Ignernt Noob needs antenna suggestion

[mitch77]

Hi guys,

I live in 62025 zip. (Slightly N and 15 mi west of St Louis)
We are up on the bluffs over the river valley.
The top of my aluminum antenna pole strapped to my chimney is
approx 45 above ground. They just constructed appts
200 ft SW of us that might be as high as the very top of our pole.

RADAR PLOT LINK
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...9fbe7a2b83e6e5

Signal Analysis LINK
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...9fbecfffe589aa

I'd like to pull in stuff from as far away as is reasonable and I have no idea what qualifies as reasonable.
Please give me your antenna recommendations.

Thanks very much for your help.

mitch

[John Candle]

I suggest the Clear Stream 4 http://www.antennasdirect.com , direct the antenna at 225 magnetic compass reading. No pre amplifier is needed. http://www.antennasdirect.com/store/...V-antenna.html . The receiving elements of this UHF antenna are sealed in very Tuff Type Plastic , will last a long time outside. Antennas Direct uses a plastic bead and sonic heat welding that melds the plastic parts together , (no glue) it is so strong that to get it open you have to cut it open , it will not pry apart.

[mitch77]

Thanks John
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.

Found it for $85 delivered
Is there anyone else who has a cheaper antenna to suggest?

>>>>ALSO:
I just read this portion of the user manual for the antena:
- Relected signals (multipath interference) are often a source of problems. For those living close to transmitting towers, multipath interference occurs when
- strong signals bounce off nearby buildings and other surfaces causing signal loss. If your transmitting towers are close, try aiming your antenna in different
- directions away from the towers and check for more stations received. Users very close to the transmitters can use an attenuator to lower the signal strength
- to reduce multipath interference. If you live less than 5 miles from your local transmitters, you may need a variable attenuator to reduce the signal to a level
- that will not overload your HDTV set.
- Keep the antenna away from any metallic objects.
- Mount your antenna away from all reflective surfaces or other antennas.

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?


thanks

[John Candle]

The other Digital channels points around the compass that can be received are duplicates. Mount the antenna 4 to 5 feet or more above the highest point of the metal roof so as to minamize reflections from the roof. . The receivable Analog stations go like this , W50CH = Liberty Christan Center , KUMO = ABC , KPTN = Home Shoping Network , K38HD = ? , KDTL = Daystar religious , K33GU = TBN religous , KEFN = Catholic , K22HG = TBN religous , K49CF = ?

[John Candle]

Here is a rotator http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=460

[John Candle]

You are backing up from the 85 dollars , I am trying to give you bang for the buck. If you will like to go for the maximum number of stations , the price will go higher and higher and higher

[John Candle]

You can go with the Antennas Direct 91XG , might get it cheaper

[ADTech]

With a TVFool like that, the St Louis stations are easy. A simple 42XG or DB4 is plenty enough.

If you want to experiment with other cities, go with the 91XG as sugegsted, the CPA19 pre-amp, and a rotor. You will have a shot at the UHF stations shown at the outer rim of your TVfool plot.

[mtownsend]

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.

All of your strongest stations, with the exception of WPXS, come from just one direction (around compass heading 230º).

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.

Is there anyone else who has a cheaper antenna to suggest?

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.

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?

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.

[John Candle]

I am trying hard to balance price and noise margin and signal strength and antenna durability to give the extra omph for the connection of more then one Tv. And still Not Use a Preamp. It is better to go with a size bigger antenna then a size smaller antenna. . Point the antenna to the south west and be done with it.. . Or do not back up from the price if you want more.