cord cutter in Central Iowa, 10 miles from towers, FM radio as well...

[shifco]

Hi TV Fool,
Looking to cut the cord in central Iowa and use Windows Media Center for my entertainment and to serve as a DVR. In simple tests, Windows Media Center is awesome for functionality and I'm excited about the process.

My signal analysis is: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...cc4966b2aecbd7 I am only concerned with the main (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox) towers to my north about 10 miles.

Questions I have are related to which antenna to ideally get for great reception -- along with FM radio reception. Windows Media Center and my Hauppauge tuner card has FM capabilities and I'd love to take full advantage of that. Again 10 miles is the distance for the TV towers. Also, in the back of my mind are Iowa winters (although pretty mild lately).

1. With just 10 miles and Iowa winters, should I go outdoor antenna on my satellite J hook, or just mount in the attic (thinking less maintenance)? At the J hook spot, technically my neighbors roof blocks direct line-of-sight. If I theoretically moved 10 feet to the east (I wish I could), it would be perfect. I can actually see the towers at night.
   
   
2. With the above question, I've looked at the Channel Master 3000A and the Channel Master 3010. Any thoughts on these or other ideal antennas? Does the 3000A "fm trap" mean FM signals?
   
   
3. And last question, do the FM signals come down the same RG6 coax line, and since the tuner has a separate FM antenna input, do I split that line right beforehand. I'm unsure of this and again would love the FM capabilities of WMC. Hope I don't have to run two lines

Hope to post pictures and full review once all said and done. Thank you.

[GroundUrMast]

An FM trap is a filter intended to block FM signals. Strong FM signals can ('can' does not mean 'will every time') interfere with TV reception.

If the Hauppauge tuner has a separate input for FM, you'll need to split to feed the separate TV and FM inputs. However, if you have a separate FM input, I'd suggest you opt for separate TV and FM antennas along with separate cabling for each. That way you'll avoid the possibility of FM interference to TV reception.

The CM-3010 is a good antenna in your application. Others to consider are the Winegard HD7000R, HD7010... Channel Master CM-3016, CM-3018... Antennacraft C290 or C490.

[shifco]

How realistic is the possibility of "FM interference"? I unfortunately have just one RG6 line running to my living room -- which is where this tuner will be located. Doubt I can find a way to run a second line.

Thanks for the antenna suggestions. I will look into each one a bit more. Based on my close proximity to the towers, does it matter if attic or outside?? Both are sort of not in "direct line-of-sight"

[GroundUrMast]

Run an FM Fool report for your location. Post a copy of the report and we can see if there are strong FM signals to be concerned with.

Outdoor mounting is superior to attic mounting in virtually every case. The construction of the attic and the proximity of electronic noise sources in the home are different in every case. Trying the installation in the attic is the only way to know for sure.

[shifco]

Perfect. Thank you. Think I'm going with an outside mount of the CM-3010 per your suggestion.

I also see folks are mounting it easily on their satellite J hook via the: Wineguard DS-1111 Antenna Mount.


As for FM signals, those are:

[GroundUrMast]

The signal from KHKI, 97.3 FM is a likely source of interference to real CH-16, KDSM. The fifth harmonic of 97.3 Mhz is 486.5 MHz... right smack in the middle of real CH-16 (482 to 488 MHz).

While I said the CM-3010 is good, I think a bit larger antenna with more gain and directivity would be better.

You may well find that you need an FM trap between the antenna and all TV tuners. I'm still not entirely clear how many tuner inputs will be connected and if the Hauppauge with FM capability has a separate FM input or not. However, a generic method of distributing TV+FM on one coax in this situation is as follows... If the FM tuner input(s) are separate, you can cable from the antenna to a 2-way splitter. One output will feed the FM tuner(s) and the other, an FM trap. From the output of the FM trap you then feed the TV tuner(s). This arrangement adds loss to the system... a reason to consider using a larger antenna to start with. Ideally you'll avoid using any amplifier.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...LA&cagpspn=pla

http://www.antennasdirect.com/store/...on_filter.html

Can you consider installing an FM antenna in the attic, and then running a new coax to the FM receiver?