Antenna and Preamp for Tucson and Phoenix Arizona

eb29090 · 11-Dec-2010, 8:22 PM

Hi,

My house is about 23 miles southeast of Tucson and I would appreciate some advice on antennas and possibly a preamp that would receive both Tucson and Phoenix TV stations. I currently have an RCA Yagi antenna (four years old) on the roof (about 24 feet above ground level) that is both VHF and UHF with no preamp and can receive the Tucson stations with no problems after splitting the signal to four rooms in the house. Most of the Tucson transmitters are about 30 miles from my house. The house is approximately 1,000 feet higher in elevation measured from the Tucson airport and considerably higher than Phoenix. I can receive some of the Phoenix stations at night but they break up and are not watchable during the day.

My wife has Multiple Sclerosis and she watches television as her sole source of entertainment. I would like to expand the number of channels that she can watch. We cannot afford monthly cable bills due to the medical bills.

I would really appreciate recommendations on antennas and possibly a preamp that would work in my environment. Could I just buy a Wineguard AP 8275 preamp for my current antenna or is a new antenna mandatory? I suspect that a deep fringe Yagi would work but I don't know if a preamp would overload with the local Tucson channels and become somewhat useless for the distant Phoenix channels.

There is only one low frequency VHF channel in Tucson - the rest are high frequency VHF or UHF.

Here is my signal analysis:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...da32797dbd7fde

Best regards,
Eb

John Candle · 12-Dec-2010, 6:11 AM

If you have broadband internet of at least 1.5 Mbps. I suggest http://www.roku.com . Roku/Netflix. Roku is the box that receives streaming movies and tv shows from the internet. You buy the Roku box and streaming service is 10 dollars a month. All the movies and tv shows you can watch for 10 dollars a month.

elmo · 12-Dec-2010, 5:50 PM

I recently installed an RCA ANT751 ($35 shipped) in an attic by a dormer window. It was inexpensive and does a fairly good job pulling from two tower clusters from the north (including ch 44 and it's 34 miles away) and a nearby PBS on the backend. No amp installed. There haven't been any breakups seen either.
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...da323e18996b79
I like the the 751; it is pretty small and easy to install and it'll get UHF & VHF.

Tigerbangs · 12-Dec-2010, 6:15 PM

The Phoenix stations actually put a usable signal over your location, but the signals are weak, and you'll need a deep-fringe VHF-high-band plus UHF antenna to see them. Because the Phoenix stations lie in about a 30 degree different direction than the Tucson stations do, I believe that you'll need a rotator to turn the antenna towards South Mountain in Ahwatukee to get the best signal from them.

My suggestion would be to use a 2-antenna installation of a Winegard YA-1713 VHF high-band yagi plus an an AntennasDirect mounted on the same mast 4' above the YA-1713. Combine the signal from the two antennas using an AntennaCraft 10G221 high-input preamplifier, and use a rotator like a Channel Master 9521a or an AntennaCraft TDP-2 to turn the antenna array.

My personal preference would be to use the Channel Master 9521a rotator in your situation because it uses a remote control that will make it much easier for your wife to turn the antenna between the two sets of transmitters.

When mounting the power supply for the preamplifier, be sure that is it placed in the line between the antenna and the existing splitter so that the splitter does not cut off the DC signal from the power supply to the antenna-mounted preamplifier.

When you are finished with your installation, I believe that you'll find that the Phoenix stations should come in just fine, as will all the Tucson stations. Here is a link to a good antenna installation guide to help you:

http://manuals.solidsignal.com/AntInstallGuide.pdf

GroundUrMast · 12-Dec-2010, 9:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tigerbangs

My suggestion would be to use a 2-antenna installation of a Winegard YA-1713 VHF high-band yagi plus an an AntennasDirect mounted on the same mast 4' above the YA-1713. Combine the signal from the two antennas using an AntennaCraft 10G221 high-input preamplifier, and use a rotator like a Channel Master 9521a or an AntennaCraft TDP-2 to turn the antenna array.

I concur with Tigerbangs... I suspect the Antennas Direct model he refers to is the 91XG http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...u=853748001910

Please correct me if I'm wrong TB

eb29090 · 12-Dec-2010, 10:10 PM

Folks,

Thank you very much for your quick and detailed responses!

John - I was not aware of the Roku box. My internet speed (down) is only about 1.0 Mbps and QWEST says that I don't have faster options due to my location. I will research this some more and possibly get a Roku if my DSL situation improves.

Elmo - Yes, the RCA antenna has served us well. I paid about $50 for it here in Tucson and it may very well be the same antenna that you have.

Tigerbangs - Wow! Thanks for the details and recommendations. I had a rotator at the old house and unfortunately it only lasted about a year. I don't know if it was the Tucson desert heat or the winds that blow through the valley during thunderstorms but it locked up and died pretty quickly. I like your idea of a dual antenna setup with preamp. Do you think that with careful alignment, I could get away with your antenna/preamp setup without the rotator?

Best regards,
Eb

John Candle · 13-Dec-2010, 2:59 AM

Do some research of Wireless Internet http://www.onelasvegas.com/wireless/AZ.html . Many wireless internet providers have 1.5 Mbps , all you can eat for one price per month and a discount if you sign up for year or more at a time. And check out Cable Internet many cable companies will provide internet only service.

John Candle · 13-Dec-2010, 3:34 AM

How do I know about all this ? I do constant and never ending research. . Looks like 'Simply Bits' will be a good internet provider. http://www.simplybits.com

Tigerbangs · 14-Dec-2010, 5:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eb29090

Tigerbangs - Wow! Thanks for the details and recommendations. I had a rotator at the old house and unfortunately it only lasted about a year. I don't know if it was the Tucson desert heat or the winds that blow through the valley during thunderstorms but it locked up and died pretty quickly. I like your idea of a dual antenna setup with preamp. Do you think that with careful alignment, I could get away with your antenna/preamp setup without the rotator?

Best regards,
Eb

Actually, yes, I do: the Tucson stations are most likely strong enough that they would come in with the antennas pointed directly at South Mountain. I believe that such an installation is probably worthwhile. When installing such a beast, be sure that the preamp's FM trap is switched in, as the weaker Phoenix VHF stations might be swamped with too much local FM. Phoenix has 3 VHF digital stations, and they are likely to be the stations most affected by FM overload.

eb29090 · 18-Dec-2010, 9:36 PM

Thanks everyone,

I will install the antenna array described by Tigerbangs over the holidays.

I really appreciate all the inputs. This is a great site!!

Best regards,
Eb

John Candle · 18-Dec-2010, 10:29 PM

When you call Simply Bits tell them you will like to test the internet service With and Without Speed Bursting so you can evaluate if it's worth 9.95 a month.

rickcain · 23-Dec-2010, 5:03 AM

If you have a PC to spare, you can get the FREE Boxee Box software for streaming media to your TV.

http://www.boxee.tv/make