North Atlanta Reception

collinsroosa · 8-Mar-2010, 7:19 PM

Hello,

I'm in Cumming, GA 35 miles + north of most ATL TV stations but am ready to ditch comcast and do it quickly. My home is raised ranch, so the antenna is already 20 + feet above ground level (1 story, plus on top of furniture). Should I be able to pull anything in with the old rabbit ears here, or is a significant antennae investment likely what I need? Thanks for any help you can give.

mtownsend · 9-Mar-2010, 3:31 PM

Hello and welcome!

In order to help, we'll need to take a look at a tvfool signal analysis for you exact location. Could you please use the signal analysis tool (located here) and then post the link to your report back here (looks something like "http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx")?

These reports tell us the amount of signal reaching your house and that lets us determine what is the most suitable antenna setup for your situation. Thanks.

collinsroosa · 9-Mar-2010, 4:08 PM

Thanks for the response. I ran a report as requested:

http://http://www.tvfool.com/?option...b7c87a99c81eed

I appreciate the help!

mtownsend · 9-Mar-2010, 4:50 PM

Thanks for the report!

It looks like the transmitters are not that far away, but they are partially blocked by some hills along the way. The good news is that it looks like you have many channels within reach coming from a single direction.

To make the most of the signals available, I would recommend a medium to large antenna on the roof and a pre-amp. An indoor or attic antenna is not going to be good enough. For antenna, mount, mast, pre-amp, and coax, I think you're looking at an investment in the neighborhood of ~$200-250. I think you will get a lot of channel choices in return. Does this seem reasonable to you?

collinsroosa · 9-Mar-2010, 5:15 PM

Well, it is about the same as three months of cable, anyway. Are most folks generally able to do self-installs on this kind of thing?

mtownsend · 9-Mar-2010, 11:03 PM

In general, installing an antenna yourself is not terribly hard to do. It mostly involves "erector set" type skills (working with hand tools) to set up the mount, mast, and antenna. The wiring aspect is also fairly straightforward. If you can hook up your own home entertainment system, then connecting an antenna and pre-amp should be no problem. Granted, some people feel more comfortable around electronics than others, but this is not rocket science, and if you ever have any questions, there are people on this forum ready to help.