Need help picking out a setup.

[Nurl]

Heres my location and results:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e6a4858299c0a1

I currently have a cheap indoor antenna that receives the channels in green, but I am looking for something to get the channels in pink/red (67 miles away)

Ideally i want to get the channels at 102/103 degrees on the report, the one listed at 25 degrees (75 miles) in red is not needed since its the same (i believe) as the one at 25 degrees but only 3.3 miles away. (They are both Fox-KYOU it appears)

I am looking for a new setup that will be capable of reaching the 3 channels in pink, while maintaining the ability to pull in the 2 green channels. Ideally without needing to rotate.

I have not purchased anything as of yet for my outdoor antenna, but i have asked on facebook (curious about what others in the location did) and was given these two items as an option:

http://www.channelmaster.com/Digital..._p/cm-3020.htm

http://www.channelmaster.com/TV_Ante..._p/cm-7777.htm

Would this setup work? Is there a cheaper alternative?

The person that suggested this setup is also about 15 miles south of my location, but would still be almost the exact same distance away.

Disclaimer: I do not have any experience installing other than some reading online, but my plan is to put the antenna on my roof and tap into the existing wiring that has been ran for a satellite dish that is not in use.

Feel free to ask any questions, ideally i'd like to keep the setup under 100-150, but i realize for a long distance setup like this it can be more expensive.

[JoeAZ]

Hi Nurl,

The two stations, Rf 30 and 33 are close enough to have a good
signal at your location. The other stations you wish to receive
are significantly more difficult to receive. The channel master
antenna and amp are good but not really your best option.
You might consider the MCM Electronics 4 or 6 bay UHF antennas
along with one of the Hi VHF antennas. Another good option
would be Antennas Direct 2V or similar with the VHF option.
You should keep it simple, especially at first. One television
and then connect others later. The cheapest route may end
up costing you more in the long run..... Think long term!

[Nurl]

Hello JoeAZ,

Thanks for the response -

For keeping it "simple" do you think something like this would work? http://a.co/iWo2OTB - its the Clearstream 4v 70 miles.

Would i need to purchase any kind of pre-amp or filter with whichever setup i go with?

[ADTech]

I have not purchased anything as of yet for my outdoor antenna, but i have asked on facebook (curious about what others in the location did) and was given these two items as an option:

The CM-3020 is a large all-channel design. As there are no low-VHF stations in your area and none likely to ever exist, you should not need an antenna with low-VHF capability. You could use it, but the huge elements on the back are going to do nothing useful except give perches for birds and collect ice in the winter. That sucker is also 12.5' long and 8' wide.

The CM7777 is ill-suited for your location, the local signals are strong enough to cause serious overloading issues.

So much for asking Facebook...Amazon reviews would be about as useful..

new setup that will be capable of reaching the 3 channels in pink,

Which three? I'd assume that you want the two VHF stations, but are you serious about getting any of the UHF stations from Quincy? You might want to take a look at the content to be sure the effort needed matches your desire for the stations.

How about PBS? your only viable options are for KIIN translators out of IA and they're going to require considerably more effort.

FWIW, our recent summer intern is a business student in Kirksville. I gave him an Eclipse to use in his off-campus apartment for the two local stations. He said it works fine for him.

[Nurl]

Originally Posted by ADTech

Which three?

These 3 ideally, however CBS and NBC are the big ones, i could care less about the IND:

Originally Posted by ADTech

I'd assume that you want the two VHF stations, but are you serious about getting any of the UHF stations from Quincy? You might want to take a look at the content to be sure the effort needed matches your desire for the stations.

You are right - the 2 VHF stations would be the most important, the UHF is fairly trivial and if it would require additional work or extreme measures i'd rather not worry about it.

Originally Posted by ADTech

How about PBS? your only viable options are for KIIN translators out of IA and they're going to require considerably more effort.

PBS would be great, but i realize its probably not going to happen from my location - during a freak event around a month ago i was somehow picking up a PBS station on my indoor antenna, but clearly that was a fluke so not expected or required (although it would be nice if possible).

Originally Posted by ADTech

FWIW, our recent summer intern is a business student in Kirksville. I gave him an Eclipse to use in his off-campus apartment for the two local stations. He said it works fine for him.

Correct, it seems almost anything will pick up the 2 local stations (6 channels total) and i have those without concern, i'm just looking for a way to get the CBS/NBC stations from Quincy as my main goal.

