New to Antenna

DJBeall28 · 20-Jul-2010, 5:30 PM

Hello guys my Dad has signed up with you guys and has been raving about the great things you have helped him with.. I was wondering if you might help me with my antenna discoveries aswell .

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...9fbef958262185

here is what the results were for me.. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks for the look

Billiam · 20-Jul-2010, 5:47 PM

Probably a Winegard HD 7697P or 7698P if you want to receive any of the signals in red.

John Candle · 20-Jul-2010, 7:59 PM

It will be the Winegard 7697P antenna pointed at Atlanta. Get the antenna up high , 30 feet. And you will receive all the Atlanta digital stations. Your location shows land obstructions hills ridges etc,. . Solid signal http://www.solidsignal.com has the antenna and different kinds of mountings to get the antenna up in the air. For something to play around with. A simple rods and loop (rabbit ears) antenna might get you a few stations , as always get the antennas up high , do not put them on the ground. Do not bury the antenna deep in side the house. Put the indoor antenna at an unobstructed window , no metal screen on the window that faces the television transmitters. http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=233

Dave Loudin · 20-Jul-2010, 9:22 PM

I wouldn't go to great lengths to experiment with an indoor antenna at your location. Remember, the NM data is what you design to. A net of +10 gives you reliable reception. Being indoors usually knocks off 20 dB, and you wan't be at 20 feet, so subtract a few more dBs. Given that a repsectable indoor antenna provides around zero gain (amplifiers DO NOT HELP!), you're left with one or two stations that you could pick up: WUVG and WGTV.

As far as the outdoor antenna goes, you should buy the 7698P, as you need all the gain you can get for reliable reception on these 2-edge paths.

mtownsend · 20-Jul-2010, 10:36 PM

All of the Atlanta stations appear to be diffracting over the tops of the mountains (everything is showing "2edge") in order to reach you. Even though the stations are only about 40 miles away, the signal strengths are not that strong due to terrain blockage. However, most of the stations are still coming through with enough signal power to be received reliably.

Here's a cross-section view of the terrain between WGTV and your location (you can click on the table in your report to get this for any of the channels):

You will want a "big" antenna (like the Winegard HD7698P or Antennacraft HBU-55) plus a good pre-amp (like the Channel Master 7777, Winegard AP-8275, or Antennacraft 10G202) to get the maximum number of channels with the greatest reliability. All you need to do is aim the antenna at Atlanta (around compass heading 273º) and you should be able to pick up most of the network stations.

DJBeall28 · 21-Jul-2010, 5:51 AM

Thanks guys for all the help. I'm hoping that soon they will improve the area for better reception.

John Candle · 21-Jul-2010, 6:15 AM

A strange statement. . Improve in what way? Or ways?

mtownsend · 21-Jul-2010, 6:42 AM

There isn't a whole lot that can be done about the mountains being in the way (other than moving), but the situation isn't really that bad. Even with the terrain being in the way, you will still be able to pick up lots of channels as long as you get the right antenna and pre-amp setup for your situation.

I think if you follow the suggestions being offered, you will be pretty happy with the results. With digital TV broadcasts, you can get perfect video (no ghosting, no snow) as long as you can pull in signals above a 0 dB Noise Margin and hold it there. The major broadcasts also carry a lot of HD content these days too (sometimes better than what you get with cable or satellite).

As a general rule of thumb, trying to get a net NM around +10 dB or more (after you factor in antenna gain and cable losses) gives you more reliability because there are inevitably some random variations in the real world that cause signals to go up and down somewhat throughout the day. The extra signal margin helps your tuner maintain a solid signal lock (less chance of video glitches or dropouts).

In your situation, with the antennas and pre-amps that have been recommended, you will probably be able to get most of the stations out of Atlanta (the ones with Azimuths around 270 degrees) down to about -5 dB NM on your list. The antenna gives you about +12 dB of gain and you might lose about 4 dB due to the pre-amp and cables/connectors. This will leave you with net NM numbers above 0 for most of the major stations.

I think you've got a great shot at getting at least one station from each of the major networks without difficulty.