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Originally Posted by dcp12345678
HI Scott,
Nice to find a couple of other folks here from Winston!
I haven't gotten the antenna yet because we are also going to be getting a new television, and I want to do it all at once. We are also looking at moving the dvd player to the closet and adding some shelves so this is quite a big project. But we will definitely be going with the outdoor antenna John Candle recommended unless something changes.
One question, you have an antenna in your attic, not an outdoor antenna, right? According to John's earlier post, ION shouldn't be a problem if you are using an outdoor roof mounted antenna. ION is a really important station for us because we watch a lot of syndicated programs on it, so I really hope we can get it. Do you think the roof mounted antenna will be good enough vs the attic one you have?
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Believe it or not, I've got both. I've got a Clearstream 4 in the attic for my upstairs bedroom TV. Then I've got an outdoor Winegard 9095P for my downstairs livingroom TV. If I had it to do over again, I don't know that I would invest in both as it cost more money. However, at the time, I wasn't sure how to get the two TVs hooked up together (on a splitter) since I've got a two story house with a load barring wall above the living room.
The Clearstream 4 (in the attic) gives really good results. In fact, it's almost as good as my outdoor Winegard. However, there is something to keep in mind here. My Clearstream 4 (in the attic) does not have to penetrate through any roof shingles. The line of sight for the signals happens to be through the A part of the roof line on the south side of my house. Therefore, the antenna only goes through the plywood on the wall part of the attic. That's it, and the signal is outside. So I am sure that helps my situation a lot with the attic antenna. Note: WXII and WUNL are very easy to get from Winston. So those two stations are not really big factors with any antenna buying decision. In fact-those two stations are directly behind my antennas and I still get them perfectly.
Your tvfool.com report should provide you with a good picture of what your real world results will be with an antenna. 'However', I hate to say it. But (at least for me), our ION affiliate is the one exception and I feel the database at tvfool.com needs to be updated for that particular station. I have reported this issue on this site in the past; but never got any feedback.
The database at tvfool.com suggests that there is plenty of signal from WGPX (ION) heading through Winston-Salem. But I know that is simply not the case. I live on the SW side of Winston and I have never seen even a hint of the signal from WGPX (even if I rotate my outdoor antenna directly to the NE--right at the Reidsville area). That station's tower is north of Greensboro (not far from Reidsville). It's a bit of an odd place for them to place a tower since all of our other towers are either on Sauratown Mtn or south of Greensboro in what some people refer to as the 'antenna farm' near the Level Cross/Randleman area.
I do know of an individual who lives in Rural Hall. He told me he gets our ION affiliate with his antenna; but only when his antenna is pointed directly at WGPX. On the other hand, I know someone else who only lives a couple of miles from me here in SW Winston, and he also does 'not' get WGPX (ION) at all.
Out of all of the Triad stations, it seems our ION affiliate puts out the weakest signal. I believe their power level for over the air is only 95KW. Plus, the WGPX tower does not have much height either.
Aside from not getting WGPX (ION), I do get every other Triad station, plus I am also able to get the Charlotte stations. I am able to get the Charlotte stations because I invested in longer range antennas. Longer range antennas usually means 60 plus miles. Yes, you would think if I can pick up Charlotte, then surely I would get our local ION, but again that is not the case.
In your zip code, there is always that possibility that you 'might' see WGPX (ION). However, I did want to alert you of my experience with them in SW Winston. Like I've said, aside from this particular station, I have excellent results.
Do keep in mind (as with any station), your specific location is very important in determining your level of success. For example, if you lived at the bottom of a hill, or with tall buildings around you, that would negatively impact your reception. The tvfool.com database is generally very good at taking these issues into consideration when you provide your specific address (prior to running your personal report). However, for some odd reason, the data is simply all wrong (at least for me) as it relates to WGPX (ION). Again, aside from that one station, the report gave me very accurate information before I ever had an antenna installed at my house.
I hope my experience helps you in some way. Let me know if I can answer any other questions
