[rabbit73]

I just assumed that 31 was a very weak station that was just serving the beach area.

That might be true, but you don't know unless you try it. The tvfool report indicates it is possible, IF you aim an antenna its way at 88° magnetic.

for whatever reason nobody around here can seem to get 31.

Their tuners might have been overloaded by WBOC.

I would like to avoid an a/b switch and a second antenna just for the sake of convenience.

Of course you would, but it would be less trouble than swinging your single antenna around for CH 31. And it would be less trouble than trying for WBAL. The problem is that your stations are in different directions, and the antenna must be aimed at the transmitter.

I'm trying to get an NBC channel from anywhere, the closest(74mi) is in Baltimore. Any other channels will be a bonus.

I'm taking you at your word; didn't you mean it?

One possible solution to avoid the A/B switch or rotator would be a DB4E aimed at 31 connected to a separate tuner. The A/V output of the tuner would go to the A/V input of the TV. You would switch antennas by switching the input switch on the TV.

I remember as a kid my dad had an antenna that we could get DC, Baltimore, Norfolk, and Philadelphia channels from about the same location as I am now.

That was in the days of analog TV, when we could tolerate a little snow as the signal got weaker. Digital TV is different; it's all or nothing as it gets weaker.

Do either of you think a DB4e would do what I need? I ask because it can be aimed two different directions.

The DB8E, not the DB4E, can be aimed in two directions, but it doesn't always work.

Also I have no idea what pre-amp I would need to use, I think I read somewhere that you can go too strong and lose reception on some channels?

What you read is correct, your strong signals would cause overload of the tuner or a preamp.



Interpreting Noise Margin in the TV Fool Report
http://www.aa6g.org/DTV/Reception/tvfool_nm.html

WBOC is already at 68.8 dB NM. If you add the antenna gain of the DB4E, about 11.5 dBd average, you are at 80.3 dB NM, without even adding the gain of a preamp.

Trying for WBAL NBC would be even more trouble. It is on VHF real channel 11, which would require a separate high gain VHF or a VHF/UHF combo antenna aimed at 323° magnetic, a UVSJ or 2 in series to block the UHF signals, a preamp, and another UVSJ to combine it with your UHF antenna. An alternative to the UVSJ/UVSJs before the preamp would be a custom (expensive) single channel bandpass filter for channel 11 between the antenna and the input of the preamp, but that would limit that antenna to only one VHF channel.

http://www.hollandelectronics.com/ca...-Diplexers.pdf

http://www.tinlee.com/bandpass_filters.php?active=1