State College PA

[BatterDipt]

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d3e4759f59e894b

I'm getting all the (11) stations I care to except channel 29 WHVL, at 20some degrees north. It's a very local Penn State Channe (http://www.whvl.com/)l.
Clearstream 2 antenna, 25 feet elevation on a mast at peak of roof, through 50 feet of RG6 and 2 F connector junctions, one for the ground block, and another passthru at the wall.

Turning the antenna north or ANY direction for front or back or side lobe does not really help. I was able to get SOME pixels show up every couple minutes, but no watchable signal. The gain plot for the antenna is here (http://www.antennasdirect.com/clearstream2horizontalplane.html).

I can add another 4 feet of mast, but from my rooftop view, that's not going to add any more field of view in that direction. The Fool plot shows it's a 2 bounce diffraction to my house, ONLY 10 miles away, but with a -1.1 NM. So I'm asking if a Cleastream4 or DB4 type would solve this, Amp at the antenna, or is it just hidden behind the hills too much.

Thanks,
Tom

[Tower Guy]

Amp at the antenna,

That's what I'd try first.

[John Candle]

The Clearstream 4 is a good choice with a Winegard HDP269 preamp. The tvfool report is showing WHVL-LD real channel 27 has a 12.3 NM(dB) signal strength and the station is 10.6 miles away. A google search shows the network as MyNetwork.

[TomM]

Hi John,
It's me the original poster. I tried 10 times to log in again, so I just created another user account.

Yes it shows only 10 miles away, so it must be the 2 mountains blocking me. I'm getting stations 30 miles away in the opposite direction.
Funny thing is that when I had the antenna on the front yard before mounting it on the roof, I was able to get a few pixels here and there. Must have been a reflection off of something, because 25 feet higher and pointed directly, I get nothing.

I really don't care about 95 percent of their programming, but they do produce 2 local shows for the Penn State area I'd like to see.

Thanks,
Tom

[GroundUrMast]

The -1.1 NM is for the old analog signal on real channel 29. The digital signal on real channel 27 is stronger, but launches with an ERP of only 15 KW, definitely low power.

Getting even 4' of additional height may be significant.

If you choose to try adding an amp, (not my first recommendation) be sure to use an amp with resistance to overloading... The CPA-19, HDP-269 and 10G201 fit that requirement.

If the CS-2 has never seen more than a pixelated moments of reception, I would err on the side of caution when buying another antenna. I would opt for an 8-bay (DB-8, HD8800, CM4228 or U8000). I'd hate to hear you report the 4-bay can't quite do the job.

Would you add a rotator, or continue using the CS-2 plus the second antenna via an A/B switch? (A third option would be a UHF single channel combiner from TinLee.com and a forth option would be to use network attached tuners (http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=820).)

[TomM]

Correct. I can get a very snowy analog picture on 29, but nothing on 27.

I would probably use a 2nd antenna with an A/B switch. Thinking of a narrow beam yagi type. It cracks me up that I'm putting this much effort into it for .5 to 1 hour of programming per week. It's now a matter of principal!! lol. The thing is 10 miles away.. I should be getting it with a coathanger.:rolleyes:

[ADTech]

Aim the C2 to optimize the analog reception on 29, then rescan. Do try one of the high-input pre-amps suggested. It might help and shouldn't harm anything else.

I often find that TVfool overestimates signals when the receiving point is close in to the diffracting terrain obstructions. You might find that you'll need to step up your game several notches to catch that last channel.

Yeah, I know, it's the principal of the thing! I'm in a nasty valley and TVfool's predicted power levels suggest that a C2 ought to be sufficient. Unfortunately, it took an extended boom 91XG 35' in the air with a preamp to actually pull it off.