I haven't even seen an antenna up close in 25 years

[Dpr99]

It's true, I was a little boy when our antenna blew off the roof and my old man spat a symphony of curse words that were as much art as anger. He picked up the antenna with the intent to haul it back up to the roof, turned toward the ladder he had set up, blinked, and chucked the antenna into the drive way. He then calmly walked inside and said "Kristie, call Nitco, we're getting cable".

That was it, I haven't seen an antenna since.

Fast forward to me as an adult and a similar situation happens only in reverse. I come home after a very rough day at work, my wife tells me she's pregnant (woo-hoo!) so money is going to be tighter, Dish Network is down again because of the rain, and I'm paying like $80 a month for the second to lowest package. It's time to chuck Dish into the yard (figuratively, I don't want to get charged for the dish).

Long story short (too late), I'd like to get an antenna for my house but I know nothing about it. I know internet quite well but over the air signals, not so much.

I'd like to find the right antenna to pull in my local stations. My wife watches the main network channels, CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, and CW. As long as I can pull one of each of those in and get their primetime programming I'll be happy. I'd rather have the antenna in the attic but if I have to have a roof mount I guess I'll accept it. Also, I'll be running the signal to probably 3 TVs, maybe 4 in the future if that matters. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know what type of antenna to buy, much less what brand or model. I'm not even 100% sure how to run the wiring although I can figure it out. I'm hoping that when I take down the dish I can connect the coaxial cable from the antenna to the connection point of the dish and use the same wiring that runs my Dish signal to all my tvs for the antenna signal.

Here is my TV Fool profile:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...05590a3cd727b7

The tvfool report is not working.

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The antenna web , web site is not working.

The antenna web , web site is a Defective web site , that provides A Lot of Non Correct information and does not even come close to showing all of the receivable Tv stations.

The antenna web , web site people Know It Is Defective and Do Nothing To Fix It .

Please delete the antenna web , web site.

[Dpr99]

Thanks for the reply. I've updated the links for tvfool and removed the other link as you suggested. If it's not good info, I don't want it to muddy the waters.

[elmo]

Good story!

Your antenna will get it's job done the best when it has a clear view of the horizon in the direction of the towers. Trees, buildings, etc are not reception friendly. Sometimes, towers can be all around you, which can make the situation more challenging; antennas are directional. Roof is usually the best for signal strength. The attic may work. I always say if you want, run a length of cable and try it out with a quick attic test. If you get everything, you're good. If not, you move it outdoors. No harm done.

You can probably reuse the sat coax. Just be sure you remove anything sat related from it. It has to be used by the antenna exclusively.

The provided tvfool report is the default 10 feet antenna height.

The reception is not so strong signal strength at 10 feet antenna height.

I reverse engineered a tvfool report to close , a few houses , of your location.

And at the , Reference antenna height of 25 feet above ground , the signal strengths improve , so that 1 smaller antenna will receive , Many , many , many , many , Digital Broadcast Tv stations/channels.

Above the Peak of the Roof in such a manner that the roof and house are not impeding or blocking , OTA=Over The Air , Digital Broadcast Tv reception to the Main Groups of transmitters to the , South East , South , South West.

Install a Antennas Direct , ClearStream 2 Complete Uhf/Vhf antenna.

http://www.antennasdirect.com/store/...-Complete.html.

Aim the CS2 Complete antenna at about 180 degrees magnetic compass direction. South.

Here is how to aim antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html.

Install the CS2 Complete antenna UP High above the ground , not , down low close to the ground.

The CS2 Complete comes with , J type antenna mount that has a single flat foot mount.

This flat foot mount is Very Strong when Strong Sturdy Screws are used.

If using lag screws , recommend do not use the lag screws that have the shallow threads.

Use screws that have deep threads.

It is not the length of the screw , it is the depth of the thread.

If your house has eaves along the edges of the roof , the flat foot of the mount can be mounted on to the eave.

Here is a picture of what eaves look like , http://www.ronard.com/34424560.html.

Or can buy the CS2 Complete antenna that does not come with the J type antenna mount and use the ronard eave antenna mount.
http://www.antennasdirect.com/store/...ith_Mount.html.

If using the eave antenna mount then use the , ronard (4560) , eave mount.

Buy the ronard eave antenna mount at solidsignal by typing , ronard (4560) , in the solidsignal search box or buy from ronard.

