Help choosing antenna

clhereistian · 8-Apr-2012, 1:58 AM

I am moving and I am going to cancel my satellite service. I have spent a few hours Googling antennas and reception, but I'm not sure what antenna I need or how to set it up. It seems I need to put something on the roof. The house will be a regular ranch house. I don't care about getting tons of channels, I would like to at least get ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS.

Here is the link:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...267ef96da5722a

Andy advice anyone can offer would be really appreciated.

Dave Loudin · 8-Apr-2012, 3:44 AM

Looking at your report, there is a PBS station and several weirdly named channels very close by. Those are repeaters that bring nearby stations into otherwise shadowed areas. In particular, W42DG relays WJAC, the NBC station. W36BE brings in WNEP, an ABC station. WHVL-LD provides MyNetwork and America One programming. That leaves CBS and FOX, which are carried by stations a bit farther away and in a different direction (WATM relays WWCP also). This makes picking a single fixed antenna choice.

The one saving grace is all your stations are UHF. It's possible that an Antennas Direct DB-4e would work as a "set and forget" solution. I'd like to hear from others before you commit to that.

Electron · 8-Apr-2012, 7:09 AM

Install a Antennas Direct CS2V Clear Stream UHF/VHF antenna above the roof aimed at about 210 degree magnetic compass. Here is how to aim antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html. Here are some antenna mounts , http://www.ronard.com/909911.html , http://www.ronard.com/34424560.html , http://www.ronard.com/ychim.html , http://www.ronard.com. Buy ronard antenna mounts by typing the word ronard in the solidsignal search box. Here are some places to buy antennas and etc. , http://www.solidsignal.com , http://www.antennasdirect.com , http://www.amazon.com.

Electron · 8-Apr-2012, 7:55 AM

Here are the digital tv stations/channels and sub channels that will be received , WPSA-TV UHF channel 15 PBS , W42DG-D UHF channel 42 NBC and Me-Tv , WHVL-LD VHF channel 27 MyNetwork and America One , W36BE-D UHF channel 36 ABC and Antenna Tv , WATM-DT UHF channel 24 ABC and FOX and This Tv , WTAJ-DT UHF channel 32 CBS , WKBS-DT UHF channel 46 Religion. Also WSCP VHF channel 13 might be transmitting as a Analog tv station , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WCSP-CA. The CS2v is made to receive UHF channel 14 thru 69 and VHF high band channels 7 thru 13.

Electron · 8-Apr-2012, 8:10 AM

The Tv's or tuners. Must Scan for the Digital Broadcast Tv Channels and the Analog Broadcast Tv Channels , sometimes called the 'Air Channels' or 'Antenna Channels' in the Tv's set up menu because the Broadcast Tv Transmissions travel through the air from the transmitting antenna to your receiving antenna. Do Not scan for cable tv channels.

clhereistian · 8-Apr-2012, 6:48 PM

My tv will scan for channels, so I don't need a tuner.

So far, I have antenna suggestions for a Antennas Direct CS2V Clear Stream UHF/VHF and a Antennas Direct DB-4e. Any idea on which one would be better?

Also, it seems it needs to be above the roof. How far above the roof on a ranch house should it be? What equipment do I need to mount it? I will likely buy the materials and then pay someone to install it.

Thanks again.

frank55 · 8-Apr-2012, 7:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clhereistian

I am moving and I am going to cancel my satellite service. I have spent a few hours Googling antennas and reception, but I'm not sure what antenna I need or how to set it up. It seems I need to put something on the roof. The house will be a regular ranch house. I don't care about getting tons of channels, I would like to at least get ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS.

Here is the link:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...267ef96da5722a

Andy advice anyone can offer would be really appreciated.

