Hi, folks.
Sorry for the delay in updating my situation. I did a little trial.
I picked up a Philips Tilting Amplifier Antenna (SDV6122/27) from
Walmart.
I placed it in an upstairs room next to a window pointing in the general direction of the TV stations in my area (see previous TV Fool report).
Then, in an effort to avoid running coax from upstairs to my TV downstairs...I plugged the coax cable from the antenna upstairs into a nearby coax wallplate (that normally outputs the Cable provider signal to a TV).
Down in the basement, I switched around the existing Cable coax splitters, so that the antenna signal from upstairs now feeds to the coax wallplate by my TV downstairs.
To my pleasant surprise, it worked
As for channels received, I get the basic network channels that I need and they look great, except...the CBS channel is pixelated sometimes. I've played with adjusting the direction of the antenna, but depending on which direction I turn it, I end up losing a different channel.
So, now I'm wondering about a couple things...
1) mtownsend suggested a "Channel Master 3000A or Winegard MS-2000," but they cost 2-3x more than the basic Phillips antenna I'm testing with. Do you guys think the CM or WG would have a performance advantage worth the extra $$$?...and would they still work better even if located
inside?
2) If I "go for it" and try to mount one on the roof, I'll need a bit of guidance. Could you give me any advice (or point me to another post) on what type of mount, how to install, how to get the coax inside the house without creating a water leak through the roof, etc?
3) What's the general consensus on
DIY antennas (i.e. 2x4 with coathangers)? How does their performance compare with, say, the CM and WG recommended above? Worth the effort?
Thanks for taking the time to consider my questions. I'm sure they've all been asked before, so feel free to just point me to old posts.