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hallmarka
11-Jan-2015, 3:09 PM
Need advice on signal amplifier. Currently have antenna in attic with RCA amplifier connected to three televisions. Now receive channels 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, 10-1, 10-2, and 33-1 95 percent of the time. 12-1 and 12-2 90 percent of the time. Would like to be able to view 3-1 (NBC) and 24-1 (FOX). House was built in 1974, assume antenna is original about 6 to 7 foot in length.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d2c15d16918f011

GroundUrMast
11-Jan-2015, 3:59 PM
The signal levels and path conditions shown on your TV Fool report imply that an attic mounted antenna may not be capable of producing reliable reception. An amplifier is not an antenna, it can not and will not make any antenna more sensitive or able to 'pull' signal from the air. Amplifiers are only able to increase the power level of the signal + noise + interference fed into the amplifier. The amplifier will also distort the signal further and add some noise over and above the original. Reliable reception starts with choosing an antenna and mounting location. If you opt for the wrong antenna (too small or wrong type) or mounting location, amplifiers and other accessories will often be as effective as a band-aid on a broken leg.

I'd suggest you test reception outdoors. If I was starting from scratch, I would be inclined to use an outdoor mounted combination such as an Antennas Direct DB8e + Antennacraft Y10713 + UVSJ. The length of the cable run(s) and the number of TV's connected would inform the decision re. What amplifier if any should be used. An amplifiers job is to deal with loss that occurs downstream of the amplifier.

hallmarka
13-Jan-2015, 6:01 PM
Thanks for the info.