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Old 24-Jul-2014, 11:29 PM   #1
Cotton
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 13
Is my reception about what I should expect?

This is what channels TV Fool gave me for my location: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e1c6c108f59d40

I have a VHf-UHf Radio Shack Antenna that is quite large that I bought 25 years ago but am not sure of the model number. I also have a seperate UHF Winegard PR8800 that I purchased two years ago. Both antennas are mounted on the same mast and are about 20 ft high. The VHF-UHF antenna is pointed at 255 Degrees and the UHF antenna is pointed at 75 Degrees. I have a two into one splitter and this goes into my basement into a 24 db amplifier that splits the signal into two branches. One branch goes to one tv and the other branch goes to a wire that goes into six rooms and some are connected to tv sets in the six rooms. All the wiring I use is RG59.

I am receiving most of the channels listed on the TV Fool chart that are at 255 degrees and 75 degrees but some have weak signals.

The channels I am receiving:

2.1
2.2
2.3
5.1
5.2
5.3
6.1
6.2
7.1
7.2
8.1
8.2
10.1
10.2
11.1
11.2
11.3
15.1
15.2
15.3
20.1
39.1
39.2
43.1
43.2
48.1
54.1
54.2
54.3
54.4
54.5
54.6
68.1
68.2
68.3
68.4

Does anyone have any idea if I have done this correctly or is there any way I could improve on what I have done?

Thanks in advance!
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Old 26-Jul-2014, 11:35 PM   #2
StephanieS
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 442
Greetings Cotton,

Am I understanding that you are using a common "two into one splitter" to combine antennas on the mast?

This looks like Antenna A coax to splitter on mast, Antenna B coax to splitter on mast, coaxes combined to single lead down into home.

Your reception plot is very nice. If I had set this up, I'd have had both antennas as you have set them up. Antenna A runs dedicated lead into selectable A/B switch in house. Antenna B runs dedicated lead into house on A/B switch. This configuration creates antennas that are dedicated for Tri-Cities or Knoxville. From A/B switch feed 8 port Channel Master distribution amp. Each TV gets dedicated lead, no splitting a individual lead six times.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RCBX56/...ter_B00C9UJLOU

If I read your post right, both antennas are feeding into the same line. This can cause odd conflicts and cancelling out. If combing antennas normally one antenna handles VHF and the other UHF. This requires a VHF/UHF combiner.

The other way is what I outlined above a A/B switch on the system to keep antennas separate from each other.

A test right now, without spending any money is to take single lead from antenna, feed into ONE TV and watch. If signals are stable and acceptable, this is a distribution problem. If signals aren't satisfactory, this may be an antenna or antenna location issue.

Are you shooting through trees?

Cheers.
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Old 27-Jul-2014, 2:22 AM   #3
Cotton
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Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 13
Thanks for the help!

Quote:
Originally Posted by StephanieS View Post
Greetings Cotton,
Am I understanding that you are using a common "two into one splitter" to combine antennas on the mast?

This looks like Antenna A coax to splitter on mast, Antenna B coax to splitter on mast, coaxes combined to single lead down into home.[/QUOTE]

Yes, this is correct.

[/QUOTE]Your reception plot is very nice. If I had set this up, I'd have had both antennas as you have set them up. Antenna A runs dedicated lead into selectable A/B switch in house. Antenna B runs dedicated lead into house on A/B switch. This configuration creates antennas that are dedicated for Tri-Cities or Knoxville. From A/B switch feed 8 port Channel Master distribution amp. Each TV gets dedicated lead, no splitting a individual lead six times.[/QUOTE]

The amplifier is not an A/B switch setup. The amplifier feeds two lines all the time. I don't have a 8 port distribution amplifer instead it is a two port amplifier and one feeds to a single tv and the other feeds to a line that goes to six tv sets. I guess I should have gotten the 8 port distribution amplifier when my home was built in 1989. The owner of the electrical store sold me something that fits into an electrical box with a tv plug input on top and a fm connection in the bottom. It looks like a duplex electrcal outlet except has the fm and tv connections and am not sure what this setup is called. Anyway, the RG59 wire keeps going from one box to the next box in another bedroom and connects to all six rooms. I have always questioned if the store owner sold me something that was inferior to an 8 port distribution setup where individual wires goes to each bedroom. What is your opinion on this?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RCBX56/...ter_B00C9UJLOU

[/QUOTE]If I read your post right, both antennas are feeding into the same line. This can cause odd conflicts and cancelling out. If combing antennas normally one antenna handles VHF and the other UHF. This requires a VHF/UHF combiner.
[/QUOTE]

Yes, both antennas are feeding into the same line with the "two into one splitter". I have a RCA TVPRAMP1R Preamplifier Outdoor Antenna ordered that I may use for combining the two antennas so I won't have to use the "two into one splitter". Do you think this would be better than the inside the home amplifier I now have? Also, if I use the preamplifer at the mast could I continue using the amplifer inside the home.

