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Old 4-Jan-2011, 3:57 PM   #4
SanDiego_air
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tower Guy View Post
I'd say that your problem is caused by high losses.

The 8 way splitter has about 11 db loss, the two way splitter has another 3.5 db. The downlead has about 2 db and the interconnect cabling adds another 2 or so.

Total loss 11 + 3.5 + 2 + 2 = 18.5 db. The typical tuner has a noise figure of 10 db. The 4220 has roughly 6 db gain. The predicted NM in your installation is 22.5 db. KNSD has a NM of 25.4 db. There's about 3 db missing somewhere, but that doesn't really matter much.

I'd replace the 8 way splitter with 6 ports terminated with a two way splitter. You should gain about 7 db.

The next improvement to contemplate would be an antenna upgrade to an HD1080. That antenna is optimum for you because it has a VHF pattern that's backwards from the UHF pattern, which is exactly the direction of your VHF stations. The UHF gain is also a bit higher than your 4220.

Finally, consider a AP4700 preamp. That's a UHF only preamp that bypasses VHF. That's the only amplifier that is appropriate in your situation.
Thanks for the detailed response. Would this antenna also work for UHF channels? It says it is "VHF antenna".
Also, why would I need VHF only pre-amp? I though channels 2-18 were VHF. The channels I"m having trouble with are at 23 (CW), 40 (NBC) and 51 (KBNT)

Last edited by SanDiego_air; 4-Jan-2011 at 5:43 PM. Reason: Added more details
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