Hello Everybody,
Here is my setup:
- Location
- Antenna I'm attempting to use
- 25 feet of RG-6 is in place between the antenna and my HDTV receiver (a TiVo Premiere)
Background:
I am attempting to receive the four Binghamton stations (WBNG, WICZ, WIVT and WSKG) noted on the radar plot. They are all within six miles of my house and all transmit from the same hilltop.
My first attempt was to place that indoor antenna directly on my TV. Doing this I am able to receive WBNG (broadcast channel 7) and WSKG (broadcast channel 44) with meter readings of 45-55 and SNR of 20-25db. I can not receive the other two stations (WICZ and WIVT) and if prior experience is any indication can expect to lose the two I do receive once the foliage comes back. With that in mind I decided to try locating that antenna near an outside window that's looks towards the hilltop where the transmitters are. Grabbed a 25 foot piece of RG6 that I had laying around from my previous apartment and coupled it between the antenna and my TiVo. Now I receive WBNG, WICZ and WIVT with
much better signal levels -- 85-95 on the meter and SNR of 32-35.
Unfortunately I lost WSKG when I did this. Signal level dropped to 30 and SNR is around 12-15db. Not enough to hold a good picture or even to see one most of the time.
I can't figure out why I would lose this channel with the antenna in a better spot. It doesn't seem like cable losses could come into play with such a short run of cable. For grins and giggles I tried an amplifier -- as I suspected it didn't manage to do anything besides drop the signal levels for the channels I do receive and place WSKG further out of reach. Could that cable I used be bad? It seems strange that it would work for one UHF channel (WIVT is UHF channel 34) but not one that's only 60mhz (WSKG is UHF channel 44) away.
It also seems strange that I can pick up WSKG with the antenna sitting in the middle of my house aimed at the wall but not with the antenna sitting by a window with a view of the transmitter and a extra 25 feet of cable.
Any suggestions for what I try next? I'm in an apartment and don't to antagonize the landlord by trying to mount an antenna on the roof. I'd really like to get away with something by a window or on my porch (which also has a view of the relevant hilltop) if at all possible.