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Old 3-Mar-2010, 6:30 PM   #2
mtownsend
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 632
Hello and welcome!

The reason you're having problems on channels 7 and 12 is because the 4228 is really a UHF-only antenna. I know that some people tout it's ability to work at high VHF, but it is nowhere near as good as a true VHF antenna.

You can improve the stability on those channels by adding a separate VHF-only antenna like the Winegard YA-1713 or the Antennacraft Y10-7-13. Your VHF and UHF antennas should be combined through a UVSJ (don't just use a regular 2-way splitter).



I would recommend keeping the antenna pointed at San Francisco. The closer transmitters to the north-east are so strong that they should be able to get in through the "side" of your antenna. It doesn't sound like you've been having any problems from those stations, so all you need to worry about are the San Francisco and San Bruno stations.

The strongest channels on your list are in the range high enough to cause overload on your distribution amp. Normally, with an 8-way or 6-way split, it's a good idea to use some kind of amplification, but if the amp is getting overloaded, you're better off without it. In this case, it's on the borderline. If there's a long cable between the antenna and the distribution amp, then the signal power might have dropped enough to be below the overload limit of the amp.

If you can, I'd recommend that you try it both ways. Once with a passive 8-way splitter, and once with the distribution amp, and see if there's any difference. If there's no notable degradation with the amp, then you're better off keeping it in place.
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