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Originally Posted by mitch77
Don't I need a way to remotely control this thing to aim it the proper directions?
My stations are 4 opposite points of the compass.
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All of your strongest stations, with the exception of WPXS, come from just one direction (around compass heading 230ยบ).
You have a handful of other stations available in other directions, but most of them would be duplicates of networks you already get from the south-west. You can keep your antenna setup simple if you just concentrate on the main cluster of local transmitters and ignore the rest.
If you have a pressing need to get the stations from other directions, then, yes, you will need to include an antenna rotator in your setup.
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Is there anyone else who has a cheaper antenna to suggest?
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If you only care about the one cluster of channels, then they are all UHF stations and you could go with a UHF-only antenna like the Channel Master 4221HD or the Antennas Direct DB4.
If you want to use a rotator and get channels from all around, then you will need a channel 7-69 antenna (because WSIU is on channel 8) like the Winegard HD7696P or the Antennacraft HBU-55. These antennas are the larger versions of similar antennas within their respective product lines because some of the channels you are looking for are weak, and you'll need the extra gain to pull in channels further down into the "red" zone on your TV Fool list.
Do not use any amps in your setup. The strongest stations on your list can potentially cause overload on an amp. With signals this strong, you don't need an amp, so might as well steer clear of them just to make sure the amp doesn't introduce a new set of problems.
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Our home has a metal roof.
The one story building to our south and 15 feet away also does.
But AFAIK the closest station is 20+ mi away
Is this a deal killer for the OTA setup?
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I don't think so. As long as you keep the antenna above the roof by several feet, I don't think you'll have any problems. Metal objects do reflect signals, but in the case of metal roofs, the reflected signal is usually sent harmlessly up into the sky. It might take a little bit of experimentation at first, but I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to find a good spot for your antenna that has minimal influence from your roof.