Newbie...Please be patient with us. :)

dakrri · 1-Oct-2010, 4:07 PM

Hello everyone, I’m going to admit upfront that we do not know anything about OTA transmissions. We are here to find out what is the best antenna for our situation.

I’ve been reading the TVFOOL forum, and there are knowledgeable people here that I know can help us. I can’t find answerer to a few questions…so please help us; (Dale and Kristine) make a successful decision/choice of antennas and installation.

Here is our location in Sheboygan WI.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...a362116b57f1bf

1. We do not mind spending the money to get this right, so if we need the larger antenna and booster that’s fine. Where do you buy the stuff? Radio Shack?

2. We have Charter Cable Service currently and we will be dropping them. Can we use their cable that enters our home, from the roof, and connect it to the antenna we are going to buy? This way all 3-televisions would be “wired” and good to go.

3. Is there anyway to dvr shows with an OTA setup

4. We will also need wireless internet as the current cable company supplied that also. I know this is not the forum for internet….but any input would be great.

Thank you all in advance, and have a great weekend.

Billiam · 1-Oct-2010, 4:16 PM

Do you want to receive any of the channels in red or only those in yellow in your TV Fool report? Or are there any specific stations that you wish to receive and then the others will not matter?

Can you install an outdoor antenna at your location?

dakrri · 1-Oct-2010, 4:20 PM

Hello Billiam,

We'd like ABC-CBS-NBC-FOX and PBS

Yes we can have antennas. I just wish I'd of kept the 30-foot tower that was there 20 years ago when I bought the house.

Dale

Billiam · 1-Oct-2010, 4:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakrri

Hello Billiam,

We'd like ABC-CBS-NBC-FOX and PBS

Yes we can have antennas. I just wish I'd of kept the 30-foot tower that was there 20 years ago when I bought the house.

Dale

Hi Dale:

Which PBS do you wish to watch? 8 or 35?

dakrri · 1-Oct-2010, 4:33 PM

It wouldn't matter, we only really watch the cooking shows and the outdoor shows on PBS.

Dale

Billiam · 1-Oct-2010, 4:35 PM

Do you have a lot of trees in or around your property? Any hills or tall structures in the area?

Billiam · 1-Oct-2010, 4:49 PM

If you don't mind using a rotor then I would recommend the Winegard 7696p to be safe. It probably has a little more oomph so to speak than you need but considering how many signals are in your area, this antenna should give you an extra signal or two just in case you run into a problem with one of the signals at 345 degrees. The PBS station is in another direction and would require a rotor to receive it well or you could use two antennas pointed at 345 degrees and then 188 degrees respectively with an A-B switch.

dakrri · 1-Oct-2010, 5:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billiam

Do you have a lot of trees in or around your property? Any hills or tall structures in the area?

I live along a major interstate, clear view for miles. However, directly to the south of me…towards Milwaukee WI is an electrical sub station with high voltage towers/lines.

Billiam · 1-Oct-2010, 5:12 PM

The power lines should not pose a threat to the stations at 345 degrees. They seem to be out of Green Bay. The PBS may or may not be impacted though since that seems to lie to the south. The antenna I recommended should receive Ch. 8 if you run into a problem with 35. Both are to the south though. WPNE is also out of Green Bay and I think this antenna could also get 42 which is the PBS affiliate there.

mtownsend · 1-Oct-2010, 5:31 PM

Hello and welcome!

It looks like you have access to both the Green Bay stations and the Milwaukee stations. Since these stations are coming from opposite directions, I don't think you'll be able to pick up both cities at the same time. This leaves you with two choices:

1) Just pick one city and set yourself up to concentrate on only those channels. The Green Bay stations are a little closer and easier to pick up, but there appear to be slightly more channel choices coming out of the Milwaukee area.

2) Set yourself up with an antenna rotator or an A/B switch so that you can watch stations out of either market. You just can't do both at the same time.

As to your other questions:

>> Yes, if you are dumping cable TV, you can send your antenna feed into the same distribution system to get the signal to all the rooms of your house. I would recommend installing a mast-mounted pre-amp to make sure your OTA signals overcome the loss caused by the splitter and lengthy coax runs.

>> Yes, you can use a DVR for OTA programming. It doesn't work quite so well if you have an antenna rotator (or A/B switch) and can only have the antenna pointed at one set of stations at a time. There are multiple DVR options out there that can handle OTA programming. Some require a monthly subscription fee and some don't.

