Advice needed for Bay Area antenna setup

[strav]

Thank you everyone for the assistance, recommendations and explanations. I've already ordered the CM5016 antenna so at this point, it's worth installing and aiming it to see how it works out. I will post results once that is done. It would be great if those recommending against the L-VHF antenna could post recommendations for those. I'd like to check into those to be ready in case the CM5016 doesn't work out as well as I'd like.

Thanks!!

[GroundUrMast]

You have a great report. If you have no obstructions such as trees or neighboring buildings, an Antennas Direct C2-V or RCA ANT-751 would be appropriate.

A premium option would be an Antennas Direct DB4e and Antennacraft Y5713 joined together via an Antenna's Direct EU385CF UHF/VHF Antenna Combiner.

Unless you have an unusually long or complex run of cables, I can't see any need for any amplification.

[StephanieS]

Interesting tidbit regarding KBKF-LP RF 6 at magnetic 153, wikipedia reports that the station's ownership group is using the license not to program television, but to use the channel 6 audio carrier on 87.75 to program as a pseudo radio station.

The ownership group, Ventura Communications is programming K-LOVE christian contemporary on the audio portion of the signal.

I'm curious when you get your antenna in the air, what KBKF is transmitting visually, would it be a slate with a legal ID or what.

This is one of those sly tricks some broadcasters have done to "get" on the FM band. Utilizing a low power analog channel six television broadcast license to provide music programming.

[strav]

Hi all,

I've got the CM5016 up and honestly I'm a bit disappointed with the results so far. I'm detecting far fewer stations than I was with the FL6550A or even with the temporary DIY bowtie antenna I had put up temporarily (http://www.diytvantennas.com/bowtie.php). To be fair, the stations that I am getting with the CM5016 are *solid* while the other antennas I was using detected more stations but wouldn't necessarily lock or could have quality issues with the video.

I'm thinking it would be beneficial to raise the antenna higher. Right now it's sitting on a 5' mast off the peak of my roof. A glance around at the other houses shows most of the antennas on at least a 10' mast. That would be enough to clear most of the trees in the immediate area.

The question now is should I keep the CM5016 and hope the taller mast helps out or return it and go with the Antennas Direct DB4e and Antennacraft Y5713 suggestion from GroundUrMast. The cost isn't much of a concern as it'll be paid for within a couple of months of cancelling cable. Opinions anyone?

Thanks for all the help!

[StephanieS]

Hello Strav,

I wouldn't give up on the CM5016 at this point. You mention trees, yes, they can have a detrimental effect on signal reception.

I'd do few things: first, test a few alternate locations on your roof. Sometimes moving a few inches to a few feet can improve reception quality. Second: yes, if a taller mast pipe is easily obtained, try that if you find a better performing location on your roof.

Are you testing this with a single lead of coax off the antenna into one TV? I ask this because establishing baseline performance of your antenna and coax is good practice. When you start adding splitters and such, it makes the problem step much easier to identify.

Regards,
SS

[GroundUrMast]

I have been very satisfied with the combination of a 5' tripod and 10' chain-link top rail. It forms a solid self supporting system that needs no guy wires. If service is needed, removal of one leg bolt allows the assembly to tilt over while secured to the roof by the two remaining bolts.
http://www.3starinc.com/tripod_mounts.html
http://www.homedepot.com/p/YARDGARD-...2#.UpuraCePU4w

That said, StephanieS is quite right, you should test the proposed site before committing to holes in the roof deck.

The 5016 is more directional than the antennas you tried previously. Therefor it provides better reception of signals it's aimed at, less reception of signals to the sides. Still, you have it, so try alternate locations and elevations.

Is there any chance the cable or matching transformer has a problem?

[strav]

@StephanieS Yes, it's a single lead of coax into the HDHomeRun tuner. It's split in 2 locations - 1 for the ground block and another where the amplifier for the FL6550 used to be (now just a barrel connector). I use compression connectors on the cable and have yet to identify a bad connection, though anything is possible. I won't add any other splitters or connections until I have a good baseline on a single tuner.

@GroundUrMast - thanks for the advice on the tripod/top rail. I didn't realize that it would allow me to achieve 15' without guy wires which I've been dreading. I've got solar on the roof already so adding wires would make it very busy up there. I believe I have a tripod stuffed away in the shed from an old dish setup so I'll see if I can dig that out. That also will make it easier to shift the location around, though since our roof is hipped, I don't have a lot of area to choose from.

The cable is brand new and doesn't have any visible kinks or defects. I don't have any equipment to test with so I'll have to go with that unless anyone has any suggestions for checking the cable/connections.