Sequatchie Valley in SE tn

[bubba26tn]

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d8d17c8a7a71e18

Greetings;

I am ready to tell the cable company adios! I plan to choose between Netflix and Hulu Plus as my primary source of entertainent once my new Tivo Premiere, the replacment for my old Tivo Sieres 2 box arrives.

For local news and information, I plan to install an outdoor antenna on the peak of our single-story home on a ten foot mast. I will connect this antenna to the distribution amp already installed in the cable box mounted to the side of my home via a twenty-five foot piece of rg-6 then the signal will be sent to the three televisions in my home.

Though I don't live that far from the Chattanooga area, Signal Mountain lies between the Fox and CW affilate transmitters located on a ridge north east of Chattanooga and my location in the Sequatchie Valley. These two stations should be the biggest challenge to my plans and I would like the learned opinion of the forum members before puchasing an antenna.

[John Candle]

Please post 2 more radar plots with the antenna at 40 feet and 60 feet. To see if more antenna height will help with Fox.

[GroundUrMast]

The path profile of WDSI (http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d8d17c8a7a71e18%26t%3dALLTV%26n%3d9) and WBXX (http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d8d17c8a7a71e18%26t%3dALLTV%26n%3d10) tell quite a bit of the story already. Whitwell, TN lies in a valley at least 1000' deep.

WBXX is 91 miles distant and blocked by high terrain. Only the highest gain UHF antenna has a chance. The Antennas Direct XG91 and Winegard HD-9032 are possible consumer grade options. The Wade Taco PB-81-BB or PB-82-BB are likely too cumbersome and expensive but not overkill in terms of gain.

There are enough viable signals for me to install an XG91 and a Winegard YA-1713 if I was in the same situation. I would be happy if I saw the Fox and CW affiliates on good days. A good dual input preamp such as the CM7777 or 10G222 and a high quality rotator would be needed as well. The Hy-Gain AR-40 comes to mind, but the H-VHF YA-1713 does not need to turn, so a CM9521A could be a less expensive option.

[bubba26tn]

Thank you for the prompt response. Here is a link to the results of the same location at forty feet

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d8d172f0b7800e0

and 60 feet John.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d8d174182cf2433

GroundUrMast, I should have been more spacific about the CW afiliate I was referring to. I would like to pick up WFLI which is only 13 miles away not WBXX which is 91 miles. I know that 91 miles would not be difficult to pick up if I had a better line of sight but being tucked down into our little seven mile wide valley will make things extremely difficult.

[GroundUrMast]

Thank you for the prompt response. Here is a link to the results of the same location at forty feet

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d8d172f0b7800e0

and 60 feet John.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d8d174182cf2433

GroundUrMast, I should have been more spacific about the CW afiliate I was referring to. I would like to pick up WFLI which is only 13 miles away not WBXX which is 91 miles. I know that 91 miles would not be difficult to pick up if I had a better line of sight but being tucked down into our little seven mile wide valley will make things extremely difficult.

That leaves the Fox affiliate, which is in the same condition so far as predicted strength is concerned. On a positive note, I think you may be able to opt for no rotator. Otherwise, you are still going to need the large high gain antennas mentioned already. Unfortunately, the signal levels get worse as you go up, at least initially. This is not uncommon when you are facing such terrain. The XG91 can be tilted, which in your case will allow for you to aim at the top of the ridge to your east. The antennas need to be outdoors, clear of nearby obstructions, but you may find better signal close to the ground. It will be worth the effort to 'hunt around' a bit before settling on the exact mounting location.

You can click on the call sign of each station in your TVF report to see a graphic depiction of the terrain cross section.

[John Candle]

Because of the way the Tv transmissions bend coming across the mountains I found better signal closer to the ground at about 3 feet for FOX and CW about a 4 NM (dB) improvement. . Go to the >Start MAPS< part of tvfool and put in lower heights using your exact address.

[ADTech]

Before cutting the cord for your entertainment programming, it's necessary to ask how you will be getting your broadband internet service. If you will be getting it still from your cableco, be advised that you CANNOT put the antenna signals on the same physical coax runs that your cable internet service is distributed on. You would, in this case, have to run separate coax for each system. If you're moving to DSL or one of the other internet services, this is not a problem since they would be relying on the coaxial cable in your home.

Playing with small increments in receiving antenna height within TVFool's modeling engine is generally a waste of time since the engine uses terrain averaging in 100 m (330') blocks. Small changes in one variable cannot be considered to be precise when another variable has such a large potential variance from the true terrain profile. That said, it is an excellent suggestion to keep all height options open as you hunt for a good signal when in a valley. I've had folks call me back and relate how they pulled the antenna off a 30' mast and stuck it under a deck and have gotten improved reception. Just keep in mind the the amount of signal diffraction is going to vary greatly depending on the frequency of the signal and the distance to the diffracting obstacle.

For your location, you will be best served with two antennas: A deep fringe Yagi with a tiltable mount pointed due east (+4 ° magnetic) plus a medium range high-VHF antenna aimed at 115° magnetic. You can select either a dual-input preamp or a single input preamp with a UVSJ. Both work equally well. Boresight the UHF Yagi to your visual horizon for best results.

Good luck on your project!

[bubba26tn]

You may very well be on to something John. I bought a 91xg, ya-1713, and cm-7777 all of which arrived last week. I quickly assembled the 91xg and connected it using an old 25 foot long piece of rg6 laying around the house and mounted it about 5 feet off the ground facing east on the handrail of my front porch. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the antenna picked up all the available uhf channels with a very usable signal coming from the problematic UPN and FOX affiliates. Over the weekend I found the time to mount both antennas plus the preamp on two 10 foot masts with a new 50ft rg6qs leading to the cable company’s distribution box on the side of my home. (Yes ADTech, my cable internet is running on separate coax from a different provider) and I get no signal from UPN or FOX.

I’m wondering if the problem is location, height or coax length/signal loss through distribution. Any suggestions?

[John Candle]

The Tv signals at your location are weak to begin with. Splitters reduce signal strength , every split that takes place reduces signal strength. . How many Tv's are connected?? Identify the stations you are not receiving by the stations call signs , such as WDSI-DT 40 FOX. UPN is no longer a network and has not been for some time now. And identify the stations you are receiving by the call signs. Read and understand about , REAL Digital Broadcast Tv Channels , Virtual Digital Broadcast Tv Channels , Analog Broadcast Tv Channels , http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=695. . Here is how to aim Tv antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html

[John Candle]

How many Tv's are connected??

[John Candle]

Also check ALL connections. Look inside the coax connectors on the ends of the coax and see if the metal foil shield or metal shield are pushed in toward the center metal wire , look for metal flakes on the foam that is between the center wire and the outer metal foil shield and shield wires. ALL So check ALL connections. ALL So check ALL connections. How many Tv's are connected?? And how many Tv's are connected??

[John Candle]

The preamp needs to be connected to the coax that goes to the antenna , not behind a splitter some where. The power supply needs to be connected to the coax that goes to the antenna , not behind a splitter some where. How many Tv's are connected??

[John Candle]

How many Tv's are connected??