Cutting the cord in 27 days need some advice

[MrDawg]

Good morning ya"ll. Cutting the cord in 27 days in Rock Hill SC. Direct tv is taking me to the poor house. Here us TV Fool info: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...d24369c2514d81

At present have 6 tvs hooked up to direct tv. I have placed a ClearStream 2v antenna in my attic approx 20ft above ground. I can get 18 stations on a short run of coax. Goal is to split the signal to 4 tvs through out the house. Coax run would be about 50ft to the distribution point. Then longest run would be about 50ft.

1.) Is there a better choice for antenna? At present i do not get channel 34, 7, or 64, from the green and yellow. I would like to get 34.

2.) will i need amplification and if so please recomend a brand.

Going crazy trying to find info, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Jay

[timgr]

In general, you'll get the best reception from an unobstructed free-air mounting as high as possible. An attic installation will always operate with a handicap due to the added obstructions from the roof, structure, any outside obstacles, and low height.

A rooftop installation is much more likely to be satisfactory. If vou want to go with a larger antenna, the Antennas Direct DB8e is often recommended, but it's UHF only, and would almost certainly not pick up real channels 2-13. You can add a second VHF-only antenna to pick up VHF high, such as the Antennacraft Y10713. Note that this antenna has a 10'boom, and likely won't be aimable in your attic, even if it fits.

So, larger and more directional antennas, more height, outside the building, clear of obstructions including trees in the direction of the station tower. Those are the general principles. Compromise any of those and, except for unpredcatble local anomalies, performance will suffer.

[tomfoolery]

If it were me, I'd start by moving that C2-V to a roof, chimney, or gable mount, clear of any obstructions to whatever degree possible. It's doing pretty good for being mounted in an attic, but eliminating obstructions and reflected (multipath) signals can only help.

If starting from scratch, I'd use the DB8e, with one panel aimed 358 deg. magnetic, and the other around 52 deg. mag. WNSC real 15 should be strong enough to come in through the back of the panel aimed north. For high-vhf (channel 7), the single dipole from the C2-V may not be enough, but that's easily tested with the antenna you have now (aim it north, on the roof, and try). If it works reliably, it may be possible to remove it and mount it to the DB8e, but I don't know that. The dipole kit is cheap enough to add to the DB8e (comes with the UVSJ to combine the signals with the UHF), but being as weak as it is, and 2-edge, something with more gain is likely needed, like the Y10713 or its baby brother the Y5713. Combine with a TVPRAMP1R preamp (which has separate inputs for VHF and UHF, so no UVSJ is needed) to boost the signal enough for a 4-way splitter and 100 ft of cable to the furthest tv down below.

[MrDawg]

What brand antenna is the D88e<

[timgr]

Originally Posted by timgr

...If vou want to go with a larger antenna, the Antennas Direct DB8e...

Antennas Direct.

[MrDawg]

Thanks for the quick response, actually have a TV installer coming over in 1/2 hr to give me a quote.

Jay

[StephanieS]

What were you quoted if you don't mind me asking?

If I were installing this configuration, a rooftop mounted DB8e with panels pointed at 0 and 51 degrees would stand a reasonable chance of giving you a complete set of major network affiliates including:

ABC: WSOC real channel 34
CBS: WBTV real channel 23
FOX: WJZY real channel 47
IND: WAXN real channel 50
NBC: WCNC real channel 22
PBS: WNSC real channel 15 (off axis, but likely to received due to strength)

If you really want to go after WSPA CBS on real channel 7 from Spartanburg, a Antennacraft Y10713 is your only choice. You would need to mount this antenna 4' below the DB8e and orientate to magnetic 290.

Combine both antennas with a Antennas Direct EU385CF signal combiner.

With 4 TVs, a distribution amp would be on my shopping list. The channel master 3414 4 port unit would work well in this application.

Regards.

[MrDawg]

$350 with a DB8e antenna and a channelmaster 8 way distribution amp. Roof mounted. Really do not care about chan 7. Just want ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX. Anything else is a bonus. Just got next bill for direvtv - $161.00!!! Have a Roku 3 already in place and investigating using PC as a Home media center.

Thanks for your input

Jay

[MrDawg]

Channel 15 is strange It says "Mode not supported" on my tv?