[mtownsend]

Originally Posted by mdoverstreet

I was wanting an A-B switch for the antennas. Obviously, one will be pointed toward Springfield, but where should the other one be pointed? I was thinking Fayetteville or Jonesboro.

I'm wondering if you could pick up both Springfield and Harrison translators with one antenna (you won't be able to get Fayetteville stations). A second antenna could be pointed at Jonesboro, but those channels are really weak and you might not get reliable reception on them.

I think your best hope is Springfield plus the translators out of Harrison and Branson. That should cover a pretty good selection of programming.

I guess pointing toward Little Rock would be a lost cause.

Yes, the hill immediately to the south of your uncle's place makes it impossible unless you can somehow get the antenna up over 300 feet.

Also, would the HD1850 be a better choice than the HBU55 or would it be about the same?

I would expect them to be about the same.

As far as the amp goes, I've got a Winegard AP-8275. Would that one be any good for my uncle?

Yes, that is a good amp. If I had my choice, I would go with the amp that has the lowest Noise Figure spec. Most of the offerings from Winegard and Channel Master will do just fine.

How does the very small, crappy cable company in Marshall, 8 miles north of Leslie receive Little Rock? Do they use a really tall tower or what? They receive 4, 7, 11, 16 and 38. I've often wondered that since I was little.

They probably have the advantage of picking a good spot to install their tower. If they get get it on top of a hill in a spot not blocked by too many mountains, they might have a much easier time getting Little Rock.

If your uncle was about half a mile to the east of where he is now, he might be able to pick up Little Rock too. The hill to his south would no longer be in the way. As they say in real estate, it's all about location, location, location.

Seeing as a lot of people in that part of the Ozarks can't get Little Rock, why don't the stations have repeaters up there? Or would that help? Haven't I read about repeaters, or is that something I just dreamed of? Do they not want to deal with them so they "gave" the people up there to the Springfield markets?

Somebody has to build and maintain these, so it's a business decision. It all depends on whether the hassle of running a translator or repeater is justified by the increased audience and advertising dollars they can charge.

There are also situations where communities get together and run their own local translator/repeater. Some small towns and geographically isolated communities have gotten enough interest together to run their own facilities. This is more likely to happen in places where the cable companies or satellite companies have not been able to reach.

Also, I have my own troubles. I'm in Maumelle, just outside of Little Rock. I've got a ChannelMaster 4221 HD pointed at Shinall Mountain (Where all the towers are). All channels come in, but some of the time 11 drops out and comes back just as quick, 20 freezes a lot, 25 is the same way, 27 might as well forget about, 38 freezes quite a bit and 42 most of the time is very strong. Other times its about as poor a signal as one can get.

Channel 11 is spotty because the 4221 is a UHF-only antenna, and channel 11.1 is broadcast on channel 12.

Channels 25, 27, and 38 are coming from a different direction than most of your other channels, so part of the problem may be that your antenna is not aimed in their direction.

I hope you do not have any kind of amp in the chain because these channels are too strong for most amps to handle. You should be better off without one. I wonder if your problems on channels 20 and 42 are caused by any kind of signal overload on an amp or the front-end of your receiver.

Should I be looking at a different antenna? Just out of curiousity, how would a HBU55 work here?

The only thing I would consider is whether or not you want a high VHF capable antenna. The signals may be so close and so strong that they will get through your antenna no matter what you have, but since you are using a 4221 now, that would be my main consideration.

The HBU-55 is a very large antenna with high gain for fringe reception. You don't need such a large antenna since you are so close to the stations. A much smaller sibling like the HBU-33 should be more than good enough.

As far as analog goes, there is one channel that I know of. It's channel 9 and it's a terrible signal. What should I do?

Since it's a VHF channel, your 4221 is doing a terrible job of picking it up. If you do get a VHF capable antenna, this station should improve quite a bit.

If this isn't a critical channel for you, I wouldn't worry about it too much. These lingering analog translators and repeaters will most likely go off the air sometime in the next year. Some of them will (or already do) have equivalent digital replacements. For those companies that decide not to invest in the next round of digital equipment upgrades may end up going off the air forever. Nationally, the majority of these stations are being converted, but there are also some that are not going to make the transition.