Hi,
Here is my TVFool reports. As you will read below, I have moved the antenna several times at different heights and locations and had different reports for each. I include the various reports for educational reasons.
First 'side of house' report:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...46aed6a9804c85
Summer 'on the deck' report:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...46ae65a7cc7580
Current 'high' report:
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...46ae65c2ffc82f
Best way to get the coordinates is to find your home on google maps, zoom in all the way and then right click on the location of your antenna location (or proposed location) and select "Directions from here". The longitude and latitude are then placed in the box to the right. Just cut and paste into TVFool's fields.
Still learning, but have read a ton of stuff from this forum, so I figured I'd post my experiences with "Cutting the Cable".
Earlier this year, the family decided to dump the "Triple Play" from Comcast and stick with just the internet (as there isn't any alternative for that in the area). With the new Panasonic Plasma having the streaming apps built in, and a Roku on the other TV in the house, all it seems I needed was an antenna to pick up the local stations.
So, after reading a LOT of reviews, posts, etc. I purchased the RCA ANT751. I believe I got the 'R' version, but with all the conflicting labels, I'm not sure. The box did not say 'R', but the packing slip did. No matter....
The stations of interest are the ones clustered in the 109 degree line on the TVFool reports. As you can see, the various stations are similar in all 3, but the heights made significant differences in the signal strengths.
Anyway, here is the past story:
Being the type of person that leaves nothing to chance, I opened up the antenna as soon as it arrived connected it to the TV, and pointed it to the cluster of Boston transmitters (actually located in Needham) using the 109 degree orientation from the TVFool report. Inside the house, I was not surprised to get nothing from the 20 mile away transmitters. Pretty much figured due to a local hill and forest that an outdoor antenna was mandatory.
So, I ran 50' of coax out the back door and rested it on the deck railing. Wow! Only 6 feet off the ground and I got a nice mix of the strongest stations. Of note, WBZ was there which was a very important station to get.
Feeling empowered, that weekend, I used my extension ladder to get the included J-pole up as high as I could on the side of the house most favorable for reception. Using Google's sat view to get the actual coordinates, I pulled up my TVFool report and for the height was looking at 2 edge reception. Not great, but gave it a go.
Reception was OK. Strongest stations were fine for the most part. The most curious was a missing WBZ. Was also getting several stations from Rhode Island at 40 miles away. The 'meter' on the TV showed a fairly modest reception strength, so I figured a pre-amp would be just what I needed. Roughly a month later I got back up on the ladder and hooked up the amp. Installed the RCA TVPRAMP1R. 22db for the UHF which is what most everything around me is broadcasting on.
More channels, better signals on some, but still no WBZ.
Did a lot more reading and realized that my antenna was pointed right at a fairly large Oak tree. (D'oh!) At the height of the antenna, I was pointed directly into a junction of some major limbs putting a lot of wood between my antenna and the towers. Could that really block that much signal?
So, on a whim, remembering how well I got WBZ from the deck (roughly 15 feet further SW from the current location, but a lot lower) I decided to try an experiment.
I rigged a 10' piece of Metal Electrical Conduit to the end of the deck and put the antenna (with the amp) on the top of that. From roughly 25 ft high down to about 13 ft off the ground, but pointed past the massive Oak and into a distant stand of Poplar trees.
Not only did I not lose a single station (even the ones from Rhode Island), but picked up WBZ and a couple others. SUCCESS!
OK, not perfect. The pole has too much flex which caused the antenna to move a lot in the wind. And WHDH was finiky as to when it wanted to be seen. (no noticable pattern) I needed a better solution.
The house is 2 stories with a walk-up attic. Given the raised foundation, the peak is some 34' off the ground. My ladder can't get close, and the pitch of the roof is too steep to try to work on without safety lines. I toyed with the idea of renting a 40' lift, but for $400, it seemed I could find a better solution.
Ultimately, a friend who did tree work and had the proper climbing gear offered to help. With safety ropes rigged over the house, he secured himself and was able to mount the antenna on a 10' mast at the peak on the opposite end of the house I had been using. (this was selected due to the way the house and garage attach allowing for him to stand on the garage and work.) The height of the antenna is nearly 40' over the ground level now. It points across the roof and front yard and misses most of the hardwood forest. Only the very top of the poplar trees are really in the way.
I left the amp installed since I had silicone sealing the cables to both the 300-75 ohm transformer as well as the coax attached to the amp. The new mast is larger and more rigid. I ran the coax inside the mast and then secured it well down to the basement level. Proper grounding was also installed.
Picked up even more stations. The biggest surprise was WLNE out of Rhode Island. And I even get a good signal from WWDP which is listed as an NM -2.3 db. However, I now do not get any signal from WBPX which is a fairly strong station.
So, the reason for posting are the following questions:
1) Is it normal for even a strong station to exhibit audio drops or occasional picture errors? This past weekend was quite windy and we saw some of this. Nothing serious, but wondering if there is something that can be done about it.
2) What is up with WBPX? It is a 2-Edge, but it is physically located on the same tower as WLVI which comes in very strong. WLVI does have a little more power at 550kkW, but WBPX is no slouch at 300kW. It should be noted that I picked this up just fine at the 'deck' location. Seems odd that I can't get it now. WFXT is also on the same tower and has a 750kW transmitter.
3) I'm dreading the winter. Will snowstorms create significant signal loss? I'm most concerned with having access to school closing reports on the major networks which are my strongest channels.
4) Given that the antenna is now way beyond my reach without help, how long can I expect the setup to realistically last? Will I need to go up and replace the pre-amp every year or would once a decade be unusual? In other words, how robust are the parts?
Thanks!
