Considering a Winegard MS-2002 360 Metrostar - Page 2

lrkuta · 13-Jun-2015, 7:34 PM

I am using the C5 currently mounted inside my garage on top of an 8ft aluminum step ladder. Want to permanently mount it in my attic above my garage. I installed the FM filter between the antenna and my feed into the house. 10ft cable from antenna to filter and then into my house cable.

The antenna is pointed at 313 as best as I can tell with my compass and faces my non insulated garage wall. It is about 8 ft from the garage wall. The garage ceilling is about 11 ft. The house sits on a hill and there are lots of trees in the uphill direction to WLOS CH 13. No other homes are very close to mine.

ADTech · 13-Jun-2015, 8:21 PM

Please get the antenna out of the garage and at least 5' away from that metal stepladder.

Quote:

10ft cable from antenna to filter and then into my house cable.

Please use a known good cable to run from the antenna (filter) to your TV set. You need to eliminate as many variables as possible as well as correcting issues that are likely to cause your symptoms.

lrkuta · 13-Jun-2015, 8:36 PM

I have tried moving the antenna onto a wooden bookcase with no difference in signal with the metal ladder well away from the antenna. I did move the antenna outside but lost all signal maybe because of the length or the cable, it was an RG6 U Quad shielded cable but 50ft. I plan on keeping the antenna in the attic, so going outside with was not as important. I was surprised I lost all signal. I did buy a dist amp from Lowes and it did increase the signal strength a little bit but it was a 4 outlet dist amp so I returned it.

lrkuta · 13-Jul-2015, 2:52 PM

Here is the latest on my attempt to bring in Ch 13 WLOS in Asheville, NC. I was able to bring in Ch 13 using a 10db Dist amp that only boosted the lower range of 50 to 400 MHZ while it was sitting on my ladder with a TV directly connected to the antenna. I moved the antenna to my attic and lost Ch13. I have 11 ft ceiling in my garage so I mounted the antenna on the ceiling of my garage but I was only getting a 10% signal for Ch 13 with an SNR of around 16. I was getting a better signal when it was mounted on my 8ft aluminum ladder but I am surrounded by trees to the northwest of me where the Ch 13 tower is located. And the trees have filled out some since I started this project. I do not want to mount the antenna outside.

I replaced the dist amp with a Winegard preamp LNA-200 preamp but it did not change the SNR by very much if any. I am not sure where to go from here. Do you guys think this is the best I can do? I am open to any and all suggestions. Does anyone think the Antenna Direct Juice preamp would fair any better than the Winegard?

lrkuta · 13-Jul-2015, 3:21 PM

One other important piece of information I want to add is that there is a cell phone tower about a 1/2 mile west of my house.

rickbb · 13-Jul-2015, 5:25 PM

I think the trees and being in the attic are the bigger problems. You may have something in the shingles or the underlayment that is interfering with the Ch. 13 signal. Foil facing on some underlayment or insulation material is a common culprit.

You may have stated, but I haven't read the whole thread, why you can't go roof mount? Your test showed you can get it that way.

lrkuta · 13-Jul-2015, 5:36 PM

There is no reason we can not go out on the roof other than my wife and I do not like the look of having an antenna on the roof or side of the house. I can currently get a 20 - 25% signal now for Ch 13 mounted on the ceiling of my garage which is 11 ft. I am curious if being so close to the cell tower that it may be affecting my signal and that the Antenna Direct Juice has a filter for cell signal, it might help my situation.

rickbb · 13-Jul-2015, 5:40 PM

I think if the cell tower was an issue it would show up in the garage too, not just in the attic. But I could be wrong, the attic/roof could be bouncing/blocking the cell signals in strange ways too.

lrkuta · 13-Jul-2015, 6:40 PM

My garage attic is only 3.5 ft high at the peak, not much room up there.

ADTech · 13-Jul-2015, 7:01 PM

You really are better off putting the antenna WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE [emphasis added] instead of trying to jerry-rig reception in a poor location with an amp. One works every time, the other, not so much.

The antenna has been speaking to you, you do need to listen to it.

lrkuta · 13-Jul-2015, 7:24 PM

Thanks for your input.

lrkuta · 17-Oct-2015, 7:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lrkuta

Thanks for your input.

Thought I would update my thread with my final results trying to get better reception for Channel 13 WLOS in Ashevile. I finally settled on using a 10bd CEI 40 to 400 mhz amplifier with the antenna mounted on my 11ft garage ceiling.

I purchased and and compared to the CEI amp the following;
Antenna's Direct ClearStream™ JUICE™ , the Winegard Boost XT and a Trisonic 36 db amp. They all performed the same as the CEI amp so kept the CEI and returned the others. I still do not get the best reception on Ch13 during the summer which I believe is because I am surrounded by trees. Now that fall has started my reception is steadily getting better.
Thanks to all who gave input on this.