Antenna Set-up Advice
 

Hello all,

Thanks ahead of time for responses.

Trying to cut the cord, can't get a lot of stations from my location but willing to get what I can work with. TV coverage report here: http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...f1f07cfcc150f1

My question is mainly on how to get these channels since they are mostly in opposite directions. 2 antennas? Any other good suggestions?

I'd like to hit 23.1 (Fox), but I think that is unlikely given the distance and signal strength.

Great site! Thanks again.

Welcome to the forum, CWGriswold:

No chance for that, WPFO is way too weak, but Fox is available on WVII real channel 7, and WFVX real channel 22.

http://www.rabbitears.info/market.ph...&callsign=wabi

click on the call signs to see the subchannels.

See Attachment No. 1 for added networks

NBC is going to be a problem. It is on real channels 2 and 4, which are VHF-Low channels that require BIG antennas.

https://www.antennasdirect.com/faqs.html

Yeah, it's not going to be easy. It will take a while to figure it out.

A lot of your signals are 2Edge, which means that there are terrain obstacles in the signal path that cause interference, making reception less reliable. You can see what the terrain profile looks like if you click on a call sign in your tvfool report. The transmitter is on the left end, and your location is on the right.

I see a lot of trees in your area. See Attachment No. 2. If you can't get you antenna above the trees, you will have reception problems, especially with UHF signals, real channels 14-51.

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/antennas/siting.html
scroll down to Trees and UHF
sometimes the link doesn't work

Thanks for all the info. I will test out a couple of options and report back.

Do you have a clear shot for an antenna without trees in any of your directions?

Based on signal strength, the most promising direction is 232 degrees true, 248 magnetic, if there are no trees. This would give you WABI CBS on real channel 13, and WMEC PBS on real channel 9. These are VHF-High channels; it is the real channel that determines the antenna needed. There aren't many VHF-High antennas being made anymore so you will have to use a VHF-High/UHF combo antenna like the Winegard HD7694P aimed at 248 degrees magnetic.
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...enna-(hd7694p)
http://www.skywalker.com/catalog/Manuals/WIN1051.pdf

You probably will not be able to use a preamp for these two channels, because they are strong enough to cause overload. An FM trap might be required. WBFB FM 0n 97.1, 3.5 miles away, has a strength of -19.1 dBm that might interfere with VHF TV reception. See the Attachment.

This antenna might also pick up NBC on 2 or 4, but don't count on it because it isn't designed for it. A very large antenna is needed for real channels 2-6, like the Winegard HD8200u.
http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...=winegard 8200

The second most promising direction is 85 degrees true, 101 degrees magnetic, if there are no trees. This would give you WVII ABC/Fox on 7, WFVX ABC/Fox on 22, and WMEB PBS on 25. The larger Winegard HD7697P might work. You would need an A/B switch to change antennas; it is difficult to combine two VHF antennas. If your TV can add a channel after scan, it wouldn't be necessary to rescan when changing antennas. As an alternative, you could connect the second antenna to a separate tuner and connect the output of the tuner to the A/V input of the TV to avoid a rescan every time you change antennas.

Another way to add the second direction would be to use a UHF antenna like the Antennas Direct DB4E or DB8E for WFVX 22 and WMEB 25 and combine it with the first VHF antenna with a UVSJ, no switching required. You could use a preamp for this UHF only antenna and combine it with the first unamplified antenna with the UVSJ after the preamp power injector.