I personally don't recommend the Channel Master 9521 rotor. It gets a lot of bad reviews.

I own a NTE U-105 and U-106 as well as the Antennacraft TDP2. These are reliable units and don't break down as easily as the Channel Master.

I love seeing the discussion and appreciate all the advice. I have ordered the winegard 7697p and will install it tomorrow.

Coax: I don't understand the concern about the coax. I have confirmed that my coax works and is only two pieces with a single coupler, no splitters or otherwise. Is there any reason to try a different cable? Could this one be compromised in some way that it weakens the signal?

Rotor: I'm not interested in that many stations. If I can get down to KNBC (I think) and catch the olympics then I'll be good.

I'll report back the improvement relative to the 7697.

Thanks!

If it works reliably and you get to watch what you want... Big smiles all around.

Update!
 

Update: I installed a winegard 7697 and still didn't get the LA stations I wanted. I turned it to San Diego and was able to get NBC in SD and watch most of the Olympics. Nice!

I'm remounting the antenna a little higher on the roof to avoid reflection/etc and installing a rotator and amplifier to see if I can make it all come together. I'll provide an update when that's all complete.

Thanks to everyone for the help/advice!

Final Update
 

OK! I have a winegard 7697 (used from Amazon) for $100, on a rotator from MCM ($45) with a RCA preamp on about 100 feet of RG6 cable. I can now get every network with CBS, PBS, and NBC coming from San Diego instead of LA (which is much closer). The hills between LA and I are a significant factor. That said, I enjoyed the Olympics, was able to have my mind blown by Clint Eastwood at the RNC, am looking forward to the DNC, when are these guys debating?, and all the other good stuff that will occasionally catch my attention. I hope this helps anyone else in a similar situation. Feel free to post a reply/question if I can help with anything. Thanks to everyone who replied previously for their assistance.

Best,
Keith