CM 4228HD Success report!!

phone man · 13-Aug-2011, 6:13 PM

TV fool report...
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...3e47e33abc7580

Original thread...
http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=1949

I posted here a couple weeks ago and wanted to report back with my results.
I purchased a Channelmaster 4228HD on the recommendation of a friend who does satellite TV and antenna installations. He suggested holding off on a pre amp until I tried the antenna by itself. I posted this question and got similar advice from a couple members here. Today I got up on the roof and installed the 4228HD on my existing mast, aimed it at 210 degrees per the tvfool report and ran new RG6 coax down the mast to the HDTV in the living room. I also installed an A/B switch since I'm still using Time Warner (for now).
I'm receiving 14 channels altogether from the green and yellow zones on my TV fool report.
The HD channels look incredible! The SD channels look very good. One nice surprise is that I'm receiving true channel 12 from the north which is coming in from the back side of the antenna. I was considering a second antenna for this channel if I had difficulty pulling it in. Better still, the sub channel on 12 is a full time weather radar and community bulletin board type channel. This can easily replace the NOAH radar channel from TWC. Yippee!
So far I've seen no drop outs or pixelation issues with the channels I have. I suppose I'll have to wait for the weather and atmospheric conditions to change before I can say for sure how solid these channels are. I cannot find a signal strength meter on my Sony TV. I've checked thru all the standard menus.
Thanks again for the comments and suggestions from the forum members here. Again, I just wanted to report back and say I'm very happy to be a step closer to free television. I've been plugging in my macbook and watching the few channels I would miss without cable, Discovery, History etc.
In the next few months I'll be researching various streaming devices and eventually wean myself and the family away from cable. I think these streaming devices are in their infancy and better products are just over the horizon.

John Candle · 13-Aug-2011, 6:25 PM

I recommended the U8000 because it has less reflectors behind the receiving elements , this allows more reception through the back side of the antenna.

John Candle · 13-Aug-2011, 6:37 PM

Just over the horizon?? Even now the ROKU Box that receives streaming movies and Tv shows from NETFLIX has HDMI output to the Tv. HDMI is the highest quality picture.

John Candle · 13-Aug-2011, 6:41 PM

http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=265

phone man · 13-Aug-2011, 6:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Candle

I recommended the U8000 because it has less reflectors behind the receiving elements , this allows more reception through the back side of the antenna.

Yes John I completely understand that feature of the U8000. That's why I specifically mentioned the fact that I'm receiving ch 12 from the back with the 4228HD. It's quite possible the signal would be stronger from the rear with the U8000 but it doesn't seem to be a problem right now.

phone man · 13-Aug-2011, 6:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Candle

Just over the horizon?? Even now the ROKU Box that receives streaming movies and Tv shows from NETFLIX has HDMI output to the Tv. HDMI is the highest quality picture.

Perhaps I should have said that it's not so much the device but the agreements or lack thereof between various networks and the mfgs of streaming devices. I happen to like Apple products but right now Roku has much more content available than Apple TV and I wouldn't want to be tied down to iTunes anyway.
I think a Mac Mini, wireless keyboard and trackpad would be ideal but that costs considerably more than a Roku or Apple TV. I'm not into gaming and don't own any of the streaming game consoles.

phone man · 13-Aug-2011, 7:43 PM

Further digging thru the TV menus revealed a diagnostics screen with signal strength and signal noise ratio dB figures.

Update...
Our old VCR which I just discovered didn't work anymore, was in the signal chain as was the TWC DVR. I didn't realize the DVR was in the loop until I started tracing wiring to remove the old VCR. Removing these two devices along with the A/B switch (no longer necessary) gave me a SNR increase of 5 dB in all channels. It also allowed reception of two more channels. One of them is a CW affiliate 65 miles away coming in with a SNR of 18 dB. The other is a low powered 24/7 religious channel that drops out occasionally. Per the signal measurements on my TV, anything less than 15dB is going to have problems. In hind sight I should have tried the most direct route to the TV first instead of placing the A/B switch ahead of everything. Duh!

phone man · 22-Aug-2011, 9:48 PM

I installed the Antennas Direct CPA 19 preamplifier today. I chose this model after collecting all the info I could here and elsewhere online about various preamps and how they would apply to my installation. I was leery of the 29 dB Channelmaster but wanted more than the 12 dB Winegard. The CPA 19 rated at 17 dB seemed to be about right for the approximately 100 ft total cable run plus one 2 way splitter.
After installing the CPA 19 preamp, signal strength and SNR dB figures are slightly improved for the strongest channels. The three channels that would rarely come in for a few hours in the evening are now working in the afternoon, something they would never do before. Signal strength for the worst of these (W23BZ ch23.1) at what was the worst time of day is now showing 55 signal strength with a SNR of 18 dB. It appears to be much more steady without the big swings in signal strength it had before. I'm actually shocked this channel comes in at all considering the -12.7 NM (dB) number from the TV fool report. It's a GTN affiliate and I'm very glad it's working reliably now.
WWHO, the furthest away at 65.5 miles, now shows the same 82 strength and 23 SNR dB readings as the best channels. Excellent!
The HD channels look exactly as they did before but I swear the secondary sub channels look better now. Does that make sense? Somehow they just have more clarity than before.
I think I made a good choice and am very happy with the results. Thanks John Candle and GUM for all your helpful information. I learned a lot and have a new hobby! After seeing me on the roof a couple times, my neighbor is interested in how I now get 18 channels compared to his 8.

John Candle · 23-Aug-2011, 1:07 AM

W23BZ at a -12.7 NM (dB) to start with and a reliable signal at the Tv , thats very good. -10 NM(dB) is the number that reception usely drops out. Turning the antenna to the left and right , you might find a spot that the signal strength is a little higher. When reaching out for these low signal strength stations , you get in to moving the antenna around to find a hot spot. You can also do antenna stacking. Two antennas stacked one on top of the other or side by side. You can also go to the >>Start MAPS<< part of tvfool and put in different antenna heights to see if the transmissions get stronger.

Tower Guy · 23-Aug-2011, 1:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phone man

The HD channels look exactly as they did before but I swear the secondary sub channels look better now. Does that make sense?

Nope. It's the placebo effect.

phone man · 23-Aug-2011, 1:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Candle

W23BZ at a -12.7 NM (dB) to start with and a reliable signal at the Tv , thats very good. -10 NM(dB) is the number that reception usely drops out. Turning the antenna to the left and right , you might find a spot that the signal strength is a little higher. When reaching out for these low signal strength stations , you get in to moving the antenna around to find a hot spot. You can also do antenna stacking. Two antennas stacked one on top of the other or side by side. You can also go to the >>Start MAPS<< part of tvfool and put in different antenna heights to see if the transmissions get stronger.

As I type this, that channel is showing 72 signal and a SNR of 22 dB. For whatever reason, this time of the evening is when the weakest channels come in the best and the only time I could watch them prior to installing the preamp. Hopefully I can watch any time I want now.
The mast is in a really good spot for pointing at 210 degrees with as clear a shot as possible in this valley. I tried some minor side to side antenna adjustments earlier but the weaker signals seem to change with the breeze and it's hard to distinguish a better antenna position from a fluke increase in signal strength. My coworker friend who does this kind of work on the side tells me about walking the roof with an antenna in one hand and a meter in the other trying to find a sweet spot. I'm real happy with the current setup and don't see the need to get any more elaborate right now.

Tower Guy, Placebo effect eh? Yeah I know, it's all ones and zeros now but it sure looks good!