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Old 17-Jan-2017, 7:13 PM   #1
Ry-dog
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Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 2
Reception Help in Massachusetts

Looking for advice on my current antennae setup – currently have bad reception for the channels I want when it is windy or rainy and I lose reception even on clear days with wind. When it is clear and calm out, reception is good. Not sure if I need a better/stronger preamp or something else. Located in central Mass. Link to my TV Fool report below: I accurately placed the locator on my roof where the antennae is located.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e6a4556678280ahttp://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e6a4556678280a

Channels of interest are all within the green and yellow background colors: WBZ-TV (4.1), WCVB-TV (5.1), WHDH-TV (7.1), WFXT-DT (25.1), WLVI (56), and the new station for NBC in our area (found it on channel 60, but it doesn’t seem updated on this Radar Plot). Not interested in other channels.

Antennae: HD Stacker from Denny’s Antennae Service, roof mounted on tripod for sloped roofs approx. 5-feet above my roofline (I used 30-feet for antennae height in my report). Verified that my antennae was plumb during installation.
Pre-amp: Winegard LNA200
Stats on my cable runs:

LNA200 preamp to antennae: 3 feet
2-way splitter to preamp: 26 feet
TV#2 to splitter: 36 feet
TV#1 to splitter: 60 feet

Power inserter located in attic between 2-way splitter and preamp cable run. I used a 50-foot extension cord in my attic to send power to the power inserter. Power source is from an open outlet in attic that is used for a radon fan. Tried unplugging the power to the preamp and the result was a complete loss of signal. Plugged it back in, and the reception was there, so I do believe the preamp does help.

I used the waterproofing paste on all my outdoor connections and tightened with a wrench. Not sure if I should be looking at my 75-300 Ohm matching transformer..
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Old 17-Jan-2017, 10:49 PM   #2
ADTech
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Posts: 2,942
I'll lay odds your problem is due to trees out in front of the antenna.

You may want to take a few minutes and read the threads here: http://forum.tvfool.com/search.php?searchid=1231259
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Old 18-Jan-2017, 11:20 PM   #3
protivakid
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 43
Are you new to OTA in Mass?

For some reason, since Sunday of this week 1/15/17 OTA reception has been unusually terrible for many channels. I can only get 4.1 & 5.1 where I live. I can normally get 7.1 38.1 44.1 56.1 and the new 60.5. This is the worst it has been since I bought my antenna in 2013. Not sure if we've had a stretch of signal weakening weather or what.

I just wanted to mention so if you are new you don't spend a bunch of time chasing down an issue that may improve on its own.
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Old 19-Jan-2017, 5:43 PM   #4
WIRELESS ENGINEER
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Location: Eastern Ohio
Posts: 101
From the sounds of the last post, band conditions may be causing some of the trouble recently.

However, since you are only interested in wbz, wcvb, whdh,wfxt, wlvi, and CH 60, the stacker's vhf elements are merely bringing in high vhf interference and overload producing signals.

26 ft of rg6 has no detectable loss so no need for preamp
To first split point.

You may be able to re purpose the preamp to boost the signal to the 60ft coax run

Again, TV tuners are easily desensed and driven into overload by large disparity between TV signals and interference from the literally hundreds of sources
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Old 21-Jan-2017, 1:27 AM   #5
protivakid
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Looks like I am not the only one with reception issues in Mass.

http://www.universalhub.com/2017/ant...-air?nocache=1
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Old 21-Jan-2017, 11:28 AM   #6
ADTech
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There have been issues with certain stations in Boston since October when there was a component failure on one of the towers. Your best source of information is to check the website of WGBH as they'd been providing updates.

See http://www.wgbh.org/about/Tower_and_...nal_Issues.cfm
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Last edited by ADTech; 21-Jan-2017 at 11:39 AM.
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Old 24-Jan-2017, 5:09 PM   #7
Ry-dog
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Thank you all for the responses. I do have some trees in the direction the antennae is pointed, but not many. I know there is a hill in between my house and the direction of the antennae as well, so I am resigned to the fact that "it is what it is.." Generally, I can't complain b/c I have been able to watch the NFL playoffs and local news with only intermittent interference.
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