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Here are some places to buy antennas and etc. .

http://www.solidsignal.com.

http://www.amazon.com.

http://www.antennasdirect.com.

http://www.winegarddirect.com.

http://www.ronard.com.

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Install a Winegard , LNA-100 'Boost' , antenna system amplifier.

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For 1 Tv connected use No splitter.

For 2 Tv's connected use a simple common 2 way splitter.

For 3 Tv's connected use a simple common 3 way splitter.

For 4 Tv's connected use a simple common 4 way splitter.

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As always , trees and tree leaves , plants and plant leaves , have a Negative effect on Broadcast Tv reception and so do buildings including your own roof and house and other obstructions.

The Best Practice is to install the CS2 Complete antenna at a location that has the least amount to no amount of obstructions of any type or kind in the directions of reception including your own roof and house.

The Tv's Must Channel Scan for The Digital Broadcast Tv stations/channels , often named the 'Air Channels' or 'Antenna Channels' in the Tv Setup Menu because the Tv transmissions travel through the Air from the transmitting antenna to the receiving antenna.

Some Digital Tv's will Automatic channels scan for cable tv channels.

DO NOT channel scan for cable tv channels.

Go into the Tv Setup Menu and select , 'Air Channels' ~ 'Antenna Channels'.

Scan for channels.

[elmo]

Ok, looks like you're "up the road a piece" from where I live.

I've got about 30 miles between me and real Ch 44's transmitter; that's my hardest channel to pick up (2Edge) but it works pretty well; @ 65% signal strength and 85% signal quality, according to my HDHomerun. As far as antenna, I have a Winegard HD7694P on the roof. I wasn't sure it was best for the install, but I moved w/it and decided to give it a try. So I've aimed it at the middle of the two tower clusters that are to your S & SSW directions. Let's just call those 27 & 22 to make it easier, based on the best real channel numbers from each. I am about 25 miles LOS from 22 and about 20 miles 1Edge from 27. I was afraid that the 7694 wouldn't have a wide enough beam to pick up from each direction, but it does pretty well. I've got good signals that seem to never pixelate.

I have a distribution amp inline because I have 75+ ft of coax then it gets split out to a pair of HDHR's and a pair of TV's.

So how does that help you? Maybe some, but maybe not that much. Similar reception can be tricky from one house to another just down the street, let alone across counties. You could try a 7694 and aim it at about 210 magnetic. You could also look at a smaller antenna like the ANT-751; it's a good choice for a reception situation like yours.

What I don't know about is how well you could get WAXN, since it'll be off the back side of the antenna. If short distance counts for anything, it's just 10 miles away. I have a similar situation where I'm using a 2nd antenna to aim at a station behind me because "off the back" wasn't very reliable. A 2nd antenna requires some careful integration to keep from colliding w/the 1st antenna. Mine are joined the easy way, thru the dual tuner HDHR.

Teleview was responding on this one too, so he may have some other suggestions.

The following is a response to Elmo's comments that are leading Dpr99 to believe that Tv stations will not be received.

WUNG-TV REAL UHF Digital channel 44 , virtual number (58.1) , PBS , -->is Strong Signal Strength <--> So Will Be received OK at your location.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNC-TV

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WAXN-Tv channel 36 to the north.

Is Also WAXN channel 50 to the South.

And is also , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAXN-TV.

And is also , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WSOC-TV.

---->So WAXN Will Be received Ok.<----

Attn: All who read this.

Reception at other locations (at distance) , does not mean that reception at your location and other locations (at distance) will all be the same.

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I am Teleview.

I do Fact Finding Research on the recommendations I provide.

Before and after providing a recommendation.

Reception of the Broadcast Tv stations/channels to the , South East , South , South West , Will Happen.

[Dpr99]

Thanks for the great info guys!

Elmo - By up the road a piece, do you mean here in Mooresville? Oh, and HDHR means HD-Homerun right? I was looking at that but I think it's only 1080i. I was hoping for a solution that is 1080p. I may have to build my own media server.

Teleview - I'll check out the antenna suggestions right away. That's the first step right, getting that thing bought and on the roof. As far as positioning, I was hoping to put it in my attic but if it has to go on the roof then it has to go on the roof. So you guys think it will work out well if I position the the antenna half way bet ween the two hubs of channels? The only channels I'm really concerned with are:

WBTV CBS
WCCB FOX
WCNC NBC
WJZY CW
WSOC ABC

WUNG PBS would be nice but I'd sacrifice it to ensure stronger signal strength from the others. Anything beyond these I'd just consider bonus.

