Very New to OTA

[jikert]

I took a chance and purchased an antenna and I would be interested in knowing if what I got will work .

First off my TV Fool TV Signal Analysis Results are http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d9e74f4372834e5

And the antenna I bought was a RCA ANT751R Outdoor Antenna.

Any information on if this antenna will work in my location would be greatly appreciated. Let me know if you need any more information.

[John Candle]

A fairly good choice , Put it up and lets see what channels are received. Aim the antenna at about 253 degree magnetic compass , Here is how to aim antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html . WKBT-DT 8 CBS is at a angle to the antenna but should be received Ok because it is a strong signal. WIBU-LP 51 ION Tv and Family Net , is to the back of the antenna and may not be received. Install the antenna and see what can be received and not received. I recommend new RG-6U coax from the antenna to the connection at the house. Connect to only one Tv for now , No Splitters , every time the signal is split the signal strength is reduced.

[John Candle]

How many Tv's will be connected?? So I can recommend a amplifier.

[jikert]

It will be only one TV and it will be about 50 feet of cable. The cable i bought is GE 23300 RG6 Coaxial Cable. I have also been looking into preamps and was thinking about getting a RCA TVPRAMP1R. But like i said very new to this stuff and dont really know what i all need. Thanks again for the help.

[John Candle]

Yes I think the http://www.rcaaudiovideo.com/video/antenna/?sku=TVPRAMP1R preamp will work Ok. . By Googling Tv stations call letters like this , w50dr tv , I found that , w50dr tv is NBC and CW+ , kqeg tv is ION Tv and Family Net , k62ev tv is NBC and CW+. . Also 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

[jikert]

thanks for all the information! I will be setting everything up some time next week, and i will be sure to post how it goes.

[John Candle]

If you can find coax cable with the - compression type connectors - on the ends of the coax that would be better. Home Depot or Lowes or some where else. The compression type connectors seal and stay on better then the crimp type connectors. But is not absolutely necessary. Also always look inside of the connectors on the end of the coax and see if the foil shield and shield wires are pushed in toward the signal carrying center conductor of the coax , if so , push the foil shield and shield wires away from the center conductor.

[jikert]

Alright got everything yesterday and got it all hooked up. Just took an educated guess at the direction, did a scan with my tv and boom, i get way more channels than i thought i would be getting. i was planning on getting about 4-5 and i am getting 15 channels. This is without a preamp, there are a couple that dont come in the best so maybe i will get a preamp and see if it makes a difference. Thanks again for the help, made the experience almost easy.

[John Candle]

By Googling Tv stations call signs I found that , wkbt tv is CBS and MyNetwork , wlax tv is FOX and NBC , whla tv is PBS , wxow tv is ABC and The CW and This Tv. . Digital Tv stations can broadcast digital sub channels. For WXOW-DT 48 The Real channels are 48.1 ABC , 48.2 The CW , 48.3 This Tv . The Virtual channels are 19.1 ABC , 19.2 The CW , 19.3 This Tv . New Tv Stations , transmitters and digital channels are being added and can begin transmitting with no notice , so it is a good idea to scan for new channels from time to time. Here are some but not all free Tv guides , Most Tv guides list the channels as Virtual channels. http://www.zap2it.com , http://television.aol.com , http://www.tvzap.com , http://www.titantv.com , http://www.tv.yahoo.com , http://www.entertainment.excite.com

[jikert]

another quick question. If one of my channels has a signal strength of 90-95 can i use a preamp to try to get the stations with a signal around 50? or will it overload the channels with good signals?

[ADTech]

another quick question. If one of my channels has a signal strength of 90-95 can i use a preamp to try to get the stations with a signal around 50? or will it overload the channels with good signals?

The analysis is a bit more complex than that since those percentages don't represent the actual power of the incoming signals in any meaningful way.

In general, if you have high input levels to a pre-amp, you do have to be careful in selecting an amp that has excellent resistance to overload.

If you can identify the channels that work well and those that don't we can better advise you on what it might take.