Newbie - Losing signal “on the edge” rural location. Cause? Away from house options.

[glimmerglasspeg]

So glad to have found this forum. Asking for antenna help generally these days seems like riding in on your horse to the car dealership…LOL

I live in a rural area, on the extreme edge of 2 larger cities’ broadcast areas. Definitely require an outdoor antenna to pick up “local” signals. Have Dish Network, but the FCC requires my local channels to be in city B, when I prefer city A, so I watch most Network TV on Dish from an old subscription to NYC and the west coast. But I would really prefer to pick up network TV locally from city A through my roof antenna. I get limited signals now, and they are waning.

My signal analysis reports are here:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...cc496f1a825e40
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...cc49b3baea2e64

In the second one, used satellite imagery and moved the pointer over my roof.

This house originally had a large roof antenna. Picture attached. Blew over 2 years ago. Hated the looks of it, but it did pick up the first 12 stations listed on the above report fairly well. Spoiled, but have to admit my reception usually better than these maps suggest.

The house is fairly obvious on its hill location, so for aesthetics, had the antenna replaced with a shorter, narrower one, installed near a metal chimney. (Also, picture attached.) Chimney rarely used. Up until now, signal reception has been fine for my purposes. The new antenna does not pick up lo-V?, so the closest station suggested is not possible. Have regularly watched Channel 13 (IDed as “12” on the report), less so Channel 23.

About 2-3 weeks ago, one morning I turned on the TV and was able to pick up about 6 to 8 channels! Was awestruck! Assumed it was a meteorological anomaly. Or maybe some kind of transmitter test?

***HOWEVER, since then, I am having a difficult time picking up my go to Channel 13, only less favored 23 is consistent. And reception is usually much better in the fall, with the leaves off the trees. Not now. And getting worse daily.

Always suspecting a conspiracy, I am wondering if something has changed for City A’s transmitter, especially considering that spurt of great reception recently. Or something at the station I’m losing. Or do you think it’s weather/conditions impeding the signal lately? But it’s been clear for several days. And even in poor weather, I usually have had good reception.

Really missing this local station. (And the bonus of watching Perry Mason, or getting 24 hr weather on their added stations.)


Second part of this question: I do not wish to use another huge old ugly antenna on top of the roof. My house is on a hill facing City A. I have a lot of land with this house, and of course, the higher up the hill, the better the reception. I don’t have megabucks, but may decide to do something different if I have to replace this antenna, although very hard to find installers nearby with the know-how. Just getting this small antenna up was over $300, with no additional work inside.

Suggestions/guesstimates for installing an antenna away from the house? Methods? Pluses? Minuses?

Or could my current problem be some kind of weather issue in upstate NY?

Thanks in advance for any help. Love this site!!

Please make 3 more tvfool radar plot reports , 25 , 40 , 60 , feet above ground antenna heights.

[glimmerglasspeg]

OK -

25' is http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...cc496af1ac7e10

40' is http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...cc49e9673871ad

60' is http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...cc49d3d70ce278

[ADTech]

Your new antenna is a UHF-only design. Generally, this is an ill-considered choice if reliable reception is expected of VHF stations. Given your description of the horse and the car, it's a common enough situation usually attributed to great intentions but a lack of technical detail. Please don't feel bad, it happens a lot.

Unfortunately, the Albany-Schenectady market is one of a relative few that REQUIRES an all channel antenna to ensure reception of the major local network broadcasts, the typical minimum requirement. Your CBS affiliate operates on low-VHF channel 6 while the Fox, NBC, & MyNetwork affiliates are on high-VHF channels 7-13. Ironically, your old antenna was the correct type for your market area.

Your recent reception success was probably an weather-related anomaly. Intermittently, a strong tropospheric duct can form that brings otherwise weak signals for a short time. the bast way i can describe it is to put into Start Trek - Deep Space Nine terms - a temporary, unstable wormhole type of effect. They come and go with the weather patterns.

Because of the sharp terrain blocking your immediate line of sight, you're likely going to be limited to VHF reception as those signals are able to "bend" (diffract) over terrain much more than will the UHF signals which will be much more line of sight proposition.

Unless you're willing to install a LARGE antenna, the odds of receiving the named stations are low. Depending on whether or not you're getting anything UHF off your UHF antenna will determine the path I'd suggest. If you're getting several of your other stations, ABC or PBS from Schenectady, for example, then I'd keep it and install a second channel 2-13 VHF-only antenna to try to pick up the missing VHF stations. I'd also suggest adding a dual-input pre-amplifier to perform the dual task of amplifying and combining the signals. We don't offer this particular antenna, but there are antennas available from either Winegard or Antennacraft that would work. Just be aware that the antenna is BIG. If you have sufficient room in the attic and do not have a metal or stone roof (or radiant barrier), then and attic mounting location *might* work well enough for you. Outdoors is strongly recommended if success is more important than aesthetics.

Good luck!

YES a very good reception situation , YES fortunately for you WRGB CBS is transmitting on VHF low band channel 6.

VHF low band channels 2 thru 6 , transmit a longer distance with less power over a greater area then the Tv channels VHF high band 7 thru 13 , UHF band channels 14 thru 51.

