Reception Help in Newtown, CT WTIC and WFSB

ctresident · 4-Jan-2015, 8:22 PM

Currently have Antennas Direct DB4e in attic. Do not have a split on the antenna now, but may split from source to 3 TV with the longest connection being 50 feet. Looking to get advice since I can not get get the following stations. Will move the antenna to the roof when the weather is warmer.
WTIC real channel 31, 29 miles, 43 degrees, Nm 43.4, Pwr -47.5, LOS
WFSB real channel 33, 34 miles, 39 degrees, Nm 24.5, Pwr, -66.3, 2Edge
Should I add an amplifier and which one? Should I change the antenna when I go to the roof, or add a second directional antenna? How is connecting 2 done? Link for report is here.
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...2c15428b1dc31e

Thanks in advance.

timgr · 4-Jan-2015, 8:33 PM

Which direction is the antenna pointing now?

ctresident · 5-Jan-2015, 6:02 PM

It is on the west side of the attic pointing in the general direction of northeast. It was not precisely mounted, and is propped up leaning against a box. The placement in the attic was to sit above the closets that make the run to the TV and future TV's easier.

timgr · 5-Jan-2015, 6:49 PM

I expect leaning against a box is not a good idea. The antenna has a vertical aperture as well as horizontal, so it's basically pointing up into the sky and not at the horizon. I would rig a precisely vertical mast of some type - broomstick, plastic pipe, whatever - and mount the antenna in the center of as much free air volume in the attic as you can, and use a compass to point it at the stations you want. Stay clear of pipes, wires, chimneys, etc. and away from the structure.

You should be aware: effectiveness of an attic installation is difficult to predict. There are too many unknowns, in the material of the roof and structure, trees and buildings and other obstructions on the other side of the roof, and conductive and/or noisy wires, pipes, chimneys, etc. that are part of the building. Antennas are designed to function in free air, and you can change their electrical characteristics by placing them in other environments. Some building materials are more transparent to signals than others. Stucco, for example, contains wire mesh typically and is basically opaque to TV signals.

The DB4e is a very nice antenna, and should work well for you. You will gain a lot of signal by getting out of the attic.

ctresident · 19-Jan-2015, 2:27 PM

Thank you for all the help. I am now getting a spotty WCBS from Long Island, depending on weather and other unknown variables which is as good as WFSB for my purposes. I am however losing channels when split to the 2 TV's. Can you recommend an amplifier. I do not know if I there are ones that can adjust the amplification, and also as the weather gets warmer I will be going from the attic to the roof with the antenna and I may mount the amplifier outside. I would want to know which one would make sense for outside and which if I put the amp inside right after the cable comes into the attic. Thanks again.

ADTech · 19-Jan-2015, 3:46 PM

Be advised that both WCBS out of NYC and WSFB in hartford operate on real channel 33, so it will be impossible to receive both at the same time. If the antenna is situated so that both signals are received, you will likely get neither of them as they will interfere with each other. This is due to the channels "short-spacing" that leaves your area in the overlap zone.

Similarly, WTIC is short-spaced with WPXN out of NYC on UHF channel 31.

WCBS operates a UHF 22 translator on Long Island which is short spaced with WEPT-CD out of Albany and also WGBY out of Springfield MA. That's two opportunities for destructive interference.

The only real solution is to use some combination of antenna selection, placement, and aiming that best maximizes one desired signal while simultaneously minimizing the other. Sometimes, there is no viable solution.

ctresident · 19-Jan-2015, 5:50 PM

Hi, Thanks for the reply on the conflicting channels. This was a big concern that was somewhat relieved when I got WCBS the other day for a short while and I presume that it is coming from Long Island, 38 miles while the conflicting station is 66 miles away 1edge and much weaker. This is why I am looking for guidance on the amplifier to get to that possibly hard to hit line between getting the one good signal and avoiding the conflict.

GroundUrMast · 19-Jan-2015, 7:09 PM

No Amplifier will have the ability to filter out noise or interference. The job of an amplifier is to overcome loss in cable, splitters and possibly the noise generated inside a tuner. Amplifiers can not and will not improve the performance of an antenna. An amplifier can only 'push' a stronger copy of what arrives at it's input down the line. Amplifiers can not 'pull' signals from the antenna or the air.

With some determined and persistent experimentation, you may be able to find a location and aim point that offers maximum signal from a desired station while at the same time, minimal reception of an interfering signal. Some folks have gone so far as to experiment with stacked/ganged antenna arrays. http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=1024

A Winegard AP-2880 can handle a fairly strong input in the UHF band... It's easier to overload in the VHF band. If you already own one, try it. As of the moment, the RCA TVPRAMP1R is still available and has demonstrated a good deal of resistance to overloading. I'm looking forward to testing the new preamp that Antennas Direct has been developing.

ctresident · 7-Jun-2015, 9:55 PM

Hello,
My set up has progressed quite a bit and I could use a bit more advice. My DB4e antenna is on the roof pointed at 70 degrees, and I have very good reception with the exception of CBS (get WFSB 33 half the time). The problem is the 116 degrees of separation for the channels (CBS 22 at 156 degree is the CBS alternative) that I want is too wide a spread for the DB4e (not unexpected). I am thinking of switching to a DB8e which is like having 2 db4e's and pointing the halves to 56 Degrees, and 159 degrees to get each set of channels. Any opinions on this? The other alternative is to add a second antenna, but I do not want to drill into my roof with another mast. I have the 40 inch j-mast from antenna direct already with the db4e. Is there a good directional antenna that I could use to get 49, 23, 47, 22 at 159 degrees. I could put it on my chimney with a strap, use a combiner, and two cables around 3 foot long. After all that cost I wonder if just switching to the DB8e is better. Thanks in advance. I have attached my Signal map again.