabbit ears and even one guy gets in on a Terk in NW I know about. But most people that watch WNBW from NW part of town have an outside antenna. WNBW hardly runs any power at all. It's a long story I recently revisited in the Gainesville thread a AVS. I know the chief engineer there and he gave me all their engineering specs so I can predict signals in different parts of town even better than TVFool, but just for that one station.

You are on about the 85 degree radial at about 15 miles from the WNBW tower. Currently they are running a directional antenna that doesn't favor Gainesville. They are going to remove it probably by the end of the year. It was there to protect WFTV channel 9 in Orlando, but they will be gone tomorrow, but it takes months to get approval and schedule an antenna change. I talked to the chief just yesterday and it's hoped by the end of the year the null will be gone.

But in the mean time they are only pushing about 2.11 KW ERP at your house. That is hardly any power at all. So at 15 miles it requires an yagi style antenna, but like I said it can be "hidden" in the attic.

Now if you don't want to put something outside, you could pull in WNBW with an attic antenna.

I posted over at the AVS Forum in the Gainesville HD thread a solution for that part of town. I was designed to be outdoor but could be mounted in an attic.

It consists of a

Eagle Aspen DTV2B UHF with the screen never attached
Antenna Craft Y5-7-13
combined into a
Pico Macom UVSJ.

Not very expensive, as cheap as many fancy indoor antennas, everything above is under $80.

If you would like more details, I am glad to help since I know the signals in Gainesville like the back of my hand, answering antenna questions successfully over at AVS for the past couple years.

If you would like the details how to set it up if you have an attic or wish to place them outside, let me know.

Otherwise the best thing to do totally indoor on top of your TV is to try a Trek.

HTNut

Trek as in Star Trek antenna or a Terk antenna? :P

Piggie

See as I said in another thread, it's a matter of time before I screw up!

Speaking of which there is a new version of the Terk sold at NewEgg with VHF rabbit ears!!

Now this is the one to try in Gainesville for indoor.

Newegg.com - TERK HDTVa Amplified Directional Indoor HDTV Antenna

$41 with shipping today.

James48

Thank you so much for the recommendation. The DTV2B is cheap, do I have to couple it with the Y5-7-13, or can I get away with just the DTV2B? It's easy for me to run a line to my attic otherwise for adding the antenna there. It's a little less complicated for connecting a single antenna too instead of two right? Or do they just connect and then I mount side by side?

Piggie

You need the Y5-7-13 badly. If money and fitting it the attic isn't an issue, buy a YA-17-13, about $20 more and about 40 inches longer for a total of 100 inches of boom (might be too big for the attic, but it's twice the reception and WNBW is WEAK. Did I say WNBW is weak?).

The DTV2B won't even see a glimmer of WNBW. People closer than you with a U-75R like mine can see WNBW on a UHF, but it constantly breaks up. And their antenna is outside, not in the attic (some loss in the attic).

Lordie knows people have tried and tried and tried to use one antenna in Gainesville. It doesn't work. If you want reference to the frustration read Gainesville, FL - HDTV - Page 68 - AVS Forum which starts the Gainesville Thread on AVS , then read up until about March. Everyone except those really close to WNBW (Newberry area) needed two antennas.

Plus in Gainesville the UHFs and WNBW are not all in the same direction.

=======

So hopefully I have convince you that if you want any semblance or hint of reliable Gainesville OTA you need two antennas where you live.

The DTV2B would face SW, between WGFL and WOGX. If you have a little more room, and another $15, the U-75R works even better, and not that big.
40" Boom Length, 17 Elements Outdoor Antenna for UHF-Only - RadioShack.com

The U-75R is not much more gain, but it helps kill multipath if you have that problem there (hard to tell until you try). Back in the analog day we called mulitpath "ghosts". This kills digital TV.

Then the Y5-7-13 or like I said better if it fits a YA-1713 points right at WNBW or a little south of west.

You put them together with a UVSJ Pico Macom UVSJ UHF VHF Band Separator/Combiner for Antenna (UVSJ) | UVSJ [Pico Macom]

You can buy the VHF antennas there as well, so shipping combines.

You can place the two antennas either side by side or over each other. Probably side by side in an attic. Separate them by at least 5 feet.

So you need two short pieces of coax, one from each antenna, about 3 to 5 ft long, but no longer, it just looses signal.

Then the output of the UVSJ should drive 2 TVs if you keep the coax short as possible and only use a 2way splitter. Bigger splitter might not work and need a small amp.

Outside antennas on a mast work much better because they don't have to see through the attic.

But attic antenna's last forever out of the weather. Attic antennas are easy to mount. You can hang them with string (not wire) from the rafters.

Lots of people just lay the VHF on the rafters pointing the right way.

Something like a DTV2B you can put it on a piece of PVC mounted to a rafter.

I will be glad to answer more questions. Where to buy etc.

cobock1

Hey guys. I've got some issues. I live in Jonesville (Newberry address) and receive all of my signals far better than I did in gainesville with my indoor antennas. I even receive WOGX, which I couldn't even find in gainesville with an indoor antenna, but out here I get a solid two bars of signal most of the time. But I still can't get WNBW! antennaweb tells me that I am only 1.2 miles from the tower. I just can't get it. Just like when I was in SW Gainesville. I have a Samsung Silver sensor clone that I don't use anymore, an RCA ANT1450b that I currently use, and a pair of rabbit ears. I live in an apartment, so I am forced to use an indoor antenna, but at this proximity to the tower, I'd expect to be able to receive the signal indoors.

Piggie

The rabbit ears should work. In Jonesville you are almost under the antenna. Their transmit antenna is about 1 mile SE of the traffic light at SR26 (Newberry Road) and US 27. Heading from the light toward Archer, if you look left (East) there is a huge field you can easily see it and a Cell Phone tower not far from it. It is the taller tower. If you actually live a little west of Jonesville it makes you even closer since you said it was 1.2 files to the tower you must be well west of what I call the center of Jonesville (CR241 and SR26).

With rabbit ears if you can't see them, something else has to be wrong. They are actually on RF (actual) Channel 9. Try putting your rabbit ears in a Vee shape and 15 inches long each. Then depending on your TV or Converter box either do add a channel or complete scan.

Now some converters and TVs get all messed up after a few scans (not sure why). There is a procedure called a memory erase scan.

Try this then hook up the rabbit ears for the last step.

http://www.dtvusaforum.com/dtv-recep...rase-scan.html

Tell me what you find.