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Which antenna?
When we bought our current home eleven years ago it came with 45 foot TV tower, and 10 foot mast, equipped with one UHF/VHF antenna pointed towards two translators 22-23 miles W/SW, and one old style analog antenna pointed N/NE. While the UHF/VHF antenna is in good condition today, the same can't be said for the older analog antenna, thanks to the sun and weather. It needs replaced, but with what type of antenna?
With the analog antenna pointed basically N/NE, we can receive 3-4 channels, ranging in distance from 22-23 miles to 65.7, 71.5, and 73.3 miles; weather conditions play a part in receiving one of the stations. Which comes back to my original question, which antenna can we buy that with pick up the signal from the furthest transmitter from us, 73.3 miles?
Because of the uncertainty of our weather, an antenna with a rotor is out of the question unless said rotor can withstand winds of up to 50 MPH or higher. While we are nowhere below zero all the time during the winter, it can reach those temperatures at times, possibly freezing a rotor.
And because the antenna will be in direct sunlight 365 days a year, any plastic on that antenna must be UV stabilized; really would like to get away from any plastic.
So, do the antennas which claim 100 + miles actually pick up signals from that distance? Do omni-directional antennas actually pick up signals from 360 degrees? The last thing I want to do is spend money and time buying and placing an antenna only to find out it won't work for our location.
As to our terrain, how does flat sound? As to trees, what's a tree? There are no major obstructions between us and any transmitters, so a crow wouldn't have any trouble flying from point A, our home, and point B, any of the transmitters.
With so many choices to make, and some web sites telling me there are no stations within their antenna range, I'm a bit overwhelmed in choosing the right antenna for our location. I could use the help of anyone who happens to be a guru in this area.
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