[/QUOTE]The other way is what I outlined above a A/B switch on the system to keep antennas separate from each other.[/QUOTE]

If I use the RCA preamplifier maybe I won't have to use the A/B switch.

[/QUOTE]A test right now, without spending any money is to take single lead from antenna, feed into ONE TV and watch. If signals are stable and acceptable, this is a distribution problem. If signals aren't satisfactory, this may be an antenna or antenna location issue.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for this tip I will try it and see how it works.

[/QUOTE]Are you shooting through trees?[/QUOTE]

Yes, there is a huge Beech Tree around 15 feet from the antennas. I have the antennas pointed to the side of the trunk of the tree so the antenna is not pointing directly into the tree.

Cheers.[/QUOTE]
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Old 27-Jul-2014, 9:54 AM   #4
Stereocraig
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 472
I am a firm believer in both dedicated runs w/ an A/B switch and single antenna w/ a rotor.
We only have one set, we don't do any recording and our set allows us to ADD stations as to not do a full channel scan, only to erase the stations recognized on the initial scan.

If you can't meet all of this criteria, then a combined feed, is probably necessary.
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Old 27-Jul-2014, 4:36 PM   #5
StephanieS
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 442
Cotton,

If I were working with your system, a preamp is something I would not install. Instead, I'd favor the distribution amp. The reasoning here is that preamps "push" the signals down the line harder. Your plot shows good to moderate signal availibility. Preamps are generally for weaker signal situations and/or offsetting long coaxial run losses. If you apply preamps into situations where good to moderate signals exist, you run the risk of degrading your reception. This is overloading. Too much signal at your TV has the opposite effect you are desiring.

Plus, the RCA preamp if you install will reduce your VHF/UHF combo antenna to VHF reception only. The RCA preamp does separate antenna bands into single VHF and UHF inputs for amplification. This has the potential to reduce UHF reception of Knoxville. Your antennas with the RCA preamp will become Knoxville VHF only, Tri-Cities UHF only. It doesn't seem this would be your ideal situation as you like having both markets.

It is correct, if you install the RCA preamp you won't need an A/B switch. I recommend that A/B switch set up because both antennas get to work at full capacity without "stepping on each others toes."

There are preamps out there that are single input that don't separate by band, however, that puts you square back into each antenna "stepping on each others toes."

I'm not sure what the electronics store owner was thinking, a different era perhaps. Hindsight is can be 20/20, that is for sure and we are in the digital age now. It seems these boxes you describe provide multiple amplifications of the TV signal. Multiple amplifications of a signal is tricky business, it is best to do it once if you can and be done with it, IE a distribution amp or a preamp with no additional amplification down the chain. In my opinion he had you install a "messy" chain. That is, going from one box to another then having one coax lead split off six times - it's a recipe for having the six TVs that fed off the single lead to have quality or signal degradation issues.

As discussed, the single lead coming down off the antenna or a single jumper coming from the A/B switch ought to feed the distribution amp directly with the distribution amp providing dedicated feeds to each TV is the cleanest way to go.

As to your tree, think of them as razors to a signal. Your plot may be nice, but a tree in full bloom destroys signals by cutting them up and deflecting them. I've seen many people ask why they have unreliable reception in a favorable setting. The reason - shooting into trees. If it is off to the side, that is better than in your pathway.

It sounds like your system is getting the "100,000 mile" service. If you want to focus on one market a combiner (Antennas Direct makes a great one: EU385CF) on the mast will work with only swapping out the "two into one combiner", it has the potential to reduce Knoxville UHF signals though. If you want both markets as reliably as possible the dedicated leads for each antenna into an A/B switch is recommended.

I would further retire both those boxes the electrician sold you and put in that channel master 8 port distribution amp and feed each TV with a dedicated lead from the amp.

I run an A/B switch set up feeding 2 TVs. I have a dedicated Antennas Direct 91XG with a RCA preamp pointing to magnetic 141 for a secondary CBS affiliate that is 60 miles away. I also have a RCA Ant751 unamplified pointing to my local towers at magnetic 80. I chose to run separate leads for two reasons: the first that it's nice to have secondary antenna if something happens to the antenna system and the roof isn't safely accessible (IE winter). Also, I have some local VHFs, the 91XG sees them, but the ABC isn't reliable. The 751 sees ABC reliably. Of course, the 751 doesn't even register a signal on the secondary CBS though.

Let us know what you do!
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