>> If you continue to use Charter Cable for internet service, you need to somehow get the cable company's feed connected to the cable modem/gateway appliance in your home. If you are taking over the coax distribution network for your OTA signals, then it means you need to separately run a connection from the cable company's main feed to the location of your cable modem/gateway. If this device is acting as the WiFi access point for your house, then you want to make sure it is located centrally inside the home (so that the WiFi signal does not need to travel far to reach any point in your house).

Tower Guy · 1-Oct-2010, 5:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakrri

1. We do not mind spending the money to get this right,

I'd put up two antennas. Both of them would be a Winegard HD7696P. Aim one at Green Bay, the other at Milwaukee. Connect one of the antennas to the TV set, the other would go to a DVR such as a TiVo or DTV PAL.

http://www.tivo.com/products/home/index.html
http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/DT...-7000PAL.shtml

When you wanted to watch TV from City A, use the tuner in the TV set. To watch from the other city, use the tuner in the DVR. You pick which city to DVR, the other one you would only watch live.

Tower Guy · 1-Oct-2010, 5:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtownsend

FYI, Tower Guy, I think the Moxi DVR only works with cable systems (QAM). I don't believe they have any models that can receive ATSC signals.

I just noticed that. I will correct my post.

dakrri · 1-Oct-2010, 6:07 PM

This is great information.

Does the pre amp need electric?

I will not be using cable company for internet.

Where is a good place to buy the Winegard 7696p?

What about these "so called" 360 degree antennas??

Dale

dakrri · 1-Oct-2010, 6:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tower Guy

I'd put up two antennas. Both of them would be a Winegard HD7696P. Aim one at Green Bay, the other at Milwaukee. Connect one of the antennas to the TV set, the other would go to a DVR such as a TiVo.

http://www.tivo.com/products/home/index.html

When you wanted to watch TV from City A, use the tuner in the TV set. To watch from the other city, use the tuner in the DVR. You pick which city to DVR, the other one you would only watch live.

So then you wouldn't need a A/B switch....correct?

Billiam · 1-Oct-2010, 6:18 PM

Yes, the preamp needs power.

All of my signals here are in yellow and red like your own. I use a Channel Master Titan 7777 and Winegard AP 8275. Either should work just fine at your location.

dakrri · 1-Oct-2010, 6:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billiam

Yes, the preamp needs power.

All of my signals here are in yellow and red like your own. I use a Channel Master Titan 7777 and Winegard AP 8275. Either should work just fine at your location.

If I use two antennas, which we are thinking of doing, do I need 2-pre amps? can the pre amp go inside the house were the cable enters the basement?? Or does it need to be on the mast?

Billiam · 1-Oct-2010, 6:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakrri

If I use two antennas, which we are thinking of doing, do I need 2-pre amps?

Yes. To be safe.

dakrri · 1-Oct-2010, 6:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billiam

Yes. To be safe.

That's getting a little $$$. I may do 1- winegard antenna, 1-rotor and 1 pre amp. That sounds like less maintenace too.

Do you buy your stuff right from the winegard website.

Any opinion on the 360 coverage antennas advertised on the web?

mtownsend · 1-Oct-2010, 6:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakrri

Does the pre amp need electric?

Yes. The power is usually sent along the same coax that delivers the signal. The pre-amp should come with a "power injector" that sends power up the coax to the pre-amp. The pre-amp can be installed on the mast close to the antenna, while the power injector can be installed inside the house in a safe location protected from the weather.

Quote:

Where is a good place to buy the Winegard 7696p?

You can try the dealer locator on Winegard's web site: http://www.winegard.com/offair/index.php

For local retailers, enter a zip code and select "Home antenna" for dealer type. They also have a link to a list of online dealers just below the search button.

Quote:

What about these "so called" 360 degree antennas??

Those won't work for you.

The gain of an antenna is related to how directional it is (highly directional = very high gain). An omni-directional antenna is not directional at all, so its gain will be very low. The gain will be too low to pick up signals at the levels shown in your TV Fool report.

mtownsend · 1-Oct-2010, 7:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dakrri

I may do 1- winegard antenna, 1-rotor and 1 pre amp.

That sounds like a great setup to access channels from multiple markets.

Just keep in mind that if you plan on using a DVR, your antenna can only be pointed at one set of channels at a time. If the antenna is pointed the wrong way while the DVR is trying to record a program, you may end up missing the shows you want.

An antenna rotator is great for viewing flexibility, but it's not so great for unattended recording of programs.