Help with antenna

[al bundy]

Totally lost on this stuff. Will have 4 tvs hooked up, one being about 100ft away in the garage. Would it be better to run a seperate antenna for that one?


http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d1dda53360a65cc

Thanks.

[elmo]

You have mostly UHF and some VHF channels broadcasting, so you'd be fine with an ANT-751 since you have Line Of Sight towers nearby. You *may* need an amp for distribution to the 4 TV's, but don't assume it will help regardless, as it can cause issues with strong signals like you have. I suggest first tuning the antenna while connected to just one TV. Once that's done, you can use a splitter to split it and see if you can still receive the channels w/o an amp. If the reception drops off, then you know you have reason to get an amp.

As for tuning, you'll want to aim the antenna north, adjusting it's direction as necessary, maybe a little NW or NE. When you scan for antenna channels on the TV, you probably can then check the signal strengths with the TV's diagnostic menu. Or you can just check and see if the flying pictures land on your screen without any break up. ;)

The 100' run likely will require an amp. But....for the cost of an amp, 100' of direct burial RG-6, the effort of trenching, etc.....it might just be easier and about the same cost to pick up another 751 for the garage. That'd leave you with only a 3-way split required for the home, which may be fine without an amp. A little experimenting one afternoon will do the trick.

What I don't know is your tree/building situation. Anything in the way will block/degrade the signal, so the better view of clear horizon in the direction of the towers is best.

[GroundUrMast]

....

The 100' run likely will require an amp. But....for the cost of an amp, 100' of direct burial RG-6, the effort of trenching, etc.....it might just be easier and about the same cost to pick up another 751 for the garage. That'd leave you with only a 3-way split required for the home, which may be fine without an amp. A little experimenting one afternoon will do the trick.

What I don't know is your tree/building situation. Anything in the way will block/degrade the signal, so the better view of clear horizon in the direction of the towers is best.

I agree, if the garage would require installation of new cable, a separate antenna would certainly be competitive based on cost.

It's also very helpful to know what sort of trees you have to deal with.

In an effort to eliminate the need for any amplifier, I would consider going up a notch in antenna performance. (Antenna gain always beats an equivalent amplifier gain.)

A premium solution would be to use an Antennas Direct DB4e for UHF, it has a wide forward beam while also having impressive gain. Split the aim between the two major groups, (as elmo already suggested). Then, use an Antennacraft Y5713, Y10713 or Winegard YA1713 and UHF/VHF combiner to make the VHF options reliable.

I'd expect no need for amplification when splitting 4-ways... even if one run was 6 dB long (100').

[al bundy]

Thanks for the help.
The garage is already wired with the cable when I built it. I had cable tv running out there before. Would I be able to just tap into the existing cable system with the antenna and run it through the house and garage that way?
I should be above all the trees at 25 or 30 ft. I can always go higher if I need to. I do live about 2 miles straight south of the airport. Would that cause any interference?
Thanks again for your help. This stuff just confuses me.

[GroundUrMast]

Aircraft flying through the path between you and the TV transmitter can cause the signal to break-up.

You can disconnect the cable TV signal from the coax in your home. Then you can connect OTA signals with no risk of 'broadcasting' the cable company signal around your neighborhood. If you are going to keep cable internet service, the coax cable serving your internet modem can not be used for OTA.

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=7293
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=13090
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=13034

[al bundy]

Ohhh, I forgot about the internet. Cant do that.
The airplanes go to the east and west of us, but the tower is straight north. Just didn't know if that would bother us. We use rabbit ears now that aren't to bad, but with the wind around here it seems to fade easy.

[GroundUrMast]

Just to be clear, in almost all situations with cable company internet service staying in the home, all but one of the cables can be freed up for use in the OTA system. It's just a matter of identifying the cable used for connecting the modem to the cable company.

[al bundy]

OK, I got a DB4E and a Y10-7-13 antenna. Does it matter which ones on top?
Also how far apart should they be? Im planning on using a single mast either 10 or 20' tall attached to the chimney. Will have to have it tied down good to keep it stable from the occasional tornado that whips through.

[GroundUrMast]

OK, I got a DB4E and a Y10-7-13 antenna. Does it matter which ones on top?
Also how far apart should they be? Im planning on using a single mast either 10 or 20' tall attached to the chimney. Will have to have it tied down good to keep it stable from the occasional tornado that whips through.

Not critical, but conventionally the UHF antenna (DB4e) goes at the top. It sounds like 4' of separation should be easy to achieve... (3' min.)

At 20' you'll need guy wires for sure. I would favor guy wires on each 10' section of mast. http://www.3starinc.com/adjustable_3-way_down_guy_ring_for_1-14_inch_antenna_mast.html

[al bundy]

Thanks for all your help. As soon as it stops raining and warms up, Ill start putting it up.