South Central Missouri Puzzle

Bassman · 2-Apr-2015, 2:27 PM

My goal is to replace the two Dish receivers I have and go to all antenna OTA to feed eight tvs in my remote lakeside home here is south central Missouri. The lake is on the South side of house and a steep hill blocks to the North. Looking to the South across a lake cove I look at another hillside. As an experiment I placed an antenna on my deck facing south (Antennacraft hbu33) and ran coax to my new smart tv in my bedroom. Success! I was able to get all the major networks (33 KYTV ABC, 10 KOLR CBS, 49 KRBK FOX and 6 KMOS)PBS) with the exception of 3 KYTV NBC. I called my electronics tech and they came and installed the antenna on a mast on top of the house looking south where we all thought that the reception would be even better. In fact the reception was terrible there. We moved the antenna to many different locations around the house and surprisingly the reception was best on the deck looking south. At my tech’s recommendation I ordered a Weingaurd FL6550A Flatwave antenna. Again, terrible reception on the rooftop, but reasonable at ground level looking south with the reception of all the major networks – except no 10 KOLR CBS with the Weingaurd. The Weingaurd resulted in trading good reception of 10 KOLR CBS for good reception of 3 KYTV NBC. MY current setup is the Weingaurd mounted about 6 feet off the ground aimed south with coax to the Weingaurd power injector, then to a Skywalker 38323 amplifier turned as high as it goes, then to an eight way splitter that feeds signal to all eight tvs. What are recommendations for best reception of channels 10 KOLR CBS, 3 KYTV NBC, 19 KSPR ABC, either 6 KMOS or 21 KOZK PBS and 49 KRBK FOX toward lakeside south? Are there any different antenna’s that might work better? Why is performance better at deck or ground level than higher on roof top? Should I try two antennas with a splitter to join the two incoming signals to try and get the 10 KOLR CBS VHS signal? I like the shape and size of the Weingaurd but the big hbu33 metal antenna is an eyesore at ground level.

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...f1f08140c29af8

Jake V · 2-Apr-2015, 4:25 PM

1. Your report shows no height above the ground. Please prepare new versions of your report at the height of your current antenna, 25' and 50' using these instructions: http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=14508

2. Please also indicate which set of channels you want (i.e., those to the NNE or those to the South). Also, what is the LOS (visibility) in those directions? Do you have a clear view of the horizon from the antenna or the antenna look through buildings and trees?

3. What direction is your antenna facing? What channels do you get? (List the call sign and not just the network as your report has two of everything.)

Bassman · 2-Apr-2015, 5:09 PM

Thanks, Jake, for the tips on post. I've updated the post to add the clarifications. Would be grateful for any thoughts and recommendations.

ADTech · 2-Apr-2015, 5:29 PM

Whoever recommended that flat Winegard didn't do you a favor. You traded a very decent medium-range combo antenna for an antenna with mediocre UHF performance and lousy VHF reception. Same for the Skywalker amplifier as far as performance/value.

I've spent enough time at the Lake of the Ozarks to know that it's a black hole for TV reception. Unless you're perfectly located with an excellent exposure either towards Springfield or towards Columbia/Jeff City, you can forget using an antenna and getting predictable, reliable reception.

Mount your UHF antenna down low, if needed, to take advantage of any ground bounce that might be present. Signals bending over that hill on the opposite side of the cove are going to bent at various angles which will vary with the operating channel, the season, and the vegetation on that hill top. A UHF Yagi will be your best bet. Try different locations and listen to what the antenna tells you about the location. If the UHF reception is lousy there, move it and try again. Repeat until you find a suitable place or run out of prospects. Make certain that your UHF has a CLEAR AND UNIMPEDED line of sight towards the hilltop across the cove. Any trees in front of the antenna will make any forecasts unreliable.

Add a separate high-VHF antenna for KOLR, combine it with the UHF antenna using either an external UVSJ with a pre-amp or use a preamp with dual inputs.

Are the crappie biting yet?

Bassman · 2-Apr-2015, 6:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADTech

Add a separate high-VHF antenna for KOLR, combine it with the UHF antenna using either an external UVSJ with a pre-amp or use a preamp with dual inputs.

Are the crappie biting yet?

Thanks, ADTech for the advice. Do you have any advice on specific examples of the items you suggested in the quote?

The crappie are just starting to bite. Give them a couple of weeks depending on how the temperature develops.......