Quote:
Originally Posted by crinde
What is the advantage of vertically stacking two DB4e over the DB8e which is basically horizontally stacking two DB4e? How long of a pole do I need to stack two DB4e vertically, because I may need to buy a longer pole for the top of the tower.
If I stack the two DB4e over the old VHF antenna which I am considering aiming North towards CKY-DT in Ste. Agathe/Ritchot, MB (not listed in TVFool) will it interfere with UHF antenna, because I am definitely more interested in the US stations and don't want to hurt my chances with them.
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The advantage in the vertical stack is that you maintain the higher beam width of the 4-bay while flattening the aperture in the vertical axis to increase gain. The horizontal stack of any 8-bay antenna squeezes the pattern horizontally and makes it more directional from left-to-right. Using an 8-bay in this situation will probably mean more of a compromise because, if aiming between the two incoming signal sources, they would then BOTH be outside the most useful reception aperture. You have a 40° spread in your UHF signals while the -3 dB beam width of most 8-bay antennas is going to be between 15 and 30°, depending on the specific channel (and the specific antenna).
You'd likely need 8-10' of usable mast. The two DB4e antennas will take up about 5' at the top. Allow a couple of feet separation between the bottom antenna and your large VHF antenna. Combine the two antennas with a UVSJ and feed that into the pre-amplifier.