horrible reception in 60099

[eric12341]

Ok so the cable got cut at my location at the beginning of this month due to economic hardships. Since then I've had to rely on OTA for my TV needs and has thus far been quite a frustrating experience:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3dec12e25b992711

According to that report I should have no problems whatsoever picking up all the stations in green my actual results are very far from what's indicated in this report. I've so far tried 3 antennas (RCA ANT1450B,radio shack budget tv antenna,terk hdtvi and winegard hd1080) both inside at the highest point on the house besides the inaccessible attic and outside in my side yard im a chair facing the direction of the transmitters. These are the stations I so far can receive:

WBBMWMAQ,WLS,WGN,WTTW,WYCC,WCGV,WCIU,WFLD,WCPX,WSNSWPWR and WGBO. For the life of me I CANNOT get any combination of those 4 bolded stations in simultaneously and reliably without causing problems among them or on the other stations, sometimes knocking the others out completely. Right now I have the terk hdtvi sitting outside on this wooden pallet hooked up to the old cable line and so far 2 of those bolded stations are coming in reliably but however the rest of the non bolded stations are experiencing some kind of reception issue, if I move the antenna back into the chair I can get those other stations perfectly but not those 4 which I watch the most, its been either one or the other or none at all. My home is almost completely surrounded by trees and houses. So what exactly am I doing wrong and what antenna will I need to get at least all the stations in green reliably?

[GroundUrMast]

Given the nearby trees and buildings, I would opt for a roof mounted antenna. If you want to try for reception of WOCK, real channel 4, a Winegard HD7015 or HD7080 would be appropriate.

At a minimum I would use an RCA ANT-751, the Winegard HD7694P would be a premium solution, though not overkill IMO. (These antennas lack support for real channels 2 - 6)

All of these antennas will be better at dealing with multipath than the antennas you've mentioned.

[ADTech]

Let's see. Your thread over at AVS has 105 posts. Nothing there pan out?

[Electron]

Install above the roof. For all the stations/channels in green at about 169 degree magnetic compass. And the stations/channels in the yellow zone in the same direction , down to at least WVPN-CD 20. . Install a Heavy Duty Long Lasting Winegard HD7084P antenna , the HD7084P antenna receives All the broadcast digital Tv Channels , 2 thru 6 , 7 thru 13 , 14 thru 69. Aimed at about 169 degree magnetic compass. Here is how to aim antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html. Here are some antenna mounts , http://www.ronard.com/909911.html , http://www.ronard.com/909911.html , http://www.ronard.com/34424560.html , http://www.ronard.com/ychim.html. Here are places to buy antennas and etc. , http://www.winegarddirect.com , http://www.solidsignal.com , http://www.amazon.com. . WOCK-CD 4 has this digital sub channel , http://americaone.com , and three other digital sub channels , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WOCK-CD

[Electron]

Install and use New RG-6 coax cable on the outside and any where else that the coax might be bad.

[GroundUrMast]

Let's see. Your thread over at AVS has 105 posts. Nothing there pan out?

And an earlier thread that was closed by the moderator... A quick skim though leaves me thinking you have tried quite a few antennas and placements.

I suspect you're fighting the effects of building penetration losses, multipath, vegetation induced losses and signal reflections/attenuation caused by nearby structures. All of these issues are best dealt with by placement of the antenna in a location free of, or at least, less affected by these issues. Use of an antenna with more gain and directivity will combat these issues also, (but placing it in the basement will render it ineffective).

Several posters at AVS advised against using amplified antennas and accessory amplifiers. Your predicted signal levels support their caution. If you're splitting to many sets (more than four), you may need a distribution amplifier, but there is no point in spending money on one until you have a set of reliable signals worth distributing. Amplifiers are not effective at combating multipath.

[eric12341]

A roof antenna is not really feasible given that this is rented property,what would be a good low cost high gain antenna to use and mount easily below the roof level that will give me all the stations within a 100 mile radius? There are a couple small spots between trees in my neighbors yard that I aim the terk at and it gets tolerable results but it doesn't seem to like wind and can't pick up all the stations.

[GroundUrMast]

A roof antenna is not really feasible given that this is rented property,what would be a good low cost high gain antenna to use and mount easily below the roof level that will give me all the stations within a 100 mile radius? There are a couple small spots between trees in my neighbors yard that I aim the terk at and it gets tolerable results but it doesn't seem to like wind and can't pick up all the stations.

