OKay my fellow OTA cut the cable/dish/directv tvfool.com members. I'm new to the forum and to this new age of OTA reception and everything required to receive it, so, please, bare with me. Anyhow, I apologize in advance for this being so long. I tried to break it up rather then make it all one blob of a paragraph as some do.
Here's the 411.
I live just about the same distance from Chicago and Milwaukee. To round the miles up, let's say 38-50 miles from the both cities and or broadcast towers. So, I can and am getting channels from both cities. And from the print outs I have of channels finders, it appears all the towers are pretty much in the same direction/area. That being, about 165 true and about 355 magnetic. They do very up and down from there so I just went with the most common direction. And it's what I used when it was on the ground and hooked up and got 81 channels. So, I figure, that's pretty darn good and close enough.
Here's my current set-up. Need to know what, if anything, I can do to get more channels then I have. Or, at least what I had when it was in the ground. As explained here. >>>> Before I list my set-up, let me say and point this out. Before putting my set-up on my roof, I assembled it before and hooked it up to one TV. As it's currently split between two TV sets. One a smart TV and one just an HDTV.
Anyhow, I assembled it as it currently sits on my roof. But I put my set-up one the ground in my yard, total height was like 10 feet including the tripod. Barely cleared the wooded privacy fence of my neighbors. Anyways, I hooked it up to the bedroom smart TV and got 81 digital and 1 analog channel. Woooooo Whoooooo right?
Well, that was until I put it on the roof. that bedroom smart tv only found 63 digital and 1 analog channel. Still good but not the 81, or more I was hoping for and expecting since it was now twice as high if not more. And the living room LED HDTV only found 56. And again, it's now like 20-25ft in the air.
Anyhow, here's my set-up.
http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direc.../dp/B00C4XVOOC
http://www.amazon.com/Winegard-LNA-2...0_SR160%2C160_
https://www.antennasdirect.com/store...ty_tripod.html
https://www.antennasdirect.com/store...opic-Mast.html
Now, as I'm sure you'll see, the antenna is strictly UHF. Being able to get both cities channels, I don't care if I get CBS/WBBM out of Chicago as I can get Milwaukee's CBS channel, WBME I believe it is. So right now, I'm not concerned with a VHF antenna. But if or when I am, I'm looking at this one...
https://www.antennasdirect.com/store...V-antenna.html
I bought a 50ft. Quad Shield cable for the antenna to the house connection. Which connects outside at a little line in/line out juntion point (how Cable, Dish or DirecTV did it and they all used it I believe. Anyhow, from there it runs into the crawl space. Maybe a 3 food section of Quad Shield or Dish cable. I then installed the Winegard amp to the cable from that point in the crawl space. Then hooked the other end up to a gold plated line in set 1 and set 2 lines out splitter (already had one new in a package so I used it). And as a matter of FWIW or FYI, I think the gold plating does nothing). Anyhow, ran another cable, not quad but it's good cable, from set 2 to the smrt tv in the bedroom. But I plan on that one with more quad shield when I can afford it. But I don't think that's why I'm not getting as many channels. But the main reason I don't think I am is because I'm splitting the signal? Yes? No?
So, there's one question to one issue. Am I getting less channels, even thought it's higher up because I'm splitting the signal between 2 sets? Even though they're both not on at the same time if ever at all. Can I use 2 amplifiers or can or do I have to use one amp for or to, each TV set, per line? Or is that not possible or advisable?
The DB8E came with a UHF splitter/combiner. I ran the antenna out to the amp antenna in and then hooked my 50ft. cable to the TV side and as I said, ran that to where the Dish cable went on the outside. Ran a cable direct from the smart tv in the bedroom to set 2 on the splitter. Ran a separate cable, one of the Dish ones which I believe is quad shield? But it's connected by itself to set 1 on that splitter.
But in the end, the signal still gets split does it not?
Another question, or maybe, concern I have, has to do with grounding it all.
Now, on the outside where the Dish came in at, I noticed that connection junction has a ground screw. One of these things here...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Single-groun...item1ea3a2ae07
So, I ran some solid wire, 12 gauge I think, to the ground rod already there which is where my Com Ed meter is grounded.
Do I have to and should I also ground the tri-pod/mast/antenna on the roof? Or is how I grounded it fine? Will that ground the entire system? And see, here's another thing I should point out; My home was built in the 60's and I have slatted plaster walls with that nasty messy blown insulation in the attic. And being a ranch, and having a hip roof, I felt mounting it in the attic, should you wonder why I didn't, would not only leave me with little room, but it's a mess to deal with. Thus why I put it on the roof. But because I did, and because I have slatted plaster walls and that nasty blown insulation, I had no clue where I could run the cable and be sure I'd get it into the crawl space without trying 100 times (yes, I'm exaggerating but dead serious), and make it to the crawl space.
So, I had to run it down the roof. And again, being a ranch with a hip roof, I have gutter on all 4 sides. So, I had to run it over the gutter and then down. I zip stripped everything to the mast and tripod. But rather then put even more holes in my roof, I just put a dab of roof sealer under and then on top of the cable n multiple spots to hold it in place. As well as sealed everything else or anything I felt needed sealing. Then used some plastic cable holders to attach it to the underside of my aluminum fascia under the gutter as well as underneath on the soffit as I came around and over the gutter, after creating a rain drip loop, then I ran it down the vinyl siding, again, using those straps every so often to hold it secure and connected it to that Dish junction (line in, line out junction that goes into the crawl space). Tried to find a picture of it but had no luck. Besides, the more I think about it, it's just another place I could have or end up with an issue. So, I think I'll just remove it and bring the antenna cable straight into the crawl space through the same hole and just seal it back up. Believe me, I hate the thought of running a ground wire from the tripod/mast the same way. As I saw nothing on the roof I could ground it too.
I thank any and all who reply with help and suggestions. And though I have other things I'd like to ask and or talk about, I'm pretty must done for now because doing what I did over the past few days, caused me a lot of pain. So, I just wanted to get the main things down and see what, if anything anyone had to say.