Help me choose an antenna please

[mtehonica]

Hi Guys,

I need help choosing an antenna for my setup. I want to be able to ditch cable since I usually only watch the main channels anyways. The antenna will have 2 HDTV's connected, roof mounted about 10-11 feet off the ground. Here is my report: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...60b5a9b5556da7

Thanks in advance!

[John Candle]

For your reception situation I recommend one antenna , Antenna Craft U4000 aimed at about 267 degree magnetic compass. Here is how to aim antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html. The tv stations to the , north west , west , south west , will be received. The tv stations to the east Will Be Received through the back side of the U4000. A advantage of the U4000 is that the horizontal reflector bars can be turned to the vertical position , this gets them out of the way so that more signal can be received at the V shaped receptor elements. The tv stations to the east are strong and the reflector bars should not need to be turned however if need be they can be turned.

[John Candle]

I also recommend a Antennas Direct CPA-19 preamp. Here are places to buy antennas and etc. , http://www.solidsignal.com , http://www.amazon.com , http://www.starkelectronic.com , http://www.3starinc.com

[mtehonica]

Great to hear! Think I'll need anything else to split the signal to 2 tv's (other than the splitter and coax)?

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.

[John Candle]

Read and understand about , REAL Digital Broadcast Tv Channels , Virtual Digital Broadcast Tv Channels , Analog Broadcast Tv Channels , http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=695. Here are tv guides , http://www.zap2it.com , http://television.aol.com , http://tv.yahoo.com , http://tv.entertainment.excite.com , http://www.tvzap.com , http://www.titantv.com. Most tv guides list the channels as virtual channels.

[mtehonica]

Thanks again!

[John Candle]

I recommend new RG-6 coax from the antenna and preamp too the tv. A simple common 2 way splitter will work Ok. Also here are some antenna mounts , http://www.ronard.com/909911.html , http://www.ronard.com/34424560.html , http://www.ronard.com/ychim.html

[mtehonica]

Originally Posted by John Candle

I recommend new RG-6 coax from the antenna and preamp too the tv. A simple common 2 way splitter will work Ok. Also here are some antenna mounts , http://www.ronard.com/909911.html , http://www.ronead.com/34424560.html , http://www.ronard.com/ychim.html

Thanks. The house has all new RG6 in it now so I'll just have to run new RG6 from the antenna to the splitter.

[mtehonica]

Do you think the preamp will be a necessity or should I try with it and add if needed? Or are you almost certain that I would need it?

Also, are there any antennas that are just as good? I may head to best buy or radio shack and see what they have before having to wait for it to be delivered.

[mtehonica]

Would this mount work with the u4000? http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direc...&zgid=10966881

[mtehonica]

Would something like the Channel Master 4221HD work as well as the u4000? I'm looking for something that Amazon sells due to their easy return policy.

[John Candle]

Yes the J mount can be used to with the U4000 , the J mount and the U4000 need to be mounted up high above the roof. No the CM4221HD Will Not work as well as the U4000.

[John Candle]

Yes the CPA-19 preamp is needed.

[John Candle]

Antenna Craft makes antennas for radio shack. radioshack may have the U4000 in stock. I strongly recommend that you Do Not try and use any radio shack preamps. I have done my best to get you reception and informed you of the reasons why , with the least amount of grief and misery. Good luck on your quest.

[mtehonica]

Thanks again for all the help! One last question.... you said it needs to be mounted as high as possible on top of the roof... It's a single story house and the peak is probably 12 feet or so. If I use the j mount, within 6 inches or so of the peak, would that get it high enough? I guess with a 40" j mount, that would put the antenna about 14-15 feet above the ground?

[John Candle]

The origional calculated antenna height is 10 feet. 98.732497612234576158600126853295 % of the time higher is better. So yes higher is better. Mount the antenna in such a way that the antenna has as little obstruction as possible , not blocked by the roof , not blocked by a chimney and etc. , Antennas like the clearest possible view of the transmitting antennas.

[mtehonica]

Thanks again. Now I'm thinking about using a chimney mount kit for a couple reasons. No drilling into the roof and also it will get it another foot or so in the air.

[mtehonica]

Another noob question.... how far can the CPA19 be from the antenna? If it's within 10-15 feet, is that ok? Or does it need to be mounted like right to the pole?

[John Candle]

The reflectors bars on the Antenna Craft U4000 antenna are not blocked by any cross bars like the U8000 , so lift the clip and turn the reflector bars. For those of you that are reading this go to , DennisC question asking post to understand what it's about , http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=2182 , http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=2203

[GroundUrMast]

Originally Posted by mtehonica

Another noob question.... how far can the CPA19 be from the antenna? If it's within 10-15 feet, is that ok? Or does it need to be mounted like right to the pole?

The best performance is obtained by mounting the preamp as close to the antenna as possible. I believe the CPA-19 ships with a 3' RG-6 cable for this purpose. The negative effect of adding another 10 feet is real, but minor. The effect would be like adding about 0.5 dB of noise to the system which would reduce the NM (noise margin) by that amount.