CycloneSteve
1-Nov-2012, 1:14 PM
I'm in the process of helping my parents re-work their TV antenna setup. They live in the country in SW Iowa, just under 80 miles from most Des Moines transmitters, and have a ~40' tower.
Here's a link to the report: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3dcc49f0df0db144
Unsure of antenna that's installed currently, but it doesn't have many of the long VHF elements left due to 15+ years of ice/wind. There is a rotor on there but it doesn't work. Amplifier is a Channel Master 0064c (rated 16db VHF / 23 db UHF). Only one TV--I'd guess the total cable length is around 60' from the antenna to the wall plate. They are currently able to watch most channels fairly reliably, but since the move to digital have had more problems with signals dropping out--it sounded like when they have issues it's with most/all channels, so perhaps something atmospheric-related pushes it over the edge? They have a tube TV with a DTV converter box--I'm also guessing the tuner in that may not be of the highest quality.
So far I've been mainly looking at the big Winegard antennas--leaning toward the 7084 over the 8200, as it has a little better gain in the low-VHF band that's needed to pick up WOI channel 5 and is a little bit smaller. Does the 7084 sound like a good solution, or is there anything else I should be looking at? I had mentioned the idea of doing separate UHF and VHF antennas to make the VHF easier/cheaper to replace next time the long elements break off, but it sounds like they would rather just have one. It also seemed like the gain for the 7084 was higher than the dedicated VHF antennas I was finding.
The next question, then, is amplification--what do I need/want to ensure good reliable performance? It seems like all amps have about the same noise floor--is it worth going to a higher gain model like the Winegard 8275? The only "near" transmitter would be about 90-degrees off axis, so my impression is that with a directional antenna that should be enough to prevent overloading the input.
A new rotor has been discussed, but it doesn't sound like they want or need to pick up Omaha or KC stations so I am leaning toward a hard mount. I'm a bit dubious of a rotor's longevity with a big antenna that far up in the air. Thoughts? There is a 4-wire control cable already in place.
Thanks for any and all assistance!
Here's a link to the report: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3dcc49f0df0db144
Unsure of antenna that's installed currently, but it doesn't have many of the long VHF elements left due to 15+ years of ice/wind. There is a rotor on there but it doesn't work. Amplifier is a Channel Master 0064c (rated 16db VHF / 23 db UHF). Only one TV--I'd guess the total cable length is around 60' from the antenna to the wall plate. They are currently able to watch most channels fairly reliably, but since the move to digital have had more problems with signals dropping out--it sounded like when they have issues it's with most/all channels, so perhaps something atmospheric-related pushes it over the edge? They have a tube TV with a DTV converter box--I'm also guessing the tuner in that may not be of the highest quality.
So far I've been mainly looking at the big Winegard antennas--leaning toward the 7084 over the 8200, as it has a little better gain in the low-VHF band that's needed to pick up WOI channel 5 and is a little bit smaller. Does the 7084 sound like a good solution, or is there anything else I should be looking at? I had mentioned the idea of doing separate UHF and VHF antennas to make the VHF easier/cheaper to replace next time the long elements break off, but it sounds like they would rather just have one. It also seemed like the gain for the 7084 was higher than the dedicated VHF antennas I was finding.
The next question, then, is amplification--what do I need/want to ensure good reliable performance? It seems like all amps have about the same noise floor--is it worth going to a higher gain model like the Winegard 8275? The only "near" transmitter would be about 90-degrees off axis, so my impression is that with a directional antenna that should be enough to prevent overloading the input.
A new rotor has been discussed, but it doesn't sound like they want or need to pick up Omaha or KC stations so I am leaning toward a hard mount. I'm a bit dubious of a rotor's longevity with a big antenna that far up in the air. Thoughts? There is a 4-wire control cable already in place.
Thanks for any and all assistance!