|
Hello and welcome!
Here are a few thoughts...
1) The strong channels at the top of your list are very close by and very strong (mostly Canadian analog broadcasts). Signal strengths this high will overload just about any amp, so under no circumstances should you attempt to use any kind of amp in your setup (either built into an antenna or as a separate unit). An overloaded amp doesn't damage anything, but it washes out all the signals and you'll get nothing useful out of it.
2) Most of the stations you are asking for are in the "red" range on your channel list. This means that for most situations, the recommended antenna placement is outdoors, preferably up high. If you go with a second-floor indoor installation, it might still work, but it might be marginal (i.e., pixellation, some channel dropouts, etc.). For a more reliable signal, you should really consider a rooftop option.
3) For a second-floor installation, you will probably need at least a 4 bay antenna, if not more. How well this works depends on where the antenna is relative to the direction of the transmitters (is it on the south side of the house?), and what kind of building material is in the way (is there any wire mesh, foil-backed insulation, ducts, or other conductive material blocking signals?).
4) If the 4 bay turns out to be inadequate, the next step up in antenna size would be something like an 8 bay or a very large log periodic or yagi. Unfortunately, antennas of this size are probably too big to simply stash in a closet. At this point, you may have no choice but to go for an outdoor installation.
5) My gut feel is that your best setup would consist of an Antennas Direct 91XG (for UHF) and a Winegard YA1713 (for high-VHF) combined through a UVSJ. If this is installed on your roof and pointed at Buffalo, you should be able to get most of the channels down into the "red" zone. Both of these antennas are very directional, which might help your situation because it screens out some of the excessive power coming from your local transmitters.
|