Help with new ota setup.
 

Hello, a couple of years ago I got some excellent advice here when setting up my home ota setup. Now I'm looking to set something up in a condo I've acquired. Its on the ground floor of a 2 story unit. HOA rules means nothing on a pole or roof, but I can put something on the back porch or indoors. There is currently a leaf hanging in a window that is providing less than optimal quality. What can I do to maximize my ota reception?

Any help with antenna/amp selection and orientation would be appreciated.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...9038136272eb41

Hi Mecha:

As I understand HOA rules and Federal Law regarding OTA antenna placement, your HOA cannot forbid you from placing an antenna on a pole or your roof, if you own your unit. I understand you're on the ground floor of a 2 story unit, so that might be more problematic, of course. But you might try negotiating a compromise where you could get some more height with an antenna. That might be helpful for better reception at your location. Also, is there any "attic" space between your unit and upstairs where you could place an antenna?

You could try finding the "sweet spot" inside the condo or around the back porch with that Leaf Antenna. An amp in line with it on the back of your TV might help with reception too. There are amplified Leafs and separate amps you can purchase at any number of places such as Amazon, Best Buy, or other online dealers such as Antennas Direct. I have used their Clearstream Flex and have found it to be probably the best indoor flat antenna on the market right now. Just my recommendation, though.


Here is your rabbitears.info TV report at 12 feet above ground (takes about 25 seconds to load so be patient):
https://www.rabbitears.info/search.p...=dBm&height=12

You should be able to get good reception with the right antenna and placement for your LOS channels. It looks like you have UHF stations and one low VHF station, which you may or may not want. Rabbitears.info will serve you well for OTA reception at your location. I would take some time to look it over for your area. For instance, go to the top and click on Listings, then click on Market Listings, scroll down about 3/4 of the page until you come to your market, Wilmington, NC. Click on and it will show you the stations in your area. Four of them are off the air. But on real channel 46/24 after repack (display or virtual 3) WWAY, click on that and it will give you lots of information. Then click on Technical Data, and it will open up that stations coverage area. Next, click on either channel 46/24. Then, click on to show the Longley-Rice maps, apply, and that will give you a graphic example of signal strength for your area. You can zoom in right to your street location for reception quality. It looks excellent and you should be able to receive it as they say there, Easy Indoor.

I'm sure others will respond with good ideas and helpful information to assist you in achieving your goals.

Good luck and please post back your results when you are finished.

Your TV Fool report indicates that your antenna needs to be located so it can have a clear view to the west. If there are neighboring buildings or trees blocking that view you can expect problems with reception.

I've come across 'energy efficient window glass that blocks a substantial amount of radio/TV/WiFi signals. Just because you can see through a window does not mean you can get acceptable reception through it. If you have exhausted every possible mounting location with your existing antenna, I'd try a 2 or even 4 bay design such as the Antennas Direct ClearStream 2 or 4 Max... Though you'll want to carefully consider the size of these antennas vs. your available space before ordering.

Be careful trying to apply the OTARD rules to a cooperatively owned residence! If the association owns the roof, they get to make (and enforce) restrictions on how it is used. Unit owners or residents of such types of housing are restricted to enjoying OTARD protections only in "private use areas" for their protected TV antennas and satellite dishes.

ADTech is right in regards to the specific reference he mentions.

Here is an article that covers the issue in fuller context:

https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/many...-ota-antennas/

Paragraph 6 is what ADTech is talking about. The rest of the article should provide ample information about the subject. It all depends on your specific housing circumstances.