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Old 21-Oct-2015, 8:54 PM   #1
Dockell
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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Antenna Help For Fenton MI

Last year I moved into a 2-story house with a roomy attic (Signal report - http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...8e03465c4c0405). I had a powered antenna of unknown type in the living room, connected directly to the TV. In the spring I finally got around to installing the antenna in the attic, running approximately 90' of coax from the antenna to a powered splitter in the basement (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ilpage_o08_s00), and then running another 50' of coax back to the TV in the living room. The splitter now also supplies another TV on the second floor approximately 70' away.

The setup worked well for a little while, until the leaves on the trees started coming in (the neighborhood is full of mature trees), whereupon I lost WJRT and WXYZ. Lately, I have been getting crappy reception on almost all the stations, I believe due to the wind stirring up the falling leaves. Fortunately most leaves should be gone in a few weeks and I should be back to good reception for the next six months.

Anyhow, I would like an antenna recommendation that would help me get good reception year-round. I understand this may not be possible, due to the antenna being in the attic and the house being surrounded by mature trees, but I would like to make the best effort possible.

Thanks in advance for your help!
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Old 21-Oct-2015, 10:42 PM   #2
Jake V
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Location: Virginia!
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A powered antenna with an 8 way powered splitter. Not the best of ideas.

Can you please post a picture of your antenna? Maybe there is a brand name and part number on it somewhere.

What kind of roofing and siding do you have? Any metal (stucco, for example, has a metal mesh that blocks the signal)? In the best of circumstances you loose a lot of signal through a roof. You can loose a good deal though the siding, too.

Finally, what stations do you want? You have signals from roughly the north and the southeast.
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Old 21-Oct-2015, 10:57 PM   #3
rabbit73
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Location: S.E. VA
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Quote:
Lately, I have been getting crappy reception on almost all the stations, I believe due to the wind stirring up the falling leaves.
Yup, trees will do that to signals.

Can you show us some photos of what the trees look like from the N and SE?

What kind of reception do you get if you connect the attic antenna directly to the nearest TV as a test?

What direction is your attic antenna facing?

Quote:
I understand this may not be possible, due to the antenna being in the attic and the house being surrounded by mature trees, but I would like to make the best effort possible.
It doesn't sound promising, but with a little more information from you we might be able to suggest some tests for you to try.
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Last edited by rabbit73; 21-Oct-2015 at 10:59 PM.
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Old 22-Oct-2015, 7:01 PM   #4
Spencer
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I'm up in Grand Blanc and was kinda having the same problems as you. I could get all the Flint stations but channel 12 kept messing up over the past month. I had a DIY 4-Bay McClapp antenna in my attic made out of wood. I decided to build another one out of PVC, paint it black and mount it on the roof. I now pick up sold signals from all Flint stations, channel 6 out of Lansing, plus channels 4, 7, 20, 56 & 62 out of Detroit. My goal now is to try to pick up WJBK 2 which is real channel Hi-VHF 7.

Best antenna for under $10. Here is McClapps website: http://m4antenna.eastmasonvilleweather.com/index.html
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Old 22-Oct-2015, 9:23 PM   #5
Dockell
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Thanks for all of the replies!

I crawled up into the attic and found that the antenna is a General Electric 24802 (http://www.amazon.com/GE-24802-Anten...keywords=24802).
rabbit73, Jake V, it's mounted facing north, and I'm more interested in the stations to the north. The roof is plain sheathing and asphalt shingles, no metal mesh or lathe that I know of, and the antenna is up against it, so I don't think siding will be an issue. I agree that the powered splitter and powered antenna combo are not the best choice, but I though that the antenna would have a weak amplifier and when combined with the long cable run to the basement it wouldn't hurt anything.
Attached is a picture of one of the trees. All three are very similar, being mature maples > 50' high.
I attached the antenna directly to one of the TVs when I was testing the feasibility of this idea last year - I seem to remember getting good reception on everything. This was in December, though, after all of the leaves had fallen. I'll try and get back into the attic with a cable to test it again.

Thanks again for all of the help!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg tree.jpg (494.6 KB, 476 views)
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Old 22-Oct-2015, 11:22 PM   #6
rabbit73
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GE 24802 Indoor Antenna


Quote:
This semi-directional HDTV antenna has a built-in amplifier that you can adjust to match your needs. Plus, it has retractable dipoles and UHF loop for improved performance. Its compatible with VHF, UHF, HDTV and FM. This indoor TV antenna has a set top mount, so you can place it in any convenient location.

UHF Loop, Retractable Dipoles, Indoor, Built-In Adjustable Amplifier, 75-OHM

UHF Loop Reception Channels: 14 - 69

VHF Dipoles Reception Channels: 2 - 13

Amplifier Gain: 20dB
Do you have it mounted vertical or flat horizontal?

Quote:
The setup worked well for a little while, until the leaves on the trees started coming in (the neighborhood is full of mature trees), whereupon I lost WJRT and WXYZ.
WJRT is on real channel 12 which uses the dipoles; did you adjust them?

WXYZ on real channel 41 is a UHF channel that is much weaker than your channels in green and in a different direction from the SE. Did you adjust the antenna aim for it?

You need at least one of those two for ABC.

The specs say that it has an adjustable amplifier. Does that adjustment make any difference? Is there power in the attic for the antenna?

Did you ever get WNEM for CBS?

I'm thinking maybe the GE 24792 Attic Antenna with a preamp that wouldn't be overloaded by WCMZ. No guarantee that it would be any better because of the trees.
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Last edited by rabbit73; 22-Oct-2015 at 11:52 PM.
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Old 23-Oct-2015, 10:12 AM   #7
Spencer
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I'd find a way to get something on your roof. You'll have much better reception.
I have 3 big maples about 40 feet from where the antenna is placed and have no issues with the signal dropping.
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Old 25-Oct-2015, 12:13 AM   #8
Dockell
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rabbit73:
It's mounted vertically, attached to a beam in the attic. I tried adjusting the dipoles, but still got nothing. There is power in the attic for the antenna, but I don't see any way to adjust the amplifier other than by plugging it in. I did get (and still get) WNEM.

Spencer:
How high above the roofline would you recommend? I can't attach a mast high enough to clear the trees - is just having it outside going to make that big a difference? I could try and attach it to the chimney, but I'm hesitant due to the strong winds we sometimes get through here.
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