Puzzled by aiming
 

Here is my report - http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...d2439725bcba83

Long story shortish - tried many times to get a signal where we just moved using a 91XG antenna. I could barely get the Fox channel to come in, but not really enough to even watch it. I decided to try with another antenna and went with the DB8 multidirectional. Same results, which was basically nothing. I used two different compasses and all different directions.

I was about to give up and throw the antenna down from the attic when I turn around with the DB8 in my hands and suddenly get 6 bars of signal. I was pretty shocked because this was the complete opposite direction of where I should be aiming. So where before I could barely get one channel I was now getting over 30. We are surrounded by very high hills so could it be possible that the signals are reflecting off the large hill across from us or was I just aiming in the complete wrong direction by following the compass?

At this point I am now getting 3 of the 4 basic channels I wanted, but it seems that the last NBC channel might be impossible to get from this location since it is on VHF. I still have no idea how I could have been aiming in the completely opposite direction all this time though?

The hill from which the signals seem to be coming may be line-of-sight to the transmitters. If so, the possibility of strong reflections is very real.

If you're getting reliable reception on the UHF channels with a UHF antenna, then if it were me, I'd try adding a VHF antenna with the highest gain I could find and see what happens. Use it by itself, not combined with the UHF (whichever one you use in the end), for testing purposes. If you receive the channel(s) you want, combine them with either a UVSJ, or a preamp with separate inputs for UHF and VHF.

You said something about tossing it down from the attic; are you trying to install an antenna system in the attic?

The antenna is installed in the attic, which I know is not ideal, but signal strength is very good all around. As for the other channel I'm not sure what antenna would be able to get the Hi-V channel from 40+ miles away.

Look at the Antennacraft Y10713, with 9.4dBi forward gain (don't know which channel that's on, though) and 16.5dB front to back ratio. Winegard used to make a similar one with slightly higher gain, the YA 1713, but it's discontinued, though someone may still have stock on it. But whether or not you can get channel 10 with a -12dB NM and 2-edge condition, from within an attic, I don't think anyone could say. But I'm astounded you get what you get now, so if it were me, I'd try it.

I had to buy a bi-directional booster to get the signal down to the Tivo, so would that still work with the UVSJ for both of them?

I don't know what a bi-directional booster is, but I would try the UVSJ with one antenna, then the other (use the correct inputs), and see what the difference in signal is with and without it. There will be some small insertion loss, but it may not be a problem.