Another confused person returning to OTA - Michigan

[Catalpa]

I’ve spent a lot of time researching and I’m more confused than ever. Help!
I got rid of the expensive satellite tv and watch a lot of Netflix and Amazon over my highspeed internet connection.
But now it’s football season and I MUST HAVE MY FOOTBALL! LOL.
I have an old, beat-up radio shack antenna, one of the classic multi-vaned 8’ long ones, in my attic that is sort of pointed north of where it should be; I hooked it up to my new insignia tv through a signal booster and I get WNEM and WDCQ just fine, but nothing else. The antenna is in the attic because I took it off the outside pipe and moved it inside after getting tired of picking up pieces of it every time I mowed. It’s missing quite a few elements, and the plastic joints are pretty well shot with age and abuse. I would much prefer to put the new antenna in my attic because I live where it’s always windy.

I've attached the results from tv fool using the mapping tool so it’s accurate to my actual location. I hope you can see the chart. (This was done at the default height of 10’, but in the attic it will be about 18-22’ above the ground and if I can fit it in properly, will be looking through the wall with vinyl siding and not through the roof with two layers of asphalt shingles).

I confess I don’t quite understand all of it. My desired channels are WNEM, WDCQ, WEYI, WJRT and WSMH.

I read a post on these forums (http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.p...light=Michigan)
And that person seemed to need a lot of the same channels, though probably from the opposite direction, based on what he said. (I’m in Michigan’s Thumb). The recommendation was for a HBU44, however when I look at that, from what I understand it would not get WNEM, since it is channel 5. Or doesn’t that matter since the chart says 22? And at antenna craft it says “CEA rated red” – what does that mean? Is it some reference to the colors in the chart?

After looking all over the web, I’m considering the following antennas and would appreciate your advice and feedback:
https://www.antennasdirect.com/store...v-antenna.html

http://www.tvantennasale.com/Lava-HD...FYMF7Aod9koA1w

http://www.antennacraft.net/pdfs/HBU44_.pdf

I like the idea of the rectangle antenna or the smaller one that I think looks a bit like a scam. (150 miles?) The long boom antenna is very difficult to fit in the attic and I may not be able to get it aimed quite southwest enough. I’m also needing to keep this around $100 or less.

I am planning to replace the old coax that runs from the attic to the basement; I will continue to use the signal booster and then a splitter for the two tvs. I’m also wondering if I can re-use the coax from the satellite install that runs the length of the house back to the bedroom for the second tv.

I know this is a really long post, but I hope I gave enough information for good responses.

Thanks!

[ADTech]

Please post the actual LINK to your report as per instructions, the attachment provided is not of any use.

Please refer to the "Real" channel column in the Radar Plot for the operating channel (which determines antenna requirements), not the "Virtual" channel as they are often different.

[GroundUrMast]

Judge for yourself if 'scam' is the correct term to use re. the Lava antenna... I won't contradict you if you choose to use the term. Only in the most extreme theoretical scenario could you defend such a physics defying claim as '150 mile' range. Discounting the active amplification (which doesn't add to the real gain of the antenna) one might hope for 3 to 6 dB of forward gain based on the size and shape of the antenna. There are plenty of reviews that consistently report problems with the quality and durability of the materials used. Plenty of other reviews appear to confirm the doubts re. the performance claims.

Please review these instructions on how to provide sufficient information re. your signal conditions,

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=4

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=14508

Thanks, and welcome to the forum.

+=>

Please make and post a , real , live , active , tvfool report.

Use your Exact address to make the report.

Make the antenna height in the report 25 feet above ground.

[Catalpa]

I chose to go the route that I did because I am not interested in putting my home address or gps location on the internet. Yes I know it says it won't show however I've worked with IT long enough to be wary of such promises.

So I will change my approach.

Question 1: Based on the channels I wish to watch, (WNEM, WDCQ, WEYI, WJRT and WSMH) can anyone interpret the chart for me and advise if I need a VHF-UHF antenna, or simply a UHF? I'm going to buy a new antenna and would like to know which type I need. I've grown up with Channel 5 being a VHF channel but in the new digital stuff I'm not sure anymore.

Question 2: There's a lot of coax already run in the basement from my direct tv installation. Would that work for running the signal from the new antenna?

Thank you.

[GroundUrMast]

As you look at your TV Fool report, pay attention to the 'Real Channel' column... Real channels 14 and higher are UHF. There are two separate bands of VHF channels and therefore not all VHF antennas are designed to receive all VHF channels. the L-VHF band includes real CH-2 through CH-6 and the H-VHF band includes real CH-7 through CH-13.

So based on the limited information available, it would appear that you need UHF and H-VHF capability. If every signal comes from the same direction, a single combination antenna may work very well... but it's unclear what your situation looks like.

WNEM – real CH-22, UHF
WDCQ – real CH-15, UHF
WEYI – real CH-30, UHF
WJRT – real CH-12, H-VHF (The weak NM value suggest that you'll need a dedicated H-VHF antenna such as the Antennacraft Y10713 pointed directly at this signal. Attic mounting is quite unlikely to provide reliable reception of this signal.)
WSMH.-- real CH-16, UHF (Also very weak, indicating the need for a full size UHF antenna such as the Antennas Direct DB8E. Attic mounting is quite unlikely to provide reliable reception of this signal.)

You did not include WBKB – real CH-11, H-VHF (If you want this signal, it's quite weak and will need the largest available antenna or possibly a tall mast or tower.)

I have no way to suggest how to aim due to the lack of that data. Both of the antennas I've mentioned are quite directional. They can be combined using an RCA TVPRAMP1R which has separate inputs for UHF and VHF. Or, you can use a passive UHF/VHF signal joiner ahead of a single input preamp. If you have signals arriving from multiple directions, you may need to consider an additional UHF antenna that terminates in an auxiliary tuner. Combining two antennas that cover tha same band, but are aimed for reception of different signals will generally be difficult or impossible to combine. http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=2882

[Catalpa]

Thank you Ground, your information really helps.

The whole 'real' channel thing has been quite a puzzle. At least now I understand which sort of antenna I'm looking for.

No, I'm not interested in going after WBKB. Not worth the effort. Aiming for the rest shouldn't be too much of an issue, all of the stations are southwest of me, and when I look at the radar plots I'm within the dark blue shades even with the weaker stations, so I am hopeful. Based on your feedback I may go ahead and mount the new antenna outside to begin with, rather than in the attic.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good H-VHF/UHF antenna that can stand up to a very windy location?

Thanks.

[GroundUrMast]

Given your need for high gain, antennas such as the Winegard HD7698P and Antennacraft HBU-55 come to mind. Both have a relatively narrow forward beam-width which makes aim more critical than with smaller antennas. To achieve the gain, theses designs are the larger versions of a family of antennas that cover the H-VHF band and UHF band.

Both manufacturers have earned reputations for excellent design, build quality and durability. If Antennas Direct and Channel Master offered combination antennas that covered these two bands with similar gain, I would expect to be able to recommend those brands as well.

For windy areas, I'd suggest putting emphasis on the mast and it's base. Are you considering a tripod, chimney mount, eve/wall bracket or ground based mast?

Please, if any other members can offer more options, please weigh in.