No VHF in Northern KY

steakman1971 · 3-Jun-2011, 1:50 AM

Hello - I recently dumped cable and installed a Direct ClearStream 4 antenna in my attic. It does a good job of getting the UHF channels in my area - getting about 80-90% signal strength according to my TV's setup tool.
VHF (Channel 12, CBS in Cincinnati) is another story - i'm not getting anything.
After doing some reading (after buying - not the best way to find stuff out!) - I guess the ClearStream4 is just a UHF antenna?

I bought another antenna - Channel Master 2016 that is supposed to get VHF/UHF. I hooked it up - still not getting Channel 12. I've not spent a lot of time aiming the antenna yet - it's generally pointed in the correct direction. Gets about 50-60% signal strength on UHF. Not getting anything on VHF.

My tvfool report looks like:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...21934125498438

Few questions:
Suggestions on what to do about VHF? I'm going to play with the Channel Master some more when I get time.

Can I use a combiner/splitter to "combine" the ClearStream4 and the Channel Master signal together (assuming I get VHF on the Channel Master)?

I also bought a preamp - but its not hooked up yet.

Are there any good guides/books on this? I feel lost reading about the preamps, gains, etc. I also realize that installing the antenna on my roof would be much better - might consider this at some point (if I can convince the wife...

)

Thanks in advance for any tips.

GroundUrMast · 3-Jun-2011, 2:03 AM

The 2016 on the roof may be enough antenna... try it. In the attic, well... I have doubts.

If you must keep the antennas in the attic, The Winegard YA-1713 or Antennacraft Y10713 will give you a fighting chance. Use a UVSJ to combine the CS-4 UHF with the VHF antenna.

If you had asked before buying anything, I would have recommended a roof mounted Winegard HD7694P or larger. Or alternately an Antennacraft HBU-33 or larger.

Do you have more than one TV to connect?

steakman1971 · 3-Jun-2011, 2:11 AM

I currently do have two tuners hooked up. One is going to a tv in the bedroom, the other is going to a HomeRun Dual tv tuner which a Windows Media Server uses to display channels.

I'll have to see about the roof. I know the Mrs. isn't crazy about the idea

Question: what is a UVSJ?

GroundUrMast · 3-Jun-2011, 5:08 AM

Here is an example of a UVSJ. It is a filter that accepts UHF signals on one port and VHF signals on another to combine into one coax. The UVSJ will have less loss than a two-way splitter connected in reverse and will prevent UHF signals received by the VHF antenna from interfering with the better quality UHF signals from the UHF antenna and vica versa.

I understand... if my wife is happy, I can be happy. If she's not happy, ain't nobody gonna be happy.

You may see a benefit to using an amplifier when splitting the signal. Amplifiers are not substitutes or fixes for antennas that are too small, the wrong type or installed incorrectly. More on amplifiers

John Candle · 3-Jun-2011, 7:39 AM

The one antenna solution is a Winegard HD7698P antenna aimed about 328 degree magnetic compass. Here is how to aim Tv antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html. The stations are weak at your receive location and the path between transmitter antenna and receive antenna is 2 edge , 2 mountain edges in the path. The HD7698P antenna is maximum gain , UHF , VHF High antenna. This antenna needs to be mounted on the Roof. I suggest a Strong and Sturdy antenna mount such as a , tripod mount , chimney mount , peak of the roof eave mount. Here are places to buy Tv antennas and etc.. http://www.3starinc.com , http://www.solidsignal.com , http://www.starkelectronic.com , http://www.amazon.com

John Candle · 3-Jun-2011, 9:57 AM

Read and understand about , REAL Digital Broadcast Tv Channels , Virtual Digital Broadcast Tv Channels , Analog Broadcast Tv Channels , http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=695 . Here are some free Tv guides , http://television.aol.com , http://www.zap2it.com , http://tv.yahoo.com , http://www.titantv.com , http://www.tvzap.com , http://tv.entertainment.excite.com

Tower Guy · 3-Jun-2011, 1:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steakman1971

Channel Master 2016 that is supposed to get VHF/UHF. I hooked it up - still not getting Channel 12. .

The 2016 is about the smallest VHF antenna available. Your location is behind two hills and the antenna is in the attic. That's a combination destined to fail.

The UVSJ will help slightly, but the Y10-7-13 is the right solution for you. It may not work in the attic, but try it there first. An alternative to the UVSJ that will also compensate somewhat for the attic location is a AP-2870 preamp. That amplifier has two inputs, one for VHF and one for UHF.

John Candle · 3-Jun-2011, 5:59 PM

The signal strength gain of the Antenna Craft Y-10-7-13 is calculated as average VHF high channels 7 thru 13 gain of 9.4 dB. The average gain of the HD7698P of the VHF high channels 7 thru 13 is 11.5 dB. The HD7698P is 3 db more then the Y-10-7-13.