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Old 3-Feb-2014, 10:56 AM   #7
StephanieS
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 442
Hi N8rbug,

Let me first comment on the antennas you linked to. The Denny's Antenna stacker special you'll see lukewarm attitudes mostly here to it. Not that it's a terrible set up, but rather by purchasing separate antennas and combing them yourself, you can actually have a higher gain setup. In this case, combing an Antenna's direct DB8, DB8e or 91xg for UHF coverage and a Antennacraft Y10-7-13 for high-VHF coverage is the premier weak signal two antenna option.

The DB8e, while its favored by many here, is a UHF design. WVTD ABC broadcasts on real channel (RF) 11. This is high-vhf territory and not the DB8e's strength and as such, as a single antenna option, it's not a good candidate.

Remember, TV signals are in 3 bands: low-vhf (real channels 2-6), high-vhf (real channels 7-13) and UHF (real channels 14 and above). You need high-vhf and UHF.

I suggested "easy" for you, hence the Antennacraft HBU22. I should stop and ask your goals? Magnetic 31 will give you all the commercial big networks except PBS and ION with the HBU22. Are PBS and ION signals you want to receive?

If the answer is yes, this becomes a two antenna set up. To integrate ION and PBS, I would purchase the DB8e. The DB8e allows for each half of the antenna to be aimed separately. The first half of the antenna I would aim to magnetic 31. The second half the antenna, I would orientate to magnetic 221 with the expectation I'd see PBS and ION in addition the magnetic 31 signals.

The second antenna would be high-VHF only and be an Antennacraft Y5-7-13. http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...u=716079000987. This will be dedicated for WVTD ABC RF 11 and be orientated to magnetic 31.

Make sure when mounting on the mast, the Y5-7-13 is 4' below the DB8e.

You need a combiner for this arrangement. The Antennas Direct EU385CF-1s has excellent reviews. http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp...u=853748001705 A combiner takes a VHF antenna and UHF antenna and combines them into one coax going down into your home.

Insert DB8e coax into UHF combiner input, insert Y5-7-13 coax into VHF input. Then run coax from combiner into home to distribution amp.

This is a bit more work than "easy" of the HBU22. This set up ought to yield you ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, CW, MyNetwork, ION and PBS in addition to a couple religions broadcasters with no rotor needed.

Cheers.

Edit: One further thing, be patient with PBS WUNU on RF 31. While aiming to magnetic 221, WUNU is the weakest signal you will be trying for. It may be a little more fickle in dialing it in.

Last edited by StephanieS; 3-Feb-2014 at 11:08 AM.
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