antrenna selection advice
 

Hello - Looking for antenna selection help. Here's my signal report.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e6a4190c8018c5

I'll be using something less than 80' of cable to one TV. My "local" stations are the ones located towards the south. My mast height is about 35' off the ground but even though the ground slopes away towards the south the antenna will look into the crown of an oak tree and forest on beyond. In the past I had a four bay bow tie type antenna that got reception from as far away as New Haven CT as long as the temperature was 20' or colder.

Grateful for any recommendations.

Welcome, wessman

Winegard HD7698P antenna aimed at 191 deg magnetic and an Antennas Direct Juice preamp.

If you can't get CBS on WFSB, real channel 33, you will need a BIG VHF-Low antenna for CBS on real channel 6 aimed at 280 deg magnetic.

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), the mast should also be grounded in a similar manner to drain any buildup of static charge which will tend to discourage a strike, but the system will not survive a direct strike.

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

Thank you Rabbit73, I'll give it a try. One more question. I have an FM antenna on that mast. How far apart should they be?

About 4 to 5 feet; but you can try 3 feet if you don't have the room.

https://www.tonercable.com/pdf/antenna.pdf

I would actually go with a winegard hd8200u here if it were me

UHF signals don't bend over hills and they are severely attenuated by trees so they will likely be marginal at times once summer returns

but vhf signals will bend over hills and they are much less affected by trees so they will likely be the only sure thing
thru a forest

the 8200 is the same antenna as the 7698 with the addition of 2 thru 6

low band vhf channels like 2 and 6 are very reliable thru trees and over hills so if the UHF channels still don't come in, you will have the ability to put the 8200 on a rotator and pick up 2 and 6 from the north east.

the 7698 and the 8200 are very narrow pattern antennas on UHF so you will likely benefit from being able to turn it since even the stations to the south may be too many degrees apart to get them all aimed in one direction

The 8200 will also serve as an FM antenna, but may also need a rotor and may cause watching/ listening conflicts, w/ or w/o a rotor.

yes, since the 8200u also picks up FM as well, you can then take down the existing FM antenna

you will need a preamp that passes FM so you will need
something like the channel master 7778 instead

most potential channel conflicts are below 0db noise margin so they will likely be too weak to watch

and with the high side and rear pattern nulls of the antenna, merely turning a few degrees away from possible
interference should do the trick

Keep in mind that due to the size and mass of a very large combo antenna, any rotor that can handle it without premature failure is probably going to cost several times the cost of the antenna. The $100-$125 RCA and Channel Master rotors won't last very long with an 8200 on it once the wind starts to blow.

The OP is going to need to make some decisions about what compromises might be involved in making the final selection. Very large combo antennas are large and heavy and require a very robust mounting facility as well as a greater difficulty in installing one. One has to be up to that challenge in order to reap the benefits.

Rotors in a multi-viewer household or one with DVRs are going to require cooperation and agreement among the viewers as to what is going to be watched in whatever direction. Conflicts may be inevitable, depending on the occupants.

Trees in the terminal signal path are always going to raise concerns about signal reliability, especially for UHF signals when the trees are leafed out, wet, and the wind is blowing. Antenna selection alone generally cannot be assured to fix this issue although a larger UHF antenna is usually somewhat helpful. VHF signals, as noted, are less affected by trees.

Just some things to consider... ;)

Thanks again. I'm a little discouraged. I get a lot of weather up here. I do think a long boom might be a problem. The main stations I want are WGBY real 22, WGGB real 40, and WWLP real 11. I don't mind the separate FM - I listen in another room.Just one TV so viewing conflicts happen at the couch. I'll avoid a rotor if I can. 50/50 chance with the 8200? No idea what the programing on WICX 2 is like and 6 is behind a mountain.

With the bow tie setup the only station i could get in Summer was WUNI real 29 - clear as abell. Alas I don't speak Spanish.

Then you don't need a big wide antenna for VHF-Low like the 8200, but you do need the gain on UHF and VHF-High like the 7698.

Your signals are weak, 2Edge signals (terrain in the path), and you have trees. Putting up the 7698 is justified, and a preamp will be needed. You might get away with the smaller HD7694P, but I'm not sure it has enough gain.

No rotator needed; all three are about in the same direction.

WYCX is Retro TV
http://www.rabbitears.info/market.ph...&callsign=wycx