Hi all.
I now have to admit defeat and am requesting help from the experts. In a pre-planned move to cut the cord I purchased two antennas off of Craigslist to try to see what I can pick up OTA at my location. I tried an Antenna Craft Omni-directional that I mounted on pole and moving it around the yard yielded very few channels.
I also bought (from the same guy) what appears to be a Terristrial Digital DB8 (there are no markings on it to confirm that):
http://www.amazon.com/Terrestrial-Di...1&keywords=db8
Here is my TV Fool Report:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...46ae3ad76e17c1
I tried it - while much, much better - it wouldn't pick up my local PBS station channel 9 KVIE.
Both antennas were pointed to 91-94 deg. magnetic to pickup the S. Sacramento towers. I can't get anything from the Bay Area due to my close proximity to some local hills blocking signals from the Bay Area.
I then mounted the (assumed DB8) on the roof using a chimney mount. For the most part I was getting acceptable performance and have since cut the cord on Comcast completely.
Hearing good reviews for the RCA ANT751 I purchased it open box for good price and installed it. It performed much better overall as I was now reliably getting channel 9 KVIE... but I lost reliable reception of 35 KCRA and all of KOVR 25.
So I installed an antenna pre-amp the RCA TVAMP1R... it helped, but no magic bullet.
I would like to be able to get all of the stations listed in my TV Fool report that are in the 'yellow' region. If not - at least the major networks plus PBS and 58.1 (MyTV). I get them sometimes which makes be wonder if the issue is my equipment choices. My neighbor down the street gets all of the yellow stations on a large 'yagi-type' Ratshack antenna... but he doesn't have the trees blocking the signals I do at direction mag 91-94 degress.
Understand I live in a difficult area and it may be impossible but any advice you can give would be helpful. I am on the verge of my goal, but I keep missing it I think in part to my lack of experience with OTA antenna equipment.
Below is hand-drawn sketch of my home relative to the trees, where the antenna is currently mounted and my equipment setup in the home. I should add that I have grounded the antenna mast, that all coax is new RG6, and that the Radio Shack distribution amp is an old one. I would like to be able to drive four TVs in the home if it is at all possible.
Any questions - just fire away. Thanks for the help.