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Old 27-Jul-2017, 6:33 PM   #7
rabbit73
Retired A/V Tech
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: S.E. VA
Posts: 2,747
Welcome to the forum, Frugal1SBM

Quote:
Originally Posted by Frugal1SBM View Post
I just read through Rabbit73 advice on comparisons. I am afraid some of this is over my head and not sure how it applies to my situation. The review of the Clearstream was not encouraging.

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.p...utdoor+Antenna

Comments?
That advice was tailored for Adyoon and his location. Your location is very different and will require a different solution. Actually, the C2 or the ClearStream 2MAX™ might be the best choice for you. Your channels in green are all UHF, so you don't need the VHF dipole at this time.

Quote:
Compare for me ClearStream 2MAX™ UHF/VHF Indoor/Outdoor HDTV Antenna vs Free Signal TV Marathon, 1byone Amplified Outdoor Antenna or other omni-direction placed at the same level as the Dish?
The Marathon and the 1byone are not suitable for you, because the amplifier that they have will be overloaded by your unusually strong signals. If you look at your report, you will see that the first three channels have the signal power (dBm) highlighted in red, which is an overload warning.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e6a4ee500a804d

Another way to define overload is by the Noise Margin number in the report.



Interpreting Noise Margin in the TV Fool Report
http://www.aa6g.org/DTV/Reception/tvfool_nm.html

Thank you for the photo showing the dish; it helps.



You have two problems with the HOA, both of which are in a gray area. Their antenna restriction is poorly written. The one meter limit is for a dish. OTA antennas are allowed to be larger, according to the FCC. IF you own the roof and the land, you are allowed to have your antenna at any location needed for good reception, as long as it isn't any higher than 12 feet above the peak of your roof. What is critical is the form of ownership as defined in your contract.

It seems that the ramp access is more important to you than the antenna, so I suggest you do some antenna experiments within the HOA rules and use your energy to battle the HOA on the ramp.

The main problems are that your signals are in two directions, and there is a great difference in signal strength. There are ways to solve the two direction problem; in your case it is with a bi-directional antenna.

The signals from the NW are much stronger than the signals from the SE, but the roof blocks the signals from the SE, making the difference even greater.

I suggest you first try the ClearStream 2MAX™ in the dish location. You might need to insert an attenuator to make the signals weaker to prevent overload. It would need to be enough attenuationt to keep the NW signals from causing overload without making the SE signals too weak. The coax should be grounded with a grounding block for the attenuator to be effective. Otherwise, the strong signals could get directly into the TV. The Dish guys should have grounded the coax.
https://www.antennasdirect.com/cmss_...es/ATT1_QS.pdf

https://www.antennasdirect.com/store...ttenuator.html

http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=att-1



If more than 20 dB of attenuation is needed, you can add a fixed attenuator of 10 or 20 dB:



If you can't find a balance that way, try the antenna in the attic, which will attenuate the signals in both directions.

If that doesn't work, I suggest you add the reflector kit for the 2MAX and locate the antenna where the dish is with the reflector (the rear of the antenna) aimed NW and the front of the antenna (loops) aimed SE. The stronger NW signals coming from the rear will be attenuated by the reflector.

https://www.antennasdirect.com/store...y-C2M-REF.html

It's not clear to me which would be better, the C2V that already has the reflector, or the 2MAX with the reflector kit added; they seem to be equivalent for your situation.

The trees on the North side might actually help.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Frugal1SBMtvfTrees1.JPG (74.0 KB, 1673 views)
File Type: jpg Frugal1SBMtvfTrees3.JPG (72.3 KB, 1648 views)
File Type: jpg Frugal1SBMtvfDish2.jpg (161.6 KB, 3281 views)
File Type: jpg Frugal1SBMtvfTrees2.JPG (204.3 KB, 1649 views)
File Type: png AD ATT-1 Calib.png (112.2 KB, 3202 views)
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Last edited by rabbit73; 27-Jul-2017 at 11:29 PM.
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