Hi,
I am new in this forum and have read through quite a bit of the excellent information here, as well as on other sites. I think I'm on the right track, but any recommendations will be welcomed. (Hopefully, I've complied with all forum guidelines... if not, my apologies in advance.)
(1) I hope NOT to rekindle any of the somewhat controversial threads I've read (such as re the "HD Stacker" product).
(2) My TV fool analysis can be viewed here,
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...0b86ec20f6d33f
(3) My primary stations of interest are, in terms of "Real RF (Virtual Channel)", as listed below:
8 (8.1) WFAA ABC
9 (52.1) KFWD
11 (11.1) KTVT CBS
14 (13.1) KERA PBS
19 (11.1) KTVT CBS (broadcast on two different frequencies?)
29 (21.1) KTXA
32 (33.1) KDAF
35 (4.1) KDFW FOX
41 (5.1) KXAS NBC
As can been seen, three are VHF-Hi and the others are UHF.
All transmit from essentially the same Cedar Hill tower sites, approximately 39 miles from my home at ~ magnetic compass 196 to 199.
(4) I realize this is a bit distant for an attic installation, but also know of people in my area and even farther from these towers that receive ALL these local channels in HD with an attic installation (using an HD Stacker). I have quite a bit of attic space available on the side of the house facing southwest (196-199 degrees), in a typical wood frame construction / asphalt shingle roof... no metal pipes, conduits, etc. on that side of the attic. (Attic is above a two story home, so perhaps 25 feet or so above ground.)
I also realize if the attic installation doesn't result in satisfactory reception, I may need to move the antenna outdoors.
PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS:
HD Stacker was attractive, primarily because of some of the testing provided by Denny and others...and by the relatively compact size... but ultimately, I am presently leaning AWAY from selecting this antenna for a variety of reasons.
I considered separate VHF-Hi and UHF antennas (something like perhaps an Antenna Craft Y10-7-13 or Winegard YA1713, with perhaps an Antennas Direct 91XG, combined with a VHF/UHF combiner such as the Tru-Spec Model UVSJ (NOT full range splitter/combiner). But although I've read about "optimizing", using such antennas versus a single VHF-Hi/UHF antenna, when I compare specs (mostly comparing antenna gain) at the frequencies that correspond to MY stations of interest, it appears a single antenna (such as Winegard 8200U) should outperform these separates. (Perhaps I'm overlooking something? I remain open to separates, if there is a possibility of improving my reception... it would actually be a bit simpler to install two separate antenna's in my attic space instead of a single, larger VHF/UHF antenna (like the Winegard 8200U and it's 14 ft beam....). However, perhaps separates would be a bit less convenient to install, if I ultimately decide to move the antenna (antenna's) outdoors.
So... if I were planning an outdoor single antenna installation, it seems something like a Winegard 7084P would be a good fit... so I am seriously considering Winegard 8200U as a sort of "step up" to improve my chances of receiving the desired signals in an attic installation. (Might be a bit of overkill if I have to move the 8200U outdoors, but the price difference is somewhat negligible to me.)
Oh... I have DirecTV for my other TVs... I intend to connect only ONE TV in my home office for occasional viewing to this antenna.
Thanks in advance for your time and sharing any thoughts/recommendations.
Regards,
Fred