View Single Post
Old 2-Feb-2014, 5:40 AM   #3
StephanieS
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 442
Hi Mark,

I had written out a bunch of thoughts in regards to your situation. None of them seemed to feel they were right.

The overriding problem you have in your plot is KGBT real channel (RF) 31. It is laying an exceptionally strong signal on you to the point that any outdoor antenna may be overloaded from it.

Overload happens to TV tuners when signals are so strong it makes them essentially "go blind." This would be like looking at an exceptionally bright light and being unable to see any detail. We can look away to see detail again. A TV tuner can't so often times reception either degrades or disappears completely.

I have never been in a situation where I've had exceptionally strong signals less than a half mile away while desiring to receive weaker signals. I could suggest the gear to get the weaker signal and you under normal circumstances would likely be successful. However, KGBT and your exceptionally strong locals make any higher gain or directional antenna likely a non-option. For the Mexican broadcasts, you need an antenna on par with a DB8, DB8e or channel master 4228.

I can't in good consciousness recommend them here though. Not for the design, but that there is too much other signal in the air for them.

No matter what kind of setup I envision, it has to be outdoors and the overwhelming strength of your locals I fear will undercut your efforts.

You'd have to be able to isolate the antenna and in effect, shield it from the locals. It wouldn't be just a "point and connect" type of installation. It'd be far more complicated.

This is where I punt this question to others who have tackled this type of situation before. I can't recommend anyway forward here that I feel confident in for the weaker stations.

Edit: I am not surprised you receive stations with a paperclip. If KGBT were an AM station in the 1950s, your cavity fillings may have been playing music!

Last edited by StephanieS; 2-Feb-2014 at 5:45 AM.
StephanieS is offline   Reply With Quote