7 to 51 or 14 to 51 Antennas?
Hello Everyone
Since the DTV transition, UHF channels in the US end with channel 51. However, almost a year later, most antennas available are still designed to receive through channel 69. I understand that by rescaling antennas to 51, their gain performance can be improved. Is there a current list of rescaled antennas? I would be especially interested in models designed for fringe reception? Thanks |
Of the major antenna manufacturers, only Antennas Direct has brought products to market optimized for the truncated UHF band. These would be the ClearStream Micron, ClearStream C1, ClearStream C2, and ClearStream C4 which are all optimized for the post-transition U.S. UHF band.
The ClearStream C5, which is derived from the C1, is available as a separate add-on unit for VHF 7-13 for areas that need high-VHF performance in addition to UHF reception. There are several hobbyist-created antennas, well discussed at the Digital Home Canada website, that are available as DIY projects for UHF that have been re-scaled. To date, I am unaware of any 7-51 combo antennas that may be on the market. As manufacturers who sell into Canada will tell you, it is still premature to abandon UHF performance up to channel 69 as Canada still has more than a year remaining before their UHF spectrum is reduced. Please keep in mind that rescaling an existing 14-69 UHF antenna to cover 14-51 more effectively will cause the antenna to grow by about 20% for similar performance. As many legacy UHF designs peak strongly at the high end of the UHF band (700 MHz or more), the re-scaling moves the gain curve lower in the UHF band and the narrowed bandwidth allows for greater efficiencies. Antennas Direct Tech Support |
Hi ADTech,
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Rescaled 91XG
ADTech,
Thanks for your explanation. 91XG Antenna - "Our most powerful uni-directional UHF antenna."
For those on the fringe of DTV UHF reception, especially where multi-path interference may be also be an issue, a rescaled 91XG would be greatly appreciated. The digital "cliff effect" is annoying. While it would be larger (~1.5' longer), it would still be a manageable size compared with the all-in-one combination VHF / UHF yagi antennas. |
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It is certainly to AD's credit that AD has optimized the C1, C2, & C4 for the truncated UHF band. Since Canada is also planning to reduce their UHF spectrum, Canadians will probably defer elective antenna purchases until after their RF transition. Why invest in a new antenna now when their UHF frequencies will changing in about a year? However, in the US, the transition has already occurred. There is no need to defer antenna purchases - its quite the opposite. Why would Americans want to invest in pre-transition-designed deep fringe antennas nearly a year after the DTV transition? Additionally, the US population of 309 Million is obviously a much larger market than the 32 Million Canadians. When will we Americans see the 91XG optimized for 14-51? Thanks |
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Hi Dave,
Thanks for the links for do-it-yourself antennas. However, I'm not looking to experiment with antennas. I'd prefer to purchase a proven 14-51 UHF antenna:
Thanks! |
As a Canadian living north of Toronto I too would great appreciate a 14-51 rescaled antenna for picking up my hard to reach Buffalo stations. Its a Canadian tradition pulling in U.S. signal leakage over the border.
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The short answer is "When it makes financial sense to develop one and bring it to market." Explanation: While we'd all like to see the biggest, baddest performing antenna, the reality of this business is that a company must invest its resources where it will be expected to earn a return. The 91XG is an extremely low volume niche item sold mostly to distributors at very low margins. Given the tens of thousands of dollars in R&D costs that it takes to develop a new commercial antenna for market, all I can say is that this project is not yet high on the priority list (which has other, more important projects on it). Additionally, there is ample inventory in our warehouse to last into next year. If and when it should become available, it will be listed on our website first. Quote:
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With all due respect, the site about bowtie arrays documents designs that have been proven through modeling and use by a host of people. You can buy kits through that site that you can easily assemble and get the performance you are looking for. Additionally, in the Digital Home forums, there is an OTA antenna chart that provides recommendation for a wide variety of situations. These recommendations are based on the discussions and experince of the forum members. My recommendations: 1) order the bow-tie kit that matches your needs, or 2) look over the recommendations given in the referenced chart and buy one that meets up with your requirements. |
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2.) Which has less windload?
3.) Which antenna type is recommended for double-edge-diffraction reception areas? Thanks |
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Thanks for the suggestions. I checked the chart and it does not list any recommendations for a 14-51 UHF antenna - it only lists 14-69 antennas. For 7-51 combo antennas the chart recommends the HD-769xP models. However, these antennas are for channels 7-69 hence their nomenclature - "HD-769xP". Is there a UHF bow-tie kit that's recommend for 40+ miles in a double-edge-diffraction reception area? Thanks again |
The bowtie kits are optimized for the 7-51 channel range, emphasizing different parts of the bands. Go to the site I linked to and read up on it. If the gains match up to what the TVFool NM figures suggest is needed, then you will be fine. If you need double-digit gain at VHF, then this is not an all-in-one solution.
Please ease up on the 7-69 vice 7-51. The people behind the antenna chart know full well what they are talking about. In their judgment, the HD-769x series is the best solution for 7-51. So what if it has gain up to 69? If it has enough gain at 14, then you're OK. |
Tv reception
When the UHF channels 70 thru 83 went away it took the manufactures awhile to rescale to 14 thru 69. Manufactures are waiting to see what will happen with the VHF high and low bands. You are making a mountain out of a french fry. You can do the cut to channel and stack em. . . . . . http://www.go2mhz.com/specimages/Wade/Taco%20uhf%20CATV%20and%20MATV%20Antennas.pdf http://www.go2mhz.com . . http://www.wade-antenna.com . . . . Or you could strap on the PB-82-BB . http://www.go2mhz.com/specimages/Wade/D1338-BB.pdf . Or you could even do this . http://www.wade-antenna.com/Wade/CircularHelical.htm . . . . http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=410
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Tv reception
Ok a check of the Winegard HD9095P shows that the gain of CH 14 is 14.2 , CH 32 is 16 , CH 50 is 15.5 , CH 69 is 12.2 . . The center frequency between 14 and 51 is 32 and 33 , are you happy now?
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