suzzie

Don_M

The very best pre-amps and distribution amplifiers are those used by cable-headend engineers and designers of high-end master antenna systems. They cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Most homeowners wouldn't notice any difference between professional gear versus quality equipment made for residential use, so such a "relentless pursuit of perfection," to steal the carmaker's phrase, would be impractical.

In the home market, pre-amps and distribution amps made by Channel Master and Winegard are the most widely respected band names. Each company offers a wide range of high-performance products in both categories at competitive prices ($35-$100 range). Deciding which one might be best for you depends on factors such as local signal strengths and how many TVs you wish to connect into an antenna system.

Please be aware that amplifiers are designed to counteract losses from long cables and splitters only; they do not make up for an inadequate antenna. The majority of viewers with one or two TVs and less-than-ideal reception don't need an amplifier at all -- they need either a better antenna, or replacements for weathered/worn out/failed antenna-system components.

CptlA

So do both pre-amps and distribution amps basically do the same job? I've always been under the impression that the only difference between the two are that the distribution amp can be located further down the line from the antenna.

Mr. Know it all

What to look for in a pre amplifier is the one with the most gain and the lowest noise factor.

The two best high power amplifiers are the Winegard AP 8275

And the Channel Master CM 7777 Titan II UHF / VHF pre amplifier.

Both should be less than $75 from Solid Signal.

Don_M

Yes. Figuring out which one is more suited to a situation depends on one's local signals.

An antenna-mounted pre-amp is a better bet in areas with marginal to very weak stations simply because it amplifies the signals before the cabling ahead of the amplifier makes them even even weaker. There's not much chance of that happening on three feet of coax.

When signals are strong (most urban/suburban areas) and you have several sets to feed, you want a distribution amp. The longer cable running to it attenuates the signals a little bit, lessening chances that the amplifier or one or more TV tuners will overload. Overload in digital TV means lost stations.

These pre-amps are top choices for viewers at least 35 miles out. Lowest noise is always important. Greatest gain isn't if it the amp or tuner(s) overload, and those models are notorious for causing overload in urban and suburban use. Winegard makes a highly overload-resistant pre-amp, HDP-269, with only 12 dB gain. That's all most viewers (three-quarters of whom live in cities or suburbs) need in a house with up to four TVs, for reasons mentioned in the last paragraph at #2 above.

staticMHZ

CM7777 are rated highly

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Piggie

Hi Don M, welcome to the forum. Are you the Don M from AVS? I guess it might be obvious I am the same Piggie.

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Piggie

Those between suburban and fringe might find this one a good choice, Winegard AP8700, as it has 17 VHF/ 19 UHF gain, low noise and a variable FM trap.

Those that might be 25 to 35 miles out but live near an FM station would be a good market for that amp.

It's actually all the fringe amp most people need.

Don, have you found the CM amps have any better dynamic range in a near overload condition than the Winegards? I have heard this stated before but not sure it's true.

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Don_M

One and the same. Been a lurker off and on here a while; thought these threads were a good place to begin contributing to this community.

Seems that way with the W-Gs, particularly among models having more gain than the 8700. I'm not the real expert on these matters, though. If you haven't seen the following threads, you may wish to go over the work holl_ands has done in this regard:

Pre-amp Signal Overload calculator

Spurious Free Dynamic Range spreadsheet

suzzie

The channel master 7777 was the one i had in mind,now for sure. I live in a remote location away from the rat race and im haveing trouble keeping channels up. after the change i get 20 viewable channels logged in. a channel mite be on and then its not. It seems to me like a station would be in the same spot all the time. I can turn the antenna and may find a channel or may not. some ive only seen a couple of times. why is that? i have a vhf/uhf antenna 30 ft with rotor and inhouse amp. will a preamp help me with this problem?
Im seeing that weather has a bearing on reception with this digital crap. In a storm situation the old analog way was great. you could get tv in a storm,atleast viewable tv. i think it was a mistake on the government for this and it will bite us in the ass.but then again i think to much,so ive been told.
thanks:suzzie