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i put a unit on the roof, its about 5' wide 4' long i get 17 channels. i think i should get more judging by the search results. is the antenna quality bad to small? what about the ones sold at Menards for example?
(made by rca) what make the DB8 so good? or a winguard?
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...8d176084142140
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What makes an antenna a good antenna?
1. It must be designed to receive the frequencies of interest.
2. For each channel of interest, it must have sufficient gain to recover enough signal power to provide an acceptable signal to noise ratio.
3. It must be able to reject signals that would interfere with reception of signals of interest.
4. It's design and construction should be such that it provides long service life.
5. It's cost should be appropriate given the previously stated requirements.
No two receiving locations are identical. No one antenna design is ideal in all applications.
Among the regular contributors, there is a bias toward those manufactures that provide sound technical information about their products, information that has proven reliable and can be verified independently. There is a consistent effort to offer antenna suggestions which match the predicted signal conditions. Mistakes can be made, we are humans, volunteering our knowledge. Often there can be more than one good choice. There can be unknown factors that lead to good intentions failing to provide all that was hoped for.
As I stated in your first thread, my recommendation of the DB8 was in error. John Candle caught the rather obvious need for an antenna that would receive WBBM, real CH-12. The Winegard HD7697P was recommended, it offers reception of channels 7 through 13 (high-VHF) and channels 14 through 69 (UHF).
However, it sounds as if the price for the antenna you have laying on your roof is hard to beat. Let's try to get the most from it. It, like all other antennas will perform better if it is mounted correctly. You will need to invest in some type of mounting, the tripod you mention is a durable, time tested option. The logical next step is to get your existing antenna a few feet above the roofing materials. Even if the existing antenna proves to be inadequate, a tripod and mast sound like a logical mounting option in your situation.
I recommend you replace the flat twin-lead with RG-6 coaxial cable, which can be placed near metal such as the mast, flashings or gutters without it's electrical properties changing. Flat twin-lead requires that it be installed using the correct parts and techniques. Failure to do so often causes reduction in signal quality.