Quote:
Originally Posted by StephanieS
Perhaps you can as a test before you commit yourself any deeper to Boston, buy the HBU33 and test it to magnetic 340 before locking it down to magnetic 315 so you see what you get.
|
I like that idea. The HBU33 is a good compromise between gain and beamwidth. If aimed at 340 magnetic, Providence might still be OK; if not, between the two favoring Boston. The half-power beamwidth for VHF-High is 56 degrees; for UHF it is 52 degrees:
http://manuals.solidsignal.com/HBU33_specs_2014.pdf
Quote:
|
A preamp for Boston *might* help, but keep in mind preamps just overcome losses in coax. If you signal at the antenna is at the ragged edge of reception with antenna gain applied, the only thing the preamp will do is prevent signal loss further down the coax.
|
Not exactly true. A preamp does make the signals stronger before the coax loss; signals lost can't be recovered. But, a preamp also inproves the system NF (Noise Figure) because it is at the beginning of the system and its NF is usually much better than the NF of the tuner (average 7 dB).
http://imageevent.com/holl_ands/files/ota
scroll down to, and click on
File 10
COMPARE System Noise Figures
With and Without Preamps
which should take you to:
http://imageevent.com/holl_ands/file...=0&w=1&s=0&z=4
Try the HBU33 without a preamp on one TV first.
Quote:
|
For my wife Boston news and her familiar reporters are the goal so that's what I have to aim for. If I need to use the cheap antenna for one TV and the new antenna for our living room TV only I can do that.
|
Good idea. If the HBU33 doesn't have enough gain for Boston, even with a preamp, you can upgrade to an antenna with more gain.
If you do use a preamp, you will probably need an FM trap, because WCIB is very strong at -13 dBm.
The coax should be grounded with a grounding block that is connected to the house electrical system ground with 10 gauge copper wire for electrical safety. For further compliance with the electrical code (NEC), the mast should also be grounded in a similar manner to drain any buildup of static charge, but the system will not survive a direct strike.