There are no such antennas. I'm sorry, I did not author the laws of physics. Your expectations may need to be amended. "Reception of all stations within a 100 mile radius" and "low cost" are mutually exclusive terms.

Are you able and willing to install a tower several hundred feet high? 100 mile radius reception usually requires such effort and expense. Even then you'll be fighting with adjacent and co-channel interference from strong local signals. Here is what you could expect at 499', http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d4033f36f586d09 Notice that every signal beyond 75 miles is still edge path and subject to adjacent and co-channel interference.

Several antennas have already been suggested. If you can not or will not consider mounting above the roof line, your reception prospects are going to be reduced. My previous recommendations stand without contradicting Electron's suggestion/recommendation.

[eric12341]

At the minimum I just want all the stations I mentioned as well as a few others without them going out all the time,especially when the wind blows (which is the case with the terk hdtvi I currently have outside now). Reason I mentioned 100 miles is cuz i wanted to try to get thecooltv from madison since its no longer available in milwaukee.this table in my yard has a hole for an umbrella,it seems that I can use this to mount an antenna,is there an antenna that comes with a mount thin enough to fit through that hole?

[Electron]

The thread at AVS has 105 posts , WOW!

[Dave Loudin]

Read and heed what we have already told. What you want is not physically possible!

[eric12341]

Yea I guess I'll put away the idea of getting WMSN (TheCoolTV), I do know that on some days in the past I was able to receive a couple stations from grand rapids and south bend. If this holds true then I may be able to get WOTY which is also TheCoolTV. I know this terk i have out there now won't get it as its barely getting the green stations so I'm willing to try these recommendations, which would be the easiest to setup and put together and do they come with mounts?

[MisterMe]

Yea I guess I'll put away the idea of getting WMSN (TheCoolTV), I do know that on some days in the past I was able to receive a couple stations from grand rapids and south bend. If this holds true then I may be able to get WOTY which is also TheCoolTV. I know this terk i have out there now won't get it as its barely getting the green stations so I'm willing to try these recommendations, which would be the easiest to setup and put together and do they come with mounts?Not gonna happen. You are 100 miles from WMSN's transmitter in Madison. This places you way outside WMSN's coverage area (http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=80&q=call%3dwmsn). As for the Grand Rapides/Battle Creek TheCoolTV affiliiate, you are 130 miles from WOTV's transmitter--there is no WOTY-TV anywhere in the USA. Because most of the distance between WOTV and you is covered by Lake Michigan, your biggest impediments to receiving the station are the great distance and the curvature of the Earth. However, these place you even farther outside WOTV's coverage area than you are outside WMSN's coverage area.

Tropospheric ducting and other atmospheric anomalies may on occasion allow you to receive one or the other of these two stations. However, there is simply no way that you will ever receive either of them on a regular or predictable basis.

Currently, TheCoolTV (http://thecooltv.com/ChannelGuide.php) has only two affiliates in Illinois and one in Wisconsin. None are close enough for you to receive them. Perhaps, the network will sign an affiliate in Chicago, Milwaukee, Kenosha, or Waukegan. Until that happens, you will have to find your music elsewhere.

[lkruper]

Yea I guess I'll put away the idea of getting WMSN (TheCoolTV), I do know that on some days in the past I was able to receive a couple stations from grand rapids and south bend. If this holds true then I may be able to get WOTY which is also TheCoolTV. I know this terk i have out there now won't get it as its barely getting the green stations so I'm willing to try these recommendations, which would be the easiest to setup and put together and do they come with mounts?

If you really need this station and don't want to pay for cable, one thing you could do is get someone to host a Slingbox for you who does get this station. Both they and you would need DSL and there would be a cost for the hardware. After that it would be free.

[eric12341]

If you really need this station and don't want to pay for cable, one thing you could do is get someone to host a Slingbox for you who does get this station. Both they and you would need DSL and there would be a cost for the hardware. After that it would be free.

at that rate I may as well just stick to my current solution for music videos (VEVO app on phone or using the Xbox Zune marketplace). These however do burn alot of data but if I limit it to once a week or so it shouldn't be a problem. Sometime this year if my home WiFi isn't back up I do plan to switch to a higher data allowance plan which would double the amount of videos I'd get to watch.

[eric12341]

Not getting in any channels now and can't find an installer for my ANT751.

[eric12341]

I'm thinking about buying 3 of these poles for a total of 15ft and sticking it through this patio table I have where an umbrella used to be:

http://www.amazon.com/WINEGARD-TB-0005-Swedged-Masting-Antenna/dp/tech-data/B001RU3JG4/ref=de_a_smtd

Would it be possible to stich 3 of them together and then put my ANT751R on it? If not what other pole would I need that's around the same price to make it possible?

[GroundUrMast]

Based on your posts in other threads, I am wondering if you have been able to follow any of the suggested solutions to your reception problems.

[eric12341]

I'm using the ANT751 now and am having extreme difficulties being able to watch my telenovelas without constant breakups. Been like this since about April.

[GroundUrMast]

I presume your are referring to the signal from WGBO,real CH-38.

Were is the ANT-751 mounted, how high? Are there trees or buildings blocking the path?

[eric12341]

I have it sitting in a stack of chairs since the roof is not able to have anything mounted onto it. 75% of my location is surrounded by trees, there is a small gap in between the trees in my neighbors yard between their house and garage that I aim the antenna through. Sometimes this works well but other times I lose reception on both the channels I watch the most (WSNS and WGBO). currently staring at a black screen right now with the signal strength rising into the 40s

[GroundUrMast]

So it's entirely possible that TV Fool has provided you with a signal prediction that is reasonably accurate and the obstructed mounting location close to the ground leaves you with little useable signal.

If you can afford about $30 worth of hardware from Home Depot, you can make a guyed mast 10' or 20' high. Their fence top rail (http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100322532/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=top+rail&storeId=10051) makes an adequate mast. Combine that with some 1/4" Dacron rope for guys and you can at least 'test' the reception at 10' or 20' AGL.

[eric12341]

So it's entirely possible that TV Fool has provided you with a signal prediction that is reasonably accurate and the obstructed mounting location close to the ground leaves you with little useable signal.

If you can afford about $30 worth of hardware from Home Depot, you can make a guyed mast 10' or 20' high. Their fence top rail (http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100322532/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=top+rail&storeId=10051) makes an adequate mast. Combine that with some 1/4" Dacron rope for guys and you can at least 'test' the reception at 10' or 20' AGL.


It's not accurate at all, it said that an indoor set top antenna is sufficient to receive the stations I want. That's far from the truth because the indoor set top antenna I bought barely worked ,if at all till I sat it outside. It then worked till about March or April when I decided to buy the ANT751. I threw the set top onto the roof in rage thinking it would work better up there but the cable came loose before I got to hook it up.

[GroundUrMast]

I'm truly sorry that you're frustrated, but I'm not at all convinced that your circumstance proves or even suggests a deficiency on the part the information this service has provided.

The TV Fool Signal Analysis FAQ (http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57#how_to_read) addresses the issues you raise. Along with quite a bit of other helpful information, the following disclaimer is included in-part because of situations such as yours.

Please understand that this is a simulation and can only be treated as a rough approximation. Reception at your location is affected by many factors such as multipath, antenna gain, receiver sensitivity, buildings, and trees - which are not taken into account. Your mileage may vary. So, no, it did not say, that an indoor set top antenna is sufficient

Given that TV Fool has no way of knowing what trees buildings or RF interference sources are present, it's reasonable to expect the user to make allowance for the additional factors unknown to the free service provider.

So, it's up to you... you can choose to try what's suggested or you can choose not to. I can assure you, your anger and frustration will do nothing to overcome the challenge.

[eric12341]

My parents are looking into getting the cable back on but I need a meantime solution. Anyway I just turned my antenna towards Milwaukee and managed to pickup TheCoolTV from grand rapids but not any channels from Milwaukee at all.

[GroundUrMast]

Sounds like a good day. :)

[eric12341]

Sounds like a good day. :)

What I also discovered is that it's frequency is the same as WGN- (RF19) is on. It's been a struggle getting even that in recent months and its likely possible that the signal from this station is interfering and over powering it.

[GroundUrMast]

I presume WXMI, real CH-19 is the signal you're seeing from Grand Rapids. If that's the case, once the atmospheric conditions revert to a more normal state you'll not be able to receive that signal.

But you're right, day to day some signal may be bouncing off layers of the atmosphere, causing interference to the local WGN signal. In a perfect world, you'd have access to the roof or your own tower and you could use a high gain directional antenna that would ensure a stable signal from WGN.

[eric12341]

Ok really getting tired of this. Turned my antenna back locally so I could watch my telenovelas and my reception problems are back. I can receive a distant signal flawlessly but can't even receive a local signal. My mom ordered cable again as we were finally able to pay that bill. So now its just down to enduring this week which seems to be an important week as far as these Telenovelas are concerned then I can be over and done with this. That is till I get my own place which won't have so many trees in the way.