I recommend a Winegard HD7084P All channel antenna aimed at about 117 degree magnetic compass.

Here is how to aim antennas , http://www.kyes.com/antenna/pointing/pointing.html.

Install a Kitz Tech KT-200 remote power coax fed amplifier booster.

The KT-200 (Ultra Low Noise) remote power booster provides the flexibility to install the booster unit outdoos or indoors.

For 1 Tv connected use no splitter.

For 2 Tv's connected use a , HFS-2D , 2 way splitter.

For 3 Tv's connected use a , HFS-3D , 3 way splitter.

For 4 Tv's connected use a , HFS-4D , 4 way splitter.

Buy the HFS splitters at , http://www.hollandelectronics.com , or , http://www.solidsignal.com.

Here are some places to buy antennas and etc. , http://www.winegarddirect.com , http://www.solidsignal.com , http://www.amazon.com , http://www.kitztech.com.

Here are some Strong and Sturdy antenna mounts , http://www.ronard.com/909911.html , http://www.ronard.com/34424560.html , http://www.ronard.com/ychim.html , http://www.ronard.com.

Buy the ronard antenna mounts at solidsignal by typing the word ronard in the solidsignal search box.

___________________________________________________________

WMHT-DT 34 PBS is a Weak Signal Strength Tv station.

If PBS is not received , or is received and you will like to receive more Tv channels , here is a way to receive All the PBS channels and other Tv channels for free.

FTA = Free To Air satellite Tv.

FTA is received with a small satellite dish.

Here is a web site that has information and how to get started with FTA.

YES , FTA is 100% legal.

http://www.ftalist.com

[glimmerglasspeg]

Thanks for all the info.

Just crawled up into the "loft" where the antenna wiring and boxes reside. Vacuumed 1000s of ladybugs from the crank out window where the wires run to the antenna, and looked closely at the antenna.

What puzzles me is that this antenna could broadcast Channel 13 and its member stations beautifully for 2 years, and is now suddenly worse.
Also, that Channel 10 would sometimes broadcast during the first year, but no longer does.
This year's drop in signal happened when fall occurred, so not when a tree would spurt up, and when the leaves are off, and right after that odd "burst" of stations occurred.

So the antenna is wired to a box in the loft, with wires continuing out to the house, that I am assuming is an amplifier? Then, I look closely at the antenna. Installer used some old ugly pole to put it on, and then it has wires running into another box, about 3x5x1 attached to the bottom of the pole. This included cable type wires, along with thin (electrical? ground?) wires going into the box, and back out. Seems to be not the best kind of situation for a VERY weather burdened area.

Yesterday at Thanksgiving, brother suggested maybe it is the amplifier. The antenna itself seems secure and directed as it was before. I'm now thinking some kind of equipment failure. I would be happy just getting back Channel 13, but not having to pay $100s just to tweak the one channel. And actually their chief engineer wrote me back in response to my wondering about their transmitter. Believe most Albany channels are on the same transmitter location. And 13 and 23 almost right next to each other. So probably at this end...

Would love to just find out what is no longer working at this end. Otherwise, I'm going for something large. I have no "attic", just 2 crawl space lofts at either end. Finished wood ceiling inside - not putting the antenna there! ;-) And the loft I believe too short to adequately stand/direct a larger antenna.

As always , coax that is outside is suspect of being bad , if water get's into the coax , put the coax in the trash.

The best way to find out if coax is bad is disconnect the coax and connect a known to be good coax in it's place.

The Tv antennas at the house do not "broadcast" , the Tv antennas job is to -Receive - the Tv transmission that is broadcast.

Your location has receivable Tv transmissions in All 3 Tv bands of ,

VHF low band channels 2 thru 6.

VHF high band channels 7 thru 13.

UHF band channels 14 thru 51.

The HD7084P is a ALL channel antenna that is designed to receive ALL the channels , 2 thru 51.

The Tv reception is Very Weak (the signals are not strong) at your location.

I recommend install a BIG ALL Channel Antenna. The Winegard HD7084P antenna.

[glimmerglasspeg]

I'm not crazy about another large antenna right on top of the house.

The house is on the slope of a hill, with much of the hill still behind it to the west. Not sure, but it didn't really look as if the signal was greatly improved at the higher heights?

What about putting a large antenna on a pole behind the house - where it wouldn't be so obvious from the road - and obviously without any trees impeding? Pluses/minuses? How many feet away from the house before the signal is significantly compromised (by the distance between the house/pole)?

Thanks again for your thoughts!

The signal strengths do not change much.
25 to 40 feet antenna height will be Ok.

Yes it is Ok to mount the antenna on a pole , The roof or house must not be blocking reception at about 117 degree magnetic compass direction.

Having the antenna just high enough to - 'Look' - over the top of the roof in the direction of about 117 degree magnetic compass direction is not good enough.

The antenna needs to be higher then the roof so the antenna will receive a good signal.

The roof or house Must Not be blocking reception at about 117 degree magnetic compass.
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If using the KT-200 amplifier booster Do Not use any other amplifiers/boosters.