[Nurl]

So as of current I'm thinking I may want to try the ClearStream 4MAX UHF/VHF Indoor/Outdoor HDTV Antenna and ,if needed, maybe add in a
ClearStream JUICE UHF/VHF AMPLIFIER.

Would this setup work for me? I know it can be hard to say for sure and some of it is still up to manual testing in person, but from what i can tell (again, very inexperienced) this should be "good enough" to pull in the channels I am wanting.

I do have a few trees around my house that may be a concern, but I am hopeful that i can shoot around them if i position the antenna carefully on my roof. The main problem is there is a fairly large tree that would be nearly straight in front of where I need to be aiming and since its on the neighbors property there wouldn't be any options to trim it back and out of the way (besides it would be nearly impossible to trim back in a way to help me anyway).

Still open to suggestions, but as long as i'm not completely off base on this plan i'll probably start there.

[ADTech]

So as of current I'm thinking I may want to try the ClearStream 4MAX UHF/VHF Indoor/Outdoor HDTV Antenna and ,if needed, maybe add in a
ClearStream JUICE UHF/VHF AMPLIFIER.

No on the antenna, yes on the amp.

I'd go with a ClearStream 5 by itself aimed at Quincy or perhaps, just a bit to the north from that line (yes, there is a reason). It should pick up the two local UHF stations just fine as it happens to act almost like an omni on UHF. Add the Juice pre-amplifier if needed (probably).

PBS out of IA would probably require the addition of a high-gain UHF antenna.

[Nurl]

Originally Posted by ADTech

No on the antenna, yes on the amp.

I'd go with a ClearStream 5 by itself aimed at Quincy or perhaps, just a bit to the north from that line (yes, there is a reason). It should pick up the two local UHF stations just fine as it happens to act almost like an omni on UHF. Add the Juice pre-amplifier if needed (probably).

PBS out of IA would probably require the addition of a high-gain UHF antenna.

Thanks - you have been super helpful (as well as the others here).

Quick question - forgive my ignorance, but what is the reason that the ClearStream 5 would be preferable over the 4v? Due to the foliage or is there anything reason i'm missing?

Just trying to learn something since i'm probably going to try to get my mom setup at some point and she is in potentially a worse area than myself.

Edit: Also, I am confused - the ClearStream 5 appears to be listed as a VHF Antenna - would i need to couple this with a UHF antenna for the local channels - they are listed as UHF and i honestly don't know what that means completely.

[rabbit73]

It is the real channel number that determines what antenna is needed.

VHF-Low, real channels 2-6
VHF-High, real channels 7-13
UHF, real channels 14-51

The virtual channel number (like 5.1) is a holdover from the analog TV days to maintain the identity of the station, and is what the TV displays.

[rabbit73]

Quick question - forgive my ignorance, but what is the reason that the ClearStream 5 would be preferable over the 4v? Due to the foliage or is there anything reason i'm missing?

ADTech suggested the C5 for CBS and NBC because it is primarily a VHF-High antenna and has more gain than the simple "V" dipole of the C2V or the CS4MAX. He suggested it to be used alone because it also has the ability to receive strong UHF signals like ABC.

The main problem is there is a fairly large tree that would be nearly straight in front of where I need to be aiming and since its on the neighbors property there wouldn't be any options to trim it back and out of the way (besides it would be nearly impossible to trim back in a way to help me anyway.

The trees make the results uncertain at this point. It might be helpful to use the TVFOOL interactive map browser to see where the green signal lines fall on your property.
http://www.tvfool.com/index.php?opti...pper&Itemid=90

You can move the marker by drag and drop to different antenna locations.

For example:



If you aren't able to receive CBS and NBC with the C5 and Juice preamp tried in different locations, then the only alternative would be a VHF-High antenna with more gain than the C5. There are no magic antennas that "see" through trees, but an antenna with more gain sometimes helps. Try the easy way first.

http://www.hdtvprimer.com/antennas/siting.html
scroll down to Trees and UHF

If the antenna is outside, the coax shield should be grounded with a grounding block that is connected to the house electrical system ground with 10 gauge copper wire for electrical safety and to reject interference. For further compliance with the electrical code (NEC), the mast should also be grounded in a similar manner to drain any buildup of static charge which will tend to discourage a strike, but the system will not survive a direct strike.