New Antenna options

[maypo]

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...e6a4cc70d649d4

We have never had cable, always been OTA. It has been at least 10 or more years since a pretty good size Radio Shack VHF/UHF/FM antenna was last mounted on the roof/tripod/mast that has a rotator. It has been subjected to some fierce wind and weather having lost a few of the longer elements. Never used a preamp with it, have used an RCA 1 to 4 amplifier/splitter and recently replaced it with a much better PCT brand/model which has improved everything all the way around. Despite the ability to rotate, i can get Buffalo stations and some rochester stations when it is aimed to buffalo. Years ago i could get a number of Canadian stations, but i pretty much dont bother with them anymore. Most recently, 7.1(38) out of buffalo has been problematic with "no signal" for days at a time or unwatchable pixelation(much improved with the new amp, but still getting less frequent issues)- it appears to be the farthest station from me at 40 miles. I have my antenna height listed as 30 ft-my house is on hillside below the crest to my east and the Ranch style looks one story to that side of the house and two story on the west side of the house. We will be due for a new roof(metal likely) and plan to remount whatever we have at the time. I am looking for suggestions/recommendations on a new antenna.

[JoeAZ]

Greetings, Having grown up in WNY, I am familiar with the area
and reception issues. All but one station, Rf 7, WBBZ are on UHF.
Rochester has Rf 10 and Rf 13 and the rest are UHF. I'd suggest
the MCM 30-2430 UHF antenna with one array pointed at Colden
and the other array pointed at Grand Island. That antenna will
hold up well in all weather conditions, especially if you wrap the
plastic portions with dielectric tape. If you want to receive Rochester
stations, I'd go with the Winegard 7698p which should do a good
job of getting all the stations from Brighton, NY. A metal roof will
seriously degrade some if not all your reception. Keep the antennas
as far away as possible and spaced at least 5 feet apart on any mast.
Avoid an amplifier or preamp, until you are certain you need one.

[maypo]

I used to frequently get 5.1(47) out of Canada without rotating my antenna. In recent months It is not showing up. 9.1 was another, same thing. I am not even seeing those stations on the compass wheel. WBBZ is one i've never got a signal from and wont miss.
As far as antennas go, i only plan to install one. As far as the 8 bay bow tie, is the performance pretty much the same across brands? Durability is a big concern with the high winds i get on the hill. Is wrapping with tape a good thing on any plastic parts on any antenna-and how long should i expect the tape to last?

[JoeAZ]

Channel Master makes their own 8 bay bow tie antenna and it is
very sturdy with great gain. The MCM 30-2430 is a knockoff of
the Channel Master. It is not quite as well built but much lower in
price. I cannot speak to other brands except Winegard. They also
make great antennas. As for taping, I've found that here in the
southwest, with all the intense sun, plastics only last a few years
and then break or crack. Wrapping with electrical tape protects
those parts from the sun and helps a bit with the wind. I start with
the sticky side on the plastic and at the end, reverse, so that you
end with sticky side to sticky side tape. I've seen the tape hold
up to 15 years on antennas that I installed back then.....

[ka1000]

Channel Master does not make their own antennas. They are made in china because one of their tech's told me so.

[JoeAZ]

Good to know that CM antennas are now made in China.
I would advise to also replace the coax with a good RG-6.
Ten years puts the original coax towards the end of it's useful life.....

[ka1000]

We need to call channel master and tell them to start makeing their origanal antennas again in the USA. I called Winegard and they have stopped making all out door uhf antennas. I told them that was a mistake. Antenna Direct makes one antenna here in the USA. All antennas made in China are made for the foreign upper uhf bands. You notince on gain charts the low end always has a lower gain. The driven element shooud be half wave in length or longer to have a more even gain across the band. I know this because I am a ham radio operator for many years and have built many antennas. Aqnd Beldon makes the best coax.

[JoeAZ]

Having traveled to Italy, New Zealand and Australia over the past few
months, I was interesting to see what OTA tv antennas look like abroad.
In Italy, you hardly see any chinese made antennas. All the antennas
are mainly made by Fracarro. Those antennas are designed and engineered for Italian broadcast standards. Down Under, Australia manufactures it's own antennas as well, to their standards. You hardly see any chinese antennas there as well. Perhaps someone will see this serious shortcoming and start manufacturing tv antennas here in the U.S. for our broadcast standards.....
They will clean up, I'm betting, since most everything else sold here doesn't work well, if at all.......

[rabbit73]

No US manufacturer is going to build or modify an antenna unless it can make a profit.

