Attic Antenna Selection assistance

[ajssbp]

Hello all,

I am looking for some assistance in selecting an antenna to use in my attic to help with OTA TV.

First things first, TV Fool report:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...8e030661ce6701

Most of the stations I want are to the SE, but I do want all the main networks plus as many others as I can pull in.

I have a 2 story house with a reasonable attic space. Asphalt shingle roof, vinyl siding, and blown in insulation with foam board insulation (but no aluminum or reflective coating on the foam). There are some power about a block away to the east.

I would ideally like to run 2 TVs off my setup, so I realize that may require an amplifier of some kind too. Thanks.

[rabbit73]

Welcome to the forum, ajssbp:

I am looking for some assistance in selecting an antenna to use in my attic to help with OTA TV.

The signal loss for an attic antenna is difficult to predict but since your signals are very strong, your chances are good.

Most of the stations I want are to the SE

That looks like the best direction; aim at 159 degrees magnetic.

I do want all the main networks plus as many others as I can pull in.

With the antenna aimed at 159 you might also get PBS on real channel 11. If not, it gets complicated. The directions are too far apart to split the difference.

I would ideally like to run 2 TVs off my setup, so I realize that may require an amplifier of some kind too.

Try it with one TV first with a temporary setup to adjust the aim and location of the antenna in the attic, then add the second with a splitter. You probably will not need an amp; your strongest signals are close to being in the overload category.

The antennas to consider are the Winegard HD7694P and the RCA ANT751R, in order of preference.

You have some strong FM signals that might interfere with TV reception; add an FM filter in the coax. See attachment 1.
http://www.mcmelectronics.com/produc...-FM-88-/33-341
https://www.antennasdirect.com/store...on_filter.html
http://comingsoon.radioshack.com/rad...l#.VZxjVDjbJLM slow link

I see a lot of trees in your area; I hope there aren't any in the signal path. See attachment 2.
http://www.hdtvprimer.com/antennas/siting.html
scroll down to Trees and UHF

[ajssbp]

Rabbit, thanks for the feedback.

Originally Posted by rabbit73

The antennas to consider are the Winegard HD7694P and the RCA ANT751R, in order of preference.

Any idea how wide of an angle the Winegard antenna will receive? I would love to get PBS (channel 11), and it is a very strong signal, but how directional is the Winegard antenna? Also, any chance I could get channel 13 without resorting to a second antenna? It is basically 180 degrees in the opposite direction of the majority of signals, but it is the local ABC affiliate.

Originally Posted by rabbit73

I see a lot of trees in your area; I hope there aren't any in the signal path. See attachment 2.

Trees are all on the north side of my house. Assuming I do point the antenna SE I should be clear. Thanks!

[ajssbp]

Bump.

Still wondering if anyone has any ideas/recommendations on my scenario. Also wondering if there is a "good" omnidirectional antenna that anyone here recommends. Thanks.

[rabbit73]

Any idea how wide of an angle the Winegard antenna will receive?

The beamwidths are here:
'http://www.skywalker.com/catalog/Manuals/WIN1051.pdf

My advice was to stick with one direction, but if you want to experiment, try the Antennas Direct C2V, that has a UHF beamdth of 70 degrees, and is bidirectional for VHF. You can make it bi-directional for UHF also by removing the reflector. No guarantees.
https://www.antennasdirect.com/cmss_files/attachmentlibrary/Technical%20Data%20PDF's/C2+VHF-TDS.pdf

Also wondering if there is a "good" omnidirectional antenna that anyone here recommends.

The term "omnidirectional" is a marketing department creation that gets your hopes up. That type of antenna contains a poor quality antenna combined with an internal amplifier that tries to make up for its poor performance. It will pick up signals from all directions, but it also picks up noise and interference from all directions. I'm not impressed, but you are welcome to try it.

[ADTech]

Also wondering if there is a "good" omnidirectional antenna that anyone here recommends.

I'm been know to say "Omnidirectional antennas receive poorly from all directions"...

Short range, uncomplicated situations, they'll probably do all right. But, when the going gets tough, they're the first to fail.

[ajssbp]

Just wanted to follow up. I wound up ordering an Antennas Direct C2V and figured I could play around with it. The weather finally cooled off enough this weekend that I went up in the attic and got it mounted. Pointing it at about 150* (ish) I easily get everything in the green on my TV fool report. I didn't remove the UHF reflector since all the UHF stations I care about are in one direction. I get all the major networks + PBS, which is what I was shooting for. I was a little surprised, but thrilled!

Total channel count is right around 35, but there are some duplicates (some religious stations broadcast in analog still), plus QVC and HSN, so removing those I still have almost 30 channels. Thanks for all the help and suggesting the C2V rabbit!