getting channells with an obtuse angle

[jds41979]

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...81a36a3d649f50

I am in Battle Creek Michigan and I have 2 major locations to receive signals from that is at 120 degrees apart (give or take) and wondered what some options are... since they are 20-50 miles from me I wondered if I got a directional antenna (ie RCA ANT751 maybe with pre amp) to use that it would work.

[Dave Loudin]

You're probably looking at two antennas with an A/B switch, or one antenna with a rotator. Also, don't forget that your closest PBS station transmits on channel 5, so the ANT751 would not get that.

[jds41979]

is there any powerful omni directionals that would work? it would seem since the conversion that someone would make something that gets the channells without a switch or rotator

before the conversion and a few years back we were able to get all the channells with one antenna and no rotator...why was that?

[John Candle]

Give this antenna a try. Winegard MS 2000 Metrostar. Also read and understand this http://forum.tvfool.com/showthread.php?t=695 . Buy antennas . http://www.solidsignal.com , http://www.starkelectronic.com , http://www.amazon.com , http://www.summitsource.com

[Tower Guy]

Originally Posted by jds41979

is there any powerful omni directionals?

That's an Oxymoron.

An omni will have trouble receiving FOX.

[Tigerbangs]

I GUARANTEE that if you buy that MS2000, you will end up sending it back! That antenna has no ability to reject multipath, and you are going to have one fine mess on your hands when you try it with your location.

The real, and slightly more painful, solution to your problem is to use a good directional antenna on your roof along with a rotator.

A rotator works well if you are only talking about connecting one or two TV sets, but complicates things a bit more if you are trying to connect multiple TV sets and watch different cities simultaneously.

My suggestion to you would be to a Winegard HD-7082P and a rotator like a Channel Master 9521a or an AntennaCraft TDP-2. I suggest using the all-channel 7082P because WGVK, your PBS station is on low-band VHF channel 5, and you will need an antenna with low-band VHF capability to see it properly.

You have several VHF stations available to you, and I wouldn't skimp by trying to use a UHF-only antenna for them: you are bound to be disappointed.

Yes, I know that the HD-7082P is bigger than you probably planned, but your signals are not strong in your area, and you really need the gain and directionality that a larger antenna will provide. if you plan to run multiple TV sets, or need a long lead in cable, you might want to consider a preamplifier like a Winegard HDP-269, as well.

[Tower Guy]

Originally Posted by Tigerbangs

I GUARANTEE that if you buy that MS2000, you will end up sending it back!

I concur.

A non-rotating option for the major stations is a HD 7694P for channels 7-45 aimed at 322° and a Y5-2-6 aimed at PBS. Combine them with an HLSJ. The HDP-269 preamp remains the right choice.

[jds41979]

can 2 antennas feed into the house without getting a switcher? I thought about getting 2 of the ant751 antennas and aiming at the 2 clusters.

[Tower Guy]

Originally Posted by jds41979

can 2 antennas feed into the house without getting a switcher?

If you have an external tuner and the tuner in the TV set you can do that.

A pair of ANT751's leaves you with no PBS.

[jds41979]

i was looking at the HD 7694P and it appears that its very directional...has anyone considered the antenna directs clearstream5?....if i aim at the one area they are mostly uhf and i thought about clearstream2 which has leeway of a 70 degree beam and appears to be where i am leaning

[Dave Loudin]

You can't fight physics. There is no design that will have the antenna gain you need in those two directions over all the channels you need at the same time.

The visual to have in mind is a balloon. A round balloon could represent the response of an ideal isotropic antenna (0 dB reference). The air inside will represent the energy captured. As you add elements to create gain in certain directions, this has the effect of squeezing the balloon - pinch the back or sides and the front extends forward. Note that there is no extra air - antennas are passive.

Tayloring the structure to make the forward beam wider will mean it will stick out less. In your case, you will still be looking at very low gain on the beam edges. You will be spending a lot to put antenna gain where you don't need or won't use it. Listen to Tigerbangs.

[Tower Guy]

Originally Posted by jds41979

i was looking at the HD 7694P and it appears that its very directional...has anyone considered the antenna directs clearstream5?...

Have you considered that the C-5 is not designed to receive PBS on channel 5?

[jds41979]

yes, but I would aim it at Lansing and they have a pbs at 58 degrees which would give me one pbs on channel 40.

[ADTech]

Originally Posted by jds41979

yes, but I would aim it at Lansing and they have a pbs at 58 degrees which would give me one pbs on channel 40.

I would rank that idea as as having a very low probability of success. Please see the C5's data sheet on the website for UHF performance data. It is important to understand how the C5 behaves on UHF (generally short-medium range) in order to apply it for that secondary task. On UHF, it resembles a rather imperfect omni-directional antenna. Good enough for many uncomplicated situations, but not suggested for either long range or for situations that include significant multi-path.

If you've got signals down in the dirt, you're going to need a directional antenna with some gain to pull it out followed by a quiet preamp. Your best reception will be achieved using directional antennas, whether separates or a combo, that are pointed towards the source of the signal and that are matched to the channels of interest. That will require either choosing to use a rotor or choosing one specific market area.