When PCT International bought out Channel Master, it fired its best engineers and closed the NC plant.



"The 700,000 square foot main manufacturing facility and headquarters is located in Smithfield, North Carolina near the renowned Research Triangle Park. This area has long been a respected center for high-tech product development and maufacturing. Three research universities, plus numerous colleges and technical schools, provide an excellent pool of engineering talent with expertise in mechanical and electrical design."

Winegard has discontinued some of its antennas in the HD769XP series, leaving only the medium gain 7694 and the high gain 7698.

To its credit, Antennas Direct has rescaled some of its antennas to optimize performance on the UHF band when it was cut down to 14-51 by the FCC, which increases the gain at the low end. The DB8 was rescaled to make the DB8e; the 91XG was not rescaled.

If the 91XG were rescaled for the new post-repack UHF band, it would be a winner in its class, but much bigger in size.

[ADTech]

Antenna Direct makes one antenna here in the USA.

Eh, no.

The last antennas that were made here in the States were the ones the boss made in his garage and sold out of the trunk of his car back when this was just a hobby sideline. That was before "Antennas Direct" as a business even existed. Now, all of our design and engineering work is done here in the States, some of which I'm involved in personally, but no production.

When the boss went looking for a US-based manufacturer back in '03, Winegard wouldn't even talk to him and Channel Master was in bankruptcy court as a result of their failed deal with Echostar. He was able to find a manufacturer in Taiwan who we still use today for our antenna production.

Aqnd Beldon makes the best coax.

"Best"? By what measure? It's certainly excellent stuff and they have great technical documentation so one knows what to expect, but I can't tell any difference between it and the cables we sell when I test them in my lab. Just sayin'....

No US manufacturer is going to build or modify an antenna unless it can make a profit.

This is a truth that many enthusiasts don't wish to accept. If we can't make a profit on an item, we're not going to spend money to develop and market it. Since the majority of all our antenna sales take place in retail stores, if it won't fit on a store shelf, it's probably not going to come to market. If sales of an existing product don't meet the financial requirements for profitability, it will get pruned.

Just how it is.

[ka1000]

ADTech Your company will have to redesign all your uhf antenna for the new uhf band which goes into effect in 2020.

[maypo]

So this new uhf band..does that mean we will all be replacing our roof top antennas...

[maypo]

Its been a year and i have not put up a new antenna. Looked at most mentioned. the MCM 30-2430 seems to have that hinge for angling the arrays separately, did not see that the others like it do the same. Wondering how i angle them like you said, one to Grand island the other to colden- is it a closed angle under 180 like a v or an open angle greater than 180...Also what about 2 of these back to back, one toward buffalo and one toward rochester? Metal roof coming in the next 2 years. Will be on a tripod 5-6 feet above the roofline, about 40 ft above ground(front yard 30 ft back yard).

[ADTech]

Originally Posted by maypo

So this new uhf band..does that mean we will all be replacing our roof top antennas...

No, that is completely unnecessary.

[OTAFAN]

That's good to hear ADTech. But since the cell phone spectrum is dropping to 600MHz and above, will that cause interference with existing roof top/indoor antennas? And will some of us need to get filters for our antennas, which don't seem to exist at the moment?

BTW, I'm always happy about my purchases from Antennas Direct knowing they are made in Taiwan. I have found Taiwanese products to be generally of better quality than those made in China. FWIW.....

[ADTech]

I've yet to experience a single verified case of 700 MHz signals interfering with reception. I'm sure there might be some out there, but I've never been able to confirm one myself.

[Billiam]

Mayo. Try replacing the coax cables first. Unless you see some sign that a part of the antenna is broken then I would leave it intact for now. Chances are if those cables are ten years old, they are wearing out.

Do they still make Maypo? LOL Have not thought about that stuff in years.

[Nascarken]

Maypo lol the question is yes. and your old school antenna they probably don't make no more.And your old CABLE is probably not 18 gage solid copper Rg6.lol.

[Billiam]

Another thought just crossed my mind. Maypo should check the connectors on the coax first to see if they are tight. I just took down a antenna at my house and found that two of the connectors had become loose at the antenna and pre amp. That can impact weaker signals if you don't have a good connection. Use some Botch 33 tape and then something like Coax Seal or Botch 2228 over the 33 to seal it well from the elements. It will also help keep the coax more secure if it is properly taped. I made the mistake of not taping it properly and now with the new antenna, I have the connectors sealed better.

[Nascarken]

Maypo! Yes once a year it's good too look over things I all ways say lol