[brin831]

dpr 99

1080i is what you get for ota in fact 95 percent of what you watch sat, cable, whatever although maybe packaged at 1080p is at best a cross conversion of 720p or a "repackaging" of 1080i

this isn't to say that some shows are not shot in 1080p but its still not the standard for content creation yet so i wouldn't worry about it too much.

blue ray, some video games etc can all give you true 1080p same with some computer sources.

i would recommend a media server, you don't need a powerful box and if you have any computer knowledge at all its easy to setup with a tuner card or multiple ... you can get "dvr" netflix etc and it can be made wife friendly with programs like windows media center and a host of others.

and finally so you know WJZY is now fox and WCCB carries CW programs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WJZY

Yes WUNG PBS , Will Be Received.

And -->Yes<-- the Tv stations to the , South East , South , South West , will be received.

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Here are some alternatives to computer based tuner reception and recording.

http://www.epvision.com . Tuners/Recorders.

http://www.channelmasterstore.com/Di...tm?Click=24424.
Tuners/Recorders.

And Digital Tv's have built in Digital Broadcast Tv Tuners.

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For streaming internet services , I recommend the ROKU Box.

The ROKU Box has the most streaming services and flexibility of use and is easy to use.
http://www.roku.com.

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The -->Most Important<-- Project Now is to get the Antenna System Up and Operational.

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[elmo]

Originally Posted by Dpr99

Thanks for the great info guys!

Elmo - By up the road a piece, do you mean here in Mooresville? Oh, and HDHR means HD-Homerun right? I was looking at that but I think it's only 1080i. I was hoping for a solution that is 1080p. I may have to build my own media server.

I'm probably about a good hours drive south of the Mooresville area, somewhere on the other side of the towers.

And I think they got you squared away on the broadcast resolutions. Only a BluRay disc offers the full monty for HD viewing. There may be streaming, etc that claim 1080p, but it's typically compromised in bit-depth for PQ and audio. Kinda like increasing the resolution on a lower quality photo, so you can print at a larger size; the source is being upscaled and is not as good as the native cut of the content at the intended resolution. The marketing has jumped on that to put the "1080p" bait lines in front of the consumer because they know that many have settled for overly compressed cable/sat video on HD broadcasts. Kinda like megapixels for a chic-let sized camera lens/sensor combo. The market has accepted lower quality as it's virtually good enough. Another good reason for OTA.

The following is about ->Digital Broadcast Tv.

A popular discussion on video and audio forums years ago and when Digital Broadcast Tv was new was. Can you see any difference of resolution and clarity of these Hi Def.

720P.

1080i.

1080P.

Splitting hairs , yes one can see some differences.

Videophiles/audiophiles like to split the hairs ever finer.

And yes it is true that of the point of view of technical issues , there are important differences.

The truth is that video is recorded and developed in all manner of resolutions , some and not all examples are , 480i , 480P , 720P , 1080i , 1080P.

As an example , the video you are watching , may have started out as , 720P and then up converted to 1080P and then down converted to 1080i and then down converted and broadcast as 480i.

((And Yes it is true that Blue Ray DVD's are nice clear 1080P picture when connected to a Tv that can display 1080P.

It is also true that when connected to a Tv that can display pictures of 720P , then the 1080P is down converted to 720P and so forth.))

One more point , the current highest resolution of Digital Broadcast Tv is 1080i.

Of those situations , when the original transmission and reception is , 720P , 1080i , 1080P , then ,

My evaluation is that in , Practical Every Day , Normal , viewing of Digital Broadcast Tv , it makes No Difference.



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The following information has to do with the Cable Tv and Satellite Tv issues.

Due bandwidth constraints , only so many channels will fit into bandwidth of frequencies available.

Then many channels are 'down converted' to very low resolutions that uses less bandwidth , this gives the picture a , Soft look , a lack of detail.

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The issues and facts go on and on.

One more fact.

As an example , if a video starts out as 480P , --> It is 480P.

Yes a computer can Copy Lines Of Resolution and put the copies in between the original lines of resolution and make more lines of resolution , say 1080P.

However the truth is that there is No New Real Information , it is just copies of the original lines of resolution.

Yes it is true the picture does 'look' better ---------------- and on and on and on and on.