Need help choosing the right antenna Sierra Madre, Ca

[Donald Duck]

I just recently ditched my DirecTv and have gone through trial and error with OTA TV. I started with a couple of indoor antennas, which didn't work out for me, to an outdoor antenna. I got the OK from the apartment management company to put an antenna on the roof. It’s 2 story flat roof. There are trees about 75' away that are in line with the mountains in the distance. The antenna is about 2 1/2' off the roof pointed the direction of the towers. Unfortunately I don't have a LOS due to a second mountain range in front of the towers. Here is a report from TVFool on the channels I should be getting.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...3e474e1a7b9fae

The antenna I am using is a Antennacraft HDX1000. Here is a link of some info.

http://www.antennacraft.net/Antennas...Amplified.html

I’m using 100' of coaxial that I got from monoprice. I currently receive about 36 digital channels, 2 of which are 7.1 and 9.1 both about 60%. The ones I want most out of all of them would be 2.1 CBS, 4.1 NBC, 5.1 CW, 7.1 ABC, 9.1 KCAL, 11.1 FOX, and 13.1 MyTv.
TVFool report shows that If I have a roof mounted antenna at 25' I should receive all of those channels. My question is what antenna should I put in its place to receive those channels? I was looking at the RCA ANT751 or Winegard Sensar 111. I wouldn't be able to put up anything crazy large like a Winegard HD8200U. Thanks for your time and help

[John Candle]

Is the HDX 1000 aimed at 340 degree magnetic compass. Here is how to aim antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html

[Donald Duck]

Yes it is. I have done a little more research about signal strenght and according to antennaweb.org, I need an antenna that is rated for Yellow, Red, Blue, and Violet. My current antenna is only rated for the Yellow, Red, and Green. Same would be for the RCA ANT751.

[John Candle]

I am researching the best antenna. You have a situation of having the channels in all 3 television bands , VHF Low 2 thru 6 , VHF High 7 thru 13 , UHF 14 thru 51. The VHF Low channels call for a antenna with the long reception elements , a large antenna. You are doing well , that you can put the antenna on the roof. What is needed is a antenna that is large enough to do the job , but not to large.

[Dave Loudin]

First off, John, please read what the OP is after. He has no need for the LP station on RF 5, so no lo-VHF capability is needed. KCBS 2.1 is the weakest signal desired, with a low NM and a 2-edge path. The RCA does not have enough gain to ensure reliable reception. One of the larger antennas from the the AntennaCraft HBU series (probably the HBU-44) or the Winegard HD-769x series (the 7696 at least) would do the trick.

[Donald Duck]

Dave and John,

Thank you both for your impute and suggestions. Dave, I have located a Winegard 7697P at a local Fry's and will be picking it up along with a tripod for the roof. Now in regards to CBS, as you pointed out, it has a NM (db) of 9.6 and a Prw (dbm) of -81.3. I would think that placing a amplifier in line with the coaxial would boost my signal strength for that channel and increase my chances of receiving that channel. My question is would that interfere or cause issues with other digital channels that have db strength?

[No static at all]

The absolute minimum antenna I would use would be the Winegard 7694, but if you can move up to the 7696 or higher, that would be even better.

You need something that has the ability to reject multipath, which is best addressed by a more conventional / directional antenna. I'm assuming ghosting was a problem with analog reception which would indicate excessive multipath.

[No static at all]

Ooops, you already chose a great antenna.

I would start with no amplifier & see what you get. Unless multiple sets will be driven, an amplifier may not be needed.

[Donald Duck]

Right on. I'll start with just the antenna and go from there. Thanks for the help. I'll report back when I get it installed.

[ADTech]

You will likely find that, being in the shadow of Mt Harvard, that your signals are far lower than the TVFool predictions would imply.

I generally find it much more difficult to get reliable reception for folks north of I-210 due to this shadowing with UHF being affected most dramatically. If your selected antenna comes with a capability to tilt the nose of the antenna upwards, try to aim it towards the skyline in the direction of Wilson.

Good luck and let us know how it works out!

[Donald Duck]

I will most likely get to it on Saturday 8-20. I will post my results.