Antenna pointing question
 

I borrowed an Antennacraft HBU55 directional antenna to see if I can receive any stations at my location. I am pretty much surrounded by Ponderosa Pine trees. Here is my tvfool location and signal plot:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...f1f002c8469855

I don't know anything about antennas, and this is the first time I have tried to hookup an antenna. Which is the front or end that I should point to the tv towers? This HBU55 has one end with a cluster of rods and a V-shaped part, which then tails off with a long straight section. Do I point the open V end towards the towers or the long straight section (so that it looks like an arrow) towards the towers?

I have tried both ways and it really doesn't seem to matter. I am still getting most of the channels. Also, in my location, I should be pointing either at 320 degrees for Denver stations or at 185 degrees for Colorado Springs stations. However, if I point to the Denver stations, I still get some of the Colorado Springs stations, and vice versa. Is this typical?

Do you point using the true north or magnetic north Azimuth?

Since I do not own the HBU55, and it seems to work pretty well, I was thinking I could get by with the HBU33 since it is smaller, easier to mount, and might not be as visible (to the HOA). If the HBU55 works fine on the ground, could I assume that the HBU33 would work just as well mounted high on the roof?

Sorry for all the questions. This is the first time I have worked with antennas, but find it quite interesting. I will be happy to dump dish.

Thanks

The Denver stations are your strongest. If you are using a compass to point, use the magnetic azimuth. It is normal to get some stations that the antenna is not pointing at if the signals are strong. The image below shows how to point the antenna.

Thanks for the information. Especially, thanks for the image showing how to point the antenna. That helps!

Since I am getting good clear picture quality with the HBU55 on the ground, do you think I would be able to get decent reception with the HBU33, which is a bit smaller?

Thanks for the help.

The HBU33 has about 2 dB less gain than the HBU55 which is roughly a 60% decrease, but you have some pretty good signal strength to begin with. You say you are surrounded by Ponderosa pines...does the antenna point into the trees or is it a clear view to the horizon?

I think if you can provide a few more details maybe some folks will check in with some suggestions for you.

Are you mainly interested in the Denver stations at 320 degrees?
How high do you plan to mount the antenna?
Will the antenna have a clear view to the horizon?
How many TVs will you be feeding?
How long will the cable be from the antenna to the TV (or splitter if multiple TVs)
And if you have multiple TVs, how long will the cable be to each TV?

And, by the way, your HOA has little control over your TV antenna if you own your home. See the FCC web page at: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/over-air-r...n-devices-rule

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate the help.
I did not realize that there would be a 60% decrease from the HBU55 over the HBU33. That seems pretty significant. When I first hooked up the HBU55 to test it, I did not have the tail section attached, so it was only about half the length. However, even though it did not have the tail section it was still picking up all of the Denver stations. Not sure if half of the HBU55 would be equivalent to a full HBU33?? Or is there a better antenna to use than the AntennaCraft units?

I am mainly interested in the Denver stations at 320 degrees.
I plan on mounting the antenna on the roof, so it would be at least 20 - 25 ft higher than where I was testing on the ground.
There is no real clear view to the horizon because of the trees, but there is a break in the trees for a 100 yards or so where I will be pointing to the Denver towers.
I will be feeding 2 TVs, possibly 3 at some time in the future.
The cable run from the antenna to an equipment room in the basement is about 60 ft.
From the equipment room I would split and connect into the existing coax to each TV. The run to TV1 is about another 45 ft and the run to TV2 is about another 50 ft from the equipment room. So the total run from TV1 to antenna is about 105 ft.

Interesting about the HOA.

Thanks for all of your help. There is a lot more here to learn than meets the eye. I'm grateful that we have a good community of people here on tvfool to turn for help.

Not really. When switching back and forth from linear (percentages) to logarithmic (exponential) terms, it's easy to get freaked out by the "numbers".

Consider that the theoretical dynamic range of digital TV reception is about 80 dB. That's a range of 1 x 10^8th power difference in signal strength when measured in absolute signal power units. If you reduce the signal by 10 dB, it's a 90% reduction in signal power. Another 10 dB takes it to a 99% reduction. Another 10% takes it to a 99.9% reduction and you sill have 50 dB of range left to continue the exercise.

;)