Help with Fairfield CA at 25 ft.
 

Hi Folks,
I am putting a TV in an office location where there are no trees or other obstructions from the roof:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...2c15e695bfbf8d

Any suggestions for outdoor antenna and possible pre-amp needed are greatly appreciated. If I can get all the LOS stations, that's probably good enough.

Sam

An RCA ANT751 or an equal Hi-VHF/UHF combo antenna pointed at 70 degrees magnetic is sufficient.
You do *not* need a pre-amp

Indoor maybe?
 

Thanks for the RCA suggestion.

I am considering trying the Clearstream C2V-J3 on the inside first, and if that doesn't work, mount it on the roof.
Would that work well enough or equivalent to the RCA ANT751?

Thanks - Sam

The definitive answer is.........
Maybe. :-)

Seriously, indoor reception is a crapshoot. You have no idea, or control over, things that can weaken signals by 7-13 dB.
Or cause interference. Or cause multipath.

A C2V inside *may* well be enough. Other, wiser members may weigh in on that.

I would say that it won't *hurt* to try it, but be prepared to do a bunch of moving around to find & lock signal.
And also be prepared to face the reality that outside is where it must be.

If not indoor then . .
 

Right - I understand Indoor is pretty dicey.

But the Antennas Direct Clearstream C2V-J3 can also be mounted outside.
So I am wondering if it is good enough as an outdoor choice.

If the RCA ANT751 is superior (both outside) than the C2V-J3 , then I'll probably just skip the indoor idea.

Sam

Yes, the C2V mounted outdoors aimed at about 70 degrees should work fine. The ANT-751, however, is quite a bit cheaper.

If you are able to avoid aiming though any nearby trees or buildings including your roof or walls, the C2V and the ANT-751 mentions above should provide very good results.

The 751 should have slightly better hi-vhf gain than the C2V. The C2V should have better UHF gain than the 751.

Antennas Direct publishes their specs (Max gain: 10.4 dBi UHF;3.1dBi VHF)
RCA does not. But computer modelling of the 751 suggests about 2dB more on VHF & about 3dB less on UHF

Our C2V would be the recommendation I'd make. It can easily be used indoors as the newest retail store version (Walmart and Best Buy) will free-stand on any flat surface and those versions do come with the small mount for outdoor use, if needed.

Long cable run from antenna
 

Thanks folks,
I tested the C2V from the parking lot and it worked great!

We are going to mount the C2V on the roof, but the cable run from the roof down to the office is about 100 feet long.
If I use good RG6 cable, will I need an amplifier in there somewhere?

Thanks - Sam

PA. DTV reception
 

100' of good RG6 will only drop your signal 4 to 6 db. That will leave you with more than enough signal for reception on your set.

As signals unlimited has already said, your report indicates plenty of signal power in the air, enough to split to several TVs without any amplifier needed. For others with a similar question on this issue, this thread may be helpful: Basic A-B-C test to determine if an amplifier is needed