Antenna selection strategy
 

Hello - we are moving to a new home soon; the signal analysis is:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...90384cfae29385

As you can see, the major networks all have their transmitters on a mountain ridge about 30 miles west of our new home. We already live in the neighborhood and get great OTA reception. Immediately to the west of what will be our new single-story house, and quite close to it, is a two-story house, and west of that are some tall trees; it's pretty clear that the signal line-of-sight from the transmitters to our new house has the potential to be blocked. Will that matter? Are signals strong enough to somewhat "penetrate" the obstructions, or go over and around them (pardon my ignorance about the nature of electronic waves)? If it is correct that the obstructions are likely to affect reception, what should be our strategy in selecting an outdoor antenna? I'd like to avoid, if possible, having to buy a succession of them of different styles and price until we find one that works best, but maybe that will just be inevitable. Is there a particular style, brand, model, etc you all would suggest we start with, given the situation? Thanks in advance...
Mike

Greetings,

You do have cause for concern as buildings and trees inhibit
television reception. Even otherwise strong signals can be
affected. I would suggest that you keep your antenna as far
away as possible from the home to your West and those pesky
trees. Since KMGH 7 and KUSA 9 are Hi VHF, you will need an
antenna that receives both UHF and Hi VHF. I would suggest
the Winegard 7694P. It is small, durable and reasonably powerful.
Use Rg6 cable, keeping the run as short as possible to ONE television,
at first. Once you get that completed, then you can add additional
televisions as desired. You should not need any amplification.
Grounding your antenna system helps reduce the possibility of strikes
and it also reduces possible interference. Attic mountings are usually
problematic, so you'll likely need some outdoor mount. Hope this
helps. Good Luck!