NE Denver burbs

[cale42]

Like many here it seems, I'm just looking for a little guidance/validation on my choices. Tired of signing my life savings over to DirecTV every month and looking to cut the cord. I've done a lot of reading and think I have things decently figured out but like I said.. just looking for a second opinion.

It will be an outdoor antenna.. preferably mounted on the side of my house(trying to avoid the roof), attic is a possibility but trying to keep things as simple as possible. Between 10 and 15 feet off the ground. From the antenna it is about a 25 foot run to the splitter. Initially just split to 2 TV's, but I plan for it to be 4 in the near future. Shortest run is probably 15 feet, longest probably 35(though I'm guessing a little how the in wall cables are run).

Here is my tvfool report

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d1dda790547eebd


Right now planning on buying these. An RCA Ant 751 and a Winegard HDA 100 distribution amp.

So.. thoughts? Am I on the right track.. anything to change. Thanks a ton for any help and input!

[GroundUrMast]

The ANT-751 and Antennas Direct C2-V tend to be very good options in most of the Denver market.

I'm not at all convinced you need any sort of amplifier. You have plenty of signal power in the air. I'd hang on to the money.

[cale42]

Thanks Ground!

One of my concerns is with a just a little indoor antenna 7.1 and 9.1 are sporadic. I know 7.1 is high VHF station. Should both of these pick that up fine?

[GroundUrMast]

'Indoor' is a variable that has a very broad range... If you already own an indoor antenna, take it outside when it's not pouring rain, test the reception free of the building penetration loss and interfering noise from electronics in the home. If you still see trouble with some channels, that may guide your choice of antenna.

[cale42]

'Indoor' is a variable that has a very broad range... If you already own an indoor antenna, take it outside when it's not pouring rain, test the reception free of the building penetration loss and interfering noise from electronics in the home. If you still see trouble with some channels, that may guide your choice of antenna.

I did that actually. It is an old GE Futura TV24746 antenna. Connected directly to the TV it gets 30-40 channels depending. Outside, sitting next to my DirectTV dish and plugged into the DirecTV lines it gets about 20 channels(part of what made me think I needed an amplifier). I was pretty surprised by that actually(and yes I aimed it the same direction as best I could).

That surprise result is what led me to ask for help here to ensure the best setup and hopefully minimize returns! :)

[GroundUrMast]

With a built in amplifier, I suspect the TV24746 was overloading due to the strong local signals, that would be a likely explanation for the 'test' results you got.

If you have a Home Depot nearby, their return policy is very generous. Try a non amplified http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/202699259?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=tv+antenna&storeId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=202699259#.UV9SxRxx3W8... I think the same test will produce different results.

Still, I would just go get a small combo UHF/H-VHF outdoor antenna, no amp and be done.

[cale42]

I should have been more specific. I lost the power supply years ago. So it is not actually amplified at the present time.

I think I'll just order the ANT 751 and be done with it. Fingers crossed!

[GroundUrMast]

It's a bit of a surprise that you would get any signal through the amplifier at all when it's not powered. (It's like turning off the power on your stereo receiver while the CD player is still playing a disk... no sound from the speakers at all.)

But, it sounds like you're on the right track.

Cheers

[cale42]

Just picked up an RCA Ant 751. For aesthetic reasons I am not going to put it on my roof. My options are side of the house, about 12 feet high with a clear view of the direction I need for all the channels I want or in the attic which would be between 20 and 25 feet high. 6 year old house.. no funky building materials I'm aware of.

Between these two options which is likely to be preferable.

Thanks,

[GroundUrMast]

I would try the attic. Don't commit to a lot of labor and expense running coax permanently until you prove you have reliable results. If the attic is an acceptable site, you'll never need to worry about corrosion or wind damage. (Be prepared to see some signal reduction when the roof has a snow load.)

If the attic is not going to work, the clear and unobstructed view from a wall is a great option for that compact antenna design.