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Old 4-Jan-2014, 5:39 PM   #2
mtownsend
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 632
The radar plots are discussed in some detail in the Signal Analysis FAQ.

In general, the Noise Margin (NM) number is what matters most. The path that the signal took to get to you (LOS, 1edge, 2edge, Tropo) is informational, but not all that important because those effects have already been factored into the NM number.

A far away transmitter with a line-of-sight (LOS) path could have the same NM value as a nearby transmitter that's blocked by a mountain (1edge or 2edge). You can't tell if a station is easy / hard to receive simply by looking at the distance or the path type indicator.

The Noise Margin will tell you how much or how little antenna you need to pick up a station, or whether you have a chance to get it at all. Weak stations will have low NM values, and you'll need more antenna gain and possibly a pre-amp to compensate.

If you post a link to your TV Fool report under the Help With Reception section of our forum, there are many helpful experts online that can help interpret your situation and provide suggestions.
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