Db8e suggestions please (first time antenna person)
 

Hello everyone!

I hope youre all well! I come here today for some advice.

I have a db8e on the way, and i plan to mount it on my roof, as close to 30' as possible. Based on the info below, what can i expect to get out of it.

Also i was told with that antenna not to get a preamp as it will just overload. Is this true? Since the little women is letting me cut off the dish, i want to get her as many channels as possible without wasting money going overboard.

Thank you all ahead of time for any and all input!!!

P.s. I do plan to take advantage of the rotating bays in 2 directions if I can get it to work properly... If so what would be my 2 best headings to start with?

Thanks again everyone!

http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6s6jrr10.jpg

http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/a...psujs3wceg.jpg

Please post the LINK to your TVFool plot, it contains information that an mage goes not.

You can delete the antennaweb image, it's useless.

The best information we need is "What channels do you NEED"?

Which information are you refering to thats not above?

I NEED to pick as many as i can.

ADTech is referring to the link to the report you posted the image of. The whole report allows access to additional information.

Re-do your TV Fool Report. Copy the URL of the page from either the URL bar or near the top of the report just after the words: "If you would like to share these results with others, this page can be referenced as:" Then paste the report in this thread.

Can you be more specific? Trying to learn here, what other information is valuable?

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...f1f095e9353530

That's better, but that report says it is only resolved to the block level. It might or might not be accurate.

Try the instructions here and post the link to the report that is generated: http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=14508

Ignore that, forgot to set height...

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...f1f09ab259d30a

That usually means a very large all channel antenna, a substantial tower that gets the antenna above obstacles such as buildings or trees, a very heavy duty rotor, and a carefully selected amplifier or a filtering network, all of which could cost thousands of dollars.

However, that's usually not practical, so it's necessary to focus.

Given that you've already jumped the gun and ordered a DB8e, I'd suggest the following: Install the antenna so it's aimed generally south west, then splay each panel about 20-30°away from each other and give it a try. Don't be surprised if it doesn't work out exactly as envisioned.

Fair enough, shall we focus on the equipement ive listed, and the best possible outcomes of said equipement?

Where did you get the idea i jumped the gun? It was initially recommended to me, and not my first choice (at first) but after seeing all the other customer reviews i decided it would be a good attempt of a quality antenna that may can help me with my range problems.

Yes, probably true. Your first two signals are very strong.
We understand the WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor), but you have major networks in different directions which makes a solution to your reception problem a little more difficult and might require some experimentation.
Who recommended it?
What was your first choice?
You bought the antenna before posting your problem here.

I think that the DB8-e is the right antenna for you. Aim one panel at 5 degrees the other at 130. You'll get all the major networks.

The first time i saw it was on One of those soghts that you put in your address and it spits out recommended setups. TBH it was actually the first antenna type i ever saw when i first started researching this project. I didnt pay it much attention at first until i started noticing everyone was comparing it to oter models, and a lot of good responses were being posted. I have to admit i also find it attractive for a hunk of metal and plastic. Then i started researching just it and it seems most people like it. Plus you can set in 2 directions, which seems like exactly what i need... So i figured why not.

First choice was a channel master HD, but apparently all the good reviews are on a model thats no longer available, and the revision is not getting got feedback.

I love hearing that, but can you tell me why you feel that way?

Your NBC and PBS stations are at 6 degrees true (14 degrees on a compass).
The rest of your stations are at 130 degrees true (138 degrees on a compass).

You aim the antenna towards the broadcast towers.

Hahaha no im sorry i wasnt clear... I meant why the db8e was the right choice. Good to hear i may have got a decent earl... Wanted to know if rabbit has experience with this model, or if he just said that because i can aim 2 directions

Thank you for posting the last tvfool report; it is much more accurate.

Fortunately, the DB8E that you picked is a UHF antenna, and most of your channels are UHF. It is a high gain (when both panels are aimed in the same direction), high quality antenna, with a narrow beamwidth that is not compatible with signals from different directions at the same time (that's the trade-off). The modification to that design was to allow the two panels to be aimed in different directions.

In spite of some glowing reviews, the antenna with two panels, each aimed in a different direction, often doesn't work. When the same signals from each antenna panel reach the combining point, they can interfere with each other if they are not in phase.

That is why I said it might require some experimentation. This is true for the DB8E, and for combining any two UHF antennas aimed in different directions.

When the signals are in different directions we sometimes suggest a lower gain antenna that has a wider beamwidth and an aim between the two directions. Every location is unique, and requires a custom solution.

That is why we asked for a redo of your tvfool report.

