Howdy all

Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving.

The weather in Des Moines today is light rain/Freezing Rain. Thought I would monkey with my antenna some more. The antenna was sitting on top of the computer's bass speaker, but I now have it sitting at roughly a 30 degree angle (from vertical) and pointed approximately 327 degrees (magnetic). This is what the digital TV signal analyzer app I found for my smart phone indicates the 'prime' signals are coming from.

This is the breakdown of the channels I am and am not able to receive:

KKCI N S to Spotty/Pixelated
IPTV Spotty/Pixelated
WHO Spotty/Pixelated
COMET (17) OK
KDMI OK
IPTV (21.1) N S
KCWI OK
KEFB N S
ION N S
WOI N S

This all leaves me scratching my head. Would I be better off with a better antenna OR would a more powerful pre-amp alone perhaps solve the problem?

A more "powerful" amplifier is NEVER the solution except when that additional gain is actually required to overcome additional downstream signal loss form cabling or splitters. It is NEVER needed when working with an indoor antenna hooked up to a single TV set.

You need a better location for your antenna or, barring that, a better antenna that will improve your odds. Notice I didn't say it would be a miracle cure, I said it would improve your odds.

KCCI, real channel 8? Your antenna probably isn't very good for VHF-High channels.
That's not an OTA callsign; we need a callsign, not internet
Do you have IPTV combined with OTA?
real channel 13; same comment as for KCCI
Need a callsign; KDSM?
That's not an OTA callsign
weaker; different direction
KFPX ION 39; weaker, different direction. The antenna must be aimed at the transmitter. You will not be able to receive channels from all directions with only one antenna aim
that is on real channel 5, which is a VHF-Low channel; not gonna happen without a bigger antenna
http://www.rabbitears.info/search.ph...pe=dBm&height=
You don't need a smart phone telling you what direction for the antenna aim, you need a tuner telling you signal strength, and signal quality as defined by Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) and uncorrected errors.
I'm also scratching my head. Why do you have IPTV mixed in with OTA callsigns?
Better antenna.

IPTV is Iowa Public TV...

Thanks.
http://site.iptv.org/

Would that be KDIN on real channel 11? That antenna isn't very good for VHF-High.

What is IPTV 21.1? If it's KTIN it's way too weak, and Tropo.

Hokay! I think I created more confusion than I eliminated, but at least now I know that a bigger pre-amp is NOT the answer to the problem. Based on that insight I ordered a ChannelMaster FLATenna 35 (mod. CM 4001 HD) in the hopes THAT will improve my signal capturing ability. Failing that, then I will have to escalate to the 50.00 CM antenna.

Now to the matter of the channels: The information I gave you was from the information the computer generated guide gave ME. The reason I subsume, that I was given this list of channels is because they are channels whose signals were detected by the combination of my extant antenna, pre-amp and TV tuner/dongle which were then fed into Window's Media Center software. The OTA channels I am supposed to have the capability of receiving are: WOI as channel 5, KCCI as channel 8 and it's - I don't know the correct terminology - 'sub-channels'? 8.2 and 8.3, Iowa Public Television (IPTV) as channel 11(KDIN)- out of Des Moines, but also as channel 21(KTIN) out of Fort Dodge and its sub-channels 11.2 and 11.3, etc, WHO as channel 13 and its sub-channels 13.2 and 13.3, KCWI (f.k.a. KDMI) as channel 19 and its sub channels - which for reasons that are completely obscure to me, show up again as channel 23 and its sub-channels, then there is KEFB as channel 34 and its sub channels and finally ION-HD and its sub channels. There are also some shopping channels listed, but I could give less of a fig about them.

Out of all of these channels, the ones I am particularly wanting to be able to receive are KCCI and KDIN. Being able to receive ION-HD would be a nice bonus, but one that I could just as easily live without.

I surely hope this is more helpful than my last post. :-/

Don't get your hopes up; I doubt that it will do any better than the RCA; it's just another flat antenna. I hope that you are buying antennas that can be returned, otherwise you are going to waste a lot of money.
What model is that, this one?
http://www.channelmaster.com/SMARTen.../cm-3000hd.htm

The channels that you want are VHF-High channels, real channels 7-13. Flat antennas don't do very well with VHF-High signals.

AFAIK, that list was based on your ZIP Code. WMC doesn't know that you are buying antennas that aren't very good for VHF-High channels. WMC doesn't know that you don't have an antenna for real channel 5. WMC doesn't know that your antenna is indoors.
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...ls+from+zap2it

how to add missing channels to windows media center
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...s+media+center

Did you work out an arrangement with ADTech by PM for a suitable antenna?

Are you willing to experiment with a DIY folded dipole antenna for your most wanted channels?

http://i496.photobucket.com/albums/r...psna1exzcg.jpg

http://users.wfu.edu/matthews/misc/dipole.html

CH11, 198-204 MHz, center frequency 201 MHZ
5540/291 = 27.6 inches long for dipole

CH5, 76-82 MHz, center frequency 79 MHz
5540/79 = 70.1 inches

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_...on_frequencies

or would rather experiment with an antenna that you can return like the GE 24792 Attic Antenna, which Walmart has or
http://www.amazon.com/GE-24792-Anten...+attic+antenna

No guarantee it will work which is why you need to be able to return it.
Correct
Click on this link
http://www.rabbitears.info/search.ph...pe=dBm&height=

and click on KDMI

Your original post said you had your Monoprice HDA-5700 pointed at 327 degrees magnetic.

On Nov 24th you said that laying it near the TV was better.

Today you said again that you have it pointed at 327 degrees magnetic.

Fox, This, ABC, CBS, NBC, CW and PBS are all at about 18 degrees magnetic.

What happens if you aim the flat side at 18 degrees?

Can you try this and report?

Try it holding it high, low and everywhere in between.

My Latest Antenna Solution
 

Based on my discussions here on the forum, I decided to try a Channel Master CM-4001 FLATenna with and without my small RCA pre-amplifier. I have just finished the frame I will be using to hold the CM-4001 so that I can rotate it through roughly 270 degrees of rotation, seeking out the strongest signals in the process. I have included some pictures.

The weather tomorrow promises to be rainy with intermittent thunderstorms so it should be a good test of the antenna's mettle!

I'll keep you all posted as the results are analyzed.:cool:

Hello All!

Just a quick update: I connected my Channel Master FLATenna to my TV and set it to point toward 103 degrees (magnetic) and the picture is perfection WITHOUT a preamp! And in foul weather no less! Many, many thanks to ADTech AND to Rabbit73 for their encouragement and sage wisdom. Stick a fork in it, 'cause this turkey's done! LOL

See y'all around the forms.

Best regards,

Frank (a.k.a. DarkStar)