TV Fool

TV Fool (http://forum.tvfool.com/index.php)
-   Help With Reception (http://forum.tvfool.com/forumdisplay.php?f=7)
-   -   NBC @ 65 miles away - $100 budget? (http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=16254)

Iguana Man 24-Mar-2017 11:49 AM

NBC @ 65 miles away - $100 budget?
 
Greetings! Looking to try and help my neighbor out with a possible HD outdoor antenna.

Her main concern is channel 4 which is NBC and it's 65 miles away. If possible, I'd like to keep the cost down for her to $100 if possible. Looking for possible "$35 WallyWorld" options as well as the ones you folks suggest.

Here's the report:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e6a41d7b639a59

rickbb 24-Mar-2017 2:19 PM

While not impossible, she will have to work hard to get that channel.

To have a shot she will need a high gain antenna mounted as high as possible with a totally clear path to the tower. No trees, other houses, etc. in the way. Success will depend on a clear path at that distance.

I like bow tie style antennas, but she has a VHF channel 7 that bow tie antennas are not likely to receive without an add on for VHF, or use a separate VHF antenna with a UVSJ.

Others can recommend a combo Yagi style that may be better suited for her.

PS. You can forget the $35 Wally World.

Iguana Man 24-Mar-2017 5:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickbb (Post 57652)
While not impossible, she will have to work hard to get that channel.

To have a shot she will need a high gain antenna mounted as high as possible with a totally clear path to the tower. No trees, other houses, etc. in the way. Success will depend on a clear path at that distance.

I like bow tie style antennas, but she has a VHF channel 7 that bow tie antennas are not likely to receive without an add on for VHF, or use a separate VHF antenna with a UVSJ.

Others can recommend a combo Yagi style that may be better suited for her.

PS. You can forget the $35 Wally World.

Since NBC was locally removed by DISH because NBC wouldn't pay to play anymore, that one channel is all she's looking to get back. If you can recommend a bowtie that would be great.

I also look forward to other replies so thanks in advance.

EDITED: I forgot to mention this will be in direct sunlight for the entire day here in west South Carolina. I've seen what that can do to plastics down here so keep that in mind. :)

rabbit73 24-Mar-2017 8:26 PM

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Antennas-...tenna/22087581

https://www.walmart.com/ip/RCA-Anten...ifier/14554631

Iguana Man 25-Mar-2017 12:23 PM

Thanks rabbit73!

Anyone else care to chime in? I'd like to explore as many options as possible. :)

GroundUrMast 25-Mar-2017 4:14 PM

I think rabbit73 has already done a good job given the $100 constraint.

If not for the tight budget, I would consider the Antennas Direct DB8E or 91XG plus their Juice pre-amplifier.

Tower Guy 25-Mar-2017 5:25 PM

The RCA is the right preamp. The antenna is UHF only, so add a VHF antenna from MCM electronics. http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/30-2475
This UHF only antenna would provide a bit more margin than the DB4e.
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/produc...-2430-/30-2430

Iguana Man 26-Mar-2017 12:18 PM

Awesome. Thanks for the suggestions folks.

wizwor 26-Mar-2017 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iguana Man (Post 57661)
Thanks rabbit73!

Anyone else care to chime in? I'd like to explore as many options as possible. :)

Iguana Man, this is not going to work. A two edge UHF signal at 65 miles will not come in.

My suggestion would be to find a friend with an antenna closer to the station and use a Simple TV DVR to remotely stream the station.

ADTech 27-Mar-2017 11:46 AM

Quote:

A two edge UHF signal at 65 miles will not come in.
Sure it will, as long as there are no fatal path impairments that block the terminal signal path to the antenna. I do it all the time with a pretty high level of reliability. It does take work and sometimes some luck.

wizwor 27-Mar-2017 1:51 PM

from https://www.antennasdirect.com/faqs.html#faq11...

Quote:

Q: How far can I be from the transmitters and still get a good signal?
A: Getting reliable UHF DTV reception beyond the curvature of the earth (approximately 70 miles) is difficult. The good news is that terrain has a major impact on reception. Going over water is about the best it gets, since water is generally flat and has positive impacts on temperature for sending the signal along. Still, beyond 70 miles, unless you can get direct line-of-sight to the transmitters, the number of things that could impact reception negatively is numerous. Just keep these in mind going in to the project. Accept that what you want may not be possible.
from https://www.groundedreason.com/watch...guide/#tv_fool

Quote:

1Edge – When the signal leaves the tower it is “cut” when it hits a hill, mountain, or other well defined obstruction. When this happens, the obstruction acts as a secondary, albeit weaker, source of signal generation. A value of 1Edge in the “Path” column indicates the antenna is receiving the signal after being cut by this obstruction. The picture below demonstrates this concept.

2Edge – This is the same concept as 1Edge, except the signal was cut twice before reaching the antenna. As you may have guessed, this results in a much weaker signal than 1Edge.

rickbb 27-Mar-2017 2:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADTech (Post 57676)
Sure it will, as long as there are no fatal path impairments that block the terminal signal path to the antenna. I do it all the time with a pretty high level of reliability. It does take work and sometimes some luck.

Yep, I get one more than 80% of the time from 85 miles away with a homemade DB4. It's funny how weather affects it, even a strong wind will knock it out.

I get some 60 milers 99% of the time. On the other hand I have some only 30 miles that are darn hard to get, due to trees and a high tension power line directly in the path.

Iguana Man 29-Mar-2017 2:08 PM

After further review, it looks like NNW (NBC) is going to see some trees and possibly some higher terrain (~50'-75') in that direction.

I'm going to suggest the RCA pre-amp & Stellar Labs 80mile bowtie.

Appreciate all the advice!!

Iguana Man 11-Apr-2017 9:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tower Guy (Post 57663)
The RCA is the right preamp. The antenna is UHF only, so add a VHF antenna from MCM electronics. http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/30-2475
This UHF only antenna would provide a bit more margin than the DB4e.
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/produc...-2430-/30-2430

Winner winner chicken dinner!

Got the antenna up today and ran through the channels available. 60+!!!!! NBC and every other local station plus a couple from DISH came through crystal clear. Hell, he only eyeballed the direction for NBC and didn't even need to make any adjustments.

Awesome antenna and MANY thanks to Tower Guy for the suggestion on the MCM Bowtie.

And thanks to everyone else for their input.

Billiam 12-Apr-2017 11:27 PM

Ch. 4 looks like a real Ch. 36. Given the NM is around 10 it most certainly will come in with a fringe or deep fringe antenna. I've reliably received far weaker UHF signals that were also 2 edge with the Antennacraft MXU 59 and HBU 55. Find something similar that is still in production and that should do the trick.


All times are GMT. The time now is 1:14 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright © TV Fool, LLC