Customer reviews are about the absolute worse possible way of selecting an antenna. That could be the subject of its own rant thread....:eek:

This is certainly a straight forward approach that achieves the usual goal of receiving a set of network although the element facing to the north probably isn't needed. With excess signal margins in excess of 60 dB, those stations will come in just fine from the back, subject to unknown local issues (trees, buildings, etc). My aiming suggestion in post #9 is intended to also get you some of the Charlotte stations, assuming those signal paths are not blocked by unknown local obstacles.

FWIW, it's unlikely that anyone has more hands-on experience with the DB8e than I do since I personally did all the field trials and tests during its development and product launch. :)

This is correct. The two-panel project usually works best when 1) the two panels are nearly 90° from each other (each has a null in the other's aiming direction), 2) you can withstand the combiner loss from the combiner (which is no longer combining the signals from each panel in phase), and 3) there aren't any odd-balll reflections of a desired signal that comes in via the "wrong" panel which can cause signal cancellation. That's why I said " Don't be surprised if it doesn't work out exactly as envisioned " above. Too many variables.

Now see this exact situation is why ive decided to not get the preamp. I read another situation where person had a antenne that when preamp was ine, his signal dropped to 0, but woth preamp off it came in over 80. Couldnt this posters problem possibly be preamp related?

Boy i sure am lucky to have you guys helping me. I suppose its best to just wait till i get in installed then ill post some results and we can go from there! Oh boy im so excited! Cant wait to give dish the finger... Or at least the thumb (turned down)

No, not in the somerset case, it was because the two signals interfered with each other. The over 80 case was the one you read about, which could have been an overload problem.

The PROOF is that each was OK when operated separately.

Absolutely. Either the amp was overloading internally or the amplified signal was overloading the tuner. Either is fatal to digital reception.

Tower Guy is a TV station engineer with many years of experience solving reception problems.

As ADTech told you, he has been in on the design and testing of the DB8E from the start, because he works for the company that makes it. He has given expert antenna advice many hundreds of times, if not thousands of times, on at least four forums.

I am 81 years old and have been experimenting with antennas since I was eight years old, when I built my first crystal set radio. Since then, I have experimented with many ham radio antennas, antennas for analog TV, and for the past 6 years with antennas for digital TV.

How many "experts" do you need before you are at least willing to try our ideas?

Here's the point:

Your problem is not simple, as it would be if all your signals were in the same direction. We want to let you know about some of the problems that you will be faced with, and not raise your expectations only to have them crashed on the rocks of reality. It is a lesson we have learned the hard way, from people that have been disappointed by their results.

I am always amazed when someone wants a simple system that duplicates what a CATV system does with multiple antennas, amplifiers, and modulators costing thousands of dollars. You will need to cut back on your expectations and settle for improving one direction or be prepared to spend a lot of time and money building a system that does what you want.

http://forum.tvfool.com/attachment.p...1&d=1431469978

http://theoldcatvequipmentmuseum.org...index.html#top

Try one direction first, and see what you get.

We can't guarantee that our advice will work. We only have the information that you have given us so far. There might be other factors that you haven't told us, like trees and buildings in the signal path that the tvfool report doesn't take into consideration with its computer simulation.

I don't know your exact location, but I see a lot of trees in the general area NW of the center of Tobaccoville. See the attachments. Did I get close?

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/antennas/siting.html
scroll down to Trees and UHF

You can use the interactive map feature of tvfool to show the green signal lines that will help you aim your antenna, and to see what might be in the way. An example is in the third attachment. Enter your information here:
http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?opti...pper&Itemid=90

Xesvuli420:

It's time for you to try your new DB8E.

The coax should be grounded with a grounding block that is connected to the house electrical system ground with 10 gauge copper wire for electrical safety. For further compliance with the electrical code (NEC), 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.

Please let us know the results of your tests on this same thread.

Best regards,
rabbit

Hello again everyone. Just got back in the US and installed the antenna. I still have a lot of routing to do before final setup and test, but I just couldn't help myself but to run a sneak peek into the channels I have picked up. I used 130 degrees and 215 degrees. My HD Homerun picked up 37 channels on initial hookup. I'll edit this post later with pictures and final results!

I hope all of you are well!


UPDATE:
Having stutter problems on one of my routers, trying another access point now. HD Homerun pcks up 32-38 down to about 27 channels after bad channels removed each scan.

Old school coaxial in back of TV picks up 25 channels perfectly.

will update one more time after I finish splitters and routing in a few days!

See ya then

Thanks for the preliminary report; it sounds promising.

Ok guys, after all the tinkering, and adjusting the antenna, the best I can seem to get is a follows:

Channel-Strength-Quality
31-100-75
32-100-75
19-85-100
29-95-100
51-80-95
33-90-100
43-20-100
23-50-55
35-8-90
22-55-60

That gives me about 25 watchable channels.

Because of the distance, my 2nd bay only adds an additional 2 channels, and those are between 40% and 50%. Looks like in my situation, a 2 bay antenna isn't all that helpful.

Any suggestions?