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Old 28-Jun-2020, 2:26 PM   #1
mikecandu
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 40
VHF only antenna to pick up weak buffalo VHF stations

HI,

I have an existing UHF antenna (DB8E) with VHF "rabbit ears" and an LNA-200 amplifier. I can rotate the antenna with a rotor to fine tune for different station locations. This setup also uses an HD homerun to convert the tv signals to an ethernet stream so I can watch tv from cell phones etc. I'm basically happy with this setup and it works even better since the repack as I can get all the big US networks out of buffalo most of the time.

Two stations I'd like to get are WBBZ (real 7) and WNYB (real 5). I've never been able to get these stations with the "rabbit ears" on my antenna but RabbitEars.info show both these stations as "red" in my postal code (L8T-1P5) in Hamilton Ontario. Also I can pick up a very weak 8VSB:5 and 8vsb:7 signals using the "HD Homerun Signal Meter" App on my phone. This to me means a signal exists, it's just very weak and potential tuneable with the right equipment.

Here's the equipment I plan to use:

Stellar Labs 30-2476 Deep Fringe VHF Antenna

https://canada.newark.com/stellar-la...=VHF%20antenna

GPIO Low Noise amplifier

https://gpio.com/collections/low-noi...t-bias-tee-esd

Qty 4 Antenna Mast sections

https://canada.newark.com/easy-up/ez...antenna%20mast

HD Homerun HDHR-US

https://info.hdhomerun.com/info/dual

I plan to mount the equipment on a chimney at the back of my house. My DB8e is also a chimney mount on the other side of the house. I'm familiar with mounting using this method and I find that it's a relatively safe option and with the the right set up (ie J pole) you can drop the antenna down on a roof for maintenance.

The Stellar Labs 30-2476 Deep Fringe VHF Antenna seemed to have the best bang for the buck and that's why I choose it. I found the GPIO amplifier on e-bay and it seemed to also have a good bang for the buck factor. Gain is around 23dB at 100 MHZ with a very low noise figure of .65 dB at 100mhz which is ideal for what I need. Plus GPIO is a Canadian manufacturer so I feel like I'm helping out someone local.

The HD Homerun is a brand new "old" unit I won on an action on E-bay. From what I read online the tuner is just as sensitive as the new HD homerun units but it has two separate inputs on the outside of the case for each tuner instead of an internal signal combiner as used on newer units.

So far I've purchase the Amp and the HD Homerun tuner and I'm just waiting for delivery.

I've never used the 5 foot stacking poles but it seems to be a good option for me instead of using a steel or galvanized pole. Anyone had an experience with these stackable poles?

I was thinking of using the co-ax wiring from an old satellite dish that's mounted on the gutter side of the chimney.

Any comments on this setup?

Thanks,

Mike
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