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Old 17-Sep-2014, 2:58 PM   #7
tomfoolery
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 207
Television is broadcast in three bands: low-VHF (real channels 2-6), high-VHF (7-13), and UHF (14-51, with 52 and up no longer used for TV). FM radio is in between the two VHF bands. When you look at your TVF report for antenna selection, only look at the "Real" channels - those are what each station broadcast on. The "Virtual" channels are the channel numbers shown on the screen, which may or may not be the same. Before digital, there was no difference, but now stations more often than not are broadcasting on a different frequency than the channel number that shows on the screen. Confusing, but as far as the TV tuner and the antenna goes, all they care about is what frequency (real channel) the signal is on.

You have two high-VHF channels - KXTV, which broadcasts on real 10 (and shows on the screen as 10.x), and KVIE, which broadcasts on real 9 but shows as 6.x. Before the transition, KVIE was likely broadcasting on channel 6, which is low-VHF, and would have required an antenna with very long elements, but now it's broadcast on real 9 which is high-VHF, and requires an antenna with much shorter elements. Look at the Antennacraft HBU series of high-VHF/UHF antennas, and you'll see a series of very short elements in the front (UHF), and longer elements in the back (high-VHF), but compared to full-range antennas, they're not very wide at all (about half the length or less).

So most of your stations are UHF, which bow-tie types receive (DB2e type), or yagi types like the HBU-series and the ANT751r. But most bow-tie panel types don't receive high-VHF, so the longer VHF elements are added or included (C2V) and combined using a UVSJ, which is built into antennas that are designed to receive both.

And ignore the range ratings, as they don't really mean much absent any info about transmitted power, tower height, antenna height, terrain, obstructions, and so on.

I use a separate FM antenna, as my main station is low power and some distance, so I have a directional antenna aimed at it. But it powers 4 radios, including an AVR, with no amplifier. A TV antenna designed for FM also is usually a full-range antenna, with giant elements for low-VHF, which you don't need, and would be more prominent on the outside of your house than what you need for just TV. If FM is strong in your area (use the FM Fool feature), then perhaps you could hide one in your attic and run a separate coax to the two AVRs.
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