Looking for advice in Central NC

[missie]

Hi. I am so happy to have found this site with all its useful information! However, I still need some help, please. Here's my report:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e1c6a460f79bc3

I recently ditched Dish and I am currently borrowing an RCA set-top antenna. It does ok with picking up a few stations, but I'm ready to try to get something better in place. I have two main options for mounting, both of which are on the roof. One is the location of the satellite dish that is no longer in use, and is on the edge of my one-story roof. The other option is where a TV antenna used to be mounted, atop a pole that I estimate to be 20 feet tall. The satellite location still has all of the cables attached, while the pole has an old cable that would need to be replaced.

I own only one TV. Among the few stations that I'm receiving well now, I probably watch WUNC and WRAL the most. I'm not sure what other stations are important to me, because I really haven't spent much time watching them ever... I would prefer to be able to aim my antenna in one direction and leave it alone, but I'm not sure that's going to work since my stations seem to be coming from all directions. I've looked at lots of different antennas on Amazon, but I just really can't figure out which kind would be my best bet. Any advice will be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks

[tomfoolery]

Looks like your question got lost in the barrage, so I'll take a poke at it (and give it a bump ). Your major stations are all within a 90 degree arc, with the strongest two on the corners. You also have a single high-VHF station (ABC on real 11) at 87 degrees magnetic. Ideally, I would think a half-size DB8e, made of a pair of DB2e units set to 90 degrees apart, with AD's VHF dipole add-on for channel 11, would be just right. Unfortunately they don't make such a thing as a half-size DB8e with separately aimable panels.

Next best would probably be a DB4e or similar bow tie style aimed half-way between the two, at magnetic 120 deg., with the VHF dipole add-on mounted to the mast and aimed at 87 degrees magnetic.

I think other styles of antennas have a narrower beam width, or less gain at such wide angles off straight ahead.

[missie]

Thanks so much for all the info! You may have answered this and I just didn't understand, but is there a reason that I shouldn't just get a full-sized DB8e, like this one?

http://www.amazon.com/Antennas-Direct-DB8e-Extreme-Multi-Directional/dp/B00C4XVOOC/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1405096857&sr=1-1&keywords=db8e[/URL]

When I read earlier about this model, some people were arguing that the multi-directional aspect wouldn't really work. Others claimed that it greatly improved the numbers of stations that they received. If it does what it's supposed to, it seems like it could be the answer to my problem!

[tomfoolery]

I think you can't miss with the DB8e. It's just more expensive than a DB4e, but the result is all but guaranteed using the bigger one.

The two panels pointed in the same direction show a gain of 15-17dB straight ahead, and as you aim them apart, the straight ahead gain goes down while the gain in the two directions of the stations you want goes up. Not as high as both pointed in the same direction at around 8-10dB, but more than a single DB4e pointed half-way between them. Plus you can add the inexpensive VHF dipole kit to just one of them, for the one channel that would benefit from it, aimed straight at channel 11.

ADTech would know more about this than probably anybody, but what I described is in their online documentation.

https://www.antennasdirect.com/cmss_...s/DB8E-TDS.pdf

[missie]

Thank you SO much. I've been reading about this stuff for weeks, but decided that I really needed someone with experience to recommend a setup to me. You have helped me tremendously. Many, many thanks!!!