Hi Pete,
I read your thread on High Def Forum. Fascinating stuff. At one time in my life I would have jumped on a project like this. However, you mentioned that the dongle and software were not really suitable for real-time tuning in TV signals. In fact I read where the complete sweep took almost 7 minutes. Unless the sweep could be tuned to one carrier and thereby sped up, I don't see the utility in the SDR dongle. Some of the unique tuner devices available these days seem more promising.
Thank you for sharing your experience with TV preamps. I tried that PCT preamp with my Monoprice HDA-5700 and it made absolutely no difference. I always thought an amplifier was an amplifier - makes any signal bigger. Not so with these beasts.
I just got back from Rad Shack and - guess what? They don't carry much antenna hardware anymore! Who knew? If I had known that I would have ordered what I needed last week. They suggested Lowes Hardware. The associate at Lowes looked at me funny and asked, "Your putting up an antenna?!" I found some over priced hardware but no turnbuckles. I found wire suitable for guying but they wanted 26 cents/foot!! Looks like the antenna raising will have to wait a few more days. BTW, Lowes had a half dozen 4 1/2 foot mast sections, just like the ones I ordered. They were only 76 cents more and I wouldn't have had to pay the outrageous shipping price. The guy helping me hadn't even noticed they were carried!
Last edited by kenj66; 4-Jul-2014 at 4:49 PM.
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