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Old 29-Sep-2017, 6:33 PM   #1
SCHealy
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Best antenna for my location is....

Hey everyone, I just sold my previous home and was running OTA there. We just bought our new home in South Carolina and currently streaming to get us by. We all would like to watch local weather/news/sports asap but before I buy an antenna I would like everyone's opinion on which antenna you would suggest. Previous house was easy, 99% of stations were in 1 direction, now it seems I may need like a 8 bow tie antenna that. I could angle each half in different directions to pull in more stations. I was looking at a DB8e BUT if ya'll have other opinions, Im here and listening. Thank you in advance for helping me out. Here's my TVFOOL.COM report... http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e6a4269fb2430b
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Old 29-Sep-2017, 7:52 PM   #2
jrgagne99
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It looks like all the major networks are in green and in one general direction (N / NNE). For starters, I would try an indoor antenna like the Mohu Leaf from Walmart, mounted to a north facing interior wall.
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Old 29-Sep-2017, 8:12 PM   #3
SCHealy
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Thanks, there is a existing (broken elements tv antenna ) up already. I was thinking about just taking it down and replacing it with whatever antenna people suggest. My previous home I used a yagi syle antenna with great results. Does anyone have any opinions on a bow tie style like the db8e ? Kinda like the fact I can point the whole antenna in 1 direction or angle each side towards different n,s,e,w to pickup maybe even more stations? Whatta think ?
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Old 29-Sep-2017, 9:52 PM   #4
mikecandu
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Hi

I have some questions.
Do you have a budget?
Do you want to get any channels in the yellow or red zone of your TV fool report?

I have a DB8e antenna with an preamp and rotor but I'm trying to get stations 70 miles away in my TV fool red zone. It's an expensive antenna though and if you do angle the panels you lose gain. The DB8E also tends not to be a great antenna for VHF although you can buy an optional clip on antenna. You have several VHF STATIONS in your TV fool report. I use the clip on VHF antenna and it works great for me.

Personally Id try an indoor UHF/VHF combo antenna at Walmart for under $50 and see what you can get. If you only want stations in the green that should be sufficient. If your not happy with what you get, write down what you got, take back the antenna and post the results in the forum.

Mike
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Old 30-Sep-2017, 2:19 AM   #5
SCHealy
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Thanks Mike. The vhf will be a little issue with the bowtie antenna I assume. I guess I'll try the easy route 1st &if any problems I'll just return it and get on the ladder with a bigger antenna. I know all my "major" stations are in the green but concerned with them be in different locations. Looking at my location, do you feel I'd be able to put a yagi style up with them being pretty directional IF the cheaper/easier route doesn't work ? Thanks. I appreciate anyone else who would like to chime on their opinions as well
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Old 30-Sep-2017, 3:26 AM   #6
JoeAZ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SCHealy View Post
Hey everyone, I just sold my previous home and was running OTA there. We just bought our new home in South Carolina and currently streaming to get us by. We all would like to watch local weather/news/sports asap but before I buy an antenna I would like everyone's opinion on which antenna you would suggest. Previous house was easy, 99% of stations were in 1 direction, now it seems I may need like a 8 bow tie antenna that. I could angle each half in different directions to pull in more stations. I was looking at a DB8e BUT if ya'll have other opinions, Im here and listening. Thank you in advance for helping me out. Here's my TVFOOL.COM report... http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e6a4269fb2430b
In general, indoor antennas are temporary band aids for reception. You are not likely to get all the "local" stations with an indoor antenna nor will you get consistent reception, free of pixels, on those few stations you do receive.
You need a Hi VHF and UHF antenna combination. The Channel Master 3016 would fit your needs at a good price. Jet.com for around $55.00
The Winegard 7694p would also be a good choice, around $60.00

The big questions for you is how close are any trees in a Northerly direction and how tall are those trees????? Are there any hills or mountains to the immediate North of you??? How much are you willing to spend for good reception???
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Old 30-Sep-2017, 4:03 AM   #7
SCHealy
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Hey Joeaz, thanks for taking the time to answer. As I wrote before, this is our new home and for what I can see north I do have woods that start about 100 yards from the house. They seem to be about 70 feet or so high I would guess. The top of my chimney is roughly 25ft from ground level then I could strap a mast ontop of that to make antenna about 35ft high which isn't above tree level ..I guess living in the country has its drawbacks. I wouldn't mind if I needed to buy a amp or something else, I just really didn't want to have to put up a rotor and constantly change the direction/rescan channels after everytime. I was looking at the db8e originally before knowing I needed vhf high which it doesn't do and that antenna was about $140 so cost for antenna isnt a factor, it'll be made up in a few on the from not paying cable ! Just was hoping to put up whatever size antenna, point it, set it & forget it. You know ?
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Old 30-Sep-2017, 1:03 PM   #8
JoeAZ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SCHealy View Post
Hey Joeaz, thanks for taking the time to answer. As I wrote before, this is our new home and for what I can see north I do have woods that start about 100 yards from the house. They seem to be about 70 feet or so high I would guess. The top of my chimney is roughly 25ft from ground level then I could strap a mast ontop of that to make antenna about 35ft high which isn't above tree level ..I guess living in the country has its drawbacks. I wouldn't mind if I needed to buy a amp or something else, I just really didn't want to have to put up a rotor and constantly change the direction/rescan channels after everytime. I was looking at the db8e originally before knowing I needed vhf high which it doesn't do and that antenna was about $140 so cost for antenna isnt a factor, it'll be made up in a few on the from not paying cable ! Just was hoping to put up whatever size antenna, point it, set it & forget it. You know ?
The height of those trees will affect your reception. The question is, how much? I stand by my recommendations for the Winegard 7694p and
the Channel Master 3016. Those would be a very good starting point.
I would connect with a 50 ft RG6 cable to one tv, antenna pointed towards your transmitters and starting scanning.
You'll want to "walk the roof" to see what area provides the best signals overall. That may not be an area near your chimney. You may need to get an amplifier if some channels are
weak or don't come in at all.....
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Old 30-Sep-2017, 4:14 PM   #9
Jake V
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The Winegard 7694p and the Channel Master 3016 are good antennas and reasonable recommendations. I won't argue with them.

I would start with a simple test to see what effect the trees might have. Borrow or buy an inexpensive indoor antenna that is both UHF and VHF like the One Indoor Antenna ($8.88 at Walmart). Hook it up to your TV, aim the flat side to the north, and do a scan. Print a copy of your TV Fool Report. Mark off what you get and don't get and post it here (listing the channels in the same order as on your chart). You very likely won't get much of what you want but it will be useful data in choosing an antenna for the roof. [Even better would be to take it out to the yard on the north side of the house.]

If you do get a fair amount of channels you could easily use one of the antennas Joe recommended, though I'd lean towards the Winegard over the Channel Master (since the Channel Master includes VHF-LO (which you don't need) and is wider and more difficult to work with).

If you get most of channels you want with the indoor UHF/VHF antenna (even if they cut out sometimes) and if they include WNTV 9/29.1, WSPA 7/7.1, and WLOS 13/13.1 I'd consider the Antennas Direct C2-V. I know from Antennas Direct specifications that if you point the antenna north you'd get good reception 30 degrees either side of north. And it has some gain in most directions (meaning it might actually pick up WMYA 14/40.1 and WNEH 18/38.1).

If you don't get many channels with your experiment (especially if you do it outside) I'd probably recommend the Antennas Direct DB-4e. It has some VHF-HI ability and might work, but you also might need to add a VHF-HI antenna. And like the C2-V it has some gain in most directions (meaning it might actually pick up WMYA 14/40.1 and WNEH 18/38.1).

I don't recommend the DB-8e. It's an excellent antenna, but it has a very narrow focus. If aimed right in the middle of your two channel groups you're risking missing them. [The DB-8e works best when pointing in two directions when you form a "corner" (90 degrees), with the antennas on the outside part of the corner).]

I'd also have the same directional concerns with the Winegard and Channel Master antennas that are larger than the ones Joe recommended. [I wish they would publish the technical specifications on their website.]
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