[rabbit73]

Originally Posted by jrgagne99

1) My wife didn't like the look of the 4-element planar reflector on the 30-2476, so I modified it down to a single element reflector.

Your wife dictates what the antenna should look like?

I thought the signal should dictate what the antenna looks like.

Yes, the coax between the preamp (near the antenna, I hope) and the power inserter should be one piece (except for the break for the grounding block) of high quality RG6 with a solid copper center conductor. I bought four different 100 FT lengths of coax and tested them for voltage drop:

http://www.highdefforum.com/1410658-post20.html

The 100ft Solid Signal Custom RG6 Quad with solid copper center conductor was the best.
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?p=sscblq

I then tested the coax for voltage drop and signal strength with increasing length, starting with worst 3 of 4:
http://www.highdefforum.com/1410662-post23.html

and:
http://www.highdefforum.com/1411096-post27.html

I didn't user the best SS Quad because I was trying to simulate a worst case for that OP, but it would have been the best.

The SNR is still reliably at 22+, so it is a non-issue (minimum of 14 dB required for reception).

I would consider 15 or 16 dB as a minimum.

2) I installed a generic splitter to try reception on 2 TVs last night. With the secondary TV off, signal strength on the main TV#1 (the Sony) was unchanged across all channels, compared to my original no-splitter setup. But when I turned on TV#2, the signal strength reported by the Sony for WVNY dropped by another 3 dB.

Exactly what generic splitter did you use?

Would a distribution amplifier help in this case?

Maybe; try improving the coax first. Then try another splitter. Then, replace the passive splitter with a CM 3412 or 3414.

Originally Posted by ADTech

If you connect it to a female F-connector that has previously had RG6 connected to it, you may find that the connector does not make a secure physical and electrical connection. Such a loose connection behaves like a capacitor and can cause a loss of lower frequency (think VHF frequencies) pass-through.

I noticed that problem with cable systems. The low channels would be weak, the higher UHF channels would be OK. The center conductor wasn't making good contact. The gap, as ADTech said, formed a capacitor that the UHF signals were better able to jump than the VHF signals (it's called capacative reactance, and is frequency dependent). It can also be caused by poor shield contact.

If you had that problem between the preamp and the power inserter, the preamp wouldn't get proper voltage, but it could happen after the power inserter.

I test F-81 adapters and other female connectors with a short length of bare copper wire to be sure it grabs the center conductor securely. Actually, I use a piece of copper clad steel center conductor from a short length of RG6 because it is more rigid, and file it to a point for easy insertion. I have found that some cheap F-81 adapters are really bad.