OTA setup advise SW Wis.

[amp113]

Thinking of reverting to an antenna setup after 8 years with Dish. Not sure if it is even feasible. House sits at base of hill. Would put antenna on top of two story house which is located to the southwest of the direction with most stations (26, 50, 20 ect.). The signal analysis is: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3dcc496e61d28075

Any help on what kind of ota setup, if any will work would be appreciated.

[teleview]

The tvfool radar plot report you provided has No Antenna Height , the signals are Very Weak at no antenna height.

Please make a tvfool radar plot reports with antenna heights of , 25 , 40 , 60 , feet to see if signal strengths improve.

How many Tv's are/will be connected??

[elmo]

That's certainly one of the least amount of available signals I've seen. It's not impossible to do, but the amt of channels will be pretty slim. And the 2Edge rating on the chart doesn't help. You'll need an antenna that can reach out, possibly like a Winegard HD7084P or better. You may even need to add a pre-amp as well, but that can be added later if needed.

How's the north eastern view from the antenna location? About 70 degrees on the compass is where you'll ultimately point. If you have nearby trees in that direction, you'll battle with them for a good signal. The good thing is that you can get all the major networks from one direction.

Before you buy anything, get a few opinions from the guru's on here first, as your situation isn't as easy as others.

What's the issue with Dish? If it's price, you can always bargain with them. I've had Dish and Directv both in the past. If you call to cancel, they will make offers to keep you around. You can always flip back and forth from one to another every 2 years and get the benefit of some discounted rates. Not sure though if they might blacklist you over time. Companies track a lot of metrics these days. But in the end, it may be your best option for dependable TV.

[amp113]

I thought it was going to be pretty iffy. We had an antenna before HD conversion and only received the 4 channels. Was hoping some new technology might have come up, (better antenna &/or booster). To the NE a gradual hill beginning at about 300 to 400 ft. Regarding Dish, we don't watch a lot of tv and I'm just tired of paying monthly bill. Thanks for your reply.

[Stereocraig]

Yeah, looks like Mad Town is probably about it.
If it were me though, I would probably pop for a rotor, just to do some sniffing.

[elmo]

Do you still have the antenna? If so, it will still work. Nothing magic about HD signals requiring a new antenna. So you can give it a try and see what you can tune in. Tell us what model it is and we can help you out more. So just connect to coax on the TV and start pointing. Many HDTV's have a built in signal strength indicator to help you out.

As for new technology, well, there's not much to in the way of a magic antenna.....although some will claim they are. There are still plenty of good antenna options out there and good information and reviews on them to help you out. Not that I know from experience, but after checking your plot again, I realized you don't have any VHF stations to pick up. That would mean you could go for a specific UHF only design. Maybe a Winegard HD-9095P would be a good choice for you. It's rated for 65 miles I think, and it's UHF only - very directional as well. And it won't break the bank either. A hi-gain preamp like the CM-7777 could help out if needed.

Good luck on turning that sat dish into a bird bath!

[amp113]

Prior to the HD switch over we used a Channel Master CM 3671 (or equivalent). We were able to get channel 7 and 9 to the southwest. I will get that out and hook up to see what channels I can search out now. We only have one television. If I can get a weak signal will a pre-amp boost it? Coaxial run from antenna to television is approximately 20 to 25 ft. I ran the plot with a 35 ft. which is probably the highest I can get the antenna without a tower. The signal strength doesn't improve much.

[GroundUrMast]

As teleview had pointed out earlier, your TV Fool report is based on the default height of 10 feet.

Can you mount at a higher level?

A report for 25' is often very realistic for a single story home installation.

Reports based on higher mounting would be helpful also, they would give us a more complete understanding of the conditions you have to work with.

You may find it's easier to get good reception than you think.

[teleview]

Reverse engineering to a location that is close to your location.

Shows that a antenna height of 100 feet will get you these Digital Tv stations/channels with 1 antenna.

A Channel Master CM4228HD with a KitzTech KT-200 Remote Power amplifier/booster.

Aimed at about 70 degree magnetic compass direction , here is how to aim antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html.

It is possible to find used towers on the internet for not much money.

WKOW REAL UHF Digital channel 26 , virtual number (x) , ABC and Me-Tv and This Tv.

WISC-DT REAL UHF Digital channel 50 , virtual number (3.1-2) , CBS and MyNetwork.

WHA-TV REAL UHF Digital channel 20 , virtual number (21.1-2-3) , PBS.

WMSN-TV REAL UHF Digital channel 49 , virtual number (47.1-2) , FOX and the Country Network.

WMTV REAL UHF Digital channel 19 , virtual number (15.1) , NBC.

And most likely , WBUW-DT REAL UHF Digital channel 32 , virtual number (57.1) , The CW.

Here are some places to buy antennas and etc. , http://www.solidsignal.com , http://www.amazon.com , http://www.channelmasterstore.com, http://www.kitztech.com , http://www.palcoelectronics.com/pe300.aspx.

_________________________________________________________

For reception at 40 to 60 feet , the closer to 60 feet the better.

At about 70 degree magnetic compass direction ,

WKOW , ABC and Me-Tv and This Tv.

WISC , CBS and MyNetwork.

WHA , PBS.

And at 203 degree magnetic compass direction , with a Winegard YA1713 VHF high band antenna KWWL REAL VHF Digital channel 7 , virtual number (x) , NBC and Me-Tv and This Tv.

Connect the CM4228HD and the YA1713 together with a UVSJ and connect the UVSJ to the KT-200 Remote power amplifier booster.

The KT-200 remote power amplifier booster provides the flexability of installing the booster unit outdoors close to the antenna or indoors.

UVSJ = UHF/VHF Separator/Joiner . Buy the UVSJ at solidsignal buy typing these letters in the solidsignal search box -> uvsj.

The CM4228HD UHF antenna connects to the UHF port of the UVSJ.

The YA1713 connects to the VHF port of the UVSJ.

The KT-200 connects to the third port of the UVSJ.

Here is a 10 foot tripod antenna mount for mounting on the roof , http://www.ronard.com/Tripods%200703/4712.html.

Buy the ronard antenna mounts at solidsignal by typing the word ronard in the solidsignal search box.

http://www.3starinc.com has push up masts that use guy wires.

[amp113]

I redid plot at height of 35 ft. which I could easily do and it does add a bit of reception.
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3dcc498c8be64fbe


Any recommendation on what preamps/boosters might help in this situation would be appreciated. As i said before the coaxial run is approximately 20 to 25 ft. and we only have one tv. Again thanks for any help you can give me.