HBU33 vs. Winegard 7694P - which one gets higher gain

[m1kzuua8]

Hi there,

I come across two antennas: AntennaCraft HBU33 and Winegard 7694P.


HBU33 is rated 60miles UHF and 70 miles VHF. Winegard 7694P is said to be rated for only 30 miles for VHF and 25 miles for UHF (from solid signal site).


But when I look @ the dB gain, 7694P has higher gain (8-10dB/High VHF, 10dB/UHF) than HBU33 (7.6dB/High VHF, 7.7dB/UHF). Although HBU33 has somewhat wider half-power beamwidth (57/52) than 7694P (38/34-60).

7694P has a shorter boom length (65") than HBU33 (80").


7694P: http://www.summitsource.com/winegard-hd7694p-digital-high-definition-vhfuhf-hd769-series-antenna-28-element-offair-local-hdtv-signal-channel-outdoor-television-aerial-red-zone-part-hd7694p-with-50-ft-coax-cable-p-8353.html
HBU33: http://www.starkelectronic.com/hbu33.pdf


Perhaps someone can explain this? Or perhaps I am misreading the data?


Thx.

[Dave Loudin]

Different manufacturers use mileage ratings differently, so you can't really compare between brands. Since you know how much antenna gain you need thanks to the TVfool report, you don't need to worry about mileage ratings.

Gain and beamwidth are complementary - higher gain implies narrower beamwidth. The gain/beamwidth figures for the Winegard and AntennaCraft make sense. When comparing gains, be sure the units, or reference, are the same. Some gains are referenced to an isotropic antenna (dBi) while others are are referenced to a dipole antenna (dBd). 0 dBd is roughly equal to 2 dBi.

Boom length depends on the designs of the VHF and UHF sections. Again, different manufacturers may use different designs, so you can't use boom length to tell everything about performance.

[John Candle]

BOTH antennas are calculated as (dB) . The Winegard has a average gain of 8.9 on VHF Hiband and 10.57 on UHF . . The AntennaCraft has a average gain of 7.6 on VHF Highband and 7.7 on UHF. So the Winegard has Higher average gain.

[John Candle]

The Winegard has average beam width of 37.75 for VHF High and 48.75 for UHF. . The HBU33 has beam width of 57.0 for VHF High and 52 for UHF.

[m1kzuua8]

Thx John.

Right now I'm getting half of the signal strength for many channels during a slightly rainy day with my existing outdoor antenna.

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=1267&page=2


I am inclined to get the Winegard 7694P instead of the HBU33 due to its slightly shorter boom length (just easier to install, perhaps less affected by strong wind) and slightly higher gain.

Though, I don't know if the benefit of slightly higher gain in 7694P would be offset by its relatively narrower half-power beamwidth. Or it won't be a negative impact enough in my case (most stations are concentrated around 319°-334°, a few @ 10°/11°, and a few @ the opposite direction 147°)?


Some folks also commented Winegard has better built than AntennaCraft.

[Dave Loudin]

BOTH antennas are calculated as (dB).

Actually, dBd, so be careful comparing these values to other sources.