Raise antenna up or get something better?
 

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to thank everyone for the help I've had from this forum over the years.

I have an antenna mounted to the roof on a J pole. The antenna is an Eaglestar that some rave about but that has questionable figures: http://www.expertisland.com/products...ant=1075408855. I am using a Channel Master 7778 to carry the signal through the 70 feet of coax to the basement.

Here is a my TVFool report: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e2cbf3c3a0c192

I am not getting NBC reliably and I am wondering if I can make some changes to increase my reception. My thoughts are to maybe get something like an Antennas Direct DB8e and point it at about 180 degrees. I am also wondering about getting a 3 or 4 foot extension to raise the Eaglestar up a bit.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1...pstegsfxlm.jpg

Any thoughts?

Which NBC by callsign please.

Thanks Rabbit: WGRZ-DT

I think you need to move your antenna about 20 miles closer to the broadcaster.

To have a better chance for WGRZ you will need a separate high gain antenna outside, aimed at 177 degrees magnetic, and a preamp. WGRZ is 88.5 miles away, so the curvature of the earth is a problem.

http://forum.tvfool.com/attachment.p...5&d=1472336180

A suitable antenna would be an Antennas Direct DB8e, 91XG, or the Solid Signal HDB91X clone if you are watching expenses. If you pick the HDB91X, be careful not to over tighten the coax connector on the balun.

http://forum.tvfool.com/attachment.p...6&d=1472337960

http://forum.tvfool.com/attachment.p...7&d=1472337996

A suitable preamp would be the CM7778 or Antennas Direct Juice.

Thanks Rabbit.

Any concern of overloading the TV tuners with the CM7778 and DB8e combined?

CICA signal power -41.9 dBm = 7.1 dBmV

Max input 7778 = 34 dBmV

7.1 dBmV + 13 dBd ant gain = 20.1 dBmV; preamp OK

CICA -41.9 dBm + 13 dBd ant + 16 dB preamp = -12.9 dBm; tuner OK

You have a strong local FM transmitter 2.8 miles away that might cause interference to TV reception, but it would affect VHF reception before UHF, the 7778 has an FM filter, and the two strongest FM signals are at the sides of your DB8e when aimed at WGRZ.
http://www.fmfool.com/modeling/tmp/f...9/Radar-FM.png

The fmfool FM database might not be up to date on Canadian FM transmitters.

You could always insert a filter between the antenna and the input of the preamp later.
https://www.antennasdirect.com/store...on_filter.html

The coax should be grounded with a grounding block connected to the house electrical system ground to make the rejection of interference more effective.

If the antenna is outside, the coax shield should be grounded with a grounding block that is connected to the house electrical system ground with 10 gauge copper wire for electrical safety and to reject interference. For further compliance with the electrical code (NEC in US), the mast should also be grounded in a similar manner to drain any buildup of static charge, but the system will not survive a direct strike.

http://forum.tvfool.com/attachment.p...9&d=1441917363

Dang, you're good! Thanks Rabbit!

Thank you for your kind words. Please keep in mind that my analysis is based on computer simulations, so I can't offer a guarantee, but I can wish you good luck.

Please be careful when mounting the antenna; I had a ladder accident.

Many thanks and I hope you have a quick recovery from the accident. I think I will have a local installer put the antenna up.

One other problem I've encountered... The installer is saying that the J pole I currently have will not support the DB8e. Does that make sense to you?

(please see the picture above.)

Can't tell what you actually have up there from your photo.

The DB8e requires a beefy J-mount or similar. It makes quite a sail in high winds and you don't want it blowing down, breaking the mount, or otherwise damaging the roof if it pulls out. If the J-mount was originally specified for a satellite dish, I'd be okay with it.

You'll also need to ensure that any J-mount used is long enough to allow the 3'3" tall DB8e to be mounted and, if necessary, rotated so it can be properly aimed without the roof interfering. For this reason, I only recommend our 40" J-mount for our four and eight bay antennas. While they will physically attach to a 30" mount, you may end up with roof interference issues as mentioned and care must be taken to prevent this.

Ok, very helpful, thanks!

Just an update. We installed the Db8e and it is way better than the old eagle antenna. I don't even need the preamp now and all my stations are consistently clear. Thanks to everyone for the help.