Check this one out not sure that´t what you need but at least is pretty cool,reed the reviews and make your mind up.

frank55 · 8-Apr-2012, 7:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frank55

Check this one out not sure that´t what you need but at least is pretty cool,reed the reviews and make your mind up.

sorry forgot link;

http://hdtv-antenna-review.toptenrev...05-review.html

clhereistian · 8-Apr-2012, 7:57 PM

Frank,

Which one are you referring to?

frank55 · 8-Apr-2012, 8:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clhereistian

Frank,

Which one are you referring to?

sorry bro;

http://www.hdtvantennalabs.com/revie...5-reviews.html

Electron · 8-Apr-2012, 8:32 PM

The cheap china junk antennas have been dealt with Many Times here at tvfool. Do not buy the cheap china junk antennas. It is apparent that you have not read any of the past information here tvfool. If you are clueless about tv reception Do Not come here giving advice.

frank55 · 9-Apr-2012, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electron

The cheap china junk antennas have been dealt with Many Times here at tvfool. Do not buy the cheap china junk antennas. It is apparent that you have not read any of the past information here tvfool. If you are clueless about tv reception Do Not come here giving advice.

It's much better then the clear stream that was suggested for his location,and cheaper.

clhereistian · 9-Apr-2012, 1:19 AM

I don't mind spending $100 for an antenna if it is what will work best. If I get something like the Antennas Direct DB4E will I need a rotator since the available channels are in two different directions?

Ok - I read about that antenna a bit, and it is multidirectional which means it will not need to be rotated, correct? What other equipment do I need? I assume I will need one of the J brackets I saw online. Does it matter which one? I also assume I need RG6 cable. Does one end of the cable connect directly to the antenna? Is the chimney a good place to mount it? I am hesitant to mount the antenna on the roof itself because I don't want leaking issues.

Also, I read you usually need a preamp. Then I see other people say one is not needed. Confusing. Do I need one?

MisterMe · 9-Apr-2012, 2:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frank55

It's much better then the clear stream that was suggested for his location,and cheaper.

The cheap Chinese junk is not better than anything anywhere.

Electron · 9-Apr-2012, 5:31 AM

It is possible to worry ones self into not doing any thing. Install the CS2v antenna as directed. Use standard RG-6 cable. RG-6 quad coax is not required. Two antenna mounts that are good for you are the chimney mount or the eave mount. Mount the antenna so the antenna is about 4 to 6 feet above the high point of the roof. Outdoor tv antennas receive the best with elbow room. Out door antennas receive the best with a clear view of the transmitting antennas. The CS2v will supply signal to one tv or two tv's with a 2 way splitter. A preamp will not be required for one or two tv's.

clhereistian · 9-Apr-2012, 11:30 AM

Thanks Electron.

Dave Loudin · 9-Apr-2012, 2:05 PM

I'm sorry, and it's nothing personal, but I strongly recommend that you go with the DB4-e for two reasons:

1) a bit more gain across the beamwidth. WTAJ has a noise margin of 20, and you want, for reliability's sake, a noise margin of 15 at the receiver after all the splitter and cable losses, and
2) the available VHF stations are analog only, so they will be going away soon. I see no applications in the FCC's databases for converting these to digital.

Preamps only serve to zero out cable and splitter losses, not to bring weak signals out of the noise. From your description, you won't have long enough cable runs for this to be an issue. You can always add a preamp later if you need to.

GroundUrMast · 9-Apr-2012, 7:02 PM

Antennas Direct publishes the performance specifications for their products, and real world experience has proven their numbers to be trustworthy, allowing reliable comparison to competing vendors who also publish performance data in a standardized format.

Regarding the LAVA; the cited review says, "Summary

The HD-2605 Outdoor Antenna from Lava could be a fantastic HDTV antenna if it were better at receiving and holding channels. The rotor is a useful feature, although Lava cannot be a real competitor as an HDTV antenna manufacturer until it makes its products out of sturdier materials." And, "The Verdict

The HD-2605 sounds like a better deal than it really is."

There are a some satisfied owners of LAVA antennas no doubt, but I find the advertising claims sound like hype to me. I've also found more than the usual amount of negative feedback